The journey to Mashobra via Delhi is covered between 8-10 hours, depending on the day, time, and mode of travel. Since you start from a major city and pass Chandigarh, Kalka, and Shimla, you can mix and match your modes of transport. Here is the ULTIMATE guide to come to my beautiful mountain home.
Self-drive
The ideal way to travel - Start early, possibly at an odd hour to beat the traffic to beat the traffic or pick a Thursday or Friday morning instead of Saturday morning to travel. The drive takes about 8-10 hours depending on stops and the road is in decent condition throughout the way.
Once you reach Shimla, you can avoid entering the city and take bypasses to reach Mashobra. Trust in Google Maps as they are highly accurate.
Rented Car
ZoomCar and MyChoize are two self-rental car companies that you could opt for. They charge either on a per kilometer basis or per day basis. Honestly, I have never rented one from Delhi to Mashobra but have used ZoomCar in other cities and it's exactly as advertised - Stress free with cars in good condition.
You cannot rent a car from Shimla or return it here, so rental and return has to be in Delhi only.
I would suggest using one with hill assist and automatic for easy driving in the hills, specially for new drivers.
Taxi
Himachal is well connected by Taxis that work on union prices - which means that you will have to pay the same amount from wherever you book. That said, it doesn't hurt to bargain!
If you are staying with us, just call us our reception on +8628044000 to book the taxi.
Approx prices for pick up or drop in Etios, subject to change:
From Shimla to Mashobra - 1000 /-
From Shimla Airport to Mashobra -2000 Rs.
From Kalka to Mashobra - 2800 Rs.
From Chandigarh to Mashobra - 3000 Rs.
From Chandigarh Airport to Mashobra - 3500 Rs.
From Delhi to Mashobra - On request. Call us for information.
Rail
Kalka to Shimla
The toy train between Kalka to Shimla is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a once in lifetime experience. The train runs 5 times from Kalka to Shimla and 5 times back with a journey of around 5 hours.
You can book the train on the official IRCTC website here.
Delhi to Kalka
Himalayan Queen
5:35am from Delhi and reaches Kalka at 11:10am.
Kalka Shatabdi
7:40am departure and 11:35am arrival to Kalka
Delhi to Chandigarh
Several trains ply between Delhi to Chandigarh but the fastest one is if you book the Delhi to Kalka Shatabdi and get down at Chandigarh
Air
By Plane
Air India flies the sole flight from Delhi to Shimla daily at 6am. However, we have heard of several cancellations. Book only if you are aware of the weather and if you have a robust plan B in case the flight cancels.
The Shimla airport is located in Jubbarhatti, which is about 23 kilometres from the town, You can easily get a taxi from the airport to get to Shimla or you can ask us to arrange a transfer.
By Helicopter
The newest way to travel is via a helicopter! A 30 minute ride on the Pawan Hans Helicopter from Chandigarh airport gets you to Shimla airport. And the cost is reasonable too, a little less than 3000 Rs per person. The service does not play during monsoons and during snowfall season.
You can book your ticket here.
Bus
Himachal Government and several private companies run luxury buses from Delhi. Non-AC buses ply too, but for this article, I am limiting it to the volvo/mercedez semi-sleeper buses.
Options:
Himachal Tourism Bus
Starts from Himachal Bhawan in Central Delhi and reaches Victory Tunnel at 5-6am. The most comfortable bus and it does not stop or even pass Chandigarh which makes it the fastest mode of travel.
Himachal Roadways/Private Buses
You can get these buses from RedBus and popular pick-up stops are Kashmiri Gate ISBT and Majnu ka Tila. Although I would always recommend Kashmiri Gate as the buses start from there and easy to spot. All these buses will pass via Chandigarh (although I have seen a couple of exceptions) and stop at bad restaurants - So pack your food to munch on at your own convenience.
To book Himachal Tourism Bus, click here.
To book private or Himachal Roadways buses, visit RedBus.
Did we miss out on any other way to reach Mashobra? Let us know then, we will research and add some more details on it.