Himachal Tour, 13 Days Himachal Tour, 13 Days Tour of Himachal Pradesh

Day 01: Arrival in Delhi
Around midnight arrival in Delhi. The cosmopolitan city and capital Delhi is the main gateway for travelers to India. Upon arrival, you will be met by an Indo Vacations representative and transferred to the hotel.

Day 02: Delhi - Pathankot (by train)
Today we have sightseeing in old Delhi. Sightseeing of Old Delhi includes "Rajghat", the site where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated and Jama Masjid, the great mosque of old Delhi. Today we also visit the famous "Humayun's Tomb" and "Qutub Minar". Before we proceed to the Hotel we drive through New Delhi where we see the India Gate, Government Buildings and Embassies. In the night transfer to the railway station for the train to Pathankot.

Day 03: Pathankot - Dalhousie (about 83 km / 2 hours)
In the morning arrive in Pathankot railway station and drive to Dalhousie. Dalhousie is a beautiful hill station in Himachal Pradesh. It was established in 1854 by the British as a summer retreat for its troops and bureaucrats, and was named after Lord Dalhousie who was the British Viceroy at that time. Dalhousie is located on the western edge of the Dhauladhar mountain range of the Himalayas, and surrounded by the beautiful snow capped peaks. In the afternoon arrive in Dalhousie. Rest of the day at leisure.


Qutb Minar Delhi	Indiagate, Delhi

Day 04: Dalhousie
Today we have sightseeing in Dalhousie. The old charm of Dalhousie is known by the four attractive churches. Some of these churches are the St. John's Church and St. Francis Church. The St. John's Church is comfortably located at Gandhi Chowk. This is one of the oldest church in Dalhousie and stone walls took the place of wooden planks in 1863, when a visitor complained about it. St Francis Church is also located near it, on a wooded rise above Subhash Chowk. This was built in 1894, and services are still held on Sundays. Scottish and Victorian architecture can be seen in the bungalows and churches in the town.

Day 05: Dalhousie - Dharamshala (about 120 km / 3 hours)
Today we drive to Dharamshala. Dharamshala has one of the most spectacular settings for a hill station as it varies in height from 1200 m. to 1800 m. Dharamshala is split into two parts. The lower part is only known as Dharamshala and is about 9 kms away from the upper part only known as McLeodganj. In Dharamshala there is a strong Tibetan influence. The Dalai Lama settled here after the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959.

Day 06: Dharamshala
Today we visit the Namgyal monastery at Mcleodganj. This monastery is the major attraction in Mcleodganj and is located on the opposite side of the Dalai Lama's residence. This monastery contains large gilded bronzes of Buddha, Avalokitesvara and Padmasambhava. Afterwards we have a walk through Mcleodganj and visit the St. John church. This church has attractive stained glass windows. Lord Elgin, one of the viceroy of the British occupied India was buried in this church. Evening at leisure to visit the markets at Dharamshala.

Day 07: Dharamshala - Manali (about 260 km / 5 hours)
In the morning after having breakfast we drive to Manali. The landscape here is breathtaking. One can see spectacular views of well-defined snowcapped peaks and wooded slopes. The Beas River rushes along its rocky course amid grassy meadows carpeted with wild flowers and wagtails hop along from stone to stone along the stream's edge. On the other side are deodar and pine trees, tiny fields and fruit orchards. It is an excellent place for a holiday, a favorite resort for trekkers to various regions in Kashmir valley. It is known as the Switzerland of India. In the evening arrive in Manali.


Dharamshala	Dalhousie, Himachal

Day 08: Manali
In the morning we will have sightseeing in Manali. Today we will visit Hidimba Devi Temple, Vashisht Hot Water Spring and Monastery. Hidimba Devi temple was built in 1553. This temple has a superbly crafted four-tiered pagoda roof and famous for its exquisitely carved doorway. Vashishth Hot Water Springs are the well known hot water springs. There are old temples dedicated to the sage Vashishth and Lord Rama. In the evening we visit a small Tibetan monastery which houses several Buddha images.

Day 09: Manali
Today we have an excursion to the town of Kullu. The most charming and beautiful Kulu valley spreads out its charm on either side of river Beas. This valley is surrounded by the meadows, rushing streams and meandering brooks and open to all the tourists, who want to breathe the air of the Himalaya and enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery. In Kullu we visit the Raghunath Temple and Naggar. Raghunathji is the principal deity of the valley. Naggar is situated on the left bank of the Beas, on a wooded slope and commands an extensive view. It was the capital of erstwhile Kulu state for about 1400 years. There are large number of famous temples notably Vishnu, Tripura Sundari and Lord Krishna and Roerich art gallery. Roerich art gallery which houses the paintings of Nicholas Roerich as well as his sculptures is less than a km. from the Castle. After having excursion we drive back to Manali.

Day 10: Manali - Shimla (about 250 km / 5 hours)
In the morning we drive towards Shimla. The British called Shimla the "Queen of Hill Stations." Shimla is situated in the northwest Himalayas. It was the summer capital of India before independence and it is now the capital of Himachal Pradesh. Shimla derives its name from "Shyamala" the goddess Kali, whose temple existed in the dense forest that covered Jakhu Hill in the early 19th century. Its well developed facilities, easy accessibility and numerous attractions make it one of India's most popular and biggest hill stations.

Day 11: Shimla
Today we have sightseeing in Shimla. In our sightseeing we visit the Gothic Christ church. This Christ church is located on the Shimla’s prominent Ridge. Even today, the church has some interesting memorial tablets while the pews still mark the seats of British Viceroy of India, the Commander-in-Chief and the Punjab’s Governor. Later we visit the Jakhoo Hill. It is the highest point in Shimla and offers a spectacular view of the town, hills and distant mountain ranges. The peak has a temple dedicated to the Lord Hanuman. After visiting the temple we return back to hotel. In the evening we visit the Mall and Scandal Point for shopping. Scandal Point is the hub of Shimla’s social life and is said to be so named after a British Commander-in-Chief’s daughter eloped from the spot with the Maharaja of Patiala.

Day 12: Shimla
The whole day at leisure in Shimla to enjoy the natural surroundings.


Manali	Shimla

Day 13: Shimla - Kalka (about 100 km / 2 hours) - Delhi (by train)
Today we drive to the Kalka railway station for the train to Delhi. In the night arrive in Delhi and transfer to the airport for the flight to home destination for the onwards journey.

Tour Reservation
To get more information or to book this tour please submit the Query Form or send us an e-mail ! Your booking will be activated only after we get a reconfirmation from your side.

Our Services Include:
      Accommodation in double rooms on twin sharing basis with bath and WC in the
         chosen category.
      Rooms on the departure day.
      American/continental Breakfast.
      Services of qualified local guides (English speaking or languages of your choice)
          at every place of sightseeing.
      All Transfers and departures on arrival and departure by Indo Vacations
         representative.
     All Transfers and Sightseeing throughout the tour by an air-conditioned Car with
         driver. For groups an individual air-conditioned bus (Except Standard Hotels) will be
         provided.

Exclusions:
      Any Kind of Personal Expenses such as Tips, Laundry, Telephone Bills and Alcoholic
         beverages.
      Camera Fees (Still or Movie).
      Any Flight Charges.
      Monument Entrances.
      Unspecified Meals etc.

We always look forward for any changes in the itinerary as wished by you for your individual trip.

If you are willing to travel in a group - the Group Departure dates are available !

Visit Himachal Tours for more Tours & information on Himachal Pradesh !

If you are interested in the above tour please e-mail us with the number of
participants and the wished dates to enable us to workout the tour cost !