Trip Overview
Start – Chandigarh
Finish – New Delhi
Destination – 22 days covering Himachal Pradesh
Theme – Backpacking
Duration – 21 Nights 22 days
Category – #backpacking #adventure #roadtrip #leisure #slowtravel #trekking
Style – #comfort #original #diy #fixeddeparture
Trip Summary
“If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.”
― David Livingstone
Himachal Pradesh, India’s snow laden state is a pot of flavors when it comes to tourism.
Be it the British Culture, or centuries old local culture, Himachal offers both the traditional as well as modern culture.
The churches of Dalhousie, the meadows at Khajjiar or the kingdom in exile at Dharamshala or the GHNP rich in both flora and fauna, the difficult roads of the tribal circuit, the famed Silk Route of classical times passed right through Himachal Pradesh, and connected the far corners of Tibet, Ladakh and Kashmir.
And even today the Himachal tourism pulls in tourists for its rich handicrafts and culture, and the beautiful, undulating landscape with its mountains, valleys and rivers.
On this road trip of 22 days, we will see popular hill stations as well as offbeat hill stations.
We will immerse ourselves in the serenity of the high mountains, rivers flowing through these mountains and meditate in the temples and monasteries, few of which are centuries old.
For adventure seekers, we have included many adventurous activities to quench their soul.
For people seeking self time, they can enjoy the whole road trip and take leisure time each day for themselves.
For photographers, with every turn and twist on the road, they will have a picture perfect for them and their camerá memory card.
Why you will love this trip?
- Transportation, accommodation and meals and activities included.
- Experienced Travel guides throughout the journey.
- 22 Days of road trip covering mostly whole of Himachal Himalayas.
- An exhaustive road trip covering 4 circuits i.e Dhauladhar, Beas, Tribal and Sutlej circuit of Himachal.
- Exploring both popular tourist as well as offbeat places in Himachal.
- A lot of adventure activities already included.
- Seizing the best sunsets and sunrises throughout the trip.
- Watching snow laden mountain peaks with the naked eye.
- Experiencing snowfall in many places on this trip.
- Experiencing spiritual vibes throughout the trip.
- Enjoying local delicacies each day.
- Experiencing Tibetan culture.
- Enjoying at mountain cafes.
Is this trip right for you?
- This trip involves traveling on the road almost daily for 25 days.
- Mostly suitable for people aged between 12 – 60 years.
- People having stiff backs, back problems should avoid taking this trip as the traveling time on the road each day would be on average 5-6 hours.
- The adventure activities are not suitable for people with heart disease, asthma , pregnant women, any previous or existing bone injury.
- The most suitable age for adventure activities are from 12 years up till 60 years.
- Old age people and women suffering with arthritis should avoid staying in camp as it requires a lot of walking.
Itnerary
Upon arrival, our team will meet and greet. We will check-in the hotel and the rest of the day is on your own at leisure. You can opt to visit the famous rock garden and Sukhna lake. In the evening, satisfy your taste buds at the restaurants situated in Sector 17 market. You can choose to stay at your hotel and enjoy swimming in the pool. After dinner, stay in the hotel.
The first stop of Dhauladhar circuit on this road trip will be Dalhousie.
Named after Lord Dalhousie, the hill station of Dalhousie is famous for being home to the pristine and serene Dhauladhar Mountain Range. It is also famous for its Victorian architecture, colonial charm, picturesque landscapes, and adventurous activities.
Upon reaching Dalhousie, we will check-in the hotel.
The rest of the day is at your leisure. You can take a stroll nearby the resort or visit the renowned markets of the hill town to enjoy shopping and savor local delicacies.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Dalhousie.
After having breakfast, we will embark on the full-day sightseeing tour of Dalhousie. Visit Panchpula, where you can enjoy quality time with your loved ones amidst serene nature. There is a waterfall that originates from the north of Dayakund and there are several streams that make this place look more appealing and beautiful. After spending time there, head towards Subhash Baoli, which is named after Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose who has spent a lot of time there. Enjoy the natural beauty of the overlooking mountains and delight in the scenic vistas.
Afterward, visit the Bhulwani Mata Temple, which is located at Bara Pathar. This is one of the most revered shrines of the town. After dinner, overnight stay in the hotel.
After breakfast, we will proceed towards Khajjiar. Khajjiar is situated in the Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary. This hill town is popularly called ‘Mini Switzerland of India’. Sprawling meadow encompassed by a dense forest of cedar and deodar, Khajjiar is a quaint, dreamy place where you can enjoy the vacation amidst the lush greenery. Soak in the serene aura of the tranquil environs. Adorned by a picturesque Khajjiar Lake, this idyllic town offers a plethora of thrilling activities in which you can indulge such as zorbing, paragliding, horse riding, and trekking. Enjoy the sightseeing tour of Khajjiar and then return to the hotel in the evening.
