6N / 7D
Himachal Hill Circuit
Shimla • Manali
Suits Families and groups
Price on enquiry. It moves with your dates, hotel category and availability.
See the full itinerary →Himachal
Deodar forest, high roads, and two hill stations with a valley between them.
Shimla, Manali and the Kullu valley. Hotels, transfers and sightseeing included.
VisaNot applicable: domestic travel
Best seasonMarch to June, and September to December
Typical length5 to 8 nights
CurrencyIndian rupee (INR)
Flying time
- Delhi
- About 1 h 30 m to Kullu, or an overnight drive to Shimla
- Mumbai
- About 3 h with one stop, usually Delhi
- Bengaluru
- About 5 h with one stop
- Chennai
- About 5 h 30 m with one stop
- Kochi
- About 6 h with one stop
- Kolkata
- About 4 h 30 m with one stop
Visa rules and flight schedules change. We confirm both for your passport and your dates before you pay anything.
About this trip
What a Himachal trip looks like
Shimla and Manali are the two anchors, and the Kullu valley drive between them is a good part of the trip in itself. Shimla is the colonial hill station: the Ridge, the Mall and a toy train up to it. Manali is higher, rougher and closer to the real mountains.
Above Manali the roads keep going: Solang for the snow and the sports, and Rohtang or the Atal Tunnel through to Lahaul when they are open. Those are permit-and-weather days, not guaranteed ones.
It is a driving trip. Nothing here is far in kilometres and everything is slow, so we plan fewer stops and longer stays than the distances suggest.
Designed for you
Himachal packages
Three shapes we build most often. Each is a starting point. Change the nights, the stops or the hotel category and we requote it.
4N / 5D
Manali Short Break
Manali • Solang
Suits A shorter trip
Price on enquiry. It moves with your dates, hotel category and availability.
8N / 9D
Himachal in Depth
Shimla • Manali • Dharamshala • Dalhousie
Suits Travellers with time
Price on enquiry. It moves with your dates, hotel category and availability.
5N / 6D
Shimla & Manali
Shimla • Manali
Suits A shorter hill trip
Price on enquiry. It moves with your dates, hotel category and availability.
Explore locations01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
Where you actually go
Shimla Ridge
The open spine of the town, with Christ Church at one end and the Mall running off it.
Jakhoo Temple
Above Shimla, under a 108-foot Hanuman statue, reached on foot or by ropeway.
Kufri
A short drive above Shimla for the views, and snow in season.
Kullu valley
The drive between the two hill stations, along the Beas, with shawl workshops on the road.
Hadimba Temple
A four-tiered wooden temple in a deodar grove above Manali, built in 1553.
Old Manali
The village above the town: orchards, cafes and the quieter half of Manali.
Solang Valley
Above Manali: paragliding and a ropeway in summer, snow and skiing in winter.
Atal Tunnel
Nine kilometres through the Rohtang massif into Lahaul, and a completely different landscape beyond.
Vashisht
Hot sulphur springs above Manali, with a stone temple built around them.
Naggar Castle
A fifteenth-century timber-and-stone castle above the Kullu valley, with a gallery beside it.
What is in it
Highlights of the trip
Shimla Ridge, Mall Road and Christ Church
Kufri excursion above Shimla
Kullu valley drive along the Beas
Hadimba temple and Old Manali
Solang valley with the ropeway
Private car with a hill-experienced driver throughout
Day by day
The itinerary
This is the shape of the trip. Every day of it can be changed before you book.
The shape we build most often.
Day 01Delhi → ShimlaUp through the foothills, with the last stretch on the hill road. A long day, so nothing is scheduled at the end.+
Highlights
- ·Drive up from the plains
- ·Check in
- ·Evening on the Mall
Stay
Shimla
MealsDinner
Optional
Toy train for the Kalka–Shimla leg
Day 02Shimla and KufriThe town in the morning, Kufri in the afternoon.+
Highlights
- ·The Ridge and Christ Church
- ·Jakhoo temple
- ·Kufri
Stay
Shimla
MealsBreakfast, dinner
Optional
Chail and the cricket ground · horse ride at Kufri
Day 03Shimla → ManaliThe Kullu valley drive: long, and the best road of the trip.+
Highlights
- ·Sutlej and Beas river road
- ·Kullu shawl workshops
- ·Arrive Manali by evening
Stay
Manali
MealsBreakfast, dinner
Optional
River rafting at Kullu
Day 04ManaliThe town and the temple in the morning, the valley above in the afternoon.+
Highlights
- ·Hadimba temple
- ·Old Manali and the Mall
- ·Vashisht hot springs
Stay
Manali
MealsBreakfast, dinner
Optional
Naggar castle · Manikaran
Day 05Solang and aboveUp the valley as far as the road and the weather allow.+
Highlights
- ·Solang valley
- ·Ropeway or paragliding
- ·Atal Tunnel if open
Stay
Manali
MealsBreakfast, dinner
Optional
Rohtang Pass with a permit, in season
Day 06ReturnThe long drive back down to the plains, or on to your onward station.+
Highlights
- ·Descent through the valley
- ·Stops on the way
- ·Drop as arranged
Stay
—
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Overnight Volvo instead of the day drive
Adds Dharamshala and Dalhousie, so the trip is not only the Shimla–Manali road.
