Himachal

Himachal is the Himalaya you can reach by coach from Delhi overnight. Shimla is the old summer capital — the Ridge, Mall Road, a toy train and Kufri's hills an hour up. Manali, seven hours further, is the base for Solang valley's snow, the Atal tunnel to Lahaul and the deodar forest around the Hadimba temple.

East of Manali the Parvati valley is a different mood: Kasol's riverside cafés, the hot springs at Manikaran and hillside villages like Tosh that you walk into.

Best time: March to June for clear skies and open passes; December to February for snow at Solang (carry proper layers). July to September is monsoon — landslides close roads and we do not run departures.