Planning Manali Tour

I am Planning Manali Tour in december end... One can easily hire the bike/ bullet on daily hiring basis upto rs.500 a day with ur fuel cost... Here is my tentative plan :


Day 1:
city tour visiting Hadimba Devi Temple, Manu Temple, Tibetan Monastery and Vashisht Village.


Day2:
Going to Manali - Leh Highway towards rohtang to see Kothi Gorge, Gulaba, Marhi, Rohtang Pass or Upto Snow Line in case Rohtang is closed due to snow fall.


If you have more time and Manali - Leh highway is open then you can go up to Keylong 120 km after crossing the Rohtang Pass.


Day3:
Paragliding:located at Solang Valley. There are multiple levels, starting from the basic 1 minute flying for Rs. 450 (the most common), progressing to a more fun 5 minute flight for Rs. 1500. But the ultimate is the half an hour flight for Rs. 2500, for which they take you up almost halfway to rohtang, and bring you back to solang all the way by paragliding.Solang Nala is located near the Kullu Valley and has vast snow fields and slopes that are safe and ideal for various activities like Skiing, Trekking, Camping, Paragliding, etc.

Last Day:


drive to Manikaran 75 kms /4 hours enroute Kullu, Manikaran is located in the Parvati Valley between the rivers Vyaas and Parvati, northeast of Bhuntar in the Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh. Manikaran is a pilgrimage centre for Hindus and Sikhs. The Hindus believe that Manu recreated human life in Manikaran after the flood, making it a sacred area. It has many temples and a gurudwara.After sightseeing at Manikaran,reach Kullu(45 kms/2 hours),there would be a half day sightseeing  of Kullu.


Another Day:
Rafting: White Water river- rafting  at Pirdi near Kullu and kayaking is possible at Pandoh Dam on the way to Mandi.  Pirdi is 45 kms from Manali. White water rafting in Kullu valley is done on river Beas from Pirdi (4 kms ahead of Kullu town) down to Jhiri, a stretch of approximately 14 kms. (Period Apr 15th-Jun end).










Description of Location:

• Rohtang Pass, at an altitude of 3979 m (13,050 ft) above sea level, is another adventure tourist site where it can be cold even on a summer day. 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. Close by is a small lake called Dassaur Lake. Beas Kund, the source of river Beas, is also nearby. In winter, the road of Rothang Pass is closed.

 Beas Kund, an igloo shaped temple, on top has a spring which is the origin of River Beas.

• Hidimba Temple: It is an ancient cave temple dedicated to Hidimbi Devi, who was a character in the Indian epic, Mahābhārata. The temple is surrounded by a cedar forest at the foot of the Himālayas. The sanctuary is built over a huge rock jutting out of the ground, which was worshiped as an image of the deity. The structure was built in the year 1553.

• Vashist Hot Water Springs and Temple: Around 3 km from Manali, across the Beas river is Vashist, a small village 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. Vaishisht, also boasts a pair of old stone temples, opposite each other above the main square. Dedicated to the local patron saint Vashista, the smaller of the two opens on to a partially covered courtyard, and is adorned with elaborate woodcarvings. Those lining the interior of the shrine, blackened by years of oil-lamp and incense smoke, are particularly fine. The temple tanks are underground hot-water/sulfur springs.

• 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. Jagatsukh, the former capital of Manali, is also an important spot.

• Rahala waterfalls: About 16 km from Manali at the start of the climb to the Rohtang Pass, are the beautiful Rahalla Falls at an altitude of 2,501 m.

• Rozy Falls: On the way to Rohtang amazing water fall worth seeing. this water fall looks amazing between the high hills.

• Monasteries: Manali is known for its shiny gompas or Buddhist monasteries. It is maintained by donations from the local community and by sale of hand-woven carpets in the temple workshop.

• Old Manali: At a distance of 3 km northwest of Manali is Old Manali, famous for its orchards and old guesthouses. There is ruined fort here by the name of Manaligarh. There is also the Manu Maharishi Temple, dedicated to sage Manu.

• Gauri Shankar Temple at DASHAL village(700 mtrs. from Sarsai )on the main left bank Kullu Manali Highway.It is a 12th century protected monument.Also see lush green apple orchards,play with water stream out there

Fun park' near Hadimba Temple

There are some interesting temples of Tibetan Buddhist lineages located between old and new Manali.

• Naggar: The Castle, Roerich House and Art gallery are places to see. Moonlight dinner on the balcony of Hotel Castle restaurant is worth experiencing, with the lovely sight of twinkling lights below in the Beas valley. Bijli Mahadev temple, about 20 kms from Naggar, is also worth visiting.

• Zana Falls: 15 Kms from Naggar and 35 Kms from Manali, at Zana Village, beautiful Water Fall is worth visiting. The valley provides amazing views. There is one water fall on the road side and two other water falls which are not much explored by tourists and are amazing. Moreover Traditional Himachali food is available here at small hut like shops.

• Beautiful Log Hut Area and Club house: In fact both these places especially log hut area have some good hotels to stay.

The Manali Gompa:

Manali Gompa was built in 1960. It is one of the most important places for Buddhists. Buddhists come to this place from  Tibet, Spiti, Lahul and Kinnaur. Manali Gompa is world famous for a large statue of Buddha and for its wall paintings.

Kothi:

Kothi is located at the bottom of Rohatang Pass. It is a beautiful and photographic village where tourists can capture different thrilling views of the deep gorge through which the Beas swiftly runs. This is an amazing place to experience the natural beauty of high altitude mountain.

• Nehru Kund: Nehru Kund is located at the distance of around 6 km from Manali. It is one of the natural springs of natural water in India. Nehru Kund is named after the late Prime Minister Jawar Lal Nehru. Nehru used to drink water from this Kund, while his journey to Manali. Nehru Kund is on the Manali-Keylong road, about 6 kms from Manali. It is understood that a landslide has wiped out this spring.

Compiled By:

Vinod Kotiya

Map of Manali:  (Click to enlarge)