Shimla & the Quiet Hills | 4N/5D
A private Chandigarh-to-Chandigarh escape: four nights at Backwoods Retreat, Shimla heritage, Kufri, Narkanda and Mashobra.
Settle into Backwoods Retreat for 4 nights and explore the Shimla hills with your own vehicle and locally hosted experiences. Begin and finish in Chandigarh; follow Shimla’s architectural streets with an English-speaking heritage host, spend a full day on the Kufri–Narkanda road and make time for Mashobra’s woodland surroundings. A village walk and a meal with a local family bring the journey closer to everyday Himachali life. Your rooms, dates, walking pace and dietary needs are agreed before travel. The five-day edition gives heritage Shimla and Mashobra their own days, with a free afternoon at the retreat. The standard plan includes private road transfers from and back to Chandigarh. Request a helicopter arrival as a separately quoted upgrade; ₹3,500 per person is a team-supplied indicative one-way ticket figure, subject to operator confirmation. This is not a live booking fare or a private charter. Package pricing is on request.
- Duration
- 4 Nights / 5 Days
- Location
- Chandigarh, Shimla · Kufri · Narkanda · Mashobra, Himachal Pradesh
- Difficulty
- Easy to moderate walks · full-day mountain drives
- Season
- Private dates on request · weather and access dependent
- Group
- Private party · vehicle and room sharing agreed on enquiry
Journey highlights
- Begin and end in Chandigarh with private road transfers; optional helicopter arrival separately confirmed.
- Stay 4 nights at Backwoods Retreat, with your room category agreed before booking.
- Walk colonial Shimla with an English-speaking heritage host.
- Explore Kufri and Narkanda on a dedicated full-day outing.
- Spend time in Mashobra and share a meal with local village hosts.
Full itinerary
Chandigarh to Backwoods | Arrive in the hills
Meet your private driver at the agreed Chandigarh airport, hotel or city pickup point and travel to Backwoods Retreat in Village Chinari, near Summer Hill. Allow a generous transfer window, with comfort breaks and check-in after the hotel’s confirmed arrival time. Settle in over tea and dinner; a short village orientation walk is optional if arrival and daylight allow. You can request a helicopter arrival instead of the road transfer: the team checks the service, landing point and airport-to-hotel transfer before confirming it.
Stay: Backwoods Retreat, Shimla
Meals: Dinner
Old Shimla | Architecture and the summer capital
After breakfast, meet your English-speaking heritage host for a private walk through the Ridge and Mall precinct. Look closely at Christ Church, Town Hall and Gaiety Theatre: rooflines, stonework and public spaces tell the story of a hill town that became a summer capital. Discuss local life as well as colonial history. Pause for lunch, then visit the former Viceregal Lodge at IIAS, subject to its visitor programme and opening arrangements. Return to Backwoods for a quiet evening.
Stay: Backwoods Retreat, Shimla
Meals: Breakfast and dinner; lunch at own expense
Kufri and Narkanda | A day along the mountain road
Start early after breakfast for the longest outing of the stay. Follow the road through Kufri, stopping for a short scenic break, and continue to Narkanda. After lunch, take an easy countryside walk with your host; an orchard introduction can be requested when owners and the season allow. Hatu is an optional excursion only when road conditions, vehicle suitability and remaining daylight permit. Keep the day focused on the mountain road and its villages, then return to Backwoods for dinner.
Stay: Backwoods Retreat, Shimla
Meals: Breakfast and dinner; lunch at own expense
Mashobra and a village table | Time with local hosts
Spend the morning on a gentle woodland outing in the Mashobra area, selecting a trail to match your walking comfort and the day’s conditions. Craignano Nature Park is an optional stop when its opening arrangements fit the route. Return towards the hotel’s village area for a meal hosted by a local family, with ingredients and household cooking explained by your hosts. Join in only if you wish. Discuss dietary needs ahead of time, ask before taking portraits and leave the afternoon free to enjoy Backwoods.