Day 01Delhi → ShimlaUp through the foothills, the last stretch on the hill road. A long day, so nothing is scheduled at the end.+
Highlights
- ·Drive up from the plains
- ·Check in
- ·Evening on the Mall
Stay
Shimla
MealsDinner
Optional
Toy train for the Kalka–Shimla leg
Day 02Shimla and KufriThe town in the morning, Kufri in the afternoon.+
Highlights
- ·The Ridge and Christ Church
- ·Jakhoo temple
- ·Kufri
Stay
Shimla
MealsBreakfast, dinner
Optional
Chail and the cricket ground
Day 03Shimla → ManaliThe Kullu valley drive: long, and the best road of the trip.+
Highlights
- ·Sutlej and Beas river road
- ·Kullu shawl workshops
- ·Arrive Manali by evening
Stay
Manali
MealsBreakfast, dinner
Optional
River rafting at Kullu
Day 04ManaliThe town and the temple in the morning, the springs in the afternoon.+
Highlights
- ·Hadimba temple
- ·Old Manali and the Mall
- ·Vashisht hot springs
Stay
Manali
MealsBreakfast, dinner
Optional
Naggar castle · Manikaran
Day 05Solang and aboveUp the valley as far as the road and the weather allow.+
Highlights
- ·Solang valley
- ·Ropeway or paragliding
- ·Atal Tunnel if open
Stay
Manali
MealsBreakfast, dinner
Optional
Rohtang Pass with a permit, in season
Day 06Manali → DharamshalaWest across the Kangra valley to the Tibetan hill town.+
Highlights
- ·Drive to Dharamshala
- ·McLeod Ganj
- ·Tsuglagkhang complex
Stay
Dharamshala
MealsBreakfast, dinner
Optional
Bhagsu falls · Namgyal monastery
Day 07Dharamshala → DalhousieNorth to a quieter hill station built across five hills.+
Highlights
- ·Kangra fort on the way
- ·Arrive Dalhousie
- ·Evening on Garam Sadak
Stay
Dalhousie
MealsBreakfast, dinner
Optional
Masroor rock-cut temples
Day 08KhajjiarThe meadow ringed by deodar an hour above Dalhousie, and Chamba beyond it.+
Highlights
- ·Khajjiar meadow and lake
- ·Chamba temples
- ·Return to Dalhousie
Stay
Dalhousie
MealsBreakfast, dinner
Optional
Horse ride across the meadow
Day 09ReturnThe long drive back down to the plains, or on to your onward station.+
Highlights
- ·Descent through the valley
- ·Stops on the way
- ·Drop as arranged
Stay
—
MealsBreakfast
Optional
Overnight Volvo instead of the day drive
The fine print, up front
What the price covers
Inclusions
- ✓Hotel accommodation on twin-sharing basis
- ✓Daily breakfast, plus the meals listed in the day plan
- ✓All transfers and sightseeing in a private air-conditioned vehicle
- ✓Arrival and departure airport transfers
- ✓Entry to the sights named in the itinerary
- ✓A travel expert on WhatsApp through your trip
Not included
- —Flights, unless quoted separately with the package
- —Visa fees and travel insurance
- —Lunches and dinners not listed in the day plan
- —Camera fees, guide tips and personal expenses
- —Anything not listed under inclusions
Where you stay
Property names shared with your quoteHotels considered
Quoted at 3-star, 4-star or resort category. Mall-adjacent hotels in Shimla and riverside properties in Manali are priced differently. We quote both.
[Property names — to confirm. We quote a category, then send the actual hotels with photos once your dates are checked.]
TravellersSample
“From the first conversation to our return home, everything felt genuinely taken care of.”
Personalised itineraries
Every trip can be adjusted around your dates, interests and budget.
Handpicked stays
Hotels and stays selected around the type of experience you want.
Travel expert support
Talk to a real travel expert throughout the planning process.
Transparent planning
Clear package details, inclusions and exclusions before you confirm.
Before you ask
Everything you might want to know
Are the prices per person?+
We quote per person on twin sharing, and we quote per enquiry rather than publishing a rate. Prices move with your travel dates, the hotel category and availability on the day you book. A published number would be wrong for most people who read it.
Can I change the hotels or the number of nights?+
Yes. Tell us what you want changed (a cheaper hotel, one night less, a different city) and we revise the itinerary until it fits, then confirm the booking.
Is the visa included?+
No visa is needed. This is domestic travel. Where a permit is required, as in Ladakh or parts of the north-east, we arrange it with the booking.
When is the best time to go?+
March to June, and September to December. Travelling outside that window is usually cheaper, and we will tell you honestly what you would be trading away.
What do you need to confirm the booking?+
[Advance amount, the documents required and when the balance falls due — to confirm before launch.]
What is your cancellation policy?+
It depends on how far ahead you cancel and on what the hotels and operators in your itinerary allow. The scale that applies to your booking is set out in your quote before you pay. [Standard terms — to confirm before launch.]
How soon do I get the itinerary?+
[Usual turnaround — to confirm. Typically the same working day on WhatsApp.]
Not quite right?
Customise this package.
Nothing here is a fixed departure. Change the hotel, drop a night, add a city, travel on different dates. Tell us what you want and we rebuild the itinerary. The person who sends the quote is the person who books the hotel.
If you would rather not use WhatsApp