Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh is India's most accessible slice of the western Himalaya, and it works at several levels of ambition. Shimla and Dalhousie are gentle, colonial-era hill stations that need no acclimatisation. Manali and Kasol add trekking, backpacker culture and easy access to higher valleys. Dharamshala, seat of the Dalai Lama, adds a Tibetan Buddhist layer and a calmer pace. Spiti Valley, beyond the main Manali-Leh highway, is a different order of trip altogether: a high-altitude desert of monasteries and moonscapes that needs real time and acclimatising.

April to June and September to November suit the main hill towns, Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala, Kasol and Dalhousie, with midsummer bringing crowds escaping the plains' heat. Spiti Valley is a shorter window, roughly June to October, once the Kunzum and Rohtang passes clear of snow; winter closes most of the high routes entirely.

A Shimla-Manali circuit runs comfortably at around seven days. Dharamshala adds two to three more if travelling from Delhi. Spiti Valley, given the driving distances and the need to acclimatise, wants its own dedicated week or more and is not a good add-on to a shorter trip.