Delhi - Shimla - Manali - Delhi

Shimla

Or Simla is the capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh. It is a very popular holiday-retreat during the summer months and is well known for its Victorian architecture, which is reflected in certain areas of the Mall and The Ridge.

Honeymoon inn Shimla is a quaint, little resort in this beautiful city of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh the 'Summer Capital of the British Raj'. Hotel is located just 10 minutes walk from the "Lift", the centrepoint of the Mall.
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Jakhu Temple, Jakhu Hill. Open every day. Offers spectacular views of the mountains from its location above the town. According to the epic Ramayana, the monkey god Hanuman rested here during his journey to the Himalayan mountains. The climb up is a physically demanding one-hour walk. However, you can drive up the hill - a 4WD is recommended. The temple and hill side is populated with very aggressive and cunning monkeys. Be extremely careful with your camera, glasses, bag and (especially) food. Entry free, donations welcome (Sticks for warding off the monkeys can be rented at the entrance to the temple for Rs 5).

Dorje Drag Monastery, Sarasvati Garden Estate, Kusmuti. A monastery in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, also known as Thubten Evam Dorje Drag. Entry free, donations welcome.

The Ridge, Jakhu Hill (North of The Mall). Built at the top of the town at 2230m, The Ridge is the center of Shimla's cultural and social life - an excellent place to view the surrounding mountains.

Christ Church, The Ridge (Near Municipal Library). Open every day, services Su 8AM-11AM. Constructed in 1846, this is one of the oldest churches in North India. The stain-glass windows and 19th century organ are particularly impressive, and the fresco that surrounds the chapel window was designed by Lockwood Kipling, Rudyard Kipling's father. Entry free, donations welcome.

Lower Bazaar, The Mall (Below Central Section). Shops Open Mo-Sa. The Lower Bazaar is home to the city's less expensive hotels, cheaper restaurants and stores, and a congested wholesale vegetable market. Although less opulent than its upper neighbor, the Lower Bazaar retains an old worldly charm and is an excellent place to try some Shimla specialty dishes, like Uradh Dal with rice or Shepard's Pie.

Viceregal Lodge, The Mall (Atop Observatory Hill), +91 177 283-1375. Open every day (Only the entrance hall and gardens are open to the public). An imposing British-raj mansion built under the guidance of Lord Dufferin in 1888. Manicured British style gardens surround the mansion on three sides, while the fourth side is a place to relax and watch the sun dip below the Himalayan foothills. The teak-paneled interior is impressive, and well worth a viewing. Entry Rs 10, cameras not allowed inside

State Museum, Chaura Maidan (Near Oberoi Cecil), +91 177 280-5044. Open Tu-Su, 10AM-5PM. Housed in a reconstructed Raj-style building, the State Museum displays a collection of around 10,000 artifacts gathered from all over Himachal Pradesh. The Pahari miniatures and 6th-11th century Gupta sculptures are especially impressive. Entry Rs 10 (Cameras free, flash prohibited).

Image Art Gallery, Potter's Hill (Near HP Univ.), +91 94180-11172. The gallery displays more than 20,000 photographs of Himachal taken by the celebrated photographer Inder Pal. It's a wonderful place to explore and learn more about the beauty, culture and flora and fauna of this Himalayan state. In addition, Potter's Hill is scenic area, so as well as visiting the gallery, visitors can also enjoy hiking, climbing, observing wild life and enjoy the fresh Himalayan air. Entry Rs 5 (Cameras free, flash prohibited

Take a leisurely walk at the Mall — this 7km thoroughfare is famous for its Victorian Architecture, and retains much of its Raj-era charm. To get there, take the lifts from Cart Road, an ingenious system designed to save pedestrians from walking. Rs 5 per trip. The central area of the mall is composed of half-timbered buildings and is the place to rub shoulders and clash knives and forks with Shimla's elite. A statue of freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai is located at Scandal Point, the highest point on the Mall. Further along is the very pleasant Clarkes Hotel, which is an excellent place to take a break and relax over a coffee.
Visit the zoo at Kufri (tel:+91 177 265-2911) — home to native species such as the great Himalayan Snow Leapord, and varieties of Musk Deer. Open daily, Rs 15 per person. Special free passes are available during weekends.
Ice skating is possible in Shimla from November to March, though Kufri and Chail on the outskirts of town offer better options.
Trek in the local mountains. Walk along the meandering roads to the meadows at Annadale, 5 kms out of town. The Glen, further west, is a favorite picnic-spot with locals. Head north and visit Wildflower Hall, the former retreat of Lord Kitchner. Furthur on along the Hindustan-Tibet Road lies the quaint village of Mashobra. A gravel-road indicates the entry to the Seog Wildlife Sanctuary. The annual Sipi Fair is held in a little steep pathway off Mashobra.
Tee off at the Naldehra Golf Course, on the northern outskirts. The 9-hole golf-course, set amidst sloping meadows, was designed by Lord Curzon in the 19th century. The fauna is impressive, ranging from alpine grass to pine and deodar.

