Manali
“Honeymoon Spot - Lover's Glory”
Manali is a valley which is located in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh at a height of 6260 feet above sea level and at an altitude of 1829 Mtrs. Manali was earlier known as Manu-Allaya which means the house of Manu. After the famous Hindu lawgiver Manu it was named Manali. This amazing hill station is surrounded by snow dressed mountains and thick pinewood forests. Manali is blessed with rivers and almost surrounding from all the places. The River Beas originates from Manali and it was named on Rishi Ved Vyas who wrote the epic Mahabharata with the help of Lord Ganesha. Surrounded with Himalayan peaks which are Hanuman Tibba, 7 sister peak, Friendship peak, Patalsu peak, Ladakhi peak, Manali peak.
Manali is one of the best destinations for newly wed couples in India. One can visit throuout the year,if someone is planning to visit Rohtang pass then one can plan around end of the April month when Rohtang Pass and Leh is open. All kind of people can visit here starting from kids to aged people. This place is good for adventurous activities like white water rafting, trekking, para gliding, zorbing, skiing, horse riding etc...
How to Reach Us
By Air The nearest airport is Bhuntar, located at a distance of 50km from Manali.OtherNearest Airport: Chandigarh Airport which is - 178 kms from Manali. One can hire a taxi/Cab to go to Manali from the airport.
By Rail The nearest railway station from Manali is in Joginder Nagar which is 50 km away, but it is not connected to all the major cities. Alternatively other nearest railway station is Ambala Cantt or Chandigarh. One can hire a taxi/Cab to go to Manali from the Railway station.
By Road There are frequent bus services/Volvo are available from Delhi to Manali at a distance of 570 km. Alternatively, one can hire a taxi/cab also to travel to Manali.
Best Season To Visit Manali
If someone is planning to visit the Rohtang pass then you should not plan the trip inbetween January to April as the roads are closed at that time.
Winter (September - February) The temperatures go down to as low as -1 degree Celsius.Snowfall can be enjoy at the time inbetween December – January.
Summer (March - June) The temperatures vary between 10 - 25 degree Celsius.This is the perfect time to enjoy trekking, river rafting, paragliding and other mountain adventures.
Monsoon (July - August) In monsoon heavy rainfall is witnessed which leads to landslides so it is not advisable not to visit in this season.
Food There are incredible restaurants, cafes and bars available for all type of tourists. One can find Italian, Chinese, Korean, Continental, Indian, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese cuisines along with the Tibetian Momos.
Restaurants in Manali
People
Lazy Dog Lounge
Pizza Olive
La Plage
Blue Elephant Café
Veer Restaurant
World Peace Café
Places To Visit In Manali
Solang Valley
Solang Valley lies between Solang village and Beas Kund at a distance of 13 Kms from Manali.Valley has fine Ski Slopes which is a perfect place for skiing.The Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports,is based here and offers training in skiing to the tourists in winter. Best season to visit Solang is inbetween December to February.One can spent around 3-4 hours. One can also enjoy Paragliding here. In monsoon season these activities are not available duw to heavy rain and landslides.
Rohtang Pass
Rohtang Pass is on the highway to Keylong/Leh.Located at a height of 3979 metres and at a distance of 51 kms from Manali. The pass is closed in winters and is open inbetween June to October. Someone want to have a thrilling and adventurous experience can visit this place. You will enjoy beautiful views of glaciers, peaks and Chandra river that flows down in the Lahaul valley. There is a waterfall named as Rahala, which is located at a distance of 16 kms from Manali on the way to Rohtang Pass. This waterfall flows down from an altitude of 2,500 metres and looks amazingly wonderful.Due to high altitude sickness is common here. One can usually find the long jam here so it is advisable leave Rohtang early in the morning.The romantic movie “Jab We Met”famous song 'Yeh Ishq Haaye' was shot here.
Hadimba Temple
This temple was constructed in the 16th Century. The temple is located around 6 kms away from Manali main city centre.This temple is devoted to the wife of Pandava brothers, Bhima Goddess Hadimba.According to the myth, the giant Hadimba meditated at this place as an apology for her sins,due to which Goddess Durga gave her this position of Goddess Hadimba.The temple was constructed by Raja Bahadur Singh and temple premises has a temple of Ghatotkacha, the son of Bhima and Hadimba and a great warrior of Mahabharata.
Vashisht Baths Vashisht Baths is located in Vashist village, which is about 6 km away from Manali.Vashist name came from Maharishi Vashist, the great perceptive who taught and advised Lord Rama.Vashist Baths is famous for its hot water springs which cures various ailments,separate bathing tanks is available for men and women. Myth is that this hot spring has supernatural power to cure the ailments. Modern bathrooms are made using Turkish style, which is connected to the springs through pipelines.
Kullu
Kullu is situated at an altitude of about 1230 metres above the sea level. Kullu is also popular as a sister town to Manali which is on much higher altitude. Plentiful with lush greenery, perfect river streams and a superb climate. Kullu and Manali both has adventure activities like river rafting, trekking, mountaineering etc. Kullu also has few temples like Raghunath Temple and Jagannathi Devi Temple, apart from this the Pandoh Dam and Chandrakhani Pass is also available. Kullu is also used as the base town to reach Manikaran, Kasol, Malana, Bhunter and Rohtang Pass too.
Manu Temple
Manu Temple is situated at a distance of about 3 kilometres from the main market place in old manali. According to mythology Manu sage who is the creator of human race ,meditated after stepping on earth. The area is congested, but presence of River Beas is the attraction point here.
Nehru Kund
Nehru kund is at a distance of 5 km from Manali Bus Stand andis located on Manali- Rohtang Pass Highway.This is a natural spring and was named after Late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The source of this spring is Bhrigu Lake. The best season to visit this place is inbetween May to October.
Old Manali
Old Manali is located about 3 kilometres from Manali , it is located at an altitude of around 6589 feet. Old Manali is less crowded and congested with traffic jam. Old Manali is a backpacker's delight. Old Manali is most famous for its Hidimba temple.
Van Vihar
Van Vihar is located on the Mall Road Manali and this is a municipal garden, has a pond for boating which is surrounded by tall deodar trees.
Manali Sanctuary
Manali Sanctuary is situated around 2 kms from Manali, Spread over an area of just 31.80 square kilometres ,this sanctuary starts behind the town and goes up in the mountains. The sanctuary includes Deodar, fir, horse chestnut, walnut, poplar, robinia, maple and willow trees. The sanctuary is home to Monal, Tree Creepers, Chakor, Kokla, Kingfisher, Snow Pigeon, etc. It plays home to several species of migratory birds during summer. The best season to visit here is during the summer months of May and June.
Gayatri temple
The Gayatri temple is situated around 7 km away from Manali, houses of Goddess Gayatri, made of marble. This temple has some marvelous architecture styles.There are a few more temples around the area, such as a Shikara style Shiva temple, that one can visit.
