Before i start writing this…I’ve gotta mention this first, Manali is soo far one of the most BEAutiful place I have been to in India. The fresh crisp air,the super fluffy cute stray dogs,no traffic jams and loads of nature and wildlife everywhere.
Manali is Situated at the northern end of the Kullu Valley.It is a BEAutiful hill station situated at a height of 2050 m (6398 ft) in the Himalayas. Manali has spectacular views of snowcapped peaks and wooded slopes. The Beas rushes along its rocky course amid grassy meadows carpeted with wild flowers and wagtails hop along from stone to stone along the stream’s edge.
There are marvelous places for walks too, through dappled orchards and fairy-tale forests of deodar.The Manali market is crowded with myriads of interesting shops selling Tibetan carpets and crafts and the appetizing aroma of steaming noodles hangs about the little restaurants. Manali, with its Mountaineering Institute, is a popular base for trekking and mountaineering in summer and skiing in winter. Interesting routes into the surrounding valleys, over the high passes, are provided with tourist huts and rest houses for trekking enthusiasts.
Getting there:
Manali is about 550 km from Delhi, the capital of India, and there are buses connecting the town with Delhi, Shimla, Dharamsala and Leh. For service from Delhi to Manali, tickets and reservations can be made at the Inter State Bus Terminus as well as at the Himachal Tourism office on Safdar Hashmi Marg near Mandi House in New Delhi. The approximate travel time from Delhi to Manali is 14 hours; from Ambala to Manali is 10 hours; and from Kulu to Manali is 1.5 to 3 hours. Volvo buses—which depart at around 5PM and reach at 09-10 AM next day—are available from Delhi but you need to book these in advance. Hotels like Snow Valley Resorts book your volvo along with their hotel package.
By private taxi
If hiring a private taxi, ensure that the driver has experience driving in hilly regions and does not have the habit of drinking alcohol.Also make sure the driver has done the trip atleast once before and knows all roads.
By train
The nearest Broad Gauge Rail Head is Ambala Cantt(200 km) or Chandigarh (250 km)from Indian Capital New Delhi. Ambala Cantt is on the Delhi – Amritsar and Delhi – Jammu main lines and is well served by rail, but you will need to travel to Ambala to get a bus for the 10 hour ride to Manali. Jogindernagar and Kalka are other, less preferable, rail heads for Manali. The nearest Broad gauge station is Kiratpur Sahib in punjab near the city of Nangal. It lies in Ropar district of Punjab. The station lies on the Ambala Cantt – Una route of Indian Railways. From here you can easily get buses for Manali.
By plane
The nearest airport is Bhuntar ( Kullu ) Airport ( Tel: 01902-265037, 265603), 50 km from Manali, 10 km from Kullu, about two hours away. Indian Airlines and Kingfisher airlines operate flights to Kullu from Delhi and Chandigarh. From the airport the best option to go to Manali is by Pre Paid taxi which is easily available there.
Places to see In Manali:
* Rohtang Pass, at an altitude of 3979 m (13,050 ft) above sea level, is another adventure tourist site where it can be super cold even on a summer day. It is the highest point on the Manali-Keylong road and provides a wide panoramic view of mountains rising far above clouds, which is truly breath taking. Close by is a small lake called Dassaur Lake. Beas Kund, the source of river Beas, is also nearby. In winter, the road of Rothang Pass is closed.
Important to note that the road to Rohtang Pass is closed off at Manali bridge,on all tuesdays between 0900-1800 hrs for
carrying out road widening work & repairs. If you are able to leave early, before 0900, you can avoid the traffic rush (found on all other days) and have Rohtang Pass to your self (well almost!!). Flip side is to be prepared for stoppages (extending upto a few hours) on the return trip as the road is blocked off where repair works are progressed. If you are driving up, be prepared for the rough broken roads at many places, sheer blind turns and tight hairpin bends, which can be exhilarating depending on the state of your nerves. Beas Kund, an igloo shaped temple, on top has a spring which is the origin of River Beas.
* Hidimba Temple: It is an ancient cave temple dedicated to Hidimbi Devi, who was a character in the Indian epic, Mahābhārata. The temple is surrounded by a cedar forest at the foot of the Himālayas. The sanctuary is built over a huge rock jutting out of the ground, which was worshiped as an image of the deity. The structure was built in the year 1553.
* Vashist Hot Water Springs and Temple: Around 3 km from Manali, across the Beas river is Vashist, a small village with natural sulphur springs. Modern bathhouses, with Turkish-style showers, have the hot water piped into them for the convenience of the visitors who come here to benefit from the medicinal properties. Vaishisht, also boasts a pair of old stone temples, opposite each other above the main square. Dedicated to the local patron saint Vashista, the smaller of the two opens on to a partially covered courtyard, and is adorned with elaborate woodcarvings. Those lining the interior of the shrine, blackened by years of oil-lamp and incense smoke, are particularly fine. The temple tanks are underground hot-water/sulfur springs.
* Solang Valley popularly known as Snow Point, is 13 km northwest of Manali and famous for its 300-meter ski lift. It is a picturesque spot and offers splendid views of glaciers and the snow-capped mountains. Jagatsukh, the former capital of Manali, is also an important spot.
