Manali Travel Guide: Old Manali, Solang, Rohtang and the Kullu Valley

The town's sights, Hadimba, Old Manali, Vashisht and the Mall, are within a few kilometres of one another; Solang, the Atal Tunnel, Rohtang and Naggar are drives of 13 to 51 km.

Hadimba Devi Temple

Known locally as the Dhungri temple, the shrine of Manali's presiding deity stands among deodars about 2.5 km from the town centre. Its four-tier pagoda of wood and stone, built on a stone base in the 16th century, rises as high as the trees around it, and its sanctum is a cave said to hold Hidimba's footprints. In the Mahabharata, Hidimba is one of the wives of Bhima, and Manali is perhaps the only place in India where she is worshipped as a goddess. The Dhungri fair is held beside the temple in spring.

Old Manali and the Manu Temple

A path past the town leads into the narrow streets of Old Manali, where many visitors are from abroad and cafe menus lean to western food. About 1 km from the town, the Manu Temple, of stone and wood under a slate roof, is dedicated to the sage Manu, who codified Hindu law in the Manusmriti; Himachal Tourism notes that temples to Manu are rare in India and that Manali takes its name from him. Our Himachal Hills Tour pairs Old Manali with the Hadimba Temple on its first full day here.

Vashisht

Vashisht, a sacred village 2 km from Manali, is reached by a paved path from the market. Its temple honours the sage Vashisht, who is named in the Rig Veda, and its hot spring bath is, in Himachal Tourism's words, what makes the village worth a visit. The village is more compact than Old Manali, and Himachal Tourism singles out its rooftop cafes for their mountain views.

The Mall and Manali Gompa

The Mall is Manali's main street for a stroll, a meal and shopping for souvenirs, woollens and Himachali handloom and handicrafts. Close to it, the Manali Gompa, a Buddhist monastery built in the early 1960s, greets visitors with a large Buddha statue at the entrance, brightly painted facades and murals of the Buddha's life. The Club House, run by Himachal Tourism 2 km away on the bank of the Manalsu stream, has roller skating, go-karting and river crossing.

Manali Wildlife Sanctuary and Nehru Kund

About 2 km from Manali, the sanctuary's forest of deodar, kail, walnut and maple shelters shy Himalayan wildlife. A bridle path climbs past the