Some of the best trips out of the Kullu valley aren't in the valley at all. Chail, a quiet hill town tucked into deodar forest between Shimla and Kandaghat, is one of those places worth the longer drive — a former royal retreat with the highest cricket ground on earth and only a fraction of Shimla's crowds.
A palace born out of a royal snub
Chail owes its existence to a falling-out. In the 1890s Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala was barred from Shimla by the British, and his answer was to build his own summer capital across the hills. The Chail Palace, completed in 1891, sits at around 2,226 metres on a wooded ridge spread over some 75 acres. Today it is a heritage property, and the grounds, gardens and old-world architecture are lovely to wander even if you are only stopping for a few hours.
The highest cricket ground in the world
Chail's real claim to fame is its cricket ground, laid out in 1893 at roughly 2,444 metres — about 7,500 feet — making it the highest in the world. An entire hilltop was flattened to level it, and it is ringed by towering deodar and pine with the snow line visible on clear days. One thing to know before you go: the ground now belongs to the Chail Military School, so you generally cannot walk out onto the pitch, but you can admire it from the edge and take in the setting. During school holidays it sometimes doubles as a polo field.
Beyond the palace
- Chail Wildlife Sanctuary — deodar and oak forest that shelters ghoral, sambar and the rare cheer pheasant.
- Kali Ka Tibba — a hilltop temple and viewpoint with a wide sweep of the Himalayas.
- Sadhupul — a stream crossing on the drive in, where cafes set their tables right in the shallow water.
How to reach and when to go
Chail is around 45 km from Shimla via Kufri and about 117 km from Chandigarh, with taxis and buses running from Shimla, Solan and Kalka. From Naggar it is a long haul — roughly a 230–250 km drive via Mandi, Bilaspur and Shimla — so it makes most sense as an overnight stop rather than a same-day dash. Spring and autumn bring the clearest skies, while winter can dust the deodars with snow, which many travellers time their visit for.
If you are building a Himachal road trip and want a calm valley base to begin and end it, Ghar in the Hills in Naggar is a cosy homestay to come back to — settle in, plan your route over chai, and set off for Chail rested.
Chail rewards travellers who like their hill stations quiet and their history close at hand. Give it a night, walk the deodar trails, and stand at the edge of a cricket ground no other place on earth can match. Ready to explore this side of Himachal? Book your stay at Ghar in the Hills and start planning.