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) | Elevation (m) | Time (Hr) | Remarks |
| 1 | Shimla | 0 | 7200 | 2200 | 00:00 | |
| 2 | Kufri | 16 | 8500 | 2600 | 00:45 | |
| 3 | Narkanda | 61 | 8900 | 2700 | 02:15 | |
| 4 | Rampur | 121 | 3300 | 1000 | 04:00 | |
| 5 | Bhaba Nagar | 171 | 5100 | 1550 | 05:45 | |
| 6 | Tapri | 191 | 5600 | 1700 | 06:15 | |
| 7 | Karcham | 201 | 5900 | 1800 | 06:30 | |
| 8 | Sangla | 216 | 8500 | 2600 | 07:15 | Stay – Option |
| 9 | Chitkul | 241 | 11300 | 3450 | 08:15 |
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.
| SR. No. | SERVICE NO. | SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI | SANGLA | DURATION | DEPOT | TYPE | ORIGIN | DESTINATION | ONLINE BOOKING |
| 1 | 518 | 7:15 AM | 5:15 PM | 10:00 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE | SANGLA | NO |
From Sangla to Chitkul
| SR. No. | SERVICE NO. | SANGLA | CHITKUL | DURATION | DEPOT | TYPE | ORIGIN | DESTINATION | ONLINE BOOKING |
| 1 | MND-RMP-CKL | 7:45 AM | 8:45 AM | 1:00 Hrs | MANDI | ORDINARY | MANDI | CHITKUL | NO |
| 2 | RPO-CKL-01 | 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 1:00 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | RECONGPEO | CHITKUL | NO |
| 3 | RPO-CKL-002 | 2:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 1:00 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | RECONGPEO | CHITKUL | NO |
- 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:
| SR. No. | SERVICE NO. | SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI | RECONGPEO | DURATION | DEPOT | TYPE | ORIGIN | DESTINATION | ONLINE BOOKING |
| 1 | 333 | 3:40 AM | 4:00 PM | 12:20 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI | POOH VILLAGE | YES |
| 2 | 633 | 4:30 AM | 1:30 PM | 9:00 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | DHARAMSHALA | THANGI | NO |
| 3 | 1220 | 5:00 AM | 2:15 PM | 9:15 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | HARIDWAR | RECONGPEO | NO |
| 4 | 556 | 5:45 AM | 3:00 PM | 9:15 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE | RECONGPEO | NO |
| 5 | 255 | 6:56 AM | 4:40 PM | 9:44 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | SOLAN | RECONGPEO | NO |
| 6 | 1513 | 9:00 AM | 7:00 PM | 10:00 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | CHANDIGARH | RECONGPEO | NO |
| 7 | CHD-RPO | 10:30 AM | 7:00 PM | 8:30 Hrs | REC PEO | HIMMANI DELUXE 2X2 NON AC | CHANDIGARH | RECONGPEO | NO |
| 8 | 273 | 6:30 PM | 3:30 AM | 9:00 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI | RECONGPEO | YES |
| 9 | 1511 | 10:20 PM | 7:00 AM | 8:40 Hrs | REC PEO | HIMMANI DELUXE 2X2 NON AC | CHANDIGARH | RECONGPEO | NO |
| 10 | CHD-SML-RPO | 10:30 PM | 7:00 AM | 8:30 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | CHANDIGARH | RECONGPEO | NO |
| 11 | 1512 | 11:30 PM | 9:00 AM | 9:30 Hrs | RAMPUR | ORDINARY | CHANDIGARH | KALPA | NO |
For online booking of buses on the HRTC website kindly Click here
From Reckong Peo to Chitkul:
| SR. No. | SERVICE NO. | RECONGPEO | CHITKUL | DURATION | DEPOT | TYPE | ORIGIN | DESTINATION | ONLINE BOOKING |
| 1 | RPO-CKL-01 | 9:30 AM | 1:00 PM | 3:30 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | RECONGPEO | CHITKUL | NO |
| 2 | RPO-CKL-002 | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 3:00 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | RECONGPEO | CHITKUL | NO |
- 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
- 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).