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Further down the Mall Road is the Lakkar Bazaar, which has quite a few shops selling wooden handicrafts. The Mall is full of shops selling woolens (most of which find their way to Shimla from Ludhiana, Punjab) and Kullu shawls. Other favorites have included wooden toys, walking sticks and Tibetian carpets made in nearby Kinnaur. As the center of the food-processing industry in Himachal, jams and squashes made from local produce are indeed worth purchasing. The stretch between Combermere Bridge and the Telegraph Office is full of small stores which stock handcrafted Chinese shoes. The more well-known ones include Hopsons, Tatung and Hugh & Co.

Himachal Emporium, 3 The Mall, +91 177 280-1234 (fax:+91 177 265-3164), Open Mo-Fr, 10AM-5PM. An excellent place to purchase locally-made handicrafts at set prices. Run by the Himachal Pradesh Government.
DOCKERS San Francisco, DCAR, The Mall, Open every day, 11AM-7PM. Virtually the only international brand-store in Shimla, Dockers is a trendy and upmarket place. A favorite haunt of college students.
Maria Bros, The Mall (central section, near Baljees). Antiques and rare books dealers.

Minerva Book House, Hotel Minerva, +91 177 225-2043. A good selection of novels.

Manali

Manali is a city in theKullu Valley.While many Indian friends told us of Manali's beauty, and what a popular honeymoon spot it was, Manali in winter is really a magic..with snow all around its really a paradise for tourists .

The Honeymoon Inn at Manali commands an excellent view of the snows, the wide valleys, deodar woods. The gardens, at 3 levels, offer a fabulous apple orchard with an open-air Bar-be-Cue.

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Rohtang Pass, at an altitude of 13,050 feet above sea level, is another adventure tourist site where it can be cold even on a summer day. It is the highest point on the Manali-Keylong road and provides a wide panoramic view of mountains rising far above clouds, which is truly breath taking. Close by is a small lake called Dassaur Lake. Beas Kund, the source of river Beas, is also nearby. In winter, the road of Rothang Pass is closed.

Rahala waterfalls: About 16 km from Manali at the start of the climb to the Rohtang Pass, are the beautiful Rahalla Falls at an altitude of 2,501 m.

Monasteries: Manali is known for its shiny gompas or Buddhist monasteries. It is maintained by donations from the local community and by sale of hand-woven carpets in the temple workshop.

At a distance of 3 km northwest of Manali is Old Manali, famous for its orchards and old guesthouses. There is ruined fort here by the name of Manaligarh. There is also the Manu Maharishi Temple, dedicated to sage Manu.

Vashist Hot Water Springs and Temple: Around 3 km from Manali, across the Beas river is Vashist, a small village with natural sulphur springs. Modern bathhouses, with Turkish-style showers, have the hot water piped into them for the convenience of the visitors who come here to benefit from the medicinal properties. Vaishisht, also boasts a pair of old stone temples, opposite each other above the main square. Dedicated to the local patron saint Vashista, the smaller of the two opens on to a partially covered courtyard, and is adorned with elaborate woodcarvings. Those lining the interior of the shrine, blackened by years of oil-lamp and incense smoke, are particularly fine. The temple tanks are underground hot-water/sulfur springs.

Solang Valley, popularly known as Snow Point, is 13 km northwest of Manali and famous for its 300-meter ski lift. It is a picturesque spot and offers splendid views of glaciers and the snow-capped mountains. Jagatsukh, the former capital of Manali, is also an important spot.

One can visit famous Hadimba Temple.
Fun park near Hadimba Temple
Old Manali is an impressive array of wonderful, old wooden houses and happy smiling faces appearing from windows and over garden fences.
There are some interesting temples of Tibetan Buddhist lineages located between old and new Manali.
Naggar Castle and Art gallery is another place to see and so as beautiful Log Hut Area and club house. In fact both this places especially log hut area has some good hotels to stay as well.

Get your photos clicked with either rabbits or yaks. It will cost about 10-20 rupees (0.5$) for a single photo.
One can also enjoy paddle boating in a fun park near Hadimba temple.
River rafting , skiing, paragliding, trekking, snow scootering, and river crossing are some of good adventure sports to go for
Please never buy Kesar(saffron) or any other herbal stuff as all those who claim big things are actually thugs waiting to cheat you of your money. Food is usually good, most accommodation is clean, and people are trustworthy, but please do use caution, as in any other place.

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Keychains, Name plates, etc which are customized to ones own message are worth buying as mementos. Also one can get his name carved/written on a single grain of rice. One can also visit manali market to buy woolen stuff like sweaters, pull overs, shawls, blankets etc

The Packages are for a couple and inclusive of manali

Deluxe Accomodation in Shimla and Manali
Welcome Drink on arrival.
Welcome Fruit Basket in room
Bed tea, Breakfast & Dinner
Two Glasses of Hot Milk every night
Free use of Indoor Recreation
Surprise gift
10% additional on food
10% discount on Billiards & Pool
10% discount on Laundry
10% discount on Hotel shop
Free 4th Night stay on room only basis (only in off- season)
One Local sightseeing for two Points Hidamba Temple & Vashist Temple.
Taxes (Luxury tax & Vat)
Surprise gift.
Transfers (Delhi-Shimla-manali-Delhi) and Sight seeing in A/c Indica, inclusive of toll tax, driver bata, parking and fuel.
Lunch Supplement Rs.325.00 per person per day extra.

Total Cost Rs 33400 for a couple

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