HimLocal
Sign in
The Bhimakali Temple among trees above the valley, with mountains in the haze beyond
ArticleVerified 2026-10-04

How to reach Sarahan — distances and drive times

How to reach Sarahan by road from Shimla, Narkanda, Chandigarh and Kinnaur, with measured distances and drive times and the nearest airport.
Photo: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY 4.0

How these numbers were made

Road distances and drive times are our own routing on OpenStreetMap, measured for a car. Buses are slower and mountain roads add time in bad weather, so treat them as the least you should plan for.

From where you are

  • Shimla: 156 km, about 293 minutes.
  • Narkanda: 95 km, about 179 minutes.
  • Chandigarh: 262 km, about 470 minutes.
  • Reckong Peo: 87 km, about 150 minutes.
  • Kalpa: 96 km, about 167 minutes.
  • Sangla: 85 km, about 155 minutes.

By air, rail and bus

The nearest airport is Bhuntar near Kullu, 179 km and 327 minutes away. By rail, the usual way is the train to Kalka and then on to Shimla, and the rest by road. Bus services run from Chandigarh, Shimla, Rampur and Jeori.

On the way

Sarahan sits on the road between Shimla and Kinnaur, so it is the natural overnight stop on the way to Kalpa and Sangla. From Narkanda the road runs down to the Satluj and up again to Sarahan.

Once you are there

From Sarahan, Rampur Bushahr is 39 km and 79 minutes, and Nirmand is 58 km and 115 minutes. See things to do in Sarahan, the one-day plan and the two-day plan, and when to visit.

Plans that include this

All Sarahan itineraries →
The twin towers of the Bhimakali Temple at Sarahan, with carved timber upper storeys and slate roofs under a blue sky
Day plan · First visitTemples & heritage
One day from Sarahan — the Bhimakali Temple and Rampur Bushahr
A one-day Sarahan plan: the Bhimakali Temple with its three courtyards, then the drive down to Rampur Bushahr, the old winter capital. Free, copyable itinerary.
Best Apr–Jun · Sep–Nov
See the plan →
The Ambika Devi temple at Nirmand, a wooden temple with a slate roof and walls of alternating stone and timber
1 night · 2 days · First visitTemples & heritage
Two days around Sarahan — Bhimakali, Rampur and the temples of Nirmand
A two-day Sarahan plan: the Bhimakali Temple, a night in Rampur Bushahr, then the old wooden temples of Nirmand on day two. Free, copyable itinerary.
Best Apr–Jun · Sep–Nov
See the plan →

Questions people ask

How far is Sarahan from Shimla?

About 156 km by road, roughly 293 minutes by car on our routing. Wikipedia gives about 172 km and says to allow six to eight hours by road from Shimla, which is the safer number for a bus. The road follows the Satluj valley highway through Narkanda and Rampur.

What is the nearest airport to Sarahan?

Bhuntar airport near Kullu, about 179 km and 327 minutes by road, and Chandigarh airport, which is about 262 km and 470 minutes away. Most visitors arrive by road from Shimla, since the railway stops at Kalka for Shimla and there is no station near Sarahan.

How do you get to Sarahan by bus?

Bus services run to Sarahan from Chandigarh, Shimla, Rampur and Jeori, according to the village's own article. We have no verified timetable, so check locally. For Rampur and Nirmand you will need a taxi or the local buses, so agree a price and a waiting time before setting out.