Savor a delicious dinner and comfortable overnight stay in the hotel
After breakfast, we will check – out from the hotel to start our journey to Mcleodganj.
Mcleodganj is famous for its Tibetan culture and its beautiful location in Dhauladhar ranges of Himalayas. Whether you are a backpacker or an adventure junkie or you seek some peace time with nature, Mcleod Ganj has everything for everyone.
On reaching your destination, check into the place you are staying. Take some rest for an hour. After resting, freshen up and get ready to trek to the waterfall. It’s a 2-3 hour trek to and fro. Enjoy maggi or refreshments upon reaching the waterfall. After reaching back to Mcleodganj , spend your evening exploring the local market and cafes of Mcleodganj.
Reach your hotel, have some dinner (you can take dinner outside in some cafe or restaurant as well) and sleep comfortably.
After your breakfast, reach the starting point of the trek. Our guide will meet you there. After a brief about the trek, you start trekking to the most amazing meadow of Kangra valley. Upon reaching mid way, the guest can rest a bit and enjoy a light lunch at the tea shop. Upon reaching Triund, check into your designated camps and enjoy the sunset, and night skywatch.
Have some dinner and get a good night’s sleep.
Start heading back to Bhagsunag .We usually take a different route on the way back via laheta village and end up our trek near Bhagsu Waterfall. It is a 4 hours downhill walk from Triund to Bhagsu Nag. End of the trek. After reaching Mcleodganj, you can opt to sightseeing places like Naddi village, St John’s church in the wilderness, Norbulingka institute, etc or simply enjoy cafe hopping and street walk in Mcleodganj market.
After your breakfast, get ready to visit the Paragliding capital of India i.e. Bir.
You will pass through several tea estates in Palampur on your way to Bir.
Upon reaching Bir billing, check into your camp. Have some refreshments that are served to you and enjoy the Bir by cafe hopping.
In the evening, enjoy the bonfire at the camp.
After the bonfire, enjoy the local delicacies in your dinner.
After breakfast, the vehicle will take you to the fly off point at Billing. You will start the day with an adventure activity of Paragliding. The drop point will be at Bir, from where you can join the team to start the journey towards Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP). GHNP will be the first stop on the Beas circuit of this trip. We will check-in to our campsite. Rest of the day at leisure.
You can go angling or a dip into the river. In the evening, enjoy a bonfire. Later, after dinner, admire the sky full of stars before going to sleep.
After having breakfast, we will start our journey to Manali but here we take a small detour to Kasol village in Parvati valley before reaching Manali. Kasol is a small village known for its Israeli cafes and culture. On this small detour, we will pay our respect at Manikaran gurudwara, a sikh religion shrine.
This shrine is famous because of Guru Nanak dev ji, who meditated here for several years.
We will have lunch at one of the cafes of Kasol before finally starting our journey towards Manali.
We will reach Manali by the evening. Upon reaching, we settle down and complete the check -in process. After freshening up, we will explore the local market of old Manali and do some cafe hopping.
Collect souvenirs from the street market and return to the hotel for dinner and a good night sleep.
Get up early to see a magnificent sunrise. Have breakfast, and then head out for the sightseeing tour in Manali. Visit Hadimba Devi Temple, which is locally known as Dhungari Temple. This temple is dedicated to Hindu demon-goddess Hadimba, the wife of Bhima, one of the five Pandava brothers. You can enjoy a Yak ride near the temple.
After this, visit Manu Temple, which is dedicated to Sage Manu who is acknowledged to be the creator of the world. The Pagoda style of architecture of the temple looks amazing with the backdrop of the snow-clad Himalayan peaks.
Lastly, visit Vashisht Temple which is located in a quaint village next to the spring. It is believed that water from this hot spring comprises healing properties. This temple is dedicated to Sage Vashisht, the teacher of Guru of Lord Rama.
After the exploration tour, return to the hotel in the evening. The rest of the evening is at leisure and you can explore the market if you wish or relax in your room.
Enjoy the delicious dinner at the hotel and have a sound sleep in your cozy bed.
Post breakfast you will proceed to Rohtang Pass, which is a high altitude mountain pass with a staggering height of 3,978 m above sea level. This is a paradise for adventure enthusiasts and nature lovers. Enjoy the pristine views of the Himalayas from the mountain pass and enjoy the unparalleled natural beauty. This pass connects Kullu Valley with the Lahaul Valley and Spiti Valley. You can indulge in adventure activities here such as skiing, mountain biking, sled ride, and snow scooter. (Guests have to hire the jeep or taxi for Rohtang Pass on direct payment).
