climate/ road conditions in shimla/manali in february first week

aks

I am planning honeymoon trip to shimla/manali and nearby areas in last week of jan - first week of feb. I talked to few friends and tour organizers and got different feedbacks from them.

Some people said that visiting shimla/manali in jan-feb is not a good idea due to heavy snowfall and road blocks. Others said that heavy snowfall finishes by jan 2nd week, so it is ok to go in last week. I need help on:

1) What are the conditions there in jan last / feb first week in manali and nearby places.
2) Will I be able to reach manali from shimla?
3) Will I be able to go beyond manali?
4) What is the right mode of transport - buses or taxis?
5) Will normal site-seeing be available then?
6) What else is available during that time - sports etc.
7) What should be my itinirary for a 7-9 nights trip?

Thanks in advance.

rishabh6296

Hi,
last week of jan and first week of feb is excellent time to enjoy snow and skiing since snowfall and roadblocks is quite less.
1.snow fall is rare during that time,manali will have more snow than shimla,you'd get snow on the roadside and slopes but if conditions are like last year you might not see any snow in towns atleast.
2.Travelling from shimla to manali wouldnt be a big problem.
3.yes you can go beyond manali to the ski slopes of solang valley and kothi.
4.right mode of transport wud either be a volvo or a taxi depending on ur budget
5.Normal sight-seeing like solang valley,kothi,palchhan,naggar and local sight seeing would be available but no treks in manali area,in shimla area you can go to higher altitudes like kufri,fagu,narkanda etc. without much problems
6.sports available in shimla area is skiing and skating ,solang valley near manali is a haven for sports like skiing,skateboarding,snow mobile,zorbing,paragliding etc.
7.i can make a detailed plan for you if you give me the exact days that you've in hand including travelling,where r u starting from(delhi or some other place and approx budget so that i can suggest u hotels/resorts and mode of transport.
Rishabh

aks

Hi Rishabh,

Thanks for all the valuable details.

I am coming from bhopal to delhi. From delhi, I have to plan the itinirary.

The dates are not yet decided. I can reach delhi on 29th morn/noon and would like to come back to delhi on 6/7/8th feb. Again budget is also not decided, but would like to go for good quality hotels with large rooms, clean and good bathrooms and heater in rooms. Lets keep the budget to <=40K delhi-to-delhi. Please suggest me how much time I should spend at which place and mode of transport. Also suggest options for pure veg meals.

Thanks again.

aks

From net, I came to know about toy train from kalka to shimla. How is this option for going to shimla. Will it be operational during those days?

rishabh6296

Hi,
since you'll be coming on 29th noon so i think you should take the overnight volvo to shimla and reach there on 30th morning,the toy train is a ok option but its painfully slow ,it takes approx 6 hours from kalka to shimla so a whole day would be wasted in that.Lets presume that you reach shimla on 30th then you will get a lot of options with 50% discount,try staying in cart road/mall road area,you can check outn places in shimla and outskirts like chail,kufri,theog,naldehra etc. in 2 days.if u wanna add an extra day you can also go to narkanda(64 km.),thanedar and kotagarh,which are basically a days trip from shimla.if you leave shimla on 1st night then you'd reach manali on 2nd morning,here you can go to the loghuts area for best resorts and you have multiple options there,in approx 1000-1200 you'll get very good rooms (discounted price).In manali you can check out solang,kothi etc in a day(adventure sports),local manali sightseeing like old manali,vashisht,jagatsukh etc. and also other small places like naggar and manikaran.on the last day u can take a volvo from manali to delhi,alternatively you can also hire a qualis for rs. 8 per km. from delhi.
Rishabh

khaadu75

Hey aks, Let me know if you need any help with ur itinerary ....

As for your points about teh condition sin Simla around that period ... NO EXPERT can predict what it will be like at that time as far as snow and stuff is concerned . Winters this year could be better than last year ( more snow ) or worse than last year ( lesser snow ) .. from our point of view, coz the more it snows the better it is for us ..

But generally you shud be prepared that it could snow anytime so plan accordingly ... Don't believe what people say coz they talk from a general point of view . A bus is the best and safest mode of transport during winters, keeping in mind that there is snow on teh road ... I say this as its tougher for a bus to skid on ice than say a Qualis or a small vehicle . Also I wudnt recomend you to hire a small vehicle from Delhi/Chd as these city drivers know shit about drivving in such conditions, though they might claim that they are experts .

Use local cabbies if you have to .... they know the roads, they know how to handle those situations and if you do get stuck -- they will somehow figure a way to get you back to your hotel.

As for accomo .. it all depends on your budget . Snow definietly does add to the beauty of winters in Simla so you shud pray that it does snow plenty when yoou headed there, though day trips like Narkanda might not be possible then .

Give me a shout if you have any farther specific questions ...

btw CONGRATS on ur up coming wedding ...

Cheers

PS -- rishabh@ what happened about the trip that you made to Himachal recently , how about sharing your experience ???

vistet

I found it a nice ride : night train from Delhi (ten-ish), change to the toy train in the early morning and enjoying the ride to Shimla , arriving at lunch time.

aks

Thanks everyone for all the details.

Please give details on:

1) I plan to visit shimla, manali and dharamshala. What should be the order of these visits. My current plan is to visit in following order: delhi->shimla->manali->dharmshala->delhi.
What are the distances between these places? Should I change my above plan?

2) I will reach H. Nizamuddin stattion in delhi. Where can I find volvo buses from delhi to shimla? Do I need to book them in advance?

Thanks,
aks

SANJAY_DEL

HP state RTC operates Volvo buses from Delhi to Shimla, Manali and Dharamshala .
Online reservations can be made at:
http://himachal.nic.in/hrtc/

tsk1979

1. Shimla and surroundings are definitely motorable, cant say the same about Manali though.
2. Nope. We went to Narkanda recently. The road from NH22 to Kullu valley was blocked due to snow. I guess you need to go via plains
3. Only a little beyond manali. You wont be able to reach rohtang
4. On shimla route buses are in abundance with good rates. Taxi option will be expensive
5. On shimla side almost everything is open for normal sight seeing
6. Beyond shimla(Kufri/Narkanda) you can opt for skiing
7. Tell a little more what you want to do. Snow? Skiing, sightseeing?.... The possiblities are endless.
One thing though... Can't you drive to there? Its the easiest way. Other than that if budget is not an issue take a private taxi.

aks

The site does not give details like from where the bus will start in delhi. I want to know the nearest stop of the bus from H.Nizamuddin.

Thanks

SANJAY_DEL

Most likely HP Govt luxury buses depart from:
CHANDERLOK BUILDING
36, JANPATH, NEW DELHI-110001.
Tel: (011) 23325320, 23324764 Fax: (011) 23731072
E-mail: hptdcdelhi@hub.nic.in

Confirm by phone or e-mail

rishabh6296

Hi Khaadu,
i'd be coming with a travelogue in a while,actually i was in your area just for a day,for the next 4 days i was in Kinnaur(sangla,rakcham,chitkul ,kalpa etc.) just 5 days before KInnaur was snowed down and tourism was closed in that area.I've been busy lately but would come up with the experience pretty soon,I also managed a short trip to dhanolti in christmas.
Rishabh

khaadu75

Hey Buddy , So uve finally landed up here as well !!! Good to see you though ... ENJOY

Cheers

tsk1979

haha, yup I am here too