Location: Himachal Pradesh
Altitude: 2,250m
Places Of Interest: Cricket Ground, Chail Wildlife Sanctuary, and Sadhupul
Best Time To Visit: May-July & September - November

The former 'summer capital' of Patiala, Chail is 43-km from Shimla and dwelling in the midst of a lush green setting. At 2,250m, it has the world's highest cricket pitch and a polo ground, the old palace, now a hotel and the possibility of some angling are added attractions.
Chail is hiker's paradise. The area is very peaceful away from the hustle and bustle of Shimla. 3-kms from the hotel is the world’s highest Cricket ground. Close by is a National Park, which has limited number of birds and deers.
In 1891, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala incurred the wrath of Lord Kitchener, the then Commander-in-Chief. As a result, he was banned entry into the summer capital of the Raj, Shimla. This enraged the Maharaja and he vowed to build a new and better summer capital for himself. He looked around and after quite some time realized it had all the while been in his possession. Chail, a little village close to Shimla, was a 'slice of heaven' surrounded by lush forests with a commanding view of the snow-capped Himalayas. He rebuilt the city according to his requirements and built himself a wonderful palace.
The picturesque resort located amidst scented forests of chir pine and gigantic deodars. Chail is built on three hills, the palace is on Rajgarh Hill, and the Residency Snow View once occupied by British resident is on Pandhewa Hill and on the third hill Sadh Tiba where Chail is situated. Overlooking Satluj Valley, Shimla and Kasauli are also visible at night from here. Chail has also the highest cricket ground in the world. Well kept and well maintained the ground is surrounded by huge trees of deodar and pine. On the other side of the town are situated the massive Himalayan ranges spectacularly gleaming in the sun and snow-covered every thing under it.

PRIME ATTRACTION

Chail Wildlife Sanctuary: Ghoral, Kakkar, Sambhar, Red Jungle Fowl, and Khalij, Cheer Pheasants are some of the inhabitants of the Chail wildlife sanctuary.
Sidh Baba Ka Mandir: Maharaja Bhupinder Singh had originally intended this to be the site of his palace, and had even started building it, but as is believed, a 'sidh', saintly person appeared in the Maharaja's dream, and declared that this was the place where he had meditated. Consequently, Bhupinder Singh shifted his venue and built a temple on the spot.
Chail is a hill station visited by many tourists. The Deodar and Oak forests with grasslands around the township are the abode of wildlife. Chail sanctuary was notified on 21st March 1976 near Chail Town in District Shimla and covers an area of 10,854.36 hectares.
One can see Sambar, Goral, Himalayan Black Bear, Red Deer, Silver-White Oak, Barking Deer, Indian Hare Common Langur, Leopard, Rhesus Macaque, Himalayan Yellow Throated Marten, Indian Porcupine, Common Giant and Kashmiri Flying Squirrel.and Chir Pheasants at Blossom and Jhajja.
A Chir Pheasant breeding and rehabilitation programme has been started in 1988.Visitors are welcome to the Chir Pheasant Breeding Centres at both Blossom and Jhajja. Barking deer and Kalijin in the forests are sure to meet and greet the visitors at dusk and dawn.

Sadhupul: 14-km from Kandaghat a beautiful tiny village of Sadhupul, and the bridge over the Ashwani stream, a popular picnic-spot.
Cricket Ground: Surrounded by gigantic deodar and well-maintained Chail Cricket ground is the highest cricket ground in the world. Built in 1893, this cricket pitch located at the height of 2,144m is also used as polo ground. 

ADVENTURE: If one is interested in angling, the Gaura River is rich with mahseer fish. If one is an ardent trekker, there are a number of high-attitude trekking routes including the Kandaghat to Chail, Chail to Rajgarh and Chur-Chandni, and the Chail to Shimla via Junga trek. And if nothing else, the long pine scented walk with the utopic beauty of the place is there. During winters, skiing is possible at Narkanda.  

HOW TO GET THERE

Air: There is always the option of flying to Shimla.

Rail: The ideal way of covering the Kalka-Shimla track is by the toy train. It takes five hours from Kalka to get to Kandaghat. The toy train with a maximum of half a dozen bogies chugs through the most thickly forested tracks, breathtaking bends, deep ravines and never-ending tunnels.

Road: Chail is about 86-km from Kalka via Kandaghat. The approach of Chail is along the Kalka-Shimla route. One has to take a detour from Kandaghat. From Kandaghat, it is an hour and a half journey by road to Chail.

CLIMATE

Chail and its surrounding areas are a delight for tourists in every season. It is charming in summer, fascinating in autumn when the fields and the forests are covered with a cloak of russet and gold and, of course, in winter it is nothing less than a paradise, when the snow casts its mantle and remains till the beginning of spring in April.

NEARBY CITIES

Sadhupul:14-km
Kufri:25-km
Shimla:60-km
Kalka: 86-km