Shimla & Manali Trip
Route :
Kolkata – Ambala – (Chandigarh) – Shimla – Manali – Shimla – (Kalka) – New Delhi - Kolkata
This was the first trip planned with Neil (my son) when he was about 11 month old. We were taking him for the first trip and I wanted to keep more relaxed and simple so that we don’t find any issues while travelling. Readers can follow the route of this trip or can modify as per requirement.
The total trip was for 11 nights and 12 days. It is a very long trip plan for just Shimla and Manali. But, I had to keep it relaxed.
Hotel Details :
Ambala Cantonment – Hotel D R International (http://www.hoteldrinternational.com/)
Shimla – Hotel Sangeet (http://www.hotelsangeet.com)
Manali – Hotel Yak (no official website found)
New Delhi – Hotel Sun International (http://www.hotelsuninternational.com/)
Travel Date : October 2011
I planned to break the night stay in train, and so opted for going to Shimla via Ambala Cantonment. Ambala is a city, in Ambala District in the state of Haryana, located on the border with the state of Punjab and in proximity of the state capital Chandigarh.
Stay in Hotel D R International was pleasant in the new rooms. The hotel was newly renovated then and so I was lucky enough to get the pleasure of staying in a new hotel. The hotel is easily reachable from Cantonment Station by local transport.
Kolkata – Ambala – (Chandigarh) – Shimla – Manali – Shimla – (Kalka) – New Delhi - Kolkata
This was the first trip planned with Neil (my son) when he was about 11 month old. We were taking him for the first trip and I wanted to keep more relaxed and simple so that we don’t find any issues while travelling. Readers can follow the route of this trip or can modify as per requirement.
The total trip was for 11 nights and 12 days. It is a very long trip plan for just Shimla and Manali. But, I had to keep it relaxed.
Hotel Details :
Ambala Cantonment – Hotel D R International (http://www.hoteldrinternational.com/)
Shimla – Hotel Sangeet (http://www.hotelsangeet.com)
Manali – Hotel Yak (no official website found)
New Delhi – Hotel Sun International (http://www.hotelsuninternational.com/)
Travel Date : October 2011
I planned to break the night stay in train, and so opted for going to Shimla via Ambala Cantonment. Ambala is a city, in Ambala District in the state of Haryana, located on the border with the state of Punjab and in proximity of the state capital Chandigarh.
Stay in Hotel D R International was pleasant in the new rooms. The hotel was newly renovated then and so I was lucky enough to get the pleasure of staying in a new hotel. The hotel is easily reachable from Cantonment Station by local transport.
It was a splendid night in the hotel. Early morning next day, we hired a car for Shimla, via Chandigarh. Chandigarh is very well known to everybody. So I will skip that part. In Chandigarh, there are various locations for sightseeing. We only opted to visit Rock Garden. The Rock Garden of Chandigarh is a sculpture garden. It consists of man-made interlinked waterfalls and many other sculptures that have been made of scrap and other kinds of wastes (bottles, glasses, bangles, tiles, ceramic pots, sinks, electrical waste, etc.) which are placed in walled paths. It’s amazing to see the work of art.
It’s time now, to get ready for 114 km drive to Shimla, capital of Himachal Pradesh. The capital has an average altitude of 7,238 ft. It has got a scenic location; it is surrounded by green hills with snow capped peaks. The spectacular cool hills accompanied by the structures made during the colonial era create an aura which is very different from other hill. Shimla still retains its colonial heritage, with grand old buildings and charming iron lamp posts.
Shimla offers several places for sightseeing. The Mall, is the main street and is located a level below the ridge. Scandal point is where the Mall road joins Ridge road on the west side. The name arose from the commotion caused by the supposed elopement of a British lady with an Indian Maharaja.
Christ Church, Shimla, is the second oldest church in North India. It is designed in the typical Elizabethan style and consists of a great collection of books and ancient scriptures. The church looks absolutely magical during night when lights placed at strategic corners illuminate this beautiful church. The church glows with all its beauty and grandeur and is an amazing sight to look at.
Kufri is a small hill station located 13 km from Shimla. The highest point in the surrounding region, Kufri has a Himalayan wild life zoo. During winter, Kufri turns into a popular ski track. It has an average elevation of 7,510 feet.
It’s time now, to get ready for 114 km drive to Shimla, capital of Himachal Pradesh. The capital has an average altitude of 7,238 ft. It has got a scenic location; it is surrounded by green hills with snow capped peaks. The spectacular cool hills accompanied by the structures made during the colonial era create an aura which is very different from other hill. Shimla still retains its colonial heritage, with grand old buildings and charming iron lamp posts.
