Chail

Chail sits at about 2,250 m among deodar and pine forest, on a ridge between Shimla and Kandaghat. It was developed from the 1890s by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala as a summer capital after he was barred from Shimla; the present Chail Palace, completed in 1951, is now a state-run heritage hotel. The cricket and polo ground, laid out in 1893 on a levelled hilltop at about 2,444 m, is regularly called the highest cricket ground in the world. The surrounding Chail Wildlife Sanctuary, notified in 1976, has ghoral, sambar and pheasants.

1. Drive from Shimla (~45 km) via Kufri, or from Kandaghat station on the Kalka–Shimla line (~29 km).
2. From Chandigarh it is about 3–4 hours by road via Solan and Kandaghat.
3. Local buses run from Shimla and Solan; taxis are the simpler option.

March to June for cool, pleasant days and October to November for clear air. December to February is cold with occasional snow.

• The palace grounds can be visited; staying or dining there is the usual way in.
• The cricket ground is part of the Chail Military School and access can be restricted.
• Roads through the sanctuary are winding and unlit — avoid night driving.

Individual pages for these are added as they are reviewed.