Six nights across three Himachal hill towns — the colonial ridge at Shimla, the Beas valley and Solang above Manali, and the Tibetan quarter at McLeod Ganj.
This is the Himachal loop most people have in mind when they say "the hills". You come up from the plains to Shimla, spend a day on the Ridge and out at Kufri, then take the long valley road across to Manali for the snow points and the old temples. The last leg runs west to Dharamshala, where the Dhauladhar range stands directly above the town and McLeod Ganj gives the trip a completely different character to the first two stops.
Two nights in each town keeps the driving sane — there is one long transfer day between Shimla and Manali and another between Manali and Dharamshala, and everything else is local. A private air-conditioned vehicle stays with you for the whole route, and you fly out from Kangra rather than driving all the way back down to Chandigarh.
The essentials
Trip information
Package code
EH07HP001
Pickup
Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh
Drop
Kangra Airport (Gaggal), Dharamshala
Night count
06 Nights, 07 Days
Travellers
6 pax
Vehicle
Toyota Innova (AC)
At a glance
Itinerary highlights
Day 1Chandigarh to Shimla
Day 2Shimla and a day out at Kufri
Day 3Shimla to Manali down the Beas valley
Day 4Manali temples and the run up to Solang
Day 5Manali to Dharamshala
Day 6McLeod Ganj and the Kangra valley
Day 7Check out and fly home from Kangra
Your route, day by day
Day-by-day itinerary
Shimla
The old summer capital of British India, strung along a ridge at about 2,200 metres with a pedestrian Mall running its length.
Day 1
Chandigarh to Shimla
You are met at Chandigarh and driven up through Kalka and Solan. The climb starts in earnest after Parwanoo and the road shadows the narrow-gauge Kalka–Shimla line for much of the way, so you will see the toy train more than once. Cars stop short of the Mall, so the last stretch to the hotel is on foot or by the lift. The evening is free — the Ridge is a five-minute walk and is where everyone ends up after dark.
Starts from Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh, ends at Hotel Willow Banks, Shimla, covering around 115 km in an estimated 4h 00m.
Sightseeing
The Ridge and Mall RoadOpen all dayAllow 90 min
The flat open stretch at the top of Shimla, with Christ Church at one end and the Mall dropping away below it. No vehicles are allowed, which is why it fills up every evening.
Walk the length of the Mall
See Christ Church lit up after dark
Coffee at Scandal Point
Shimla & Kufri
The hill station itself, plus the meadow and forest belt at Kufri sixteen kilometres east.
Day 2
Shimla and a day out at Kufri
A full local day. You climb to the Jakhoo temple first, while it is still cool, then drive out to Kufri along the Hindustan–Tibet road. Kufri is a short pony ride or walk above the parking area and is where the snow settles first in winter. On the way back you stop at the Viceregal Lodge, and the afternoon finishes on the Mall.
Based at Hotel Willow Banks, Shimla, covering around 45 km in an estimated 7h 00m.
Sightseeing
Jakhoo TempleOpen 5 AM – 9 PMAllow 75 min
The highest point in Shimla, reached by a steep path from the Ridge or by road. The Hanuman statue on the summit is visible from most of the town. Monkeys here are bold, so keep glasses, phones and food packed away.
Climb the path from the Ridge
See the hilltop statue
Views over the whole ridge line
KufriOpen all dayAllow 150 min
A meadow at around 2,500 metres above Shimla, backed by deodar forest. In winter it is the nearest snow to the town; the rest of the year it is a walk up to the viewpoint with the Himalayan Nature Park nearby.
Walk or ride up to the viewpoint
Himalayan Nature Park
Snow play in season
Viceregal Lodge (Rashtrapati Niwas)Open 9:30 AM – 5 PM, closed MondaysAllow 60 min
The stone residence built for the British viceroy on Observatory Hill, where several of the meetings leading up to Partition were held. It now houses the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, and guided tours cover a few of the ground-floor rooms.
Guided tour of the ground floor
Walk the gardens
Photograph the facade
Manali
A town at the head of the Kullu valley on the Beas, with the Pir Panjal closing off the view to the north.
