Tour around shimla and more

Dear All, Since I required help to plan my Himachal trip in March, I went through several posts on this forum and have found those extremely useful.
However, I am more confused now, having read names of so many places, unfamiliar so far. I wonder if you could please offer me some specific help to plan my travel.
I am travelling to Kalka, and after a night halt, departing for Shimla, where I have three days (please do not suggest me to cut these and add elsewhere, as the hotel booking is already done).
After Shimala, I have three more days at disposal. I will be greateful if you could specifically help me to
1) plan 3 days while keeping the base as Shimla.
2) for the remaining 3 days, I can shift my base from Shimala. Kindly suggest the best way to do so - the only familiar alternatives I can think of are Manali, Dharmashala and Dulhousie. from there a train from Amritsar for Mumbai.

Please note that the travelling must be done on public buses, and no private trasport as the budget is really tight.

Please help. By the way, how is the weather like in mid march there? never been to north of india ever.

Thanks,.

Mid March will be cool and bright, not too cold in Shimla. Manali will be colder.
You may visit Narkanda and Sarahan in your three days. These can be reached by public buses from Shimla. The route will be Shimla-Narkanda-Sarahan-Shimla.

Thanks Jyotirmoy,
The three days you are talking about are the ones based at Shimla, I presume? I mean the above trips are the day trips keeping Shimla as base, aren't those?

What would you suggest for the remaining three days please?
After Shimala, would it be better to head towards Manali or would Dharmashala - Pathankot - Amritsar be better option?

Thaks a lot for your kindness.

Hi

At Shimla you can take the HPTDC (Himachal Tourism) tours for sightseeing. These are day tours starting from Shimla and bring you back by evening. I would suggest the Chail tour on day 2 and Narkanda tour on day 3. The HPTDC office is right on Mall road near the ICICI bank building. You cannot mis this. The telephone numbers are 0177-2652561 / 2658302

From Shimla, Manali would be the nearest best option as you have 3 days. Take a State Transport (HRTC) bus which leaves at 8 and 9 in the morning. The HRTC bus can be booked at the counter which is in the HPTDC office building on the Mall in advance. HPTDC also runs daily service to Manali but it can be costlier than the HRTC buses. It will be a 8-9 hours journey to Manali.

At Manali, if you haven't booked try the HPTDC hotel Beas which is quite nice. You can take the HPTDC tours at Manali also. Rohtang will be closed so you can take a tour to Snowpoint (The last point till where the road is open) Next day you can take a tour to Solang-Naggar or Kullu-Manikaran. I would suggest the Solang tour as it is shorter than the Manikaran one. All the tours are day tours. These can be booked at HPTDC Manali office right on the Mall road next to the Kunzum hotel.

From Manali you can take a bus to Delhi. VOLVO, Deluxe and ordinary buses are available of HRTC and HPTDC both. Manali - Delhi is a 12-13 hours night journey.

Amritsar would be too far off from Shimla and I won't suggest those as maximum of your days will be spent just traveling.

Also check the HPTDC site, www.hptdc.gov.in

Hope this helps!

Thanks a lot Vasuki,
Your advices are extremely helpful.

Would you please give me some rough idea of prices on these HPRT and HPTDC buses, for the day trips as well as for SML-MNLI and MNLI-DELHI.
Also for Shimla to Manali, instead of the day bus that you said departs at nine, aren't there any night buses, so that we save a day also and also a night at the hotel - economy, you see!

Would you also please tell me what temperatures may one expect at these places during mid march? and would there be snow at that time, and where?

Thanks a lot indeed.

I did not mean day trips. Spend one night each at Narkanda & Sarahan. You will have a taste of Kinnaur at Sarahan. Great natural beauty & an awsome temple at Sarahan.

Please check the rates on HPTDC site and on the HRTC site. I am not sure whether HRTC rates are updated on not. But you can get a fair idea of the prices.

There is a Shimla - Manali bus in the night. Check in the HRTC link above.

