Short answer: For children under 6 and parents over 70, stay low and slow: the Kangra valley (Dharamshala, Palampur, the Devi temples) and Dalhousie are easy, with short drives and few steep walks. Limit drives to 3–4 hours a day, choose an SUV for comfort, and avoid high-altitude places like Spiti and Rohtang unless a doctor agrees.
About half the trips we plan are for three generations: grandparents, parents and children in one Innova. Done right, these are the trips people remember for years. Done wrong, they are seven days of carsickness and sore knees. Here is what we have learned.
Choose low, close and flat-ish
The Kangra valley is ideal for mixed-age families. Everything is close. Gaggal Airport to Dharamshala is 13 km, and the major Devi temples are within an hour or two of each other. Most sights are a short walk from where the car stops.
Easy places:
- Dharamshala and McLeodganj (except the Bhagsu walk and Triund)
- Kangra town, Brajeshwari Devi, Chamunda Devi, Jwalamukhi
- Palampur’s tea gardens, Andretta, Baijnath
- Dalhousie, Khajjiar and Chamba
Harder places:
- Spiti and anything above 3,500 m
- Rohtang Pass
- Treks, obviously
- Chintpurni’s steps (manageable with time; our yatra plans for it)
Keep drives short
Hill roads are slow and winding. A 120 km drive can take four hours. For small children and elderly parents, we try to keep each day’s driving under three or four hours, with a break every hour or so.
That is why our Dharamshala & McLeodganj and Shakti Peeth Yatra trips work so well for families: no long drive on any day.
Motion sickness
Winding roads get to a lot of people, especially children.
- Sit in the front or middle row and look ahead
- Eat light before driving; avoid heavy, oily breakfasts
- Open the window a little for fresh air
- Carry motion-sickness tablets (ask your doctor), lemons and plain biscuits
- Tell the driver: ours slow down on the bends without being asked twice
The right car
For a family of five or six with luggage, an Innova Crysta is worth the extra cost. The middle-row seats are comfortable, there is room for a wheelchair or walker, and it handles hill roads smoothly. For eight or more, a 12-seater Tempo Traveller keeps everyone together.
Child seats are available on request.
Altitude and health
Most of the Kangra valley is between 700 and 2,100 metres, which is not a concern for healthy travellers of any age. Above 3,000 metres (Sissu, Rohtang, Spiti), the air is thin. Check with your doctor if anyone has heart, lung or blood-pressure conditions, or is very young.
Temples with elders
- Go early in the morning, before the queues
- Carry socks for cold floors
- Ask about wheelchairs: some temples have them, and our drivers know where
- Avoid Navratri if crowds are a worry; or plan the Navratri visit for the first or last day
A sample gentle week
- Arrive Gaggal, rest in Dharamshala
- McLeodganj by car, a slow café afternoon
- Brajeshwari Devi and Kangra Fort (seat the elders at the gate café)
- Chamunda and Palampur tea gardens
- Baijnath temple and a quiet evening
- Jwalamukhi, overnight
- Chintpurni, drop at Una or Gaggal
Tell us who is travelling (ages, any health needs) and we will plan around them.
Quick questions
Is McLeodganj suitable for elderly people?
Mostly yes. Cars reach close to the main temple and cafés. Some walks, like Bhagsu waterfall, are uneven and can be skipped.
Is Spiti safe for small children?
We do not recommend Spiti for infants or toddlers because of the altitude, long drives and limited medical help. Children over 8 in good health usually manage well with a gradual itinerary.
Written by the team at Ankush Travels, a tour and taxi company in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. We run these routes every week. Spotted something out of date? Tell us on WhatsApp.