Himachal Pradesh is North India's backpacker trail: Tibetan Buddhist hill towns, a paragliding valley, a well-worn hostel strip along the Parvati river, and a colonial hill station with a narrow-gauge railway. This route runs the loop most people actually do, starting from Delhi by overnight bus.
At a glance
The route
6 stops
- Bus
Is this route for you?
This suits budget backpackers and the hostel-trail crowd (Kasol and McLeod Ganj are two of India's most established backpacker hubs), wellness and yoga travellers drawn to Dharamshala's Tibetan Buddhist community, and adventure travellers coming for Bir Billing's paragliding. It's a good match if you want hill towns and cheap guesthouses over forts, temples or beaches.
Pick something else if you want your first taste of India to be the Taj Mahal and Jaipur's forts, that's the Golden Triangle territory; if you want backwaters and a gentler pace, see the Kerala route; and if you're already comfortable with Himalayan travel and want higher, remoter landscape, this route continues naturally into Spiti Valley or, for a serious high-altitude trip, Ladakh.
Day by day
Overnight in, straight into the Tibetan quarter
McLeod Ganj
Getting there Delhi to McLeod Ganj by overnight bus, about 10 to 12 hours depending on the road and weather. An ordinary HRTC seat runs about ₹700 to 900 (about £5.50 to £7 / $7 to $9); an AC Volvo runs about ₹1,200 to 1,800 (about £9 to £14 / $13 to $19).
- Morning
- Arrive early, check in and rest after the overnight ride.
- Afternoon
- The Tsuglagkhang Complex, the Dalai Lama's temple and residence, a quiet, respectful place even for a first visit.
- Evening
- A Tibetan-quarter café dinner.
Eat Thukpa and momos, McLeod Ganj is the best place in North India to eat both, given its long-settled Tibetan-refugee community.
Local tip Book a Volvo seat rather than an ordinary bus if you can. Ten hours or more overnight is long enough without a hard seat.
Waterfalls and a museum
McLeod Ganj
- Morning
- Free morning to recover, or a slow walk around the Tsuglagkhang Complex's kora path.
- Afternoon
- The walk to Bhagsu Waterfall, and the Tibet Museum for the history of the Tibetan community in exile.
- Evening
- Another Tibetan-quarter dinner, or a rooftop café with views over the Kangra Valley.
Eat More momos, or a Tibetan bread and butter tea if you want to try it.
Local tip The waterfall is a short, easy walk, good for a lower-energy day after the overnight bus.
Into paragliding country
Bir Billing
Getting there McLeod Ganj to Bir Billing by road, about 70 km, 2 h 30 min to 3 h.
- Morning
- Travel morning.
- Afternoon
- Settle in, then walk to the Bir landing ground to watch paragliders coming in.
- Evening
- Sunset from the Billing take-off point, at about 2,400 m.
Eat Momos, or a simple Himachali thali.
Local tip If you plan to fly the next morning, ask your guesthouse to point you to a registered operator directly, rather than a hotel-arranged mark-up, and ask to see the pilot's APPI licence before you pay.
A tandem flight
Bir Billing
- Morning
- A tandem paragliding flight, weather permitting, this is the one reason most people come here. A 15 to 20-minute flight costs roughly ₹2,500 to 3,500 (about £20 to £27 / $26 to $36); longer 25 to 30-minute flights or a GoPro add-on cost more.
- Afternoon
- The Tibetan monasteries in Bir's Tibetan colony.
- Evening
- Free.
Eat More momos, or Himachali thali again.
Local tip Morning flights tend to have calmer air; book the earliest slot the association offers if you're nervous about wind.
Into the Parvati Valley
Kasol
Getting there Bir Billing to Kasol by road, about 6 to 7 hours depending on traffic, one of the longer legs of the loop. A shared taxi is more comfortable than the bus for this one.
- Morning
- Travel begins.
- Afternoon
- Still travelling, the road winds through Kullu on the way.
- Evening
- Arrive and settle into the backpacker café strip along the Parvati river.
Eat Kasol's Israeli-backpacker influence means good hummus and shakshuka cafés alongside Himachali food, worth trying both.
Local tip This is the trip's longest single travel day; build in nothing else and expect to arrive tired.