Stay: Backwoods Retreat, Shimla
Meals: Breakfast, hosted local lunch and dinner
Backwoods to Chandigarh | A slow farewell
Enjoy breakfast and check out for your private road transfer to the agreed Chandigarh airport, hotel or city drop point. Keep adequate road and check-in time before an onward flight; choose an additional Chandigarh night if your departure is too early. A return helicopter can be explored separately if an operating service and fare are confirmed. Your journey ends in Chandigarh.
Stay: No overnight stay included
Meals: Breakfast
Pricing and planning
On request
Inclusions
- 4 nights at Backwoods Retreat in the confirmed room category and sharing arrangement.
- Private Chandigarh pickup and return road transfer, plus vehicle and driver for the agreed day excursions.
- Breakfast on Days 2–5 and dinner on hotel nights, with the hosted-meal timing agreed to avoid duplicate meals.
- One private English-speaking Shimla heritage walk, a village walk and one pre-arranged meal with local hosts.
- Driver expenses, itinerary parking/tolls and Himalayan Locals ground coordination as agreed in the written proposal.
Exclusions
- Travel to and from Chandigarh and any Chandigarh hotel nights.
- Helicopter tickets, extra air-transfer costs and private charter flights.
- Lunches except the listed hosted local meal; drinks, tips and personal expenses.
- Monument and park entry fees, Hatu transport, orchard hosting and paid Kufri activities unless specifically included in your quote.
- Travel/medical insurance and costs arising from disruptions or changes beyond the confirmed itinerary.
- Applicable taxes, room upgrades and any service not specified in the written quotation.
Questions before you book
Where does this journey start and finish?
Both editions start and finish at an agreed Chandigarh airport, hotel or city pickup/drop point. Travel to Chandigarh and any Chandigarh hotel nights are excluded unless separately quoted.
Can we arrive in Shimla by helicopter?
You can request helicopter arrival. The indicative ticket figure supplied by our team is ₹3,500 per person one way; it is an optional extra, not a confirmed live fare. We verify the operator, dates, seat availability, reporting requirements, baggage limit and actual landing point before booking. Shared seats are not a private charter. The landing point may be an airport or helipad, so the ground transfer follows the confirmed service.
What happens if the helicopter does not operate?
The team discusses a road-transfer alternative before you buy tickets. Airline/operator cancellation terms, refunds and any extra ground-transfer cost are confirmed in writing. Leave sufficient time for onward flights; weather can change both air and road plans.
Where will we stay?
All three or four hotel nights are planned at Backwoods Retreat in Village Chinari, near Summer Hill, Shimla. The written proposal confirms the room category, sharing, heating/hot-water arrangements and availability. The property is a woodland retreat; we do not describe it as a historic colonial building.
What is the difference between the two editions?
The five-day edition separates the Shimla heritage day from Mashobra and the village meal, leaving more time to rest. The four-day edition combines Shimla and Mashobra into one active day. Both include a separate Kufri–Narkanda outing and Chandigarh road transfers.
Is Narkanda a short excursion from the hotel?
No. Kufri and Narkanda form the longest full-day outing of this stay. An early start and daylight return shape the plan. Hatu is optional and depends on access, vehicle suitability and time; orchard visits require host agreement and seasonal availability.
Are heritage visits and local meals private?
Your vehicle and guided walk are arranged for your party. Monument interiors remain part of the venue’s normal visitor programme; exclusive entry is not included. Village meals depend on host consent and advance arrangement. We confirm dietary needs, walking preferences and meal timing before travel.
When can we travel and what does it cost?
Private dates are available on enquiry, subject to rooms, hosts and road conditions. Spring and autumn suit heritage walks and outdoor days; summer holidays can be busy, rain can change walks and roads, and winter access can be restricted. We quote the total after agreeing guest count, rooms, vehicle and inclusions. Indian residents and international guests receive a written quote; no numerical package rate is published yet.