How to reach Chitkul from Shimla – 2023 Updated

Chitkul is a beautiful tourist place with clean air surrounded by snow-capped mountains. It is the remotest destination in Himachal Pradesh bordering China after Spiti. This blog will share complete knowledge of how to reach Chitkul from Shimla through different modes.  

Where is Chitkul located?

Chitkul is a small village in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. It is the last inhabited village on the India – China border. It lies on the Baspa river’s bank, the tributary of river Satluj. Baspa river meets Satluj at Karcham from where the road diversion for chitkul is. 

Name of the Place	Chitkul ( छितकुल )
State	Himachal Pradesh
District	Kinnaur
Elevation	3450 m, 11300 ft
Accessibility	By road
Best time to visit	April – June, September – October
Travel Distance by road	240 Km
Travel Time by road	8:30 Hrs (approximately)

How to reach Chitkul from Shimla

Chitkul is connected by road and accessible throughout the year except during heavy snowfall or during heavy rainfall. The distance between Chitkul from Shimla is around 240 Km. There are different modes by which one can reach Chitkul.

How to reach Chitkul from Shimla by Road

There are various options to reach Chitkul by road.

 You can refer below table to plan your journey to Chitkul.

Sr. No.	Location	Distance (Km)	Elevation (ft & m)	Time  (Hrs)
1	Shimla	50	7200 ft 2200m	01:30
2	Kufri	65	8500 ft 2600m	02:15
3	Narkanda	110	8900 ft 2700m	03:45
4	Rampur	170	3300 ft 1000m	05:30
5	Bhaba Nagar	220	5100 ft 1550m	07:15
6	Tapri	240	5600 ft 1700m	07:45
7	Karcham	250	5900 ft 1800m	08:00
8	Sangla	265	8500 ft 2600m	08:45
9	Chitkul	290	11300 ft 3450m	09:45

How to reach Chitkul from Shimla on a Bus

Himachal Pradesh State Owned Buses are called HRTC buses ( Himachal Road Transport Corporation buses). They are usually green/blue in color.   

Reaching  There are multiple options to reach Chitkul by bus.

Option – 1 Shimla – Sangla by bus and then Sangla to Chitkul another by bus.

Below are the bus details you can choose 

From Shimla to Sangla.

• Transport Name: HRTC
• Bus Number: 518
• Bus Type: ORDINARY
• Depot Name: REC PEO
• Departure Time (24 Hrs Format): 7:15
• Arrival Time (24 Hrs Format) : 17:15
• Time Taken: 10 Hrs 0 Mins
• Bus Route: DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE (21:58) ➔ CHANDIGARH 43 (3:15) ➔ PANCHKULA (3:30) ➔ PINJORE (3:45) ➔ KALKA (4:00) ➔ PARWANOO (4:05) ➔ SOLAN (5:30) ➔ KANDAGHAT (5:50) ➔ WAKNAGHAT (6:05) ➔ SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI (7:15) ➔ KUFRI (8:15) ➔ THEOG (8:45) ➔ NARKANDA (9:45) ➔ SAINJ (11:15) ➔ RAMPUR (12:30) ➔ JEOURI (13:15) ➔ BHAWANAGAR (13:45) ➔ TAPRI (16:00) ➔ KARCHAM (16:15) ➔ SANGLA (17:15)

From Sangla to Chitkul bus

Bus – 1

• Transport Name: HRTC
• Bus Number: MND-RMP-CKL
• Bus Type: ORDINARY
• Depot Name: MANDI
• Departure Time (24 Hrs Format): 7:45
• Arrival Time (24 Hrs Format) : 8:45
• Time Taken: 1 Hrs 0 Mins
• Route (Time – 24 Hrs Format): MANDI (18:00) ➔ SUNDER NAGAR (19:00) ➔ KARSOG (23:30) ➔ RAMPUR (4:00) ➔ TAPRI (6:45) ➔ KARCHAM (7:00) ➔ SANGLA (7:45) ➔ RAKSHAM (8:15) ➔ CHITKUL (8:45)

Bus – 2

• Transport Name: HRTC
• Bus Number: RPO-CKL-01
• Bus Type: ORDINARY
• Depot Name: REC PEO
• Departure Time (24 Hrs Format): 12:00
• Arrival Time (24 Hrs Format) : 13:00
• Time Taken: 1 Hrs 0 Mins
• Route (Time – 24 Hrs Format): RECONGPEO (9:30) ➔ KARCHAM (10:20) ➔ SANGLA (12:00) ➔ RAKSHAM (12:30) ➔ CHITKUL (13:00)