The Parvati Valley on foot
Kasol
- Morning
- The riverside walk to Chalal village, an easy trail through the forest above the Parvati river.
- Afternoon
- Kasol's market, or a longer walk toward the Rasol or Kheerganga trailhead if you'd rather see it than commit to the overnight trek itself (Kheerganga is a two-day round trip and needs its own days if you want to do it properly).
- Evening
- Free along the café strip.
Eat Himachali food or the Israeli-café menu again, both are worth returning to.
Local tip Cannabis remains illegal in India outside licensed research contexts, whatever Kasol's reputation suggests, and police checks do happen. Don't take up any offers you're made on the street.
A slower day, or a Tosh side trip
Kasol
- Morning
- A shorter walk to Tosh, a quieter village further up the valley than Chalal, if you'd like one more Parvati Valley walk.
- Afternoon
- Free, back in Kasol.
- Evening
- A last dinner along the river.
Eat Whatever you haven't tried yet on the café strip.
Local tip Tosh gets fewer day-trippers than Chalal, worth it if you'd rather a quieter version of the same valley.
Old Manali's café lanes
Manali
Getting there Kasol to Manali by road via Kullu, about 75 km, 2 h 30 min to 3 h, longer in peak season.
- Morning
- Travel morning.
- Afternoon
- Hadimba Temple, a wooden temple set in a deodar forest, then a walk through Old Manali's lanes.
- Evening
- Dinner in Old Manali.
Eat Siddu, a steamed Himachali bread, and trout from a Beas-riverside restaurant.
Local tip Old Manali and Manali town have quite different characters; the older lanes are quieter and hold most of the cafés and guesthouses backpackers use.
Hot springs or a valley day
Manali
- Morning
- Vashisht's hot springs, a short trip from Old Manali.
- Afternoon
- Solang Valley for adventure sports (paragliding, zorbing, and seasonal skiing), or a half-day rafting trip on the Beas if you'd rather stay in town.
- Evening
- Free.
Eat More siddu, or a simple Himachali thali.
Local tip Solang gets crowded with day-tripping domestic tourists in peak season; go early if you want it quieter.
A taste of the high road
Manali
- Morning
- A day trip through the Atal Tunnel toward Sissu, a good look at high-altitude scenery without committing to the full Spiti loop. The tunnel itself needs no permit; only the older Rohtang Pass route above it does, an online permit costs about ₹550 for a two-wheeler, with a daily quota, and it isn't needed if you're only using the tunnel. Vehicles entering Lahaul and Spiti also need e-Aagman registration.
- Afternoon
- Return to Manali.
- Evening
- Free, a last evening in Old Manali.
Eat Whatever's left on the café menu you haven't tried.
Local tip If the idea of Spiti or Ladakh has taken hold by this point, both continue naturally from Manali when their roads are open, see the links at the bottom of this page.
The longest drive of the trip
Shimla
Getting there Manali to Shimla by road, about 250 km, 7 to 8 hours, the longest single leg of the loop.
- Morning
- The drive south begins.
- Afternoon
- Still on the road, this is the longest single leg of the loop.
- Evening
- Arrive and walk the Mall Road.
Eat Simple mountain-town café food after a long day.
Local tip If this leg feels like too much after ten days on the road, take the 1-week version below, which drops Shimla entirely.
The toy train and colonial Shimla
Shimla
- Morning
- A short ride on the Kalka-Shimla toy train, a UNESCO World Heritage narrow-gauge line, you don't need to ride the full route to Kalka, a shorter there-and-back segment gives you the views. Second-class fares start at about ₹65 (about 50p / $0.70); the Vistadome AC coach runs up to about ₹630 (about £5 / $6.50).
- Afternoon
- The Ridge, Christ Church and Jakhoo Temple.
- Evening
- Free on Mall Road.
Eat Himachali-style siddu again, or simple café fare.
Local tip Book the toy train ahead if you can, since seats fill up in season. A landslide near Parwanoo stopped trains from Kalka in early September 2026 and services restarted first on the Dharampur to Shimla stretch, so check the current running status before you plan around it.
Kasauli, if you want one more hill town
Shimla
Getting there Shimla to Kasauli and back, about 70 km and around 2 hours each way, a doable day trip.
