Cheog Village: An Offbeat Destination Near Shimla

Visit Cheog village, near Shimla, and get a real Village experience. 100% Himachal Pradesh style!

For me, understanding local culture and getting a feel of the local life is just as much important as visiting new places and meeting new people. If I didn’t have local interaction on a journey, the journey feels incomplete.

This is perhaps the reason why I prefer homestays over hotels. And this is perhaps why I visited village Cheog, near Shimla during my recent 1-month motorcycle trip across Himachal Pradesh.

If I talk about my previous motorcycle trip from Delhi to Munsiyari, which took me around places in the Kumaon region in Uttarakhand, the most memorable memory was a village experience in Kumaon Uttarakhand. Similarly, this time as well, as I motorcycled across the Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh, for almost a month, the most amazing memory remained from a village called Cheog (other than my tree house in Shimla Kotkhai experience that was quite special too).

If you want to see some visuals of the homestay and how it feels to stay in the village, watch this video from my YouTube channel below. Skip to 5:50 for part…

From its appearance, and the kind of placement it offers — tucked away from the real world kind of setting — Cheog was certainly a place where tourists would want to spend a few relaxing nights, unwinding and just being close to nature.

There wasn’t much to do in the village but that was its charm.

For tourists visiting Shimla and Kufri but wanting to stay away from the crowd, Cheog village offers a great escape.

I remember while exploring the village (that comprised no shops but only about a dozen houses) it felt like I had transported myself at least a few decades back in time when people still shared more green spaces among them than concrete, where the birds could be heard all day long, where people seemed busy laughing, growing crops and being merry. Everything and everyone appeared self-sufficient and in harmony with nature.

Cheog appeared as one of those hidden gems meant for tourists who want to relax, forget their busy life behind, and spend a few nights unwinding and just being in the moment.

What To Do In Cheog

To be honest, there’s isn’t much for a regular tourist, except for trekking in the mountains (and you will have to find your trails) exploring the village, and enjoying fresh oxygen and organic food.

If, however, you ended up in August, as I happened to be, you will find apples everywhere. And I am talking about apples that are free to pluck from anyone’s orchard and eat.

In short, for an intrepid, and for those who appreciate the idea of slow travel, this is a perfect place for relaxing and soaking in the laidback Himachali life.

In Cheog, one can spend their holidays blissfully, in their solitude or while interacting with a few happy locals.

There are no eating joints and only one homestay with only three rooms in total. Having said that, imagine a Himachali Village, with about 20 houses, less than 50 people, a lot of green space and one homestay that can accommodate around 6 people in total. And yes, no one’s in a hurry!

Where To Stay In Cheog

So, as I said there is only one homestay in Cheog with the name of Anirudh homestay. The property is run by a local family of four members. The homestay is located in an apple orchid and offers all modern facilities — hot water, an almirah, a study table and much more. You will be surprised by the kind of arrangement they have done at such a place. And rest assured, you will get freshly cooked organic food.

For a tip: don’t forget to eat Siddu and a lot of Ghee when you’re in Cheog.

How To Travel from Delhi to Cheog

Self-Drive

If you are driving your own car or a bike, you need to cross Shimla, Narkanda and come to a place called Fagu. You can also Google search for Fagu. From Fagu there is a bifurcation with a small signboard on the right-hand side of the road saying Cheog.

As soon as you take that road and drive for about 3km you see another road-sign directing you to ‘Gadharav’ (written in Hindi). Take that road to the dead-end (2km only) and that’s it. The first establishment of the village on your left is where Anirudh Homestay is located.

If you’re self-driving to Cheog, be assured that you can drive that to the Anirudh homestay. There is a big parking area next to the homestay.

By Bus

If you are coming on a bus, however, take Delhi to Narkanda bus and come until Fagu. The road until Fagu is National Highway 5 – the one that connects Chandigarh to Shimla, before further leading to other places in Shimla District, so transportation until Fagu is no problem.

From Fagu, however, which in reality is about 5 or 6 km all the way to Anirudh Homestay, there is no public transportation. To sort this out, you can take a local taxi to Cheog or request a pickup by Anirudh Homestay.

Also Read: Top Tourist Destinations In Himachal Pradesh