Shimla was the summer capital of the British during the pre-independence era and Chail, a notch higher and still relatively close to Shimla, was the summer retreat of the Punjabi royalty, who built an imposing palace here; – mind you! To look down upon the British, given its elevation. The quaint hamlet boasts of the highest cricket ground in the world, an army school and being on the vestiges of the Choordhar (highest peak of the Shivalik range) sanctuary, it has one of the best preserved Deodar (Himalayan Cedar) forests in the region. Our trip winds its way from Kufri near Shimla and following the country roads leads us to Chail.
DAY 00 (Fri)
We will all meet at Himachal Bhavan, Safdar Hashmi Marg, Delhi at 1900hrs and board the Volvo bus to Shimla.
DAY 01(Sat)
Arrive in Shimla and after freshening up and a quick breakfast we start our ride towards Chail. First up is Kufri at 14kms and then winding through a forested bridle path we reach Koti just short of Chail. A paved country road of another 12 kms brings us to Chail, where we check into the Chail Palace.
DAY 02 (Sun)
After an enjoyable breakfast we take it easy for its most of a downhill ride for the first half of today’s ride towards Junga which is the seat of the Keonthal royal family of the region and houses the Himachal Pradesh Police training academy. Another 20 kms of downhill ride brings us to Sadhupul by the banks of the River Giri. Revel in the lunch by the riverside and then continue towards Kandaghat where we finish our ride and take the Volvo back to Delhi.