Manali to Shimla by Scooter | 250 KM Road Trip via Bilaspur | EP 1

Manali to Shimla by scooter 🛵 – 250 KM road trip via Mandi, Bilaspur & Darlaghat on a Gandhi Jayanti long weekend! Hafte ke 5 din meetings, deadlines aur "quick calls"… phir calendar mein aayi ek laal taareekh – 2 October. Ek chhutti aage, ek peeche… aur 3 din ka long weekend ban gaya 5 din ka road trip. 😄 In this first episode, we (a corporate couple from Manali) ride from Manali to Shimla on our scooter – through the new Manali–Mandi tunnels, Mandi ka dham, the drowned town of Old Bilaspur at Govind Sagar Lake, the dusty Darlaghat four-lane stretch, and the beautiful pine roads near Shalaghat before finally reaching Shimla. 📍 Route: Manali → Mandi → Bilaspur (night halt) → Darlaghat → Shalaghat → Shimla 🛣️ Distance: ~250 KM | 2 days | 1 scooter | 2 corporate mazdoors 🏨 Stays: HPTDC Lake View, Bilaspur | Hotel Crossroads, Shimla 🍛 Food stop: Krishna Bhojnalaya, near Darlaghat (pure veg rajma-chawal, kadhi) ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Corporate life → Long weekend escape 0:30 Packing & leaving Manali 1:00 New tunnels: Manali to Mandi 1:30 Mandi dham ritual 2:00 Bilaspur – the town that drowned (Govind Sagar Lake) 3:30 Night halt at HPTDC Lake View, Bilaspur 4:00 Hotel view, monkeys & our new bag mount 5:00 Bilaspur to Shimla – the infamous Darlaghat four-lane 6:30 Blind turns & new bridges 7:00 Lunch at Krishna Bhojnalaya 8:00 Smooth roads & pine trees are back 8:30 Shimla just 20 KM – viewpoint 9:00 Shimla 2008 vs today – a personal memory 10:00 Reached Shimla – Hotel Crossroads 10:30 What's next 🏍️ ROAD CONDITION UPDATE (Oct 2026) • Manali–Mandi: excellent, new tunnels have cut travel time • Mandi–Bilaspur: good • Bilaspur–Darlaghat: patchy, dusty – four-laning work in progress (carry a mask & goggles) • After Darlaghat to Shimla: smooth, scenic pine roads • Weather: Bilaspur ~25-26°C (hot), Shimla pleasant – a light jacket is enough in October 🛠️ Bag mount shout-out: Zana Motorsports (CNC part) #shimla #manali #shimlaroad #motovlog #motovlogger #himachal #roadtrip #couple #couplevlog #govindsagarlake