Three nights on the Shimla ridge and three at the head of the Kullu valley, with Kufri, Chail, Solang and the Atal Tunnel worked into full days rather than rushed.
Shimla and Manali are the two hill towns most people picture together, and they suit each other — one is a nineteenth-century town built along a ridge, the other a valley base with the high Pir Panjal directly above it. Three nights in each means you get a settled local day, a day out to the surrounding valleys, and enough slack to lose an afternoon on the Mall without feeling behind schedule.
The route runs up from Chandigarh through Kalka and Solan, across the Beas valley to Manali, and back down to Chandigarh at the end. A private air-conditioned vehicle stays with you throughout, so Kufri, Chail, Naldehra, Solang and the run through the Atal Tunnel to Sissu are all done at your own pace rather than on someone else's bus timetable.
The essentials
Trip information
Package code
EH07SM001
Pickup
Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh
Drop
Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh
Night count
06 Nights, 07 Days
Travellers
6 pax
Vehicle
Toyota Innova Crysta (AC)
At a glance
Itinerary highlights
Day 1Chandigarh to Shimla
Day 2Shimla on foot and by road
Day 3Kufri, Chail and Naldehra
Day 4Shimla to Manali
Day 5Manali temples, Vashisht and Old Manali
Day 6Solang Valley and through the Atal Tunnel
Day 7Manali down to Chandigarh
Your route, day by day
Day-by-day itinerary
Shimla
A town built along a single ridge at about 2,200 metres, laid out by the British as their summer capital and still shaped by it.
Day 1
Chandigarh to Shimla
You are met at Chandigarh and head north through Panchkula and Kalka. The hills begin at Parwanoo and the road climbs steadily past Solan, crossing and recrossing the narrow-gauge Kalka–Shimla railway. Check in at the hotel on the Mall, then take the evening slowly — the Ridge is a couple of minutes away and altitude is easier on you if the first day is light.
Starts from Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh, ends at Hotel Combermere, Shimla, covering around 115 km in an estimated 4h 00m.
Sightseeing
The Ridge and Christ ChurchOpen all day; church 8 AM – 6 PMAllow 90 min
The wide open ground at the top of Shimla with the yellow neo-Gothic Christ Church at its eastern end, built in the 1850s and the second-oldest church in north India. Traffic is banned here, so evenings turn into a slow walk from one end to the other.
Walk the Ridge at dusk
See the church stained glass
Down the Mall to Scandal Point
Day 2
Shimla on foot and by road
Start early with the climb to Jakhoo, which is best before the day warms up. From there you drive west along the ridge to the Viceregal Lodge and the Himachal State Museum. The afternoon drops back into town for the Lower Bazaar, and the evening is free on the Mall.
Based at Hotel Combermere, Shimla, covering around 25 km in an estimated 7h 00m.
Sightseeing
Jakhoo TempleOpen 5 AM – 9 PMAllow 75 min
Shimla's highest point at just over 2,400 metres, with a large Hanuman statue that can be seen from most of the town. You can walk up from the Ridge in about half an hour or drive most of the way. The resident monkeys will take anything loose, so pack your glasses away.
Walk up through the deodars
Views across to the snow line
See the hilltop statue
Viceregal Lodge (Rashtrapati Niwas)Open 9:30 AM – 5 PM, closed MondaysAllow 60 min
Built in the 1880s on Observatory Hill as the British viceroy's residence, and the room where the Partition discussions were held is on the guided route. It now belongs to the Indian Institute of Advanced Study and the gardens are open to walk.
Guided ground-floor tour
Walk the terraced gardens
Café in the grounds
Himachal State MuseumOpen 10 AM – 5 PM, closed MondaysAllow 45 min
A colonial house on Mount Pleasant holding Pahari miniature paintings, temple woodcarving and stone sculpture gathered from across the state — the best single introduction to Himachali craft on this trip.
Pahari miniature gallery
Temple woodcarving collection
Views from the lawn
Lower BazaarOpen 10 AM – 8 PMAllow 60 min
The working market on the terrace directly below the Mall, reached by any of the stepped lanes. Woollens, dried fruit and household goods, and considerably cheaper than the shops above it.