Day 3
Shimla to Manali down the Beas valley
The longest drive of the trip, and worth starting early. The road drops off the Shimla ridge to Bilaspur, runs beside the Gobind Sagar reservoir, then picks up the Beas at Mandi and follows it upstream through the Pandoh gorge. You pass Kullu in the afternoon — there is time for a stop at a shawl weaving unit — and reach Manali by evening. Check in and take it easy.
Starts from Hotel Willow Banks, Shimla, ends at Snow Valley Resorts, Manali, covering around 250 km in an estimated 8h 00m.
Sightseeing
Kullu shawl weaving unitsOpen 9 AM – 7 PMAllow 45 min
The workshops on the highway near Kullu weave the local pattu shawls and caps on handlooms, and most are happy to show you the looms working.
Watch the handlooms
Buy a Kullu shawl or cap
Stretch your legs by the Beas
Manali & Solang Valley
Old cedar temples on the west bank of the Beas, and the wide grassy bowl at Solang thirteen kilometres up the valley.
Day 4
Manali temples and the run up to Solang
Mornings go to the old part of Manali — the Hadimba temple in its deodar grove, then Manu Temple and the hot springs at Vashisht. After lunch you drive up the valley to Solang, which is the base for paragliding, the ropeway and, in winter, the snow. Back in town in the evening for the Mall.
Based at Snow Valley Resorts, Manali, covering around 40 km in an estimated 7h 00m.
Sightseeing
Hadimba Devi TempleOpen 8 AM – 6 PMAllow 60 min
A four-tiered wooden temple from the sixteenth century, built around a rock in a stand of deodar just above Manali. It is dedicated to Hadimba from the Mahabharata, and the carved doorway is the piece most people miss while queueing.
See the carved wooden doorway
Walk the deodar grove
Ghatotkacha tree shrine nearby
Vashisht Hot SpringsOpen 6 AM – 9 PMAllow 60 min
A village on the slope across the river with sulphur springs feeding stone bathing tanks, alongside a small stone temple to Vashisht. The lanes above it are lined with cafés.
Soak in the hot bath tanks
See the old stone temple
Walk the village lanes
Solang ValleyOpen all dayAllow 150 min
A broad meadow at about 2,500 metres between Manali and the Rohtang road, ringed by peaks. Paragliding and the ropeway run through the warmer months; from roughly December it holds snow and turns into the local ski and snow-play ground.
Ropeway to the upper station
Paragliding or zorbing in season
Snow play in winter
Dharamshala
Two towns really — administrative Dharamshala below, and McLeod Ganj above it, home of the Tibetan government in exile.
Day 5
Manali to Dharamshala
West today. You retrace the valley to Mandi, then cut across through Jogindernagar and Palampur, where the road runs through tea gardens with the Dhauladhar wall on your right for the last hour. Arrive in Dharamshala by late afternoon and check in. If there is light left, drive up to McLeod Ganj for the evening.
Starts from Snow Valley Resorts, Manali, ends at Hotel Dhauladhar, Dharamshala, covering around 240 km in an estimated 7h 30m.
Sightseeing
Palampur tea gardensOpen all dayAllow 45 min
The Kangra valley tea belt, planted in the nineteenth century and still producing a light black tea. The estates sit right beside the highway with the Dhauladhar range behind them.
Walk into the tea garden
Buy Kangra tea at an estate shop
Photograph the Dhauladhar backdrop
McLeod Ganj
The upper town, settled by Tibetan refugees from 1960 and built around the Dalai Lama's residence and main temple.
Day 6
McLeod Ganj and the Kangra valley
A full day above the town. You start at the Tsuglagkhang complex, walk the kora path behind it, then take the short trail to Bhagsu waterfall. The afternoon is for the Norbulingka institute down in the valley, where Tibetan crafts are taught and made, and for the church at Forsyth Ganj on the way back.
Based at Hotel Dhauladhar, Dharamshala, covering around 35 km in an estimated 7h 00m.
Sightseeing
Tsuglagkhang ComplexOpen 5 AM – 8 PMAllow 90 min
The main Tibetan temple in McLeod Ganj, next to the Dalai Lama's residence, with the Tibet Museum in the same compound. The kora — the circular walking path around it — takes about twenty minutes and is lined with prayer wheels.
