Indiamikers, I need some advice with my itinerary

HI Everyone....
We ( me and my husband) are planning to go to shimla - kullu- manali - dharamsala by the end of this November. We want to start journey from Chandigarh dated on 25th november, 2012. We have 10 days in hand. Want to visit Shimla, Kufri, Fagu, Kullu, Manikaran,Manali Rotang Pass, Solang Vally. We don't want to miss out on these sightseeing attractions and if possible Amritsar Golden temple at the time of returning. We will take flight on 4th Dec from Chandigarh for returning. I will be grateful if u suggest me a proper plan for these 10 days which will cover my return date (4th Dec) also.



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25 nov reach shimla
26 nov take a stroll in and around shimla The mall road, the ridge, Jakhu Temple, Summer Hill, Indian institute of advanced studies
27 nov Kufri, see zoo, go to fagu(though nothing in fagu but whatever) , if possible leave in night to kullu
28 nov reach kullu , stroll in akhara bazar,shopping, rest , here and there
29 nov goto manikaran comeback
30 nov manali , (rohtang pass most probably close by then ) rest shopping , sight seeing , Hidimba maa temple, hot springs at vasisth
1 dec goto solang come abck to manali rest
2 dec goto golden amritsar
3 dec golden temple visit , take a night service to chandigarh
4 dec reached chandigarh depart


make adjustable changes according to your wish

I guess the above itinerary can be tried out...although I would probably suggest a visit to and overnight halt in Narkanda as opposed to Kufri. In Manali, there are quite a few places to check out ... lots of trekking and sightseeing - while some have been listed above, you might find it worth adding Naggar Palace, Manu temple and just walking around old Manali in the evening.

IMP : One word of caution...if possible, try and avoid flight from Chandigarh. During winters, fog and low visibility cause quite a few flight cancellations (Snow in the higher reaches of Himachal brings down chilled rain and effectively closes the airport) The alternative is to directly catch a cab/car till Delhi from Shimla or come down to Chandigarh... relax for a night and then early in the morning depart for Delhi via car again. of course if you are lucky (touchwood), the flight could still be on!

I would repeat sidch's warning regarding flying out of Chandigarh.

You may even take Amritsar - Bombay flight or Amritsar - Delhi (4 Jet flights) and Delhi - Bombay flights (are in plenty).

It will save you journey up to Chandigarh just to take a flight.

thanks for all the replys. If we start our journey from delhi what should be our travel plan? Actually we don't want to contact any travel agents. Since himachal is completely new to us, i need a proper plan for these 10 days. I mean to say it will be very helpful to me if u give ur valuable suggestions along with transport part also.


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one more thing i want to share with you guys. My main motto is to reach shimla by toy train from kalka itself. Then visit kullu, manali (others motioned above) and if possible amritsar temple. Dont hesitate to share any better option / idea which will save maximum travel time. Besides it will make the best use of our trip. Please reply with a detail trip layout along with transport. I have heard hptdc has volvo services all the areas. Can i buy ticket directly fromm their counter instead of online booking? What about the crowd in november end?
Looking forward to your suggestions.
Thanks in advance.

Please reply friends

You need to have some patience for getting reply, as you are not in a chatbox or chatroom (whatever you call it).

The best programme would be one which is made by you! There are plenty of threads in Kullu and Manali Forum where you may reach by clicking here and in Himachal Pradesh Forum where you may reach by clicking here. I would suggest you to read those threads and make your programme. The members here would refine it for you.

Hope to hear soon from your side on the itineraries!

Further, you may book buses directly from HPTDC counters also but you would not get seats of your choice. You will get moderate crowd during November-end.

Dear indiamikers,
I am planning to visit Delhi - shimla- kullu- manikaran- manali- Delhi at the end of November . I have 10 days in hand. Please share your valuable suggestions including where to visit, how to reach there, where to stay etc. i don't want to miss boarding toy train to reach Shimla.
Looking forward for your feedback.

I am waiting for your suggestions....

I would suggest you go to Shimla via bus. There are overnight luxury buses from delhi to Shimla. You can book some reliable buses here - http://www.redbus.in/ and book in advance to get the best seats

Spend a day in Shimla and then go towards Narkanda. (you should be able to get buses BUT I do not know since I had booked a Scorpio) In Narkanda you can spend a night and look around. If you do not mind spending a bit, I would advise Tethys Resort, Its in a wonderful setting. From Narkanda going a bit further up there is a road that connects through to Kullu where you can stop for the night ... maybe 2 nights and explore the region. From Kullu it is only maximum 2 hours up to Manali. You can easily spend about 3 nights in Manali and enjoy yourself. From manali you can then drive on down (or catch a bus) To Amritsar where you can spend a night if you like and catch a flight to Delhi OR alternatively you could go on down to Chandigarh and plan things from there.

You do NOT need a travel agent at all since end November is off season and you will get a lot of hotels and a lot of buses/vehicles available wherever you go in the North. All you need to do is book your train tickets where needed and your tickets for the first and last days as also hotels for the first and last days. After you land in say Shimla or Narkanda in your hotel, you can ask your hotel reception guy for any recommendation in a hotel where you are travelling to next and also recheck by walking down to the market bus and taxi stands and getting better rates.

Remember, there is no hassle - its off season and you will have loads of options

Thank a lot Sidch. But want to board toy train from kalka to shimla. Please give me some suggestions how should i reach Kalka from Delhi.
If i book flights from Mumbai to Chandigarh and Chandigarh ro Mumbai it s wise???

There are trains which goes up to Kalka from New Delhi, you may take any of those. Alternatively you may take bus up to Chandigarh and then local bus to Kalka.

For the trip up to Shimla a good combination is the Kalka Mail (train 12311) overnight from Delhi to Kalka then the Shivalik Deluxe (52451) onwards to Shimla. The latter has special coaches with roomier seats than other trains on the KS and breakfast is included in the ticket rice.