Tourist Rush After Snowfall Chokes Shimla, Manali; 15,000 Vehicles Daily, Traffic Crawls for Hours

January 29, 2026

Shimla:As photos and videos of snow on the hills of Himachal Pradesh went viral, tourists from across the country began flocking to the mountains. Shimla and Manali are packed with tourists. As the snowfall subsides and roads are restored, tourists are now reaching Naldehra, Kufri, and Mahasu Peak in Shimla, Solangnala in Manali, and Dalhousie in Chamba.

At these places, tourists are making their trip memorable by playing in the snow, dancing, making snowmen, horse and yak riding, skating, snow scootering, paragliding, and recording reels. Tourists are enjoying the snow all day long. Once the road to this beach is restored, tourists will be able to access Narkanda and the Atal Tunnel.

12 to 15 thousand tourist vehicles are coming to Shimla every day.

According to the police, 12,000 to 15,000 tourist vehicles arrive in Shimla alone every day. This is causing traffic jams not only in Shimla city but also between Chharabra, Kufri, and Fagu. A one-hour journey is now taking four to five hours. This is causing inconvenience to both tourists and locals.

Traffic is also moving slowly in Manali.

In Manali too, there is a traffic jam from Patlikoolh, 15 and 16 Mile to Manali since the past one week. The biggest reason for the traffic jam in Manali is the closure of roads connecting the nearby tourist places because due to heavy snowfall, the roads connecting the tourist places like Jibhi Valley, Solang Nala, Atal Tunnel, Koksar, Keylong etc. were closed. But now the work of removing snow from the roads is going on. Due to this, tourists will start reaching all these tourist places in a day or two. Only then will there be relief from traffic jam in Manali.

80% occupancy in Shimla-Manali

Hotels in Shimla and Manali are currently at 70 to 80 percent occupancy. Occupancy is expected to reach 100 percent on weekends. Therefore, tourists traveling to Shimla and Manali on weekends are advised to book in advance. Shimla hotelier Ashni Sood said that Shimla has experienced snowfall after four years. Consequently, a good tourist influx is expected for the next 15-20 days.

What not to do in the mountains?

Heavy snowfall has occurred in many parts of Himachal Pradesh. This has made road travel hazardous. Speeding can be fatal. In high mountains where heavy snow has fallen, travel must be done with four-by-four vehicles. Or, use chains to avoid slippery conditions.