Manali Reviews

Food, sight-seeing and shopping
We traveled to Chandigarh from Delhi by Shatabdi Express, arriving at 1100 hrs. Starting around noon, and passing through Ropar (Rupnagar) and Kiratpur, the ideal stopover for Lunch was at a nice restaurant at Swarghat. The journey further took us to Bilaspur, Sundernagar, Mandi, Pandoh and onwards to Kullu/Manali. Manali is 40 kms away from Kullu. We arrived at Manali at 11 PM and were surprised to see the Mall area, the centre of the town bustling with tourists enjoying shopping, busy eating joints at this hour. The hotel where we had booked was ready to serve dinner. Manali town is actually in two parts. Aleo New-Manali town is on the left bank of the Beas River, housing new hotels, and resorts on road to Nagger. The Old Manali village lies east of the Manalsu nallah (water stream), which in its present form, is more of a hippy enclave. Tourism in Manali received a real boost in the late 1980s. This once quiet village was transformed into a bustling town with hundreds of hotels and restaurants. The word Manali literally means ?the abode of Manu?, the Hindu lawgiver. Legend has it that sage Manu stepped off his ark in Manali to recreate human life after a great flood had deluged the world. Manali and Kullu valley is known as the 'Valley of the Gods'. The Old Manali village has an ancient temple dedicated to sage Manu. Manali had the presence of British before independence of India. The British were responsible for introducing apples and trout which were not native to Manali. The apple along with plum and pear remains the best source of income for the majority of its inhabitants. As in other cities, the tourist attractions in Manali include lots of temples and monasteries. You can spend and enjoy your day visiting these places situated not very far from the centre of the town. The most visited site in Manali is the Dhungri or Hadimba temple. Dedicated to the local deity Hadimba, wife of the Pandava prince, Bhim, this temple was erected in 1533. The temple is noted for its four-storeyed pagoda and exquisite wooden carvings. A major festival is held here in the month of May. The Museum of Traditional Himachal Culture, near the Hadimba temple, houses artifacts of folk art of the entire Kullu valley. We also paid a visit to Siyali Mahadev temple, which has vey good wooden carvings. Manali is famous for its shiny Buddhist monasteries or Gompas. It is famous for its Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa, built in 1969. The monastery is maintained by donations from the local community. They sell hand-woven carpets made in the temple workshop. Manali has the highest concentration of Tibetan refugees in the entire Kullu valley. The other modern Himalayan Nyingamapa Gompa near the central town has a garden blooming with sunflowers. Its main shrine, lit by dozens of electric bulbs and fragrant with Tibetan incense, houses a colossal gold-faced Buddha, best viewed from the small room on the first floor. Hot Water Springs and Temple at Vashist is 3 km from Manali, across the Beas River. The vehicles are parked about a kilometer before the temple. Restaurants, shops selling shawls, caps of Kullu area, and other handicrafts line the road. It is a place 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. Vashist, also boasts a pair of old stone temples, opposite each other above the main square, adorned with elaborate woodcarvings. Manali is among the most popular adventure sports destinations in India. Manali offers opportunities for mountaineering, skiing, trekking, paragliding, white water rafting, and mountain bike. Rohtang Pass The visit to Manali is incomplete if you do not go to Rohtang Pass, the highest point in this area at 3900 m above sea level. Rohtang is 51 km from Manali. We started at 8 AM and all vehicles stop over at Marhi, 17 km before Rohtang, for refreshments. Journey to Marhi takes about 2 hours. Marhi is a barren landscape offering extensive views of the valley and the mountains. On one side you can see Kothi and Gulaba, places en route from Manali, while the Rohtang Peaks stare at you on the other side. Marhi is one of the most picturesque places in Manali region. It is basically a mountain plateau surrounded by a large meadow strewn with myriad wild flowers in season. The place remains a stopover for transit visitors and tourists during summer and autumn seasons and a transit place for the people to wait for the ferocious weather to improve at Rohtang Pass to cross over to Lahaul and Spiti valley, during the winter months. With a stop for 30 minutes, the vehicles move forward for ultimate destination of Rohtang. Rohtang is another adventure tourist site where it can be cold even on a summer day. Winds blow at furious pace and it is chill after 3 PM. 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. In winter, the road of Rothang Pass is closed. Skiing is possible even in summer months (May & up to mid June) when the snow is still there on slopes. Wooden sledges are popular for rides. Para gliding is now a days very popular in summers between Rohtang and Marhi, taking one high in the sky for unforgettable views and lifetime experience. On way to Rohtang are high Rahala waterfalls, at an altitude of 2,500 m. The other places of stopovers for beautiful views are Kothi and Gulaba. Many Bollywood films have been shot at these locations. Visit to Rohtang is a day trip worth spending and enjoyable. SOLANG VALLEY: 13 kms. is a splendid valley between Solang village and Beas Kund. Solang valley offers the view of glaciers and snow capped mountains and peaks. It has fine ski slopes. The Mountaineering Institute has installed a ski lift for training purpose. Located here is a hut and guest house of the Mountaineering and Allied sports Institute, Manali. Now a few hotels have also come up. The winter skiing festival is organised here. Training in skiing is imparted at this place. 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. Skiing is a major pastime in Manali. Facilities for skiing are available at Solang Nullah (January-March) and Rohtang La (during summer). The Mountaineering Institute at Solang Nullah is a good training institute. Heli skiing is possible at the deep snowfields. The Mountaineering Institute and Allied Sports is about 3 km from the Mall and offers mountaineering and kayaking courses. Kayaking is possible on the Beas River. From May to July and, depending on the monsoons, from mid-September to mid-October, some basic rafting is possible on the Beas. The trips generally begin at Pirdi and continue 16 km down to Jhiri. KULLU The most charming and beautiful Kulu valley spreads out its charm on either side of river Beas. The valley runs north to south of this river and is 80kms. long and about 2kms. at its broadest. Yet with awe inspiring glens and mossy meadows encircled by the rushing streams and meandering brooks, flung east & west, a fairly wide area is open to the tourists, the trekkers, the mountaineers, the artists and to anyone who wishes to escape the heat & dust of the plains to breathe the exhilarating air of the Himalaya and enjoy the spectacle of the variegated mountain scenery. The valley is also famous for its exquisitely woven colourful hand made shawls and kullu caps. The Kullu-Manali tourist complex is spread in the entire Kullu valley which is lavishly gifted with superb scenic wealth. Kullu also known as 'Valley of Gods' has numerous temples. Kullu valley offers a scenic charm of peaceful wooded glades and rivers through the rocks. The Dashehra of Kullu is world famous.

Activities & things to do

Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.
How to reach Manali is well connected by road to Delhi through NH-21 which goes on to Leh and is the world's second highest motorable road. Leading up to Manali from New Delhi are the towns of Panipat and Ambala in Haryana, Chandigarh (Union Territory), Ropar in Punjab, and Bilaspur, Sundernagar, and Mandi in Himachal. Manali is not easily approachable by rail. The nearest broad gauge railheads are at Chandigarh (315 km.), Pathankot (325 km.) and Kalka (310 km.). The nearest narrow gauge railhead is at Joginder Nagar (135 km.) The nearest airport is at Bhuntar, which is about 50 km. from Manali and 10 km from Kullu.