Walk the kora path
Tibet Museum
Sit in on the monks' debating if it is on
Bhagsunag Temple and waterfallOpen 6 AM – 8 PMAllow 90 min
An old Shiva temple with spring-fed tanks, and a level twenty-minute walk beyond it to a waterfall that runs hardest just after the monsoon.
Walk up to the falls
Café stop on the trail
See the temple bathing tanks
Norbulingka InstituteOpen 9 AM – 5:30 PMAllow 75 min
A workshop and garden complex below Dharamshala set up to keep Tibetan crafts alive — thangka painting, wood carving, metalwork and appliqué are all made on site and you can watch the artisans work.
Watch thangka painters
Walk the Japanese-style garden
Craft shop and doll museum
St John in the WildernessOpen 9 AM – 5 PMAllow 30 min
A stone church of 1852 in a deodar forest between Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj, with Belgian stained glass and the grave of Lord Elgin in its churchyard.
See the stained-glass windows
Walk the old graveyard
Quiet stop in the forest
Dharamshala
A last morning under the Dhauladhar before the short run down to Gaggal.
Day 7
Check out and fly home from Kangra
Breakfast, then check out by 11 AM. Kangra Airport at Gaggal is a short drive down the valley and you are dropped in time for the flight. If your flight is late in the day there is room for a last hour in McLeod Ganj — tell the driver the night before.
Starts from Hotel Dhauladhar, Dharamshala, ends at Kangra Airport (Gaggal), Dharamshala, covering around 15 km in an estimated 35m.
Airport pick-up and drop
× 2
Shimla and Kufri sightseeing day
Manali local and Solang Valley day
Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj sightseeing day
The fine print, clearly
What’s included
Inclusions
Six nights of accommodation in the selected hotel category.
Daily breakfast at the hotel.
All transfers and sightseeing by private air-conditioned vehicle.
Sightseeing days in Shimla, Manali and Dharamshala as per the itinerary.
Driver allowance, fuel, toll, parking and hill permits for the vehicle.
24×7 destination support for the whole trip.
Exclusions
Airfare or train fare to Chandigarh and out of Kangra.
Entry tickets, ropeway rides and the toy train unless stated.
The Rohtang Pass permit and any vehicle change needed for it.
Snow activities, skiing, paragliding and hired snow clothing at Solang and Kufri.
Lunch, dinner and anything ordered outside the hotel.
Personal expenses such as laundry, tips and shopping.
GST, charged extra on the final bill as applicable.
Good to know
Policies
Payment policy
50% of the package cost is needed at the time of booking to confirm it.
The remaining 50% must be cleared at least 15 days before the trip starts.
Peak season (May, June and the Christmas–New Year week) needs full payment at booking.
The booking is confirmed only once the advance payment reaches us.
Payment by bank transfer or UPI.
Cancellation policy
0–10 days before check-in: 100% of the booking amount is charged.
11–20 days before check-in: 70% of the booking amount is charged.
21–30 days before check-in: 30% of the booking amount is charged.
A minimum cancellation charge of 10% applies in all cases.
No refund for unused nights or an early check-out.
Peak season (20 December – 5 January): no refund on cancellation.
Important information
Carry a valid photo ID — Aadhaar, passport, voter ID or driving licence.
Rohtang Pass is shut through the winter and reopens only when the snow is cleared, usually around May. When it is open, every vehicle needs a permit from the Himachal government portal, daily numbers are capped and the pass closes on Tuesdays for maintenance. The Atal Tunnel stays open most of the year and is the reliable way into Lahaul.
The Mall Road in Shimla and the core of McLeod Ganj are closed to vehicles, so expect a short walk from the drop point to the hotel.
Landslides and snow can close the Chandigarh–Shimla and Kullu valley roads at short notice; the day order may be reshuffled to work around it.
Bring warm layers and shoes with grip in any season — evenings are cold on the ridge even in summer.
Hotels and the day order may shift slightly; we tell you in advance if so.
Easy Holiday