Mid March is cold in Himachal. You will find snow near Manali towards Rohtang Pass for sure and if the weather god smiles this year then Kufri and Narkanda near Shimla should also have snow.

Thanks a lot Vasuki,
The links you are very useful for me to plan the economy day trips around Shimla and Manali, especially because they show all the ordinary buses also on the HRTC site.

But when I checked on HRTC site, it doesn't show any bus for SHIMLA to MANALI (I have checked for all options, all times).
On HPTDC site they show a bus departing at 8 am and another at 8 pm. But the latter one is 'for season' only. I guess I have to check with them if it's available in Mid March.
This is what is said on their site...
8 Shimla - Manali & vice versa

(Deluxe Coach)
Shimla : 08.30 AM

Manali : 08.30 AM
Rs. 450/- per seat
9 Shimla - Manali & vice versa

(Deluxe Coach - Night Service- During Season only)
Shimla : 08.00 PM

Manali : 08.00 PM
Rs. 450/- per seat

Hi there, as I wrote in my last post, I did write an e-mail to these HPTDC people, but no response, and I don't expect there will be any knowing that we are in India and whom we are dealing with are goverment employees. you know that they are paid for everything but work!!!

Would someone please answere the question for me.

Thanks,

There is a night bus to Manali of HRTC for sure. I have traveled in this one earlier. Not sure about exact timings. Just call the HRTC enquiry office in Shimla from 9-6 pm

0177 - 2656326
0177 - 2658765

Shimla - Manali night service of HPTDC will not be available in March since it is the off season. Send a mail to HPTDC Shimla office at shimla@hptdc.in and address the mail to Varun Sharma who is the incharge of this office. You may get a response. There contact number is 0177-2652561 / 2658302

Thanks Vasuki, I appreciate your kind guidance.

Sorry for the late reply but I haven't been on net lately.

Well, if you may please, may I trouble you a bit more.

After departing from Shimla, if I have FOUR more days (excluding the day departing Shimla) that may be spent in Himachal, would you please advise; if it would be better to straight head towards Manali by the night bus and spend the rest four days keeping Manali as a base (as per my earlier plan) or would it be better to hop between a place or two before reaching Manali? Please note that after leaving Shimla, we don't have any binding to chose a particular place to stay and may even stay at different place every night (if the accomodation that time of the year is not so scarce at the places to halt at). Would you please recommend the best plan for me to spend these additional 4 days in HP, before leaving for Mumbai on the fift day or night? (if possible, try to suggest the most economical (from stay/travelling point of view) itiniery. Thanks a lot and pardon me for the additional trouble.

THANKS.

Please Reply, Thank you.

yes, you can add Manikaran,, start early morning from shimla, go to manikaran, stay in Gurudwara for free (food also free there and any one can stay there in gurudwara, (any religion) or stay in any hotel (for hotel stay - kasol is the best, this place just 3/4km before manikaran),, next day after visit nearby places - go to manali,
check few manikaran picture(taken by me on 6th jan'2010)

[QUOTE=anjan6600;907738]yes, you can add Manikaran,, start early morning from shimla, go to manikaran, stay in Gurudwara for free (food also free there and any one can stay there in gurudwara, (any religion) or stay in any hotel (for hotel stay - kasol is the best, this place just 3/4km before manikaran),, next day after visit nearby places - go to manali,
check few manikaran picture(taken by me on 6th jan'2010)
QUOTE]


Thanks Anjan,
I checked on the HRTC site. There don't seem to be any direct buses from Shimla to Manikaran. Could you please suggest the route to reach Manikaran from Shimla?

Vasuki, any help please... (if you could please plan all these balance four five days for me after having completed the stay at Shimla...)

Thanks for all your help.

[QUOTE=

Thanks Anjan,
I checked on the HRTC site. There don't seem to be any direct buses from Shimla to Manikaran. Could you please suggest the route to reach Manikaran from Shimla?

Vasuki, any help please... (if you could please plan all these balance four five days for me after having completed the stay at Shimla...)

Thanks for all your help.[/QUOTE]


someone please????