Buy woollens and caps
Try local dried apricots
Walk the stepped lanes
Kufri & Chail
The forest and meadow country either side of Shimla — Kufri to the east, and Chail, a former princely capital, to the south.
Day 3
Kufri, Chail and Naldehra
A full day out of town. You head east on the old Hindustan–Tibet road to Kufri first, then loop south through the forest to Chail, which sits higher than Shimla and is far quieter. If time allows on the way back, the golf course at Naldehra is a short detour north — it is one of the oldest in India and the deodar ring around it is the real attraction.
Based at Hotel Combermere, Shimla, covering around 95 km in an estimated 8h 00m.
Sightseeing
KufriOpen all dayAllow 150 min
A meadow at roughly 2,500 metres sixteen kilometres from Shimla, backed by dense deodar. Vehicles stop at the bottom and you walk or ride up to the viewpoint. It is the first place near Shimla to hold snow, which is why it fills up from December.
Walk or ride to the viewpoint
Himalayan Nature Park
Snow play in season
ChailOpen all dayAllow 120 min
Built by the Maharaja of Patiala after he was barred from Shimla, and now a quiet town in a wildlife sanctuary. The cricket ground here, cut into a hilltop at about 2,400 metres, is usually described as the highest in the world.
See the hilltop cricket ground
Walk in the sanctuary forest
Look around the palace grounds
Naldehra Golf CourseOpen 7 AM – 6 PMAllow 60 min
A nine-hole course laid out on a wooded saddle at the start of the twentieth century, ringed by very old deodars. You do not need to play to walk the edge of it.
Walk the deodar ring
Views down the Sutlej side
Tea at the course
Manali
The top of the Kullu valley on the Beas, at about 2,000 metres, with the Pir Panjal wall directly to the north.
Day 4
Shimla to Manali
The long transfer, so an early start. The road comes off the ridge to Bilaspur, runs along the Gobind Sagar reservoir, then joins the Beas at Mandi and follows it up through the Pandoh gorge and the tunnels above Aut. Kullu is the afternoon stop — the shawl looms are right on the highway. You reach Manali in the evening and check in.
Starts from Hotel Combermere, Shimla, ends at Apple Country Resort, Manali, covering around 250 km in an estimated 8h 00m.
Sightseeing
Kullu shawl weaving unitsOpen 9 AM – 7 PMAllow 45 min
Handloom workshops on the highway at Kullu turning out the geometric-bordered pattu shawls and Kullu caps the valley is known for. Most will show you the looms in operation.
Watch a handloom running
Buy a shawl or cap
Stop by the Beas
Day 5
Manali temples, Vashisht and Old Manali
A local day and a gentle one. Hadimba first, in its grove of deodars, then Manu Temple in Old Manali and the springs at Vashisht across the river. The lanes above Vashisht and Old Manali are worth an hour on foot. Evening on the Mall for the woollen shops and a Tibetan meal.
Based at Apple Country Resort, Manali, covering around 30 km in an estimated 7h 00m.
Sightseeing
Hadimba Devi TempleOpen 8 AM – 6 PMAllow 60 min
A pagoda-roofed wooden temple built in 1553 around a natural rock, standing in old-growth deodar above the town. The carved door frame is the finest thing in it. A short walk away is the shrine to her son Ghatotkacha, set in a tree.
See the carved doorway
Walk the deodar grove
Ghatotkacha tree shrine
Manu Temple, Old ManaliOpen 7 AM – 7 PMAllow 45 min
A stone and timber temple at the top of Old Manali dedicated to the sage Manu, reached by a climb through the village. The lanes on the way up are full of guesthouses and cafés.
Climb through Old Manali
See the temple courtyard
Café stop on the lane
Vashisht Hot SpringsOpen 6 AM – 9 PMAllow 60 min
A slate-roofed village on the east bank where sulphur springs feed stone bathing tanks beside an old temple to the sage Vashisht. Separate tanks for men and women, and the water runs hot all year.
Soak in the springs
See the stone temple carving
Walk the village lanes
Mall Road, ManaliOpen 10 AM – 10 PMAllow 90 min
The pedestrian street through the middle of new Manali, lined with woollen shops, Tibetan stalls and the local handicraft emporium.