- Take the ticket to Tapri and you will reach Tapri at around 6:00 AM
- 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:
| SR. No. | SERVICE NO. | SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI | TAPRI | DURATION | DEPOT | TYPE | ORIGIN | DESTINATION | ONLINE BOOKING |
| 10 | 1511 | 10:20 PM | 6:00 AM | 7:40 Hrs | REC PEO | HIMMANI DELUXE 2X2 NON AC | CHANDIGARH | RECONGPEO | NO |
| 11 | CHD-SML-RPO | 10:30 PM | 5:45 AM | 7:15 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | CHANDIGARH | RECONGPEO | NO |
From Tapri to Chitkul:
| SR. No. | SERVICE NO. | TAPRI | CHITKUL | DURATION | DEPOT | TYPE | ORIGIN | DESTINATION | ONLINE BOOKING |
| 1 | MND-RMP-CKL | 6:45 AM | 8:45 AM | 2:00 Hrs | MANDI | ORDINARY | MANDI | CHITKUL | NO |
Option – 4 Shimla to Karcham, and then to Chitkul.
Again if you want to reach Chitkul without going to Reckongpeo then this combination might help you.
Take the Bus from Shimla and reach Karcham before the connecting bus which is coming from Reckong Peo to Chitkul / Mandi to Chitkul
From Shimla to Karcham :
| SR. No. | SERVICE NO. | SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI | KARCHAM | DURATION | DEPOT | TYPE | ORIGIN | DESTINATION | ONLINE BOOKING |
| 1 | 1511 | 10:20 PM | 6:30 AM | 8:10 Hrs | REC PEO | HIMMANI DELUXE 2X2 NON AC | CHANDIGARH | RECONGPEO | NO |
| 2 | 1512 | 11:30 PM | 8:45 AM | 9:15 Hrs | RAMPUR | ORDINARY | CHANDIGARH | KALPA | NO |
From Karcham to Chitkul :
| SR. No. | SERVICE NO. | KARCHAM | CHITKUL | DURATION | DEPOT | TYPE | ORIGIN | DESTINATION | ONLINE BOOKING |
| 1 | MND-RMP-CKL | 7:00 AM | 8:45 AM | 1:45 Hrs | MANDI | ORDINARY | MANDI | CHITKUL | NO |
| 2 | RPO-CKL-01 | 10:20 AM | 1:00 PM | 2:40 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | RECONGPEO | CHITKUL | NO |
| 3 | RPO-CKL-002 | 12:50 PM | 3:00 PM | 2:10 Hrs | REC PEO | ORDINARY | RECONGPEO | CHITKUL | NO |
Note: If you planning to take an offline HRTC bus, kindly 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.
- 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..
- Highway road up to Karcham after that single-lane road.
- Road near Chitkul is not so okay, so having a high-ground clearance vehicle would be a good option.
- You don’t require a 4X4 vehicle there as the normal vehicle can reach there.
- The road from Rampur to Chitkul is considered among the most dangerous road so driving should be done carefully.
- 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.
- 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.
- Every bike can reach Chitkul but prefer a bike with > 150 cc engine if you are with a pinion rider.
- 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.
- Ride carefully as the road from Rampur to Chitkul is considered a dangerous road so driving should be done carefully.
- Carry rain covers along with as there might be rain at higher reaches.
- There are many landside-prone areas that are treacherous during raining season.
- During winters Bike riding is not advisable as there will be snowfall / black ice on roads and bike riding is extremely dangerous..
- 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.
- The driver should be experienced in traveling in these areas.
- Vehicle to be comfortable since travel time would be more than 12 hrs.
- Ground clearance of the Vehicle is good.
- 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:
Shimla to chitkul bus
There is no direct bus from Shimla to Chitkul. You can change bus at either Sangla or at Reckong Peo.
If you want to reach Chitkul from Chandigarh kindly click here
If you want to reach Chitkul from Delhi kindly click here
