10 day Himachal itinerary
--
Must visit places and cafes to explore in himachal
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Disclaimer: I kept jumping from One place to another in Himachal. The itinerary may seem too hectic. Go at your own pace, each place in Himachal has a different vibe and is worth staying for long.
If you do not want to read through the entire itinerary, skip to the end for must visit places and cafes to explore in each of the places, Mcleodganj, Bir, Kasol and Manali.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
We started our trip from Delhi. Took an overnight volvo bus from Delhi to Dharamshala, Himachal.
Day 1: Mcleodganj
It was a 10 hour long journey from delhi to dharamshala. Spent the morning of day 1 at leisure in our hotel. We stayed at Flyaway hostel in upper bhagsu. I do not recommend staying there. The hotel/hostel was very average and was also located high up in upper Bhagsu.
Then in the evening, we went for some cafe exploration. Really liked two cafes in Mcleodganj, Raku’s Cafe and Jimmy’s kitchen. Raku’s had a really nice vibe, had shelves filled with books which you can read and borrow. And Jimmy’s kitchen, is a must visit cafe, had amazing food with mountain views from windows and terrace. We spent the evenings of both the days of our stay at Jimmy’s and it was totally worth it.
Day 2: Mcleodganj
On day 2, we had travel plans. First we visited the dalai lama temple and Namgyal monastery. The monastery has amazing view of the city and dharamshala skyway.
We trekked to bhagsu waterfall . It was a 2 hour long trek. The waterfall looks beautiful and has freezing water. It is a photograph friendly place. On the way to the fall, you will find a local market. You can buy hippie clothes and accessories from the market.
Day 3: Bir
On our way to Bir, we explored cafes in Dharamkot. Dharamkot is a small hippie village located 2 kms from Mcleod. Cabs drop at the starting point of the village and the rest of the village you can explore on foot. There are so many nice cafes to explore. We went to trek and dine for breakfast.
Then took a cab from dharamkot to Bir. Spent the day 3 at Bir. Bir is world’s second highest spot for paragliding. I was really excited for paragliding. But sadly, paragliding was closed due to some accidents that had happened the week before. None the less, bir is a beautiful and silent village to enjoy serenity and walk around. We enjoyed the sunset, even the dark was mesmerizing with starlit skies. Enjoyed the food and open sky ambience at Musafir cafe. I wish we had stayed for longer at bir. Had an amazing stay at Gostops Bir. Met some lit people.
Missed out on the treks since we didn’t have time. Rajgundha trek and Gunehar waterfall are some of the treks near bir. Keeping these things for next time.
Day 4: Kasol
Traveled from Bir to kasol on day 4. The drive took 4 hours approx. Next two days we stayed at Kasol. Kasol is located at the banks of Parvati river. Its always cold there.
Spent the first day at Kasol shopping around in Kasol market, bought some quirky clothes. The hotel we stayed at, Hotel Royal castle, was amazing with mountain views from the balcony. It also had a nice cafe, Soho Kasol with live music.
Day 5: Kasol
Early morning, we started with the Chalal trek on the banks of parvati river. Kept walking on the river bank. The view was mesmerizing.
In the evening, went to Gurudwara Manikaran Sahib. It located 4 kms away from Kasol. The place had such a calming vibe with the chilling wind coming from parvati river flowing underneath.
Spent the evening post gurudwara visit in cafe moon dance
Places to visit for next time: Tosh, Rasol
Day 6/day 7: Manali
On day 6, went to Manali from Kasol. The 2 hour drive was filled with snowy mountain views. Manali has a special place in my heart. The city has amazing crowd and scenic views. We stayed at Zostel Manali for the next 4 days.
On Day 6/7, didn’t travel, just enjoyed the view from zostel. I had office work so could not travel much.
Day 8: Sissu, Darcha and Jispa
On day 8, we went to Darcha and Jispa, 2.5 hours drive from Manali. We drove through the 9 km long Atal tunnel to reach Sissu. Didn’t expect to find so much snow in March. The view was mesmerizing with snow everywhere. Enjoyed maggi and tea on the way. Came back to manali the same day.
Day 9: Jogini waterfalls, Manali
On day 9, we walked and hiked for 7 kms from zostel manali to reach the waterfall. The waterfall is so pretty, has freezing water. Spent the whole day there, climbing from one rock to another, having maggi and tea. And also broke my phone, fell into the waterfall. hehe. Had to carry back some memories of the trip.
Day 10: Zostel Manali
Last day of the trip. Spent the entire day lazying around and interacting with people in zostel Manali. Had amazing conversations with travelers from all across India.
************ Himachal brief itinerary *************
Must try foods:
- Siddu, stuffed bun, its a local himachali dish
- Laphing
- Ginger lemon honey tea — loved this, had it every single day of my stay in himachal
Must visit places:
- Mcleodganj: Bhagsu waterfall, Namgyal Monastery, Truind, Dharmkot, Naddi View Point
- Bir: Bir billing landing site, Chokling Monastery, Gunehar waterfall
- Kasol: Chalal Village, Manikaran Sahib, Nature Park Kasol, Tosh
- Manali: Hadimba temple, Jogini waterfall, Manu temple, Sissu, Sethan valley. Do not go to solang valley, its not worth it.
I have a lot left from the list, hopefully next time.
Cafe recommendations:
- Mcleodganj: Raku’s and Jimmy’s kitchen
- Bir: Musafir cafe
- Kasol: Moon dance cafe
- Manali: Cafe 1947 and street food from mall road
*******************************************************************
Last recommendation: Stay in bir and Kasol for long, loved both the places. Bir is away from crowd, best for your own time amidst the hills. And Kasol even though it has crowd, is beautiful with parvati river flowing between the mountains.
*******************************************************************
Follow me on Instagram for more travel stories at the.happy.lipstick
Signing off: Chayanika Misra ❤
