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Himachal Pradesh is dotted with a number of scenic hill stations, which are extremely popular as summer/winter and holiday destinations. Shimla and Manali are two of such places, which do not have natural beauty in abundance but also have a number of tourist attractions. Opt for a Magnificent Shimla Manali tour, a well-planned itinerary by Indian Holiday, offering the best of these places.

PLACES COVERED  DELHI-SHIMLA-MANALI-CHANDIGARH
DURATION OF TRIP  4 NIGHTS/5 DAYS
MINIMUM  REQUIRED  2 PAX
 ACCOMMODATION  BUDGET ACCOMMODATION
DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION PICKUP Delhi/DROP Delhi
RETURN TIME Approximately 6:30 PM/Depends on onward Journey
WEAR Comfortable athletic clothing,  sunscreen.
BASIC INCLUSION
4Night Accomodation Transfers and land transportation according to itinerary
Bed and Breakfast Private Car From arrival till Departure
BASIC EXCLUSION
Entrance Tickets To monuments
Gratuity Recommended
Entrance Tickets To monuments

 

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1

Day-1: Delhi/Shimla

Arrive in Delhi Airport/Railway station and pick up by our tour represerntative later proceed to Shimla by road. Fondly referred to as the ‘Queen of Hills’, Shimla is a very popular hill town of Himachal Pradesh. As you reach, check-in at the hotel. Evening visit at “Mall Road” to see scenic beauty of hills surroundings and Mall road is available with some good restaurants & coffee shops to enjoy food & drinks. also visit there:

Christ Church is the second oldest Roman Catholic Shrine in North India and the oldest in Shimla located at the Mall Road. Col. J. T. Boileau initiated the construction of the shrine in 1844, which was completed in 1846.
Later back to the hotel overnight stay at the hotel in Shimla.

2

Day-2: Shimla/Manali

After breakfast, check out from hotel and proceed to some major sightseeing places in Shimla visit:

Jakhu Hill: Sankat Mochan Temple and Jakhu temple Nestling atop Jhakhu Hill, the Jhakhu Temple is one of Shimla’s popular places of religious importance. It is situated 2.5 km away from the ridge, at an elevation of 8000 ft above sea level. Tourists either can walk up to the temple from the ridge or can hire a pony or taxi. This ancient shrine was built by a sage named Yaaku and is dedicated to the Hindu deity Hanuman.

Summer Hills:Summer Hill is a small town on the outskirts of Shimla, the state capital of Himachal Pradesh at a height of 2,123 meters. It is on a hill, 5 km west to the Shimla Ridge, and is part of the seven-hill cluster.

Later after sightseeing in afternoon from Shimla proceed to Manali by Pass by beautiful Kullu valley, Beas river, Dussherra,maidan,etc. Upon arrive Manali check in at hotel. Overnight stay in Manali.

3

Day-3: Manali Local Sightseeing

After morning breakfast explore Manali city tour visiting:

Hadimba Temple:Located amidst the snow covered hills of Manali, the Hadimba temple is a unique shrine dedicated to Hadimba Devi, who was the wife of Bhima and mother of Ghatothkach. Surrounded by gorgeous cedar forests, this beautiful shrine is built on a rock which is believed to be in the image of the goddess herself. The construction style of the temple is entirely different from that of any of the other temples, with its wooden doorways, walls, and cone-shaped roof. This temple is a fitting dedication to its presiding deity Hadimba. The wooden doors of this quaint shrine show images of Goddess Durga, while the temple base is made out of whitewashed stonework.

Vashisht Baths:While most temples will leave you spiritually rejuvenated, there are a few where you can take a dip into hot water springs and baths, which leave you refreshed and maybe even healthier. Situated 6 kms away from Manali, these are natural springs accompanied by beautiful sandstone temples. The government has made arrangements for separate bathing areas for men and women. The water in these natural springs contains medicinal properties that are believed to cure skin diseases. This area is surrounded by hundreds of small shops from where you can buy souvenirs and religious merchandise.

Solang Valley: When heading to Manali for a vacation, two absolutely essential destinations in the itinerary are Rohtang and Solang. 14 kilometers on the north west of the main town of Manali, Solang is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Himachal Pradesh. Situated on the way to Rohtang from Manali, every year the valley welcomes tourists in huge numbers. A favorite for adventure enthusiasts, Parachuting to paragliding, horse riding to driving mini open jeeps specially available for tourists of all age groups, Solang has it all. During winters, as the valley is covered with snow, skiing is a popular sport here, with training institutes and trainers located in the valley to supervise skiers and train beginners.

