Experience Homestay mountain hospitality in colonial heritage homestays, soak in the quaint Himachali countryside, trek through the majestic outdoors, and rejuvenate in the lap of the snow-clad Himalayas.
Duration : 12 Days
Route : Delhi (or Chandigarh) → Shimla → Raison → Manali → Darang → Dharamsala → Ropar → Delhi (or Chandigarh)
Note
- This itinerary is completely customizable depending on the preferences of the travellers.
- This itinerary can start and end from either Delhi or Chandigarh
- A portion of the revenues generated from this trip will be used to sustain efforts in heritage conservation, supporting local arts & crafts, and in furthering the cause of socially responsible travel.
Itinerary
Day 1 Travel to Shimla
The Homestays in the Himalayas itinerary can start in Delhi, which offers several international flight connections, or in Chandigarh, which is well connected by domestic carriers and trains. From Delhi or Chandigarh, you proceed by train or car to Kalka. We recommend that you take the Himalayan Queen Toy Train from Kalka to Shimla. Deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this toy train ride takes you literally through the Himalayas and a whopping 103 tunnels, along stunning mountain landscapes, past small waterfalls, and amid lush green forests of pine, oak and rhododendron.
Shimla, fondly called Queen of the Hills, used to be the British summer capital of India, and is known for its Victorian architecture and pine fringed Himalayan slopes.
Your first homestay is located in a quiet neighborhood of Shimla, where you stay with an artist’s family, in a quaint British bungalow overlooking Taradevi and other Himalayan peaks.
Days 2 & 3 Day trips around Shimla
Spend the next two days getting to know your host family, indulging in delicious home-cooked food, and partaking of the famous Indian hospitality. Spend some quiet time in the attic of the house or lounging on the terrace, watching the clouds flirt with the Himalayas.
Explore the hill slopes and architectural delights of Shimla on foot. You could choose to shop to your heart’s delight at the famous Mall road, an hour’s walk from your homestay, visit small towns on the Hindustan Tibet Road, tee off at the picturesque Naldehra golf course, river raft in the waters of the Sutlej River, and hike or trek in the surrounding mountain trails, while soaking in the panaromic views that constantly keep you company.
Day 4 Travel to Raison (near Manali)
Leave Shimla in the morning for Raison, a scenic village cluster near Manali, located on the banks of the River Beas, and surrounded on all sides by the spectacular Dhauladhar Range.
Your second homestay is a quaint British heritage villa, surrounded by apple orchards and kiwi plantations, overlooking the River Beas below and the Himalayas above, where the apple barons of the region will be your hosts.
Days 5 & 6 Day trips around Raison & Manali.
Spend the next two days interacting with your host family, picnicking among apple orchards, walking down to the River Beas, and participating in local folk performances or unearthing local legends by a bonfire.
You can choose to explore the stone architecture of the region, hike or trek in the surrounding countryside trails, visit ancient monasteries and temples in nearby towns, and indulge in adventure activities like trout fishing, paragliding and snow skiing.
Day 7 Travel to Darang (near Dharamsala)
Leave the next morning for a beautiful tea estate in the charming Kangra valley of the Himalayas, dating back atleast 150 years. Explore Himachal’s farm culture in this quaint village, and soak in majestic views of the snow-capped Himalayas.
Your next homestay is at a quaint wooden English cottage on the tea estate, where you can indulge yourself in the warm hospitality of your hosts and delicious home-cooked food prepared with ingredients from the estate’s own organic farm.
Days 8 & 9 Day trips around Darang & Dharamsala.
Spend the next two days strolling along the 70 acres of the tea estates in the dramatic snow-capped backdrop of the Himalayas, taking in the fresh mountain air by the khuds (mountain streams) and the little forest, losing track of time at the estate’s machan (tree house), and engaging in lively conversations with your hosts around a cosy bonfire.
You can choose to discover life in the surrounding villages, explore the lush green Kangra Valley and its fascinating historical sites, and visit the little Tibetan town of Bir to experience the thrill of the finest paragliding in India. You can take a trip to Mcleodganj in Dharamsala, home to His Holiness The Dalai Lama, where you can visit his monastery and the seat of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, and if you’re lucky, get to see him and seek his blessings.
Day 10 Travel to Ropar (near Chandigarh)
The next morning, leave for Ropar in Punjab, where you round off your trip with a truly royal experience at one of Punjab’s last standing live-in imperial forts, on a hilltop above the banks of the Sutlej River, amid the Shivalik mountains.
Live a day in the life of a Maharaja in this fort built in 1783, as you are served a spread of sumptuous Punjabi cuisine and given a whirlwind tour of the fort’s rich heritage by royalty himself, the descendant of Nawab Kapur Singh, who was the first to occupy this fort.
You can spend the evening and the following morning exploring the ancient corners of the fort, trekking in the surrounding forest, picnicking on an island in the Sutlej River, fishing and birdwatching, riding a tractor, or visiting the nearby Gurudwara for lungar, a traditional communal meal in Punjab.
Day 11 Back to Delhi / Chandigarh
On the last day of the trip, you head back to Delhi / Chandigarh to catch a flight home or to your next destination. We are quite sure that the Homestays in the Himalayas trail will be an experience that you’ll cherish for a long time to come.
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