Manali Travel Guide

[Yogesh Sarkar]

Destination: Manali

Route: Delhi – Ambala (NH-1) – Chandigarh – Ropar (NH-21) – Kiratpur Sahib (take a right from here) – Bilaspur – Mandi – Kullu – Manali

Distance: 580kms

Type of destination: You need to spend at least two nights in Manali to enjoy this trip, though 3-4 nights are recommended.

Description: Wonderful place nestled in the midst of Himalayan ranges, although Manali is a well know tourist destination and in the summer it is bustling with crowd, one can still get away from the hustle and bustle by going to quite areas of Manali like Vashisht.

Places to visit: Rohtang Pass (13050ft, a must for any tourist visiting Manali), Solang Valley, Hadimba temple, Vashisht hot springs, Manu temple, Naggar.

Tips: Roads are wonderful a wonderful four lane highway till Ambala and there after single lane highway so it is better to leave as early as possible from Delhi since it take any where from 12-16hours to reach Manali. After Sundernagar roads get better and you can comfortably take turns at 50-80kmph, this is accompanied by wonderful view.

Link to trip log: www.yogeshsarkar.com/trips/manali04/index.html

Additional link: Route Map, Himachal Tourism site

[BHARAT]

Hi, All.

For all ladakh and lahual-spiti rides, manali is like base, and a stay of night or two in manali is must. Manali, now a days, very crowded, dirty and boring place. And one have to bear all these and wandering aimlessly to pass whatever time left before the heaven’s ride.
Here are few ideas to kill time in manali, were you will find less or no tourists, Kurkure and lays’ wrappers, and empty water bottles.

1. Go to jogani falls. ( required 2 to 3 hrs.)
Start walking thru vasisth, initially cow dung loaded narrow path from vasisth village, take turn behind the school, and you will be on the right way. Ask ghaddi and villagers for the direction. You will be there within 45 minutes. There is small grass meadow and tiny temple at base, with small nice pool. There is a cave like formation behind the waterfall. If you want more adventure, try to climb on those big boulders up to ( be careful, a boy lost life just two days before I tried it.). Nice photo opportunity, nice view to river beas below.

2. Cross thru the manu temple parking area (is there any?) – a small path goes to remaining village. Pass those few houses and path goes to steeply down. Nobody will be there, except a woman or two collecting cow dung and firewood. The manalsu going below, few hundred feet. Very narrow path, passing between apple trees and over few big rocks, and with in 15-20 minutes you will be in narrow valley, along the river. A small log bridge there with rapidly flowing water of manalsu below. Find your seat on a big rock, dip your feet in manalsu and have your lunch ( pack it from few nice cafes of old manali village). You can walk further along the river, for few more minutes. You can pass a half or even entire day there.

3. Walk to goshal village, if you not tired and have time, extends it to burua, and to solang meadows.
There is a way to goshal, from old manali. Start from left to manu temple. Nice two kilometer walk. It will be 10-12 kms, if you plan for solang.

4. Anjani mahadev ; Story is like baba amarnathji.
Starts from solang ground. Walk up to there or take a pony ride if you want to save energy for next days drive. A small nullah (probably called anjani river) coming from somewhere up, with wooden log bridge will provide you better opportunity for photos and having packed lunch. A tiny waterfall over the ridge, forms ice shivling in winter (they recorded 40 feet height ). Recently some work is going on for ropeway kind of thing. So it might loose its virginity very soon.

Few more, but I haven’t done.
1. Lamadugh (at about 3,300 metres height) – Trail starts from right side of hidimba temple. Three-hour walk through forests of Oak, Fir and Deodar, one can reach the green meadows (wild blue primroses) of Lamadugh, with nice views of snow clad mountains all around (Indrasen, Deo Tibba, Hanuman Tibba, and other famous peaks in the Manali region), of Manali town far below and Kullu valley.
2. Koshla - A village up in the hills east of new Manali. The road goes up to this village from where, there are nice views of Old Manali village and the River Beas. Path goes through forests of Pine, Fir and deodar, few apple orchards. Small, meadow at the end, with panoramic view of the Kali Heini pass and its snow clad slopes.
3. Bijli Mahadev temple - temple on top of a hill near Kullu. 15 km of road goes along the Kraal valley. Drive takes an hour from the bottom of the hill to Jansari village from where one have to climb, few steps and for atleast 2 more km. The Bijli Mahadev temple is at the edge of a large meadow on top of the hill, a beautiful spot with views over the Manikaran and Kullu valleys and the surrounding peaks. And a story of lightening and the lingum too.
4. Dashaur Lake : Travel to Rohtang Pass. Trek for 5 kms to reach Dashaur Lake.
5. Patalsu peak towering above the Solang village . Begin our 2 ½ hour trek up to the peak 3963 m from where you get panoramic views of Hanuman Tibba and the Seven Sister peaks.

Few Do’s and don’ts
• Find `stay’ in Old manali village or vashisth.


• Fine tandoori chicken at MR. sing’s shop - in Manu Market - left side of the main street.
• Johnson's Café near Circuit House, nice café and restaurant.
• Superbake in Manu Market and Shop 10, down the first narrow lane after the HPTDC office - various tasty cakes and cookies.
• Mayur restaurant, on mission road, opposite Manu Market, - one of Manali's oldest restaurants, with best Indian food and western dishes too.
• Chopsticks, menu of chinese dishes is of good quality.


• If enough paragliding and skiing done, try river-crossing, rock-climbing, rappelling, and rafting by many adventure agencies and Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports. I have heard about heli sighseeing tour for approx. 10K for 4P.


• And for those tourists – especially Gujjus. - Buy anything but be careful about those `CHINGU’. These are just Ludhiana made blankets, and not real pashmina, as they say. And nobody will come to your place after 21 months to collect it– as they claim. Few have fake documents also about originality.
• Locally made kullu shawls – check out, is it machine made in ludhiana or not?
• Tour to manikaran can be avoided, unless you want to explore parvati valley – pulga, pandu pul pin-parbati pass and go to spiti / pin valley.



Pl. correct me, and more imp; add your ideas to complete it.


BHARAT.

[Yogesh Sarkar]

Bharat thanks for the excellent information, I have merged the thread with Manali Travel Guide.

[hitanshu]

Excellent information. Absolutely hadnt heard MOST of it. I always used to consider manali a necessary evil - not anymore. Thanks for opening my eyes.

[anupmathur]

Bharat, WOW!

[BHARAT]

Thanks Yogesh, hitanshu, mr.anupmathur

prepairing a map for above places, will update later.


BHARAT.

[hitanshu]

like my mom would love to say,
twade bacche jiyen!

[BHARAT]

Map is ready
Don't know how to upload
URL of image ?
Pl. help.
waiting...


BHARAT.

[Yogesh Sarkar]

upload it to either www.photobucket.com or www.imageshack.us and copy the direct link of the image and click the on top of the editor and paste that link.

[faustus77]

twade bachhe jiyen
Add to it" hor twada khoon piyein"