Tibetan Monastery: Manali has several colorful monasteries that represent the rich culture and history of the Tibetan people settled in Kullu and Manali. There are two main monasteries in Manali that draw a large number of tourists-the Gadhan Thekchoking Gompa and the Himalayan Nyingamapa Gompa. These monasteries are surrounded by several small shops selling beautiful handicrafts and carpets, made by Tibetan people living nearby these monasteries. The Tibetan Monasteries also run a Thanks School of Arts and a Carpet-weaving Center to preserve ancient Tibetan art.

Evening free for your own. Overnight stay at Manali.

4

Day-4: Manali/Chandigarh

After morning breakfast check out from hotel in Manali and proceed to Chandigharh. Upon arrival in Chandigarh check in to the hotel, evening free for personal activity.

5

Day-5: Chandigarh/Delhi – Departure for Fly back

After morning breakfast check out from hotel proceed to Delhi. Upon arrival in Delhi you will be transfer to the airport there you have flight to your onward destination.

PRICES BASED ON BUDGET ACCOMMODATION FOR UPGRADE PLEASE EMAIL

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Services are included in the price:-

  • A safe and comfortable air-conditioned Car with driver, all inclusive. (Fuel for Bus, road and state taxes, toll fees, parking fees, & Driver and driver’s food and lodging).
  • The Car will be with you from your arrival to departure with as many stops to sight see as you want.
  • A Driver with excellent skills and record, a good knowledge of the area you are visiting and sufficient English to communicate.
  • Transfers and land transportation according to itinerary.
  • Accommodation Double or Twin rooms with Bed and Breakfast
  • Sightseeing Tours in All Cities

         PRICES BASED ON BUDGET ACCOMMODATION FOR UPGRADE PLEASE EMAIL

Services are not included in the prices:-

  • Tips, laundry, telephone bills, luggage handling and Beverages.
  • Meals unless specified
  • Entrances tickets to Monuments if apply
  • Rohtang Pass If our Vehicle is not Allowed than we must hire Local Vehicle there can be arranged on Addtion Cost Approx price 3000 For Vehilce
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VISA INFORMATION

OVERVIEW

All foreign nationals entering India are required to possess a valid international travel document in the form of a national passport with a valid visa obtained from an Indian Mission or Post abroad.

All Individual visa seekers are requested to apply for the Indian Visa through Online application link , in order to make an application for getting the Indian visa.

The duly signed physical copy of the application form completed in all respect and submitted successfully, is to be submitted at the concerned Indian Visa Application Center (IVAC) or directly to Indian Mission/ Post, on the scheduled date of interview along with the requisite supporting documents. The instructions for filling the form and scheduling the appointment can be seen at Instructions for Online Visa Application. Important technical information for filling online Indian visa application can be referred at Technical Instructions.

The applicants are also requested to visit website of the Indian Mission concerned for detailed information about Indian visa.

ONLINE VISA APPLICATION

All Individual visa seekers are requested to apply for the Indian Visa through online application link. Or can apply by typing the URL: http://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/ in the address bar of web browser, in order to make an application for getting the Indian visa. In either case, no hand written application form will be accepted by any of the Indian Mission/ Post, where-ever online Visa facility has been implemented. The application form completed in all respect and submitted succesfully, is to be submitted at the concerned Indian Visa Application Center (IVAC) or directly to Indian Mission/ Post in absence of IVAC, on the scheduled date of interview along with the requisite supporting documents. The instructions for filling the form and scheduling the appointment can be refered at Instructions for Online Visa Application. Important technical information for filling online Indian visa application can be referred at Technical Instructions. If you have already applied online for Indian Visa online and want to know the status of your application,

VISA CATEGORIES

Government of India issues the following visas: Business Visa, Conference Visa, Diplomatic Visa, Employment Visa, Emergency Visa, Entry Visa, Journalist Visa, Medical Visa, Missionaries Visa, Permit to re-enter within 2 months, Research Visa, Student Visa, Tourist Visa, Transit Visa. Please follow the link for details on Visa Provision and supporting documents

VISA PROCESSING TIME

Upon receipt of the Visa Application through Indian Visa Application Center or directly, the Indian Mission/ Post requires a minimum of three working days to process the case and issue a visa depending upon the nationality and excluding special cases.

PHOTO REQUIREMENTS

Online India Visa Application allows the Applicant to upload a digital photograph of self to complete the online visa application.

Guidelines/procedure to upload a digital photograph

The digital photograph to be uploaded along with the Visa application should meet the following requirements:

Format – JPEG

Size

Minimum 10 KB

Maximum 300 KB

The height and width of the Photo must be equal.

