This trip guide to Himachal gives you a complete Idea for exploring Himachal. Be it a Solo Trip, Group Tour, or couples tour. Here you will see every required information that you will need during your trip. When I visited Himachal, I was new to this place and even though I did a lot of research I missed many important ones.
For example, the Hostel I booked in Manali using Booking.com was a 4-bed Dorm. However, when I arrived there it came out to be a 6-bed one. The caretaker of that place told me that there was an issue with Booking.com hence which caused the misunderstanding. Eventually, I had to manage with that only anyhow and was not a good experience at all. It might have happened with most of you too.
To avoid such an experience I will suggest contacting the property directly and confirming all your details. This is also a good practice and will work in other types of bookings as well.
Himachal
It has always been one of the best locations in India by all means. The weather here is fabulous and is like heaven, especially for people coming from plain lands. Being home to numerous temples and holy places, it is also known as Devbhoomi. Himachal has always been one of the top destinations in India for leisure purposes, honeymoons or vacations and obviously pilgrimage. Similar to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh also offers adventure tourism and is very famous for Paragliding, Skating, Mountain Biking, Zip lining, and more.
Here I am going to talk about the best way possible to visit in a categorized manner.
Contents
- Solo trip to Himachal
- Couples tour to Himachal
- Himachal group tour
- How to reach Himachal Pradesh
- Best time to visit Himachal
- The best way to explore Himachal
Solo trip to Himachal
Solo travelling is in trend nowadays and hence to meet this trend, the host community, destinations, government or private sector has also started initiatives to fulfil the demand. While travelling solo you need more exact information about the routes, and trails. When you are alone, you need to be more careful while choosing your accommodations in particular.
Things to consider prior to the trip.
- Do not carry extra luggage with you.
- If you like shopping that minus those things from your backpack which you are likely to buy.
- In case you are allergic to anything, keep your kit with you all the time.
- Keep a crepe bandage, one small Dettol bottle and some cotton with you as a first aid kit.
- One cap, one neck pillow and one eye mask.
- Find a person whom you can trust and tell him/her about your plans and if possible share your location from time to time especially when you are leaving your hotel/dorm.
- Let that person know in advance; the place you are going to stay, your transportation bookings and all.
Couples tour guide to Himachal:-
If you are travelling as a couple there are a few things to keep in mind prior to going on your trip.
If you are travelling as a couple there are a few things to keep in mind prior to going on your trip.
- Book a couple-friendly residence and that too after reading all the reviews, especially of solo or couple travellers.
- If you are booking a 2-bed dorm using any 3rd party platform like booking.com or MMT, make sure to check with the hotel that the room you booked is a 2 bed only as many times you book a 2 bedroom and you get 4 bed or even more and the hotel will say that It is not updated on that platform and they can’t do anything now.
- For sightseeing, a bike would be the best, especially in Manali as scooty may not be able to ride uphill efficiently.
Group tour to Himachal
The best way though is to travel in a group of four as then you can always rent a bike/scooter, hire a car and it won’t cost much per individual, take a bus and booking hotels/dorms will be not only easier but safer as well.
Now that you have decided to visit Himachal it’s time to acknowledge the knowhows.
How to reach Himachal Pradesh
The best way to travel to Himachal is to from Delhi or Chandigarh, whichever is near to you and take a bus from there to Manali.
Note: Make sure to book buses and hotels all in advance, especially in the peak season. Other you may not get a good residence in a better location and even if you will, it will mostly be overpriced.
Why you should book a ticket directly to Manali?
While planning for the trip to Himachal, mainly the Kullu-Manali route, many stops in Kullu only. Some of them later leave for Manali and few don’t even go there. But you should not do that. You should always book a ticket directly to Manali. Once you have completed your sightseeing in Manali, then return back to Naggar, Kasol, Kullu, Manikaran and all. Because if you will stop in Kullu for example, you will have to take cabs or buses to Manali and many don’t even go to Manali once they stop in between. As they think that it is almost the same but that’s what they miss. So I will highly recommend not to stop in between and only end your journey in Manali.
Other Reasons :
- It will cost you less.
- It will become less hectic.
- Your other half day will be saved.
- You will be able to cover more destinations comparatively.
Best time to visit Himachal
The best time to visit Himachal is April to June. Although one can visit after June as well if you talk about the weather in Himachal. But once the rain starts, the probability of landslides increases gradually. Hence it is not safe to visit at least till August and sometimes mid-September.
After the rainy season, one has time till October after that most of the parts of Himachal are closed for tourism. Hence you should prefer to plan before the rain starts in North India. For more details on the Best time to visit Himachal, click on the link.
Which transport medium is best to explore Himachal?
Share taxi/bus/auto
We all are aware that travelling in the share is the cheapest medium but when you are in Himachal, for sightseeing, this won’t work that way. Taxi or cab won’t wait to get the space filled because before that it will get reserved so this idea doesn’t work here. Then what can be done?
Renting a bike or scooty:
Yes, renting a bike or scooty is the best option for sightseeing in Himachal. Scooty for a day will cost you 700-800₹ excluding fuel whereas a bike will cost you around 1000-1400₹ excluding fuel, depending upon the type of bike you choose.
Scooty -700₹/day
Himalayan – 1000₹/day
Royal Enfield – 1400₹/day
At once it may seem costly, but it is the cheapest option available.
Choosing the right vehicle.
The Himalayan roads are not like one in the plains and there are uphill and downhills. Hence choosing the right vehicle becomes more important. If your plan is to travel a long way then the bike will be more appropriate however if you are only planning for local sightseeing then even scooty will work.
Note: Do not choose scooty if you are heading off-road.
The best way to explore Himachal
Once you visit Manali, go to your residence and after freshening up depending upon the time, visit the nearby place accordingly, for example:
If it is:-
Evening – Mall road, old Manali, Manu temple, Manu temple viewpoint.
Morning – Rohtang pass, Hadimba Temple, Ghatotkach Birthplace, Himachal Art museum, Manu temple, Manu temple viewpoint, old Manali viewpoint, Atal Tunnel, Shishu, local sightseeing.
Daytime – Hadimba Temple, Local sightseeing, Ghatotkach Birthplace, Himachal Art museum.
Once you visit Manali, go to your residence and after freshening up depending upon the time, visit the nearby place accordingly, for example:
