The long way round
Shimla circle via Jalori
Shimla, Narkanda, Jalori, Jibhi, Manali, then Spiti and home through Kinnaur. The one we suggest when someone says they have the days and mean it.
Shimla · Narkanda · Jalori · Jibhi · Manali · Spiti · Kinnaur · Shimla
The days
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1
Shimla → Narkanda · About 65 km
Shimla to Narkanda
A short ride into the deodars after the yard. The grand circle starts gently on purpose. Hatu if you still have curiosity, not if you have luggage remorse.
Night · Narkanda
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2
Narkanda → Jalori → Jibhi · About 140 km
Narkanda to Jibhi
Jalori from the Shimla side. The pass is the day; Jibhi is the reward. We don’t continue to Manali just because the map allows it.
Night · Jibhi
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3
Jibhi → Manali · About 100 km
Jibhi to Manali
Down to the Beas and up to Manali. A night here before Lahaul. The circle is about to stop being green.
Night · Manali
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4
Manali → Jispa · About 140 km
Manali to Jispa
Atal Tunnel, then the Lahaul side: Sissu, Keylong, Jispa. The day is a climb without being a stunt. Fuel in Tandi if the plan says so — we will not be poetic about petrol.
Night · Jispa
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5
Jispa → Kunzum → Kaza · About 180 km
Jispa to Kaza
Batal, Kunzum La, a look at Chandratal if the side road is open and the clock agrees, then Losar and down to Kaza. Refuel before the market. This is the long day of the Manali entry.
Night · Kaza
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6
Key, Kibber, Chicham, Langza · About 70 km
The high villages
Key on its cliff, Kibber, the Chicham bridge if the wind is kind, then Hikkim and Komic — sold as the world’s highest, and either way very high. Langza’s Buddha if there’s light left. Back to Kaza before the cold sits down. We don’t stack a pass on top of this day.
Night · Kaza
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7
Kaza → Tabo → Nako · About 160 km
Leaving Spiti slowly
Dhankar if we didn’t stop on the way in. Tabo for the monastery, then up to Nako. The valley goes green again somewhere after Pooh, which is always a small shock.
Night · Nako
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8
Nako → Kalpa · About 140 km
Nako to Kalpa
The Ka loops in the other direction, then Kinnaur’s orchards. Kalpa again, which feels luxurious after Kaza, and is.
Night · Kalpa
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9
Kalpa → Sangla / Chitkul · About 90 km
Kalpa to the Baspa
Down to the Sutlej and up the Baspa. Chitkul if the evening is young. A good night to eat slowly.
Night · Sangla or Chitkul
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10
Sangla → Shimla · About 220 km
Baspa to Shimla
The return to trees and traffic. We don’t add a monument. Shimla is the end of the riding, and the yard takes the bikes back when this is a loop.
Night · Shimla
Fits. Riders with ten days and a wish to see both the cedar valleys and the cold desert.
Doesn’t. A first high-altitude ride squeezed into a week. Take Shimla to Manali instead.
Guided, included
- The bike or vehicle on your plan, for every day it shows in the price
- A backup vehicle — even if you are the only guest
- A ride marshal who has done this road in a bad week, not just a good one
- A mechanic, and a box of the parts that actually fail up there
- Oxygen and a basic medical kit in the backup, not as a photograph
- Help with permits and check-posts where the district still asks
- Stays for every night in the day plan: guesthouses, homestays, and a camp at Chandratal when that night is on the route
- Breakfast and dinner on those nights. Lunch is the road’s business
- A helmet and a simple pair of gloves with every bike
- Twin share in the price you see first. Single and triple are on the same page, not a surprise later
Not included
- Fuel, and the odd top-up of oil. Budget roughly ₹2,500–4,500 a bike for a circuit, paid as you go
- Lunch, chai, bottled water, snacks
- Monastery tickets and camera fees
- Flights. A Delhi Volvo is included only when your plan says Delhi
- A single room, unless you picked one
- Riding kit beyond the helmet and gloves, unless you add it
- Travel and medical insurance. Buy it. This is a high, remote road
- Anything a slide, a snowfall, or a closed pass adds: extra nights and extra vehicle days at cost
- Alcohol, tips, shopping, the woollen cap you will buy in Kaza anyway
- GST at 5% where it applies, on top of the figure
- A pillion, unless you chose a shared ride
This list follows Guided above.