Things to Do in Manali | Ultimate Free Guide

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Manali is a high-altitude town in India’s northern Himachal Pradesh state. It has a reputation as a backpacking center and honeymoon destination. Manali is on the Beas River, it’s a gateway for skiing in the Solang Valley. It’s also a starting point for paragliding, rafting and mountaineering in the Pir Panjal mountains.

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How to Reach Manali:

By Air:

Nearest Airport – Bhuntar . From Bhuntar to Manali its around 50km.

By Road:

HRTC Volvo’s and ordinary buses are available from ISBT Kashmere Gate, New Delhi. Booking can be done through redbus,makemytrip etc. It takes around 13 Hrs from Delhi to reach manali.

Approx. Fare: Volvo ( around 1200 rs – As of Dec 2015).

Hotels and Resorts:

There are a lot of hotel and resorts in Manali which are good. But I stayed in “New Kenilworth International Hotel”. It is quite near to Bus stand, which is best part of this hotel.

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Picture: New Kenilworth International Hotel

Do check for discounts on MakeMyTrip or goibibo . It costed me 450 bucks for Deluxe room in this hotel.

Day 1 : Manali

1.) Mall Road Things to Do in Manali

Things to Do in Manali

It is good place to relax on the day you will Manali and do shopping.

2. Hidimba Temple

“Ye Jawani hai Deewani” Movie fame place. I normally don’t visit religious places, but i wanted to see this place as it was shown in the movie. It is around 2km from the Mall Road.

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Things to Do in Manali

Day 2 :

Early morning you can leave for Rohtang as per your bookings.

Rohtang Pass:

Rohtang Pass is the one of the main places to visit in Manali. If you are planning to come to Manali, then do your bookings well ahead as daily 1000 vehicles are allowed to enter Rohtang pass during winter season.So its better to get things booked well in advance.

In Manali, you can get Bikes and Cycles on rent.

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Cabs:

Sharing Cabs (tempo travellers) and individual cabs are available.

Cab Fare: around 1500 rs ( As of Nov 2015).

Bus:

If weather is clear and Rohtang Pass is open. Government buses will ply to keylong. So you can board HRTC govt bus going towards “Keylong”.

Bus Fare: 75Rs

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Important Note: It can be risky to come back from rohtang(if you are going by bus) ,weather conditions may change drastically and you may not get any bus coming from Keylong.

Luckily i got lift while returning which helped me a lot to reach Manali safely.

After spending some time here, you can leave for “Solang Valley”.

Solang Valley:

It’s a gateway for skiing in the Solang Valley. It’s also a starting point for paragliding, rafting and mountaineering in the Pir Panjal mountains.

Adventure sports like trekking skiing paragliding rafting camping is possible here.

Things to Do in Manali

During winters most of the activities are closed. You can enjoy the fresh snow and spend some time there.

In the afternoon , you can opt for lunch at “Nagger Castle”.

Nagger Castle:

Located in Naggar Town (around 19km from Manali), amidst breathtaking forested hills, the Naggar Castle is a magnificent historical edifice. Made of stone and wood.