Buy woollens and shawls
Tibetan food for dinner
Browse the handicraft stalls
Solang Valley & Atal Tunnel
The high ground north of Manali — the Solang meadow, then the nine-kilometre tunnel under the Rohtang ridge into Lahaul.
Day 6
Solang Valley and through the Atal Tunnel
North up the valley. Solang first, for the ropeway and whatever the season allows — paragliding in the warm months, snow from about December. You then carry on through the Atal Tunnel to Sissu on the Lahaul side, which is drier, barer and looks nothing like the Kullu valley you left twenty minutes earlier. If Rohtang Pass is open and a permit has come through, we run that instead of Sissu.
Based at Apple Country Resort, Manali, covering around 85 km in an estimated 8h 00m.
Sightseeing
Solang ValleyOpen all dayAllow 150 min
A wide meadow at about 2,500 metres, thirteen kilometres from Manali, used for paragliding and zorbing through summer and for skiing and snow play once the snow settles. The ropeway lifts you to the ridge above it for the valley view.
Ropeway to the upper station
Paragliding in season
Snow play in winter
Atal Tunnel and SissuOpen all day, weather permittingAllow 180 min
Opened in 2020, the tunnel runs about nine kilometres under the Rohtang ridge and keeps Lahaul reachable through the winter. Sissu, just beyond the north portal, has a waterfall coming off the cliff and a small lake, with the Chandra river below.
Drive through the tunnel
Sissu waterfall and lake
Photograph the Lahaul landscape
Rohtang Pass (optional, permit required)Roughly May to October, closed TuesdaysAllow Half day
The old crossing into Lahaul at 3,978 metres, snowbound and shut for most of the winter. When it is open, entry is limited by a daily vehicle quota and needs a permit obtained in advance. We arrange it where we can, but it is never certain.
Snow at the top of the pass
Views into Lahaul
Stop at Marhi on the climb
Manali
A last valley morning before the long run back down to the plains.
Day 7
Manali down to Chandigarh
Breakfast and an early check-out, because this is a long day on the road. You come back down the Beas through Kullu and Mandi, join the four-lane stretch after Bilaspur and reach Chandigarh in the late afternoon or early evening. Book your flight or train accordingly — we will say so again when the trip is being confirmed.
Starts from Apple Country Resort, Manali, ends at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh, covering around 310 km in an estimated 8h 00m.
Airport pick-up and drop
× 2
Shimla local sightseeing day
Kufri, Chail and Naldehra day
Manali local sightseeing day
Solang Valley and Atal Tunnel day
The fine print, clearly
What’s included
Inclusions
Six nights of accommodation in the selected hotel category.
Daily breakfast at the hotel and dinner on all six nights.
All transfers and sightseeing by private air-conditioned vehicle.
Four full sightseeing days across Shimla and Manali as per the itinerary.
Driver allowance, fuel, toll, parking and hill permits for the vehicle.
Assistance with the Rohtang Pass permit when the pass is open.
24×7 destination support for the whole trip.
Exclusions
Airfare or train fare to and from Chandigarh.
Entry tickets, ropeway rides, the toy train and the Kufri pony ride.
The Rohtang Pass permit charge and any vehicle change needed for it.
Skiing, paragliding, snow scooters and hired snow clothing.
Lunch and anything ordered outside the fixed menu.
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 closed through the winter and normally reopens around May once the snow is cleared. When open it needs a permit issued through the Himachal government portal, the daily vehicle quota is limited and the pass shuts on Tuesdays for maintenance. We can apply on your behalf, but no permit can be guaranteed.
The Atal Tunnel below the pass is open most of the year and gets you into Lahaul for Sissu even when Rohtang itself is shut — it does close briefly during heavy snowfall.
The last day is a long drive from Manali down to Chandigarh, so book an evening flight rather than a morning one.
Vehicles cannot reach the Mall in Shimla; expect a short walk or a lift ride to the hotel with your bags.
Snow and landslides can close roads at short notice and the day order may be rearranged to suit; we tell you in advance if so.
Easy Holiday