Photo should present Full face, front view, eyes open.

Center head within frame and present full head from top of hair to bottom of chin.

Background should be plain light colored or white background.

No shadows on the face or on the background.

Without borders.

Make sure that photo presents full head from top of hair to bottom of chin. Head should measure 1 inch to 1-3/8 inches (25mm to 35mm). Make sure eye height is between 1-1/8 inches to 1-3.

FEE FOR INDIAN VISA

The visa fee depends upon the type of applied for and duration of visa. Visa fee is divided into various types depending upon the case viz; Basic fee, special fee, processing fee by out-sourcing agency. During the online registration process, at the end of the process the basic fee shall be displayed. However, this fee shall be indicative only and final fee shall be charged while submitting the application at the respective counters Fee once received are non-refundable even if the visa application is withdrawn, the visa is not granted, or if visa issued is of shorter duration of period than applied for or otherwise issued or returned at a time or on terms and conditions that may vary from those sought by the applicant. For further information on this, please check with local embassy office or Indian Visa Application center office or websites for information on applicable fee and payment methods.

 VISA PROVISION

Sl. No. Type of Visa Period for which granted Entry – Single (S), Multiple (M), Double Documents required with application Extendable in India
1 Tourist 180 days M No
2 Transit 15 days S/ Double Return/ onward journey ticket No
3 Business 5 years M Documents to prove bonafide purpose (Company’s letter etc.) Yes
4 Employment 1 year/ period of contract M Proof of employment (appointment document), terms and conditions Yes
5 Student Period of course/ 5 years M Proof of admission in Indian Institution Yes
6 Foreigners of Indian Origin 5 years M Proof of being of Indian Origin Yes

INSTRUCTIONS 

  1. Online application form:

This application form is meant for those foreigners who are applying for visa from outside India.

Each online application form is meant for one person only. Separate application has to be filed for each applicant.

Furnish information exactly in the manner asked for in the forms, especially the names, address and date of birth.

Applicants are required to verify the application details before submitting the online application. They have an option to save the online application form, in case it is not to be submitted.

Once the online application form is submitted by the applicant, then further modifications are not allowed. Hence applicants are requested to check and validate the details before submitting the online application form.

Applicants are requested to keep the Application Id (generated automatically after the submission of online form) for further communications.

  1. Appointment Scheduling:

Applicant can schedule the appointment as per his/ her convenience with the concerned Indian Mission.

Each applicant to schedule a separate appointment with the Indian Mission

  1. Process for filling up online application form:

Applicant shall access the Visa Application system online through the following link: http://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/.

Applicant visits the above mentioned web link and selects the Indian Mission from where he intends to apply for the Visa from the tab “Select Mission”.

Applicant fills the application on-line as per the forms standardized by the Ministry.

After filling the form and submitting it, the system shall automatically generate a Application Id. Applicants are requested to keep this Application Id for further communications with the concerned Indian Mission.

System will automatically ask the Applicant for the following confirmation: “Select ‘Yes’ if the applicant want to seek appointment and make payment online or ‘No’ if the applicant just want to print the submitted application form.”

If the applicant response is “No”, then it is requested by the applicant to take the print out of the submitted online application form and approach the concerned Indian Mission for submission of the online form along with supporting documents.

If the response from applicant is “yes” then the system automatically takes the link to perform the following:

Selection of Date and Time of appointment at the concerned Indian Mission

Calculation of Visa fee, service charge, VAT etc. as applicable according to the Visa type

E Payment using service provider’s payment system

In case the facility of Appointment Scheduling and e-Payment is not available for the concerned Indian mission, then applicant has to take the printout of the online application form and visit the concerned Indian Mission to submit the same along with supporting documents and make the payment.

Indian Culture: Traditions and Customs of India

India’s culture is among the world,s oldest; civilization in India began about 4,500 years ago. Many sources describe it as “Sa Prathama Sanskrati Vishvavara” — the first and the supreme culture in the world, according to the All World Gayatri Pariwar (AWGP) organization.

Western societies did not always see the culture of India very favorably, according to Christina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London. Early anthropologists once considered culture as an evolutionary process, and ”every aspect of human development was seen as driven by evolution,” she told Live Science. “In this view, societies outside of Europe or North America, or societies that did not follow the European or Western way of life, were considered primitive and culturally inferior.  Essentially this included all the colonized countries and people, such as African countries, India, and the Far East.”.

However, Indians made significant advances in architecture (Taj Mahal), mathematics (the invention of zero) and medicine (Ayurveda). Today, India is a very diverse country, with more than 1.2 billion people, according to the CIA World Factbook, making it the second most populous nation after China. Different regions have their own distinct cultures. Language, religion, food and the arts are just some of the various aspects of Indian culture. Here is a brief overview of the culture of India.