* Rahala waterfalls: About 16 km from Manali at the start of the climb to the Rohtang Pass, are the beautiful Rahalla Falls at an altitude of 2,501 m.
* Rozy Falls: On the way to Rohtang,its an amazing waterfall worth seeing. hills.
* Monasteries: Manali is known for its shiny gompas or Buddhist monasteries. It is maintained by donations from the local community and by sale of hand-woven carpets in the temple workshop.
* Old Manali: At a distance of 3 km northwest of Manali is Old Manali, famous for its orchards and old guesthouses. There is a ruined fort here by the name of Manaligarh. There is also the Manu Maharishi Temple, dedicated to sage Manu.
* Gauri Shankar Temple at DASHAL village(700 mtrs. from Sarsai )on the main left bank Kullu Manali Highway.It is a 12th century protected monument.Also see lush green apple orchards,and lots of water stream out there
*Fun park’ near Hadimba Temple
* Naggar: The Castle, Roerich House and Art gallery are places to see. Moonlight dinner on the balcony of Hotel Castle restaurant is worth experiencing, with the lovely sight of twinkling lights below in the Beas valley. Bijli Mahadev temple, about 20 kms from Naggar, is also worth visiting.
* Zana Falls: 15 Kms from Naggar and 35 Kms from Manali, at Zana Village, BEAutiful Wtare Fall is worth a visit. the valley is amazing here. There is one waterfall on the road side and two water falls a short trek away (which are not too explored by tourists). Moreover Traditional Himachali food is available here at many places.
* Beautiful Log Hut Area and Club house: In fact both these places especially the log hut area have some good hotels to stay as well.
* The Manali Gompa: Manali Gompa was built in 1960. It is an important places for Buddhists. Buddhists come to this place from Ladakh, Tibet, Spiti, Lahul and Kinnaur. Manali Gompa is world famous for a large statue of Buddha and for its wall paintings.
* Kothi: Kothi is located at the bottom of Rohtang Pass. It is a beautiful and photographic village where tourists can capture different thrilling views of the deep gorge through which the Beas swiftly runs. This is an amazing place to experience the natural beauty of a high altitude mountain.
* Nehru Kund: Nehru Kund is located at a distance of around 6 kms from Manali. It is one of the natural springs found in India. Nehru Kund is named after the late Prime Minister Jawar Lal Nehru. Nehru used to drink water from this Kund, while staying in Manali. Nehru Kund is on the Manali-Keylong road, about 6 kms from Manali. It is understood that a landslide has wiped out this spring.
Stuff to do in Manali:
* Get your photos clicked with either rabbits or yaks (near the Hidimba Temple). It will cost about 10-20 rupees (0.5$) for a single photo.
* One can also enjoy cruising in paddle boats at a fun park near the Hidimba temple.
* River rafting, skiing, zorbing, trekking, snow scootering, and river crossing. One of the best adventure companies is the High Himalayan Adventures.
* Paragliding- it is quite popular in Manali, especially in the peak season. The scene is located at Solang Valley. There are multiple levels, starting from the basic 1 minute flying for Rs. 450 (the most common), progressing to a more fun 5 minute flight for Rs. 1500. But the ultimate is the half an hour flight for Rs. 2500, for which they take you up almost halfway to rohtang, and bring you back to Solang all the way by paragliding. In such a long flight, wind plays a big role, and sometimes it is not possible to fly all the way to solang, something to keep in mind while going for it. Generally, later in the day you go for it, better are the chances you will do the whole flight.
* Rock climbing- there are some fabulous routes, however, go with a reputable company that can provide you suitable gear, otherwise this can become a dangerous sport. Look for the bright orange building across from Pizza Olive. The company also does abseiling trips, in which you can swing down into 9 tiers of a waterfall using rock-climbing equipment. Another contact is Dave Morahan (9816280821) who takes you to all kind of rock climbing trips for all difficulty levels, and is quite skilled himself.
* If interested in books, there is a bookshop in the main town near the Post Office called Bookworm. It has a decent selection of books.
* Early morning walks as Manali is best enjoyed before the town wakes up
* Trekking:
Deo Tibba Base Camp Trek: This trek is a technical trekking trail in Manali. This trek is a famous trek among the experience climbers. This trek gives a magnificent view of Deo.
Friendship peak Trekking: This is one of the majestic mountains in the BEAutiful valley of Kullu. This mountain is situated at around 5289 meters above the sea level. Best way to go for this trek is from Beas Kund and Dhundi.
Hampta Pass Trek: This trek is one of the most famous trekking trails in the Manali region. This trek is suitable for those who have some prior trekking experience and are reasonably fit. This trek passes through forests.
Snowland Holidays Pvt Ltd is one of the experienced tour operators based at Manali registered with the Himachal tourism since 1990 and recognized by the Department of Tourism, Govt of India and they are reliable tour operators with offices in Delhi and Chennai. They provide mountaineering courses, support for mountaineering expeditions, trekking, rafting, jeep safaris and all other related services in and around Manali and to Ladakh as well as to Srinagar. You can contact them at khem@snowland-holidays.com or call +91-9816002248.
Carrying the slr,tripod,Tent and sleeping bags was a total waste.