Route library · Weekend · Mountains
Delhi to Rohru & the Pabbar Valley
The Pabbar valley, beyond Shimla and Kotkhai, is deep apple country — orchards to the ridgelines, a clear trout river, and old stone-and-timber temples. Hatkoti has the Hateshwari Mata group, a cluster of Shikhara and pent-roof shrines with a bronze Durga; Rohru is the valley town and trout centre; and Chirgaon, Larot and Sandasu lead the road up toward the Chanshal ridge.
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At a glance
- Round trip
- About 950–1,050 km
- Riding time
- 9–10 hours each way — the Shimla approach is the slow part; best split at Shimla or Kotkhai
- Nights
- Three nights
- Start point
- Delhi (via Chandigarh, Shimla and Kotkhai)
- Highest point
- About 2,200 m on the upper Pabbar/Chirgaon road; Rohru sits at ~1,550 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate. Good roads apart from Shimla traffic and some narrow, orchard-truck-heavy valley stretches.
- Surface
- Sealed throughout — Chandigarh–Shimla–Theog–Kotkhai is a good hill highway; the Kotkhai–Hatkoti–Rohru–Chirgaon road is a narrow, winding valley road
- Best season
- March to June and September to November. The apple harvest (Aug–Sep) clogs the valley roads with trucks; the monsoon brings slips; winter snows the upper Pabbar and the Chanshal side.
The ride
Delhi → Chandigarh → Shimla → Theog → Kotkhai, then drop into the Pabbar valley — Hatkoti, Rohru — and follow the river up through Chirgaon toward Sandasu and the Chanshal road.
At Hatkoti, the Hateshwari temple group; at Rohru, the trout farm and the Pabbar; and along the valley, the wooden temples of Jubbal and Kharapathar, and the apple villages under the ridge. Chanshal Pass is the natural extension if the season and the road allow.
Day by day
Delhi to Kotkhai/Rohru
Delhi → Chandigarh → Shimla → Theog → Kotkhai → Rohru (9–10 hours, slow through Shimla). Settle in the valley.
The Pabbar valley
Hatkoti's temple group, Rohru's trout river, and the drive up through Chirgaon toward Sandasu. Add Jubbal's palace and wooden temples.
Upper Pabbar / Chanshal side
Ride toward the Chanshal road as far as it is open, or a relaxed orchard day. Overnight Rohru or Chirgaon.
Rohru to Delhi
Down through Kotkhai and Shimla and the long highway home. Start early to clear Shimla and Solan.
Fuel & services
- Fuel is easy to Shimla, and there are pumps at Theog, Kotkhai, Hatkoti and Rohru.
- Fill up at Rohru before Chirgaon and the Chanshal side — the upper valley pumps are small and can be dry.
- Rohru has HPTDC and private hotels; Hatkoti has a temple guesthouse; Chirgaon and Larot have basic rooms and orchard homestays. Carry cash.
Road & conditions
Good hill highway from Chandigarh, with Shimla the bottleneck — use the bypass. Theog to Kotkhai and down to Hatkoti and Rohru is a well-surfaced hill road. The valley road up through Chirgaon toward Sandasu narrows and gets rougher, and in the harvest season it is thick with apple trucks. Nothing technical. Ride the valley in daylight.
Bike, fuel & getting help
- Suggested bike
- Fine on a well-maintained 150–200cc commuter.
- Fuel gap
- One long stretch without a pump — fill up before it and top off where you can.
- Spare fuel
- Carry 3–5 litres of spare fuel.
- Emergency & logistics
- The nearest well-equipped hospital is the valley/district town, one to two hours off; signal is patchy above the bazaar; carry the group lead's number and an emergency card.
Best time to ride
March to June is mild with apple blossom then leaf. Mid-September to November is crisp after the harvest rush. Avoid August–September if you can — the harvest fills the valley roads with trucks. The monsoon brings slips; winter snows the upper Pabbar and the Chanshal road.
What to add to your kit
Beyond the standard ride kit: a warm layer for the valley evenings, a rain shell, walking shoes for the temple groups, and cash. Nothing technical.
Ride this with a group
We run Rohru and the Pabbar valley as a quiet three-night ride into apple-and-temple country — the Shimla crossing timed to miss the jams, the harvest-truck weeks avoided, and a temple-and-riverbank clean-up as the service action.