Destinations
Chail
A hill town that exists because a maharaja was thrown out of Shimla and built himself somewhere better. Deodar forest, a palace, and a cricket ground cut into the top of a mountain.
Suits — couples, quiet weekends, anyone avoiding Shimla
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Chail is forty-five minutes off the Shimla circuit and it has stayed off it, which is the whole point of going.
The story is true and worth knowing: Bhupinder Singh, Maharaja of Patiala, fell out with Lord Kitchener and was banned from Shimla. He bought a hillside within sight of it, built a summer palace there, and levelled the top of a nearby mountain to play cricket on. The ground is still there at 2,444m and is still used by the military school that occupies it.
The rest of the town is deodar. Chail sits inside a sanctuary, so the forest around it has been left alone in a way that the forest around Shimla has not, and the difference is obvious within a minute of arriving. There is very little to do here beyond walking in it, which for a lot of people is the recommendation.
The road up from Kandaghat is narrow and twists a great deal under trees. It is not difficult, but it is slower than the distance suggests, and coming down it after dark is not worth doing for the sake of an hour.
- Altitude
- 2,250m, and 2,444m at the cricket ground
- From Shimla
- 45km, about 2 hours by the Kufri road
- From Chandigarh
- 4–4.5 hours
- Roads
- Narrow and wooded from Kandaghat. Comfortable, not fast
- Give it
- A night. Two if you are here to do nothing
- Best months
- April to June and September to November. It gets snow in January and the road up can close for a day.
Worth your time
What to actually go and see
Chail Palace
Built in the 1890s by Bhupinder Singh of Patiala after Lord Kitchener had him barred from Shimla. It is a hotel now, run by the state tourism department, and the grounds can be walked by non-residents for a small ticket.
The cricket ground
A full-size pitch levelled off the top of a hill at 2,444m, cut in 1893 by taking the summit off. It belongs to the military school and is usually visible from the fence rather than walkable, which is still worth the drive up.
Chail Wildlife Sanctuary
About 110 square kilometres of oak and deodar around the town, with ghoral, sambar and a large number of birds. Entry is on a permit from the forest office and the tracks are walkable rather than driveable.
Kali ka Tibba
A temple on a high point a few kilometres out with an open view along the Shimla ridge and, on a clear morning, the snow behind it. Best early.
Sadhupul
A shallow river crossing on the way up from Kandaghat where cafés put tables and plastic chairs in the water itself. Silly and very pleasant in summer.
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