Most first-time visitors compress Himachal Pradesh into one tired loop — Shimla, Manali, a snow point, and home. That’s a shame, because this northern Indian state is the size of a small country, and its real character lives in the valleys just off the highway: cedar forests, glacier-fed rivers, apple orchards, and thousand-year-old monasteries.
I’ve spent several seasons exploring Himachal slowly, and this is the guide I wish I’d had at the start. Treat it as a menu — pick two or three regions t
