Manali is a place for those who loves natural beauty and wants to feel the true nature with an adventure experience. Manali actually means the “Home of Manu”. Manu is the character of God according to Hindu mythology. It is believed that Manu saved the world, when the world was drowned in flood. He recreated human life after reaching Manali. Thus, the area of Manali is sacred and Hindus considered the temples as pilgrimage destinations. That is why the place is also called as the “Valley of Gods”. The arresting landscape with snow-clad mountains is magnificent. While nature touches your soul, the adventure you experience challenges the person in you. Manali is the right place for both adventure lovers and tourists.
Manali is situated at an altitude of 2,050 m (6,726 ft) in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It is nestled in the mountains of Beas River Valley, near the northern end of the Kullu Valley. It is located about 270 km north of the state capital, Shimla. The elevation of this hill station ranges from 1800 m to 2000 m.
Climate:
The climate in Manali is extremely cold during winters, and moderately cool during summers. The temperatures range from 4 °C (39 °F) to 20 °C (68 °F) over the year. The average temperature during summer is between 04 °C (39 °F) and 15 °C (59 °F), and between -15 °C (5 °F) and 05 °C (41 °F) in the winter. It receives snowfall between November end to early February.
Major Attractions:
Manu Temple, Arjuna caves, Hadimba Temple, Vashist Hot Water Springs and Temple, Monasteries, Rahala waterfalls, Solang Valley, Old Manali, Jogini Falls, Jagatsukh, Rozy Falls, Fun Park, Beas Kund, Enfield Point, Naggar Castle, Club House.
Places Near Manali:
Bhuntar, Bhutti Weavers Colony, Keylong, Kullu, Manikaran, Naggar, Rohtang Pass(3949m), Udaipur.
Top Things to do in Manali:
- Take a Hot natural Sulphur water bath at Kalath (6.5 Km downstream), Vashisht village (3 Km upstream) or at Manikaran.
- Click some pictures with yak or rabbits near Hadimba Temple. The cost for a single photo is Rs 20/- (0.5$).
- One can also enjoy paddle boating in a fun park near Hadimba temple.
- Manali is also famous for its adventure experiences. Almost all the adventure activites are available here. One can do activities such as River Rafting, Skiing, Zorbing, Snow Scootering, Rope Waying, Paragliding, Rock Climbing, Rappelling and River Crossing. River rafting is closed during the monsoon season, typically around August 15 to Sept 15. Check the dates if you are interested in doing this. If you are booking any activity then make sure that the company is reputable. So that they will provide better equipments.
- If you like reading books, there is a bookshop in the main town near the Post Office called Bookworm. It has a quite decent collection of books.
- Take a walk at mall road and try their cultural food, clothes and ornaments.
- As Himachal Pradesh is quite popular for trekking. One can take an unforgettable experience of trekking in Manali. It provides some great trek routes such as Deo Tibba Base Camp Trek, Friendship Peak Trek, Hampta Pass Trek and Sar Pass Trek.
 |
| Pic Source Zorbing & Paragliding in Solang Valley, Manali |
How To Reach:
By Air
Manali has no airport of its own. The nearest airport is in Bhuntar near Kullu. It is located around 10 km south of Kullu town and 50 km from Manali. Flights are available to and from Lucknow, Delhi, Ludhiana and Shimla.
By Road
Manali can be reached from Delhi by national highway NH 1 up to Chandigarh and from there by national highway NH21 that passes through Bilaspur, Sundernagar, Mandi and Kullu towns. The road distance from Delhi to Chandigarh is 260 km and from Chandigarh to Manali is 290 km. The total distance from Delhi to Manali thus is around 550 km.
By Rail
The nearest railway station from Manali is Joginder Nagar which is connected to Pathankot (310 km) by narrow gauge rail. Kangra valley Railway runs daily passenger trains between Pathankot and Joginder nagar however it takes approximately 7 hours to cover the distance of 150 kms. If you are looking for a big railway station near Manali, then Chandigarh and Pathankot is the place. Both places are around 300 km from Manali.
- If you are coming from Southern side then Chandigarh railway station is suitable for you. From Chandigarh, you can hire your own taxi or you can take a bus to reach Manali.
- If you are coming from Punjab side then Pathankot railway station is suitable for you. From Pathankot you can take a bus or hire a taxi to reach Manali.
- From Kalka, you can also travel in toy train to reach Shimla. And from Shimla you have to take either a bus or a taxi to continue your journey to Manali. The toy train takes almost 6 hours to complete the distance of 96 km between Kalka and Shimla. As the train crosses through 102 tunnels and 87 bridges, this journey of toy train will give you an amazing experience with some magnificent views. The fare for this journey varies from Rs 18/- to Rs 280/-.
[…] Manali is a popular hill station situated in the mountains of the Himachal Pradesh, standing at an altitude of 2,050 m. It is a popular tourist spot for travelers in summer as well as in winter and is also a starting point for a number of treks (Beas Kund, Hampta Pass, Chandrakhani Pass). It offers various adventure activities like white water rafting, zorbing, paragliding, snow scootering, skiing, etc. Some nearby attractions in Manali are Rohtang Pass, Solang Valley, Kufri, Manikaran (where hot water springs are found). […]