Manali lies in the North Indian state of Himachal pradesh, . Drained by the river Beas, it has probably the most picturesque views that you just can’t afford to miss. Here is a quick guide to the town:-
District:– Kullu
Snowfall timing– December to the end of February
Fun fact:- The name of Manali is derived from Sanatani Lawgiver – Manu(Manusmriti).
1.How to reach?
- By road- Delhi—Manali~544km Or Shimla—Manali~270 km, Volvo bus can be taken from Majnu ka tila(Delhi), Bus Fare can Vary between 900-1000 Rs, varies according to the season.
- By Flight:- Nearest airport is Chandigarh airport(domestic), New delhi airport(international), after which you can take bus to the Manali.
2. Where to stay?
There are plenty of options to stay in Manali, like Hotels, Hostels and Homestays (arranged in high to low order).
1.Hotels:- Some of the good hotels, that I’ve stayed in and are quite recommended:- Mangaldeep hotel(mall road), MBN resort etc.
2.Hostels:- Other good and cheaper options are hostels, they are made for people to stay for months, you can go and work from there (WFH kinda thing) for months with very economic rooms and scenic beauty. I would recommend The Moustache, Vatika. (Price vary from 300-500Rs/day, according to the seasons.)
3. Homestays:- For Army people and their families, nothing would be a better option than this. These are made by Indian army only, at the prime tourist locations.
3. Where to eat?
I would highly recommend café of Manali, they are the best in class. That authentic feeling you get when you sit at such a place is almost incomparable. Some of which I would recommend are Lazydog , café 1947, The Shed, Drifters, non stop café, manali bistro, Club house cafe etc.
I would highly recommend the beer kati patang (local beer) and trot fish.
4. Places to visit
1.The Mall road:- you will find almost everything to buy, eat and shop for, here only. And like all the other mountain tourist locations, the view is breathtaking. Mall road, Manali
2.Manu temple:- It’s the temple of the first sanatani lawgiver- Manu (Manusmriti). It’s about 3-4 Km in village called Old manali. Manu Temple
3.Maa Hidimba Devi Temple:- It’s the most sacred place for Himachal residents, It is located in a place full of Tall green trees, where the Tyndall effect is a visual treat. Maa Hidimba devi Temple
Fun fact:- Yeh Jawani hai deewani movie has a scene captured at this temple.
4.Ghatotkachch tree temple:- It is present right outside the hidamba temple compound, it needs to be seen, how majestic it looks. Ghatotkachch tree temple
5.Old Manali:- It is a lesser known place in Manali, it has that vintage feeling that every tourist seeks to explore. One must visit this place as it has everything to offer to a tourist, for example you will find most of the hostels here only, some treks that have almost Zero footfall, river flowing by your side with no crowd and the view exclusively for you. Old Manali
6.Van vihar:- If you want to find yourself in the lap of nature, like literally, it’s a must visit then. As the name suggests it has deodar trees, towering over you all around. It has swings for children, and peddling boats are also available. It’s around 800mtrs from the manali bus stop. Van vihar
Timings: 8 am – 7 pm in summer and 8 am – 5 pm in winter.
Entry Fee: Rs 5 per person, Boating Charge – Rs 30/ Person for 15 mins.
5. Nearby places to visit
1.Solang Valley:- It’s a one of the most prominent places to visit if one wants to see snowfall. various adventure sports are also offered at here, like Skiing, paragliding, zipline, ATV ride etc. It’s around 13Km from Manali, And there is a trek upwards, at the end of which you will find a temple. This trek can also be covered by ATV or on horses as you may like, but the best way is to feel it yourself. Solang Valley
2.Kasol:- Along with beautiful scenary it has a message of unity for all the Indians. As it has a Gurudwara i.e, Manikaran gurudwara which has images of hindu deities, which I had never seen in my life. Also it has a Shiv mandir right next to it.
Fun fact:- Kasol has hot water springs, so hot that it can boil rice in it, it’s a treat to watch how the nature has truly amazing shades.
6.How to travel?
There are multiple options to travel in Manali and the nearby places. One can book a Cab with a package amounting to 4k-5k, rent a scooty for 600-700Rs/day, or a royal enfield bike for 900-1000Rs/day (excluding the petrol price and with some security money, Driving license is mandatory).
7. Bonfire and DJ Arrangements
If you ever go to Manali one thing you will need the most is fire to stay by, and what can be better than both a Bonfire and DJ system at your service. Some hotels and hostels have a system of offering both at night in their package only, so that people come and socialise at such a place, but if you want it all to yourself and your family and friends, you can do it by paying some nominal amount, hotel staff will arrange that for you.
Some fun incidents happened on my trip
- While we were on the way to Manali, our bus stopped at a restaurant in Haryana. It was in mid January, the fog was dense, so dense that the visibility was just a few meters. We were a group of five guys, so we were just sitting there sipping our teas and thinking for something to do. The music was kinda loud and trippy,so (not so) naurally we thought of what any group of 5 guys would have thought, we stood to dance… in the open parking… just the five of us, into the crowd of prabably 100 people. Only factor for us to make us do that, was the less visibility, so nobody could see. Crazy right?
2. Another incident happened on the way back home. Our bus got messed up right after travelling for 1 Hr from Manali to Delhi. Another bus had to be called from Manali, so we had to spend around 2hr in the freezing cold weather. So we started looking for some twigs & straws to light a little fire off, while we were searching for it, we came across a Diary, torn up in pieces, but just enough so that we could read it by joining. With our flashlights on, we started reading it. I can’t tell you much as it was meant to be personal but ended up in our hands accidentally. But let me tell you one thing, we were 5 when we started, people joined, and it was enough to keep around 20 people interested in it so much that they forgot to light fire and survive. what pisses me off even more is that, It was a well maintained diary, for more than 10 years. what could’ve made her do that? And Subbo really loved you Saurabh, you loser!
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