After the sightseeing tour, return to the hotel. Enjoy a delicious dinner and have a sound sleep.
Morning after breakfast, drive to Sissu via Atal Tunnel .On arrival at Sissu (10,235 ft) , Check-in to the hotel and relax for some time. Later in the afternoon proceed for a beautiful Village walk at Sissu. After the Village walk, we will proceed to visit Sissu lake, where you can enjoy the beautiful view of the lake. Later, return back to the hotel for overnight stay.
Rohtang Tunnel is a highway tunnel built under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway in Himachal Pradesh, india. At a length of 9.02 km, it is the longest tunnel above 10,000 feet (3,048 m) in the world and is named after former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It reduces the Manali – Leh road trip time by 4 hours.
This is also a transition from Beas circuit to Tribal circuit of Lahaul and Spiti valley of Himachal.
After breakfast, check out the hotel and start for Chandratal. Off roading starts after Gramphu. Take a rest/lunch at Chhatru and Batal. Park your vehicle near Chandratal. Chandratal lake is one kilometer from here. Easy trek. You will have to walk 1 kilometer to reach the lake. Night stay in camps.
Later, we will get back to the hotel to have a delicious dinner. Night stay in the hotel.
Start early from the campsite to avoid any gurgling water stream after crossing Kunjom pass.
Enjoy the road tip on basically offroads and no roads at all to reach Kaza by evening. You can explore the Kaza market on your own. After dinner, night stay at the hotel.
Today, we will explore the monasteries such as Kee, Kibber, etc. After spending time at the monasteries, we will drive to Chicham bridge. Chicham bridge is an architectural marvel in the trans Himalayas.
Chicham bridge is located in the Himalaya mountains in the north-eastern part of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, the Chicham Bridge is said to be the World’s highest bridge from sea level at 4,037m (13,244ft). It’s one of the most spectacular bridges in the world.
After our day’s excursion, we will get back to Kaza for a tasty dinner and blissful sleep at the hotel.
Today we will visit the highest village in Asia, Komic. We will visit the highest post office in Asia i.e. Hikkim. One can send photos and postcards from Hikkim to their loved ones. Langza village is also known as the Fossil village for its richness in fossils. Evening, we get back to Kaza. Night stay in Kaza.
Visit to Dhankar, Tabo and Nako monasteries on your way to Kalpa. You will enter the Kinnaur district after exiting Spiti valley at Nako. Night stay in a hotel.
After having breakfast, we will start our journey to Chitkul, the last village of India on the tibetan border.
On the way , we will click pics of infamous suicide point. The sights are spectacular, the roads are windings, turning into the most dangerous road of this whole road trip. Upon reaching Chitkul and completing check-in formalities, we will spend our time by the Baspa river.
After sunset, we will reach our hotel to have delicious meals esp “aloo ka paratha” made by locally grown international fame export quality potatoes.
After dinner, mesmerize the sky full of stars and finally sneak into your beds to avoid extreme cold nights outdoors.
This will be the final transition of the trip from Tribal circuit to Sutlej circuit.
After addressing some difficult roads of Kinnaur district, we will enter the Sutlej circuit and our first stop will be Narkanda. After the check-in process, one can opt to visit Hatu mata temple or just relax at the resort compiling all the pics of the trip.
The penultimate day of this rigorous journey. Our next stop will be a luxury property in Shimla or Kufri or Mashobra. Whole day at leisure at the property. Gorge on continental food, have a spa or just relax at the resort.
Final leg of the journey. We will bid adieu to our fellow travelers upon reaching New Delhi.
Kindly note –
If your road trip thirst is still kicking you, please check our other road trips starting from New Delhi.
Inclusions
Meals
Breakfast - 21 Breakfast (hotel and camp)
Dinner - 10 Dinners (at the camps and the hotels )
Bonfire at Triund, Bir, GHNP, Chandratal, Naldhera
Transport - New Delhi - 22 days of Himachal - New Delhi
Sedan cab - 2 to 3 people
Suv cab - 4-5 people
Tempo traveler - 8 people
Accomodation
4 nights in camp
17 nights in Hotel
Add on activities
1. Trekking - Mcleodganj - Triund - Mcleodganj
2. Paragliding - Bir Billing
3. G.S.T
Exclusions
- Meals not mentioned in inclusions.
- Transport that is not mentioned in inclusions.
- Any porter charges
- Any entry fees to monuments/ wildlife region/trek
- Any expense of personal nature packaged drinking water/ phone calls/ laundry/camera,etc
- Any kind of travel insurance.
- Costs arising due to force majeure
- Anything which is not mentioned in the inclusions.
Essential Trip Information
Why you will love this trip? What weather you can expect during the trip? What are the best months to visit? What to pack and what not to?