Bus – 3

• Transport Name: HRTC
• Bus Number: RPO-CKL-002
• Bus Type: ORDINARY
• Depot Name: REC PEO
• Departure Time (24 Hrs Format): 14:00
• Arrival Time (24 Hrs Format) : 15:00
• Time Taken: 1 Hrs 0 Mins
• Route (Time – 24 Hrs Format): RECONGPEO (12:00) ➔ KARCHAM (12:50) ➔ SANGLA (14:00) ➔ RAKSHAM (14:30) ➔ CHITKUL (15:00)

• Pros
  • With this Option, you need to stay at Sangla for One night. This will help you in acclimatization.
• Cons
  • Since there is only one bus which origins from Delhi and there is no online booking, there is a limited chance of a seat on this bus. 
  • You need to travel by ordinary bus which is very much uncomfortable in long-distance hilly.

Option – 2 Shimla – Reckong Peo by bus and then Reckong Peo to Chitkul by bus.

Below are the bus details you can choose

From Shimla to Reckong Peo:

To know how to reach Reckong Peo from Shimla – Kindly read this blog:

From Reckong Peo to Chitkul:

Bus – 1

• Transport Name: HRTC
• Bus Number: RPO-CKL-01
• Bus Type: ORDINARY
• Depot Name: REC PEO
• Departure Time (24 Hrs Format): 9:30
• Arrival Time (24 Hrs Format) : 13:00
• Time Taken: 3 Hrs 30 Mins
• Route (Time – 24 Hrs Format): RECONGPEO (9:30) ➔ KARCHAM (10:20) ➔ SANGLA (12:00) ➔ RAKSHAM (12:30) ➔ CHITKUL (13:00)

Bus – 2

• Transport Name: HRTC
• Bus Number: RPO-CKL-002
• Bus Type: ORDINARY
• Depot Name: REC PEO
• Departure Time (24 Hrs Format): 12:00
• Arrival Time (24 Hrs Format) : 15:00
• Time Taken: 3 Hrs 0 Mins
• Route (Time – 24 Hrs Format): RECONGPEO (12:00) ➔ KARCHAM (12:50) ➔ SANGLA (14:00) ➔ RAKSHAM (14:30) ➔ CHITKUL (15:00)

• Pros
  • There are many buses available on this route.
  • You can also that connecting bus to Chitkul if you reach Reckong Peo on time.
  • You can also take the deluxe bus on this route.
• Cons
  • There is no direct bus from Shimla to Chitkul and you have to go to Reckongpeo. This will add a minimum of 2 Hrs to your travel. 

Option – 3 Shimla to Tapri, and then to Chitkul. 

If you want to reach Chitkul without any halt and not to Reckong Peo then the best combination which I can suggest is to reach is as 

1. There are two buses from Chandigarh to Reckong Peo at @5:50 PM (Delux) and another Other at @6:00 PM ( Ordinary bus) they reach Shimla at around 10:15 PM ( without Online Booking).
2. Take the ticket to Tapri and you will reach Tapri at around 6:00 AM
3. Then take Tapri to Chitkul Bus which departs at @6:45 AM, you will reach Chitkul by around @9:00 AM.

From Shimla to Tapri: 

Bus : 1
Transport Name :HRTC
Service No. / Name: 1511
Depot: REC PEO
Bus Type: HIMMANI DELUXE 2X2 NON AC
Departure Time : 22:20 (24 Hrs Format)
Arrival Time : 6:00 (24 Hrs Format)
Time Taken : 7 Hrs 40 Mins
Route (Time – 24 Hrs Format): CHANDIGARH 43 (17:50) ➔ SOLAN (20:50) ➔ SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI (22:20) ➔ THEOG (23:35) ➔ NARKANDA (0:50) ➔ RAMPUR (2:45) ➔ JHAKHARI (3:25) ➔ JEOURI (4:30) ➔ BHAWANAGAR (5:30) ➔ TAPRI (6:00) ➔ KARCHAM (6:30) ➔ RECONGPEO (7:00)

Bus : 2
Transport Name :HRTC
Service No. / Name: CHD-SML-RPO
Depot: REC PEO
Bus Type: ORDINARY
Departure Time : 22:30 (24 Hrs Format)
Arrival Time : 5:45 (24 Hrs Format)
Time Taken : 7 Hrs 15 Mins
Route (Time – 24 Hrs Format): CHANDIGARH 43 (18:00) ➔ SOLAN (21:00) ➔ SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI (22:30) ➔ THEOG (23:45) ➔ NARKANDA (1:00) ➔ SAINJ (2:00) ➔ RAMPUR (3:00) ➔ JHAKHARI (3:30) ➔ JEOURI (4:00) ➔ BHAWANAGAR (4:45) ➔ TAPRI (5:45) ➔ RECONGPEO (7:00)