Language

India has 28 states and seven territories, according to the World Health Organization. There is no official language in India, according to a Gujarat High Court ruling in 2010. Many people living in India also write in Devanagari script. In fact, it is a misconception that the majority of people in India speak Hindi. Though many people speak Hindi in India, 59 percent of India residents speak something other than Hindi, according to The Times of India. Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil and Urdu are some other languages spoken in the country.

Religion

India is identified as the birthplace of Hinduism and Buddhism, the third and fourth largest religions. About 84 percent of the population identifies as Hindu, according to the “Handbook of Research on Development and Religion” Edited by Matthew Clarke (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013). There are many variations of Hinduism, and four predominant sects — Shaiva, Vaishnava, Shakteya and Smarta.

About 13 percent of Indians are Muslim, making it one of the largest Islamic nations in the world. Christians and Sikhs make up a small percentage of the population, and there are even fewer Buddhists and Jains, according to the “Handbook.”

Food

When the Moghul Empire invaded during the sixteenth century, they left a significant mark on the Indian cuisine, according to Texas A&M University. Indian cuisine is also influenced by many other countries. It is known for its large assortment of dishes and its liberal use of herbs and spices. Cooking styles vary from region to region.

Wheat, Basmati rice and pulses with chana (Bengal gram) are important staples of the Indian diet. The food is rich with curries and spices, including ginger, coriander, cardamom, turmeric, dried hot peppers, and cinnamon, among others. Chutneys — thick condiments and spreads made from assorted fruits and vegetables such as tamarind and tomatoes and mint, cilantro and other herbs — are used generously in Indian cooking.

Many Hindus are vegetarians, but lamb and chicken are common in main dishes for non-vegetarians. The Guardian reports that between 20 percent and 40 percent of India’s population is vegetarian.

Much of Indian food is eaten with fingers or bread used as utensils. There is a wide array of breads served with meals, including naan, a leavened, oven-baked flatbread, and bhatoora, a fried, fluffy flatbread common in North India and eaten with chickpea curry.

Architecture and art

The most well-known example of Indian architecture is the Taj Mahal, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to honor his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It combines elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural styles. India also has many ancient temples.

India is well known for its film industry, which is often referred to as Bollywood. The country’s movie history began in 1896 when the Lumière brothers demonstrated the art of cinema in Mumbai, according to the Golden Globes. Today, the films are known for their elaborate singing and dancing.

Indian dance, music and theater traditions span back more than 2,000 years, according to Nilima Bhadbhade, author of “Contract Law in India” (Kluwer Law International, 2010). The major classical dance traditions — Bharata Natyam, Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam and Kathakali — draw on themes from mythology and literature and have rigid presentation rules.

Clothing

Indian clothing is closely identified with the colorful silk saris worn by many of the country’s women. The traditional clothing for men is the dhoti, an unstitched piece of cloth that is tied around the waist and legs. Men also wear a kurta, a loose shirt that is worn about knee-length. For special occasions, men wear a sherwani, which is a long coat that is buttoned up to the collar and down to the knees. The Nehru jacket is a shorter version of a sherwani.

Customs and celebrations

The country celebrates Republic Day (Jan. 26), Independence Day (Aug. 15) and Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday (Oct. 2). Diwali is the largest and most important holiday to India, according to National Geographic. It is a five-day festival known as the festival of lights because of the lights lit during the celebration to symbolize the inner light that protects them from spiritual darkness. Holi, the festival of colors, also called the festival of love, is popular in the spring.

Weather

India is situated in Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan.
The climate in India varies from a tropical monsoon climate in the south to a temperate climate in the north. If you are thinking of Visiting Delhi (the capital of India) then best to visit it in October, November, February and March. That’s when the nights are cool and the days are filled with a little sunshine. May, June and July are very hot with temperatures over 45 degrees (113 Fahrenheit). It is a dry heat and is sometimes accompanied by dusty desert winds. Most of the rain falls between July and September but they are not the tropical rains you’ll experience in India’s coastal cities.

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  • International flights are not included and need to be purchased separately.
  • Domestic flights are included as noted in the itinerary & their inclusions.
  • Tipping and gratuities (Guides/Driver) are not included in the package and are at your own discretion (as a guide, approx. US$5-10 per person, per day is the industry. standard).
  • The check-in baggage limit for domestic flights is 15 kgs and the cabin baggage limit for domestic flights is 7 kgs. Excess baggage, if any, is not included in the package.