7 Days Shimla, Kullu & Manali Tour by Road from Delhi

Drive about 350 km, 8–9 hours | Altitude: Shimla 2,205 m | Overnight: Shimla (dinner included)

Your driver picks you up from your hotel, the airport or the railway station in Delhi early in the morning. Drive north on the highway through the plains of Haryana to Chandigarh, the modern city planned by Le Corbusier. Stop to visit Nek Chand’s Rock Garden, a fantasy world of sculptures made from broken tiles, bangles and recycled materials.

After lunch (own cost) the road starts to climb through Parwanoo, Dharampur and Solan, with pine forests and terraced hillsides all around. Reach Shimla, the old summer capital of British India, by evening and check in to your hotel for dinner.

Sightseeing | Highest point: Kufri, about 2,510 m | Overnight: Shimla (dinner included)

After breakfast drive about 16 km to Kufri, a hill resort among cedar forests with views of the snow-capped peaks on clear days. Enjoy a pony or yak ride, visit the small zoo or simply take in the mountain air.

In the afternoon return to Shimla and walk along the Ridge and Mall Road, lined with colonial buildings, cafés and shops. Visit the neo-Gothic Christ Church, then walk or take the ropeway up to the Jakhoo Temple, where a 33-metre Hanuman statue looks out over the town. Evening free on the Mall.

Drive about 250 km, 8 hours | Altitude: Manali 2,050 m | Overnight: Manali (dinner included)

Leave Shimla after breakfast and drive down to the Sutlej valley and on via Sundernagar and Mandi. Pass the turquoise lake of the Pandoh Dam and enter the narrow Aut tunnel and gorge into the Kullu valley, following the rushing Beas river.

In Kullu stop at a shawl factory to see the famous Kullu shawls being woven. If you like, try a short rafting trip on the Beas (optional, extra cost). Continue through apple orchards to Manali and check in to your hotel.

Sightseeing | Altitude: about 2,050 m | Overnight: Manali (dinner included)

Spend the day exploring Manali. Start at the 16th-century Hadimba Temple, a wooden pagoda-style shrine standing in a forest of giant deodar cedars. Walk on to Old Manali and the Manu Temple, with its village houses and cafés.

In the afternoon visit Vashisht, a small village known for its hot sulphur springs and old stone temples, and the colourful Tibetan monastery near the bus stand. End the day with a stroll and some shopping on Mall Road.

Excursion | Highest point: Solang about 2,560 m (Atal Tunnel about 3,060 m) | Overnight: Manali (dinner included)

Drive about 14 km to Solang Valley, a wide meadow surrounded by snow peaks and glaciers. Depending on the season you can ride the cable car, try paragliding, zorbing or ATV rides, or play in the snow in winter (activities paid locally).

If the road is open and permits allow, continue through the 9 km Atal Tunnel under the Rohtang Pass to Sissu in the Lahaul valley, with its waterfall and stark mountain scenery (local taxi and permit may be required, extra cost). Return to Manali in the evening.

Drive about 310 km, 9 hours | Overnight: Chandigarh (dinner included)

After breakfast, drive back down the Kullu valley along the Beas, through Mandi and Bilaspur, and down from the hills onto the plains of Punjab. Stops for tea and lunch are made on the way.

Arrive in Chandigarh in the late afternoon. If time allows, take an evening walk along the promenade of Sukhna Lake at the foot of the Shivalik hills before dinner at your hotel.

Drive about 250 km, 5 hours | End of tour

After breakfast check out and drive south on the highway to Delhi (about 5 hours). You are dropped at the airport, railway station or your hotel in time for your onward journey. End of the tour with happy memories of the Himalayan hills.