From Tapri to Chitkul:

Bus : 1
Transport Name :HRTC
Service No. / Name: MND-RMP-CKL
Depot: MANDI
Bus Type: ORDINARY
Departure Time : 6:45 (24 Hrs Format)
Arrival Time : 8:45 (24 Hrs Format)
Time Taken : 2 Hrs 0 Mins
Route (Time – 24 Hrs Format): MANDI (18:00) ➔ SUNDER NAGAR (19:00) ➔ KARSOG (23:30) ➔ RAMPUR (4:00) ➔ TAPRI (6:45) ➔ KARCHAM (7:00) ➔ SANGLA (7:45) ➔ RAKSHAM (8:15) ➔ CHITKUL (8:45)

For online booking of buses on the HRTC website kindly Click here

Note: If you planning to take an HRTC bus, kindly re-confirm the timings from the HRTC Depot office before finalization. Click here to know the phone numbers. 

 How to reach Chitkul from Shimla on your own Vehicle

If you can reach Shimla in your own Vehicle then reaching Chitkul is not too difficult a task.

1. The travel time is more than 8 hrs so please make sure you start early in the day so that you reach Chitkul in the evening..
2. Highway road up to Karcham after that single-lane road.
3. Road near Chitkul is not so okay, so having a high-ground clearance vehicle would be a good option.
4. You don’t require a 4X4 vehicle there as the normal vehicle can reach there.
5. The road from Rampur to Chitkul is considered among the most dangerous road so driving should be done carefully.
6. In winter there would be high snowfall above Shimla till Narkanda and then in the Kinnaur district so weather updates to be taken before the start of the journey.
7. There are limited petrol pumps the way after Rampur.

How to reach Chitkul from Shimla on a bike

Nowadays traveling into the Himalayas on Bike is getting a trend. Lots of bikers every year travel to remote areas and enjoy the beauty. Reaching Chitkul on the bike would be the dream for every adventure lover. Kindly consider the below points before planning a trip to Chitkul on a bike.

1. Every bike can reach Chitkul but prefer a bike with > 150 cc engine if you are with a pinion rider. 
2. You will feel the major variation in the temperature while traveling on the bike as there is a gain and drop of altitude. Shimla to Narkanda at a higher altitude than Rampur at a lower altitude.
3. Ride carefully as the road from Rampur to Chitkul is considered a dangerous road so driving should be done carefully.
4. Carry rain covers along with as there might be rain at higher reaches.
5. There are many landside-prone areas that are treacherous during raining season.
6. During winters Bike riding is not advisable as there will be snowfall / black ice on roads and bike riding is extremely dangerous..
7. There are limited petrol pumps the way after Rampur so please plan and fill the tank based on the fuel consumption of your bike. 

How to reach Chitkul from Shimla on a Taxi

Taxi can easily be hired for Chitkul and there are many options available on the online platforms. Following key things to be considered while taxing taxis to Chitkul.

1. The driver should be experienced in traveling in these areas.
2. Vehicle to be comfortable since travel time would be more than 12 hrs.
3. Ground clearance of the Vehicle is good.
4. Negotiate well before finalization.

How to reach Chitkul from Shimla by Train

Chitkul is not connected by train. The last station is at Shimla

How to reach Chitkul from Shimla by air

Since Chitkul is located inner in the Himalayas, there is no airport nearby. The Last airport is at Shimla.

Summary – “How to reach Chitkul from Shimla”

Let’s summarize what we have understood in this blog  “How to reach Chitkul from Delhi ”

• Chitkul is a wonderful travel destination located in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh at around 240 KM from Shimla.
• You can reach Chitkul in one day from Shimla.
• Chitkul can be reached throughout the year but the best time is from April – June and then from September – October.
• Chitkul can be reached by self-driven car, bike, taxi, and by Bus.
• The cheapest way to reach Chitkul is by the HRTC bus and many options are available.

We hope you have got a good understanding of “How to reach Chitkul from Shimla ”. If you want to give suggestions on this blog ” please do comment.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions:

 

If you want to reach Chitkul from Chandigarh kindly click here

If you want to reach Chitkul from Delhi kindly click here