Himalaya only · Saver trips from ₹7,500
Try "Spiti", "snow leopard", "Char Dham", "homestay", "Tiger's Nest"
Signature Himachal · Unhurried
Seven unhurried nights in two of the best hotels in the Himalaya: three at Wildflower Hall in the forest above Shimla, four at Span Resort and Spa on the Beas near Katrain. Guided days in Shimla, Naggar and Old Manali, the Atal tunnel to Lahaul, and time to do nothing at all.
Photo: Navneet Sharma · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsThis is the classic Shimla–Manali trip, slowed down and moved out of the crowds. Instead of the Mall's hotels, you stay at Wildflower Hall at Chharabra, about 13 km beyond Shimla at roughly 2,500 m, in deodar and oak forest. Instead of central Manali, you stay at Span Resort and Spa, on about 12 acres by the Beas near Katrain, between Kullu and Manali, close to Naggar across the river.
The one long drive, Shimla to the Kullu valley, comes in the middle and is broken with stops at Mandi. Otherwise, days are short: a guided morning, lunch, and an afternoon at the hotel. It suits honeymooners, families with older children and anyone who wants the mountains without the rush.
Sleeping altitude, night by night
Red points are nights above 3,000 m. We pace those climbs by the usual advice of no more than 300–500 m of sleeping height a day. This is not medical advice: talk to your doctor before a high trip. Try the altitude planner.
Day by day
Your driver meets you at Chandigarh airport. Drive up via Parwanoo and Solan, with a stop for tea at Dharampur, to Shimla and on to Chharabra. Check into Wildflower Hall and spend the afternoon on the terrace with views of the snow peaks on clear days. Dinner at the hotel.
About ShimlaWith your guide, walk the Ridge and the Mall: Christ Church, the Gaiety Theatre, Scandal Point and the Town Hall. Drive to the Viceregal Lodge on Observatory Hill, now the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, for a guided tour of the building where the Simla Conference of 1945 was held. Return to Chharabra for a quiet evening.
About ShimlaA free day at the resort. Walk the forest trails around Chharabra, through deodar, oak and rhododendron that flowers red in March and April. In the afternoon, use the spa, or drive to Mashobra for an hour. Early night before the road.
About ShimlaLeave after breakfast and descend to the Sutlej at Bilaspur and the Gobind Sagar lake. Continue through Sundernagar to Mandi, where we stop for lunch and a walk to the old temples on the Beas, then up the Beas gorge past Pandoh and through the Aut tunnel to Kullu. Arrive at Span Resort in the evening.
About ManaliCross the Beas to Naggar with your guide. Visit Naggar Castle, the kath-kuni seat of the Kullu rajas, now an HPTDC hotel, and the Jagatipatt shrine in its courtyard. Walk up to the Roerich estate, where Nicholas Roerich lived from 1928, and the wooden Tripura Sundari temple. Lunch on the castle terrace and back to Span by mid-afternoon.
About NaggarDrive to Manali for a guided morning: the Hadimba temple in the deodar forest, built in 1553, Old Manali's kath-kuni houses and the Manu temple. Cross to Vashisht to see the hot spring baths and the temple. Lunch in Old Manali, then back to the resort for the afternoon by the river.
About ManaliDrive up past Manali and Solang and through the Atal tunnel, about 9 km long, opened in 2020, into the Chandra valley of Lahaul. Continue to Sissu, at about 3,100 m, for the waterfall and views of the Lahaul peaks. Return to Span in the afternoon. Vehicle rules and tunnel timings change; check current status before you travel.
About ManaliA slow last morning by the river, then the short drive down the valley to Bhuntar airport for your flight. If flights are cancelled by weather, as can happen, we arrange the drive to Chandigarh, about 7 hours.
About ManaliWhere you sleep
Photo: Navneet Sharma · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Luxury
An Oberoi resort at Chharabra, about 13 km beyond Shimla at roughly 2,500 m, on the site of Lord Kitchener's forme…
Photo: Original: Biswarup Ganguly Derivative work: Un… · CC BY 3.0 · Commons
Luxury
A riverside resort on about 12 acres on the banks of the Beas near Katrain, south of Manali, with cottages, garden…
Questions
This plan is from ₹1,95,000 per person on twin sharing for 7 nights at Wildflower Hall and Span Resort, with breakfast and dinner, a private car and a guide. Flights are extra. Prices rise for Christmas, New Year and May–June.
Yes. Both hotels are quiet, set outside the towns, and built for couples who want space, good food and spa time. Days are short, and we can add a private dinner or an extra night at either hotel.
Manali's centre is crowded and noisy in season. Span sits by the Beas near Katrain, in gardens, about 20 km from Manali and close to Naggar. You see Manali on a guided day and come back to calm.
Yes, December to February works. Shimla and the upper Kullu valley often get snow, and both hotels are heated. Drives may be slower and the Atal tunnel can close after heavy snow, so we keep plans flexible.
Yes. Altitudes are moderate, drives are short except one, and both hotels have space and good food. Tell us about mobility needs; Shimla's walk involves slopes, and the car can drop you at the top of the Mall.
Rules for vehicles beyond Manali change. Rohtang needs an online permit with a daily cap; the Atal tunnel route has its own rules at times. We handle permits where needed; check current status before you travel.
Shimla's Jubbarhatti airport has limited flights, often cancelled by weather. Chandigarh is far more reliable and only 4 hours by road, so we start there. If a Shimla flight suits you, we can meet you there.
About 230–250 km and 7–8 hours by car, depending on where you stay. We stop at Mandi for lunch and old temples, and arrive before dark.
Yes. Add Kinnaur after Shimla, or McLeodganj and Bir after Manali; each adds 3–5 nights. We price the extension with the best available stays.
More from Himachal
Photo: Ms Sarah Welch · CC0 · Commons
Comfort
Private car with driver
Photo: Unknown author · Public domain · Commons
Comfort
Private car with driver
Photo: Navneet Sharma · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Signature
Private SUV with driver and guide; toy train from Kalka
Plan with a local planner
We reply within one working day with a route, a sleeping-altitude profile and an itemised price in your tier. Change anything. Pay nothing until you are sure.