Manali

A Himalayan valley hill station with Old Manali's hippie vibe, skiing and paragliding in Solang Valley, and the Atal Tunnel route to Lahaul and the Leh highway.

Manali is in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, India, at the northern end of the Kullu Valley on the upper Beas River, at an altitude of about 2,050 m. Surrounded by snowy Himalayan peaks and deodar forests, it is one of India's most popular mountain retreats and honeymoon destinations, and the starting point of the Leh–Manali Highway to Lahaul, Spiti and Ladakh. The town has several parts: the new town around Mall Road is the hub for transport, shopping and accommodation; across the river, Old Manali and the hot-spring village of Vashisht have a hippie feel and backpacker cafés; heading north along the highway are Nehru Kund, Solang Valley (paragliding, skiing), the Atal Tunnel and Rohtang Pass, and through the tunnel you reach Sissu in the Lahaul Valley. South along the Beas are Naggar Castle, Kullu town and the rafting stretches, and further east lie Manikaran and Kasol in the Parvati Valley. Seasons: Mar–Jun is best for escaping the heat, paragliding and rafting; Rohtang Pass is open from about late May to November; Jul–Aug monsoon brings frequent landslides; Dec–Feb sees snow, great for snow play, though some roads close. Getting there: the nearest airport is Kullu–Manali Airport (Bhuntar, about 50 km away), with few flights that are often affected by weather; most people take an overnight bus from Delhi (about 12–14 hours) or hire a car from Chandigarh. Allow 4–6 days.

Top sights

• Solang Valley – An open valley north of Manali; in summer it offers paragliding, cable cars, and off-road motorbiking, and in winter it is one of India's p…
• Rohtang Pass – A Himalayan pass at about 3,980 metres where large patches of snow remain in summer, making it India's top choice for seeing snow.
• Atal Tunnel – A high-altitude road tunnel about 9 kilometres long, opened in 2020, allowing year-round access from Manali to the Lahaul Valley.
• Hidimba Devi Temple – A four-tier wooden pagoda-style shrine built in 1553 in a cedar forest, dedicated to the demoness Hidimba from the Mahabharata.
• Old Manali – An old village on the west bank of the Manalsu River, where slate-roofed wooden houses, apple orchards, and backpacker cafés and music bars…
• Vashisht Hot Springs – A hot spring village across the Beas River, where a free public sulfur hot spring bath sits beside an ancient stone and wood temple.
• Naggar Castle – A 15th-century stone and wood castle of the Kullu kingdom, built on a hillside overlooking the Beas Valley, now operated as a hotel by the…
• Nicholas Roerich Estate & Art Gallery – The late-life home of Russian painter Nicholas Roerich, now a gallery displaying his oil paintings of the Himalayan snow peaks.
• Jogini Falls – A mountain waterfall reached by a hike of about 1 to 1.5 hours from Vashisht village, passing apple orchards and cedar forests.
• Manu Temple – A temple on a hilltop in Old Manali dedicated to Manu, the progenitor of humankind, said to be the only Manu temple in India and the origin…
• Mall Road Manali – A pedestrian shopping street in New Manali, lined with restaurants, a Tibetan market, woolen shawls, and local specialty shops, brightly li…
• Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa – A Tibetan Buddhist monastery built in 1969 by Tibetan exiles, with painted prayer halls and prayer wheels, and the heart of Manali's Tibeta…
• Van Vihar – A cedar forest park on the Beas riverbank opposite the Mall Road, ideal for a stroll through the trees or a boat ride on the small lake.
• Club House Manali – A state-run riverside recreation park on the Manalsu River, with a zipline, climbing wall, archery and a riverside restaurant. Good for fam…
• Sethan – A small Buddhist village at about 2,700 metres, with deep snow in winter. You can stay in snow houses and try snowboarding and snow hikes.
• Hampta Pass Trek – A trek that crosses the roughly 4,270-metre Hampta Pass from the green Kullu Valley to the barren Lahaul Valley. It is one of India's most…
• Sissu – A small village in the Lahaul Valley just outside the northern portal of the Atal Tunnel, framed by a towering waterfall, the Chandra River…
• Kullu Town: Raghunath Temple & Dhalpur – Capital of the Kullu Valley and home to Raghunath Temple, the valley's chief deity. Each year, hundreds of village deities gather at Dhalpu…
• Beas River Rafting – White-water rafting on the Beas River between Kullu and Manali. The rapids are mostly Grade II–III, which makes it suitable for first-timer…
• Manikaran – A hot-spring pilgrimage site in the Parvati Valley, where a Sikh gurdwara and a Shiva temple stand side by side. The gurdwara serves free v…
• Kasol – A backpacker town on the Parvati River, with pine forests, riverbanks and Israeli-style cafés. It is nicknamed Little Israel.
• Bijli Mahadev Temple – A Shiva temple on a hilltop at about 2,460 metres. Legend says lightning splits the lingam, and priests glue it back together with butter…
• Bhrigu Lake – A high-altitude lake at about 4,300 metres, said to be where the sage Bhrigu meditated. You can reach it by a 2–3 day trek from Gulaba, or…
• Beas Kund – The icy source lake of the Beas River. You can reach it by a 2–3 day trek from Solang Valley, with close views of peaks such as Hanuman Tib…
• Gulaba – A snow viewpoint on the Rohtang road. When Rohtang Pass is closed or permits are sold out, it is often the alternative for seeing and playi…
• Anjani Mahadev – A mountain temple near Solang Valley. In winter, a waterfall freezes into a tall natural ice lingam that draws pilgrims and visitors.
• Nehru Kund – A spring beside the Leh–Manali road, said to be the water Prime Minister Nehru drank when he stayed in Manali.
• Bara-lacha La – One of the four passes on the Manali–Leh highway, at about 4,890 metres, ringed by snow peaks and the icy Suraj Tal lake. A classic self-dr…

Where to eat

• Johnson's Cafe – A long-standing Manali restaurant opened in 1997, known for Himalayan trout prepared many ways, with open-air garden se…
• Il Forno Pizzeria – A family-run Italian restaurant in a century-old wooden house on Hadimba Road, where wood-fired pizza and calzone are t…
• Chopsticks Restaurant – A Tibetan and Chinese restaurant on Mall Road, popular with visitors for its momos, Tibetan noodle soup and pan-fried d…
• The Lazy Dog Lounge – A riverside lounge on Manu Temple Road in Old Manali, with hanging beds and open-air seating, popular for grilled trout…
• Dylan's Toasted & Roasted Café – An old café at the foot of the Old Manali entrance, founded in 2005, known for freshly baked chocolate cookies and hous…
• Drifters' Cafe – A hostel café on Manu Temple Road in Old Manali, loved by backpackers for its Himachali-style lamb curry and live music…

Itineraries

• Manali-Leh Highway & Tso Moriri Overland – Cross the four major passes of the Manali-Leh Highway, then detour to Tso Moriri and Tso Kar.
• Kinnaur & Spiti Valley Circuit – Enter Spiti clockwise via Kinnaur, cross Kunzum Pass to Chandratal, and finish in Manali.
• Himachal Hill Stations & Amritsar Loop – Take the toy train to Shimla, and connect Manali, Dharamshala, and Dalhousie to the Golden Temple.