Shimla Manali Tour Package 5 Nights 6 Days from Delhi

Arrive and Settle: Reach Shimla in the morning and check in. Shimla sits at about 7,200 ft, so give yourself an hour before setting out.

The Ridge: The open promenade at the centre of town, with Christ Church at the eastern end - built 1857, the second-oldest church in north India, and the building on every Shimla postcard.

Mall Road: Traffic-free by law. The Gaiety Theatre, restored to its 1887 Victorian interior, still stages plays. Scandal Point at the junction carries a story about a Patiala prince and an elopement that the town has never quite let go of.

Jakhoo Temple: The highest point in Shimla at 8,050 ft, with a 108-ft Hanuman statue visible from most of town. Reachable on foot up a steep path, by road, or by ropeway.

• Top Places to Cover: The Ridge, Christ Church, Mall Road, Gaiety Theatre, Scandal Point, Jakhoo Temple, Lakkar Bazaar.
• Importance of Each Place: Shimla was the summer capital of British India from 1864 - the entire government moved here from Calcutta and later Delhi every year. Christ Church and the Gaiety are the surviving architecture of that period. Jakhoo is linked in the Ramayana to Hanuman resting here while searching for the Sanjeevani herb.
• Things to Know: The monkeys at Jakhoo are organised and will take glasses, phones and food directly from your hands. Leave loose items in the car and carry a stick if offered one at the gate. Mall Road is entirely pedestrian - vehicles stop at Victory Tunnel or the lift.

Meals: Breakfast | Overnight: Shimla

Morning at Kufri: Sixteen kilometres out at 8,600 ft. Private vehicles are stopped below the top, and the last stretch is on foot, pony or local jeep. In winter this is a snow point; the rest of the year it is meadow and a small zoo housing Himalayan monal and snow leopard.

The Long Drive: Around 250 km to Manali, following the Sutlej and then the Beas through Bilaspur, Sundernagar, Mandi and Kullu. Expect seven to eight hours with stops, arriving after dark.

Along the Way: The Pandoh Dam viewpoint and the trout hatcheries near Kullu are the natural breaks. From Aut onward the valley narrows and the Beas runs fast beside the road.

• Top Places to Cover: Kufri, Himalayan Nature Park, Mahasu Peak, Pandoh Dam, Kullu valley viewpoints.
• Importance of Each Place: Kufri was developed as a ski slope by the British in the 1920s and still hosts a winter sports festival. The Kullu valley below is the apple belt that transformed Himachal economy after the 1950s.
• Things to Know: Kufri local jeep or pony charges are mandatory, union-fixed and payable on site - they are not part of any package. The Mandi to Kullu road is winding; take motion sickness tablets before you start rather than after.

Meals: Breakfast | Overnight: Manali

Solang Valley: Thirteen kilometres north of Manali, a broad grassy bowl below the Solang Nallah. Paragliding, zorbing, ATV and the ropeway all operate here, all payable on site. In winter it becomes the ski slope.

Through the Mountain: Beyond Solang the Atal Tunnel runs 9.02 km beneath the Rohtang massif at about 10,000 ft - one of the longest highway tunnels above that altitude anywhere. Opened in 2020, it cut the Manali to Lahaul journey from five hours to about ten minutes and keeps Lahaul open through winter for the first time in history.

Sissu: On the far side the landscape changes completely - bare brown slopes, wide river, almost no trees. Sissu village and its waterfall are the usual turnaround point.

Rohtang: The old pass above the tunnel needs a separate permit under a daily vehicle quota and is closed all winter. Tell us in advance if you want it and we will apply, but it cannot be guaranteed.

• Top Places to Cover: Solang Valley, Atal Tunnel, Sissu village and waterfall, Rohtang Pass (permit dependent).
• Importance of Each Place: The Atal Tunnel is genuinely one of the significant engineering projects in the Indian Himalaya - it ended the annual winter isolation of the Lahaul valley, where villages were cut off for six months a year. Solang is the centre of Himachal adventure tourism.
• Things to Know: Rohtang permits are issued by rotation and cap daily vehicle numbers; no operator can promise one. Solang activity operators quote per ride and negotiate - agree the price first. Carry a windproof layer even in June; Sissu is markedly colder than Manali.

Meals: Breakfast | Overnight: Manali

Hadimba Devi Temple: Built in 1553 in the deodar forest above town - a four-tiered wooden pagoda over a boulder, dedicated to the demoness Hidimba from the Mahabharata, who married Bhima. The carving on the doorway is the finest surviving wood sculpture in the valley.

Manu Temple: In Old Manali, dedicated to the sage Manu, who Hindu tradition holds landed here after the great flood. The town takes its name from him.

Vashisht: Three kilometres up the far bank, with natural sulphur hot springs feeding stone bathing tanks that are free and open to all.

Free Afternoon: Old Manali cafes along the Manalsu, or Mall Road for shawls, Kullu caps and dry fruit. Board the overnight Volvo to Delhi in the evening.

• Top Places to Cover: Hadimba Devi Temple, Manu Temple, Vashisht hot springs, Old Manali, Mall Road, Van Vihar.
• Importance of Each Place: Hadimba is the most architecturally important building in the Kullu valley and the focus of the Dussehra celebrations. The Vashisht springs have been used for at least a thousand years and are named for the sage who is said to have bathed here.
• Things to Know: Hadimba gets very crowded between 11 am and 3 pm - go early. The Vashisht tanks are separated by gender and there are no lockers, so leave valuables behind. Kullu shawls are widely imitated; buy from a registered co-operative if you want the real thing.

Meals: Breakfast | Overnight: Overnight in transit

Morning Arrival: The Volvo reaches Delhi in the morning. Your tour ends on arrival.

Onward Travel: Allow a buffer if you have a connecting flight or train - the Chandigarh stretch is prone to holdups and arrival times vary by an hour or more.

• Top Places to Cover: Delhi drop point.
• Importance of Each Place: This is a travel day only, with no sightseeing scheduled.
• Things to Know: Book onward flights for the afternoon rather than the morning. Volvo arrival times are estimates, not guarantees.

Meals: None | Overnight: Journey ends