- Morning
- Travel to Kasauli.
- Afternoon
- A quiet walk around this small, low-key hill station, genuinely more of a weekend add-on than a destination in its own right.
- Evening
- Back to Shimla.
Eat Whatever Kasauli's small café strip has on.
Local tip Skip this day and stay in Shimla instead if you'd rather have a slower finish than another travel day.
Depart
Shimla
- Morning
- Last-day shopping or a final Mall Road walk.
- Afternoon
- Onward by road or rail to Chandigarh for a flight out, or back to Delhi by road.
Eat A last mountain-town breakfast.
Local tip Shimla's own airport has few and intermittent flights, so most people connect through Chandigarh instead.
The 1-week version
A week works if you keep to the western half of the loop and drop Shimla and Kasauli entirely.
| Day | Where | What | Eat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delhi to McLeod Ganj | Overnight bus, arrive and rest | Momos |
| 2 | McLeod Ganj | Tsuglagkhang Complex, Bhagsu Waterfall | Thukpa |
| 3 | McLeod Ganj to Bir Billing | Settle in, watch paragliders land | Himachali thali |
| 4 | Bir Billing to Kasol | Morning tandem flight, then a long transfer | Café food en route |
| 5 | Kasol | Chalal village walk | Hummus and Himachali food |
| 6 | Kasol to Manali | Old Manali, Hadimba Temple | Siddu and trout |
| 7 | Manali, depart | A Solang Valley half-day, then onward | Last café breakfast |
What changes: this version drops Shimla and Kasauli completely and packs the paragliding flight and the transfer to Kasol into one long day 4, the trade-off for keeping the loop to a week. If that day feels like too much, take a shared taxi for the transfer, or switch to the 2-week version, which spreads the same stops over more days.
What it costs
| Item | Price (₹) | About |
|---|---|---|
| Dorm bed or budget guesthouse room | 400 to 700 | £3 to £5 / $4 to $7 |
| Meals (thali, café food, momos) | 300 to 500 | £2 to £4 / $3 to $5 |
| Local transport (auto, local bus) | 100 to 300 | under £2 / $3 |
| Delhi to McLeod Ganj overnight AC Volvo | 1,200 to 1,800 | £9 to £14 / $13 to $19 |
| Bir Billing tandem paragliding flight | 2,500 to 3,500 | £20 to £27 / $26 to $36 |
Day to day this route runs about ₹1,200 to 2,500 (£9 to £20 / $13 to $26), before the overnight buses between towns and the paragliding flight, which are the two bigger one-off costs.
Getting there, away and around
Start and end in Delhi. HRTC and private Volvo buses run overnight from Delhi to McLeod Ganj, and Shimla has its own direct overnight services too, if you'd rather start from that end. Flying to Gaggal (Kangra) airport near Dharamshala, about 45 minutes from McLeod Ganj by road, is the quicker but pricier way in. Between towns on this route, local buses and shared taxis cover every leg; a private taxi is worth it for the two longest days, Bir Billing to Kasol and Manali to Shimla.
Best time and festivals on this route
March to June and September to November are the best windows: clear mountain views, pleasant days, and none of the monsoon's landslide risk. Avoid July to September. Himachal's mountain roads see regular monsoon landslides, and in the 2026 monsoon the state emergency operations centre counted 259 blocked roads between 30 June and 9 August. Kasol and the Parvati Valley roads have a history of closures. December to February brings snow that can close the higher connecting roads, though Manali and Shimla themselves become their own snow-season draw at that time of year, a different trip from the one on this page. Bir Billing's paragliding season runs roughly October to June, weather-dependent, and pauses through the monsoon months.
What to eat on this route
Tibetan-influenced food follows you the whole way: thukpa and momos in McLeod Ganj and Bir Billing, siddu (a steamed Himachali bread) and trout in the river towns, and rajma-chawal (kidney beans and rice) as a everyday staple. If a local festival or wedding season lines up with your visit, a Himachali dham, a festive multi-course thali, is worth seeking out.
None of our current trips run this exact backpacker loop. Our Rishikesh and the Himalaya trip covers the gentler end of Himalayan India further east, and our Golden Triangle Express is the plains alternative if hill towns aren't the priority.