Shimla offers several places for sightseeing. The Mall, is the main street and is located a level below the ridge. Scandal point is where the Mall road joins Ridge road on the west side. The name arose from the commotion caused by the supposed elopement of a British lady with an Indian Maharaja.
Christ Church, Shimla, is the second oldest church in North India. It is designed in the typical Elizabethan style and consists of a great collection of books and ancient scriptures. The church looks absolutely magical during night when lights placed at strategic corners illuminate this beautiful church. The church glows with all its beauty and grandeur and is an amazing sight to look at.
Kufri is a small hill station located 13 km from Shimla. The highest point in the surrounding region, Kufri has a Himalayan wild life zoo. During winter, Kufri turns into a popular ski track. It has an average elevation of 7,510 feet.
From Shimla, our next stop was Manali. Manali is situated on the banks of Beas River. The town ranges in elevation from 5,900 ft to 6,600 ft. Skiing in Manali can be enjoyed in Solang Valley or Rohtang Pass area during winters. The distance between Shimla and Manali is 250 km.
Rohtang Pass has always been a very popular tourist place in Manali. It is located at an elevation of 13,051 ft. It is 51 km away from Manali. We hired a vehicle from Manali and we reached there in about 3 hours. The scenic beauty on your way is breath taking. Rohtang Pass offers a panorama and spectacular view of ranges. The jeep able road crossing the pass is open from June to October each year. Rohtang Pass is the highest jeep able road in the world.
There are unpredictable occurrence of snow storms and high winds but that don’t stop enthusiasts like us to visit this wonderful place. This place provides opportunities to be in the laps of Mother Nature.
We took the opportunity of riding on a Snow Scooter in Rohtang to travel uphill to Zero Point. These Snow Scooters runs on rough terrains. They have huge radius tyres to overcome the roughness. The ride was thrilling. View from top of Rohtang Pass also called as Zero Point is awesome. We were in an awestruck state seeing the picturesque of snow clad mountain ranges.
Solang Valley, located 14 km northwest of Manali is known for its summer and winter sport . The sports most commonly offered are parachuting, paragliding, skating and zorbing. Giant slopes of lawn comprise Solang Valley and provide its reputation as a popular ski resort. Snow melts during the summer months starting May and skiing is then replaced by zorbing (a giant ball with room for 2 people which is rolled down a 200-metre hill), paragliding, parachuting and horse riding.
Rohtang Pass has always been a very popular tourist place in Manali. It is located at an elevation of 13,051 ft. It is 51 km away from Manali. We hired a vehicle from Manali and we reached there in about 3 hours. The scenic beauty on your way is breath taking. Rohtang Pass offers a panorama and spectacular view of ranges. The jeep able road crossing the pass is open from June to October each year. Rohtang Pass is the highest jeep able road in the world.
There are unpredictable occurrence of snow storms and high winds but that don’t stop enthusiasts like us to visit this wonderful place. This place provides opportunities to be in the laps of Mother Nature.
We took the opportunity of riding on a Snow Scooter in Rohtang to travel uphill to Zero Point. These Snow Scooters runs on rough terrains. They have huge radius tyres to overcome the roughness. The ride was thrilling. View from top of Rohtang Pass also called as Zero Point is awesome. We were in an awestruck state seeing the picturesque of snow clad mountain ranges.
Solang Valley, located 14 km northwest of Manali is known for its summer and winter sport . The sports most commonly offered are parachuting, paragliding, skating and zorbing. Giant slopes of lawn comprise Solang Valley and provide its reputation as a popular ski resort. Snow melts during the summer months starting May and skiing is then replaced by zorbing (a giant ball with room for 2 people which is rolled down a 200-metre hill), paragliding, parachuting and horse riding.
Detailed Itinerary :
Kolkata (Train from Chitpur to Ambala Cantt Junction)
Ambala (1 night)
Ambala – Shimla (via Chandigarh)
Shimla – Manali (4 nights) including one day trip to Rohtang Pass
Manali – Shimla
Shimla – Kalka – New Delhi
New Delhi – Kolkata
Seeing the beauty and roughness of nature returned with loads of memories. We will be back again. And this time, it will be in the winters when it’s snowing.
Kolkata (Train from Chitpur to Ambala Cantt Junction)
Ambala (1 night)
Ambala – Shimla (via Chandigarh)
Shimla – Manali (4 nights) including one day trip to Rohtang Pass
Manali – Shimla
Shimla – Kalka – New Delhi
New Delhi – Kolkata
Seeing the beauty and roughness of nature returned with loads of memories. We will be back again. And this time, it will be in the winters when it’s snowing.