Pick Your Own Crate
₹6,8002 nights / 3 days
Two nights in September, and you take home what you pick.
- • All meals
- • Orchard picking
- • A crate to carry
Thanedar, Himachal Pradesh
Thanedar Orchard Stay
Four rooms above a working apple orchard, an hour past Narkanda.
4.8 · 4 reviews From ₹2,200 / night
The hosts
Our great-grandfather planted the first Royal Delicious on this slope after Satyanand Stokes brought the trees to Kotgarh, and the orchard has fed the family since. We pick from late August into October, and guests who come then usually end up in the rows with a crate whether they meant to or not. The kitchen runs on what the farm gives: apple in everything by September, rajma and rice the rest of the year, and butter from the two cows behind the house.
Thanedar, Himachal Pradesh
About Thanedar, Himachal Pradesh
Thanedar and neighbouring Kotgarh, eighty kilometres past Shimla on the old Hindustan-Tibet road, are where the Himalayan apple industry began — Satyanand Stokes planted the first Red Delicious here in 1916. It is a landscape of terraced orchards at around 2,200 m above the Sutlej, quiet for ten months and completely taken over by the harvest for two. Blossom is the second half of April; picking is late September into October.
Getting here 3 ways in
- Nearest airport
- Shimla (Jubbarhatti, 95 km) or Chandigarh (210 km).
- Nearest rail
- Shimla on the toy train from Kalka.
- By road
- Shimla to Narkanda on NH5, then on to Thanedar — about two and a half hours from Shimla on good tarmac the whole way.
When to come
The second half of April for blossom across the entire slope. Late September into October for the harvest, when you can pick with us. Winter is cold, quiet and clear with occasional snow. Peak summer is pleasant but busier with weekenders coming up from Shimla.
Nearby
Stokes Farm
1 km
Heritage
Where the first Red Delicious in India was planted.
Narkanda
18 km
Sightseeing
Apple market town; the ski slope runs in January.
Hatu Peak
24 km
Trek
Above Narkanda; the road is open May to November.
Kotgarh
5 km
Heritage
The old mission church and the valley's apple history.
Food & drink
From our kitchen
Cooked in our own kitchen, from what the market and the garden have.
Restaurant
-
Orchard breakfast (included)
Included
Our own butter, apple compote, eggs, porridge, hill honey.
-
Himachali dham
₹380
The full sit-down meal, cooked when there are enough of us for it.
-
Siddu with walnut
₹180
Steamed and stuffed, with ghee from the two cows behind the house.
-
Apple pie, house
One recipe, unchanged, made with whatever is grade two that week.
Slice ₹160 Whole ₹900 -
Rajma and rice
₹240
From the field below the terrace. The plainest good thing we make.
Dishes change with the season and what the market has. Tell us about allergies or preferences when you book.
Packages & experiences
Blossom and Butter
₹9,8003 nights / 4 days
Late March: white slopes, cold nights, and butter from our own two cows.
- • All meals
- • Orchard walks
- • Dairy breakfast
Things to do
Arranged by us, run by people we know
-
Tandem flight from Billing
Sample — Bir Billing Paragliding
Takeoff at Billing, landing at Bir. Fifteen to twenty minutes in the air, and the drive up is included. Certified pilot, one passenger.
- Price
- ₹3,000
- Takes
- 2½ hours
- Group size
- up to 1 person
If you cancel: Flying is weather-dependent and is often called off on the morning. Nothing is owed: charging for a day the wind decided would be charging for our own risk.
Ask about this -
Sunrise dolphin boat
Sample — Coastline Boats
Out at six, back by nine. Tea on board. Dolphins are wild and are not promised.
- Price
- ₹800
- Takes
- 3 hours
- Group size
- up to 6 people
If you cancel: Cancelled by us for weather, nothing is owed.
Ask about this -
Motorcycle for the day
Sample — Himalayan Bike Hire
A 350 with helmets for two, fuelled and checked over. Licence shown at pickup.
- Price
- ₹1,400
- Takes
- 10 hours
- Group size
- up to 2 people
If you cancel: Nothing owed if the guest cancels
Ask about this -
Rafting, 16 km
Sample — River Rafting Co.
Shivpuri to Rishikesh, grade III. Guide, gear and safety kayak. Two and a half hours on the water.
- Price
- ₹1,200
- Takes
- 3½ hours
- Group size
- up to 8 people
If you cancel: Half the price is owed inside 24 hours, because the boat and the guide are committed.
Ask about this -
Snow scooter ride
Sample — Solang Snow Sports
Twenty minutes on a marked track with an instructor riding pillion. Boots and gloves provided.
- Price
- ₹1,500
- Takes
- 45 minutes
- Group size
- up to 2 people
If you cancel: Called off when there is not enough snow, at no charge.
Ask about this
Run by local operators we work with. Ask us and we will arrange it for you — nothing is charged here.
Rooms
Where you will stay
Orchard Room
Sleeps 2 280 sq ft
First floor, with a balcony straight over the Royal Delicious rows — in the last week of September you can pick from where you are standing. The bed faces the window because there is no reason for it to face anywhere else. Blossom in April, fruit in September, bare black branches and snow in January. The room our repeat guests ask for by name.
Orchard view · Balcony · Hot water · Breakfast · +3 more
₹2,600
/ night
View room
The Grading Room
Sleeps 2 240 sq ft
The old packing room, where the crop was sorted by hand for sixty years. The grading bench is still along one wall — we cleaned it, waxed it, and left it. Now a warm room with the best desk on the property, which is why people working remotely end up here for a month at a time. Thickest walls in the house, and the only room that stays warm without a heater until December.
Wi-Fi · Hot water · Heritage room · Original sorting bench · +1 more
₹2,200
/ night
View room
Valley Room
Sleeps 3 320 sq ft
The corner room, looking down the Sutlej valley towards Rampur, with a double bed and a single under the window. The light in here in the late afternoon is the reason we stopped putting curtains on the west side. Takes a family of three comfortably; a fourth mattress goes on the floor if you ask.
Valley view · Wi-Fi · Hot water · Extra bed · +1 more
₹3,000
/ night
View room
Facilities
What you can use while you are here
- Hot water
- Wi-Fi
- Parking
- Garden
- Bonfire
- Power backup
Guest love
Guests remember
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Good to know
What time is check-in?
From 12 noon; early check-in on request.
Do you serve meals?
Yes — grown here where we can, including the butter.
Is it family friendly?
Absolutely, and kids can help with the picking in season.
How do we reach you?
Thanedar is on the Hindustan-Tibet road, 80 km past Shimla.
House rules
- Quiet hours after 10 pm
- Carry a valid photo ID
- Pets welcome on request
- Please ask before picking — some rows are already sold
Book your stay
Request your dates and we will share payment details to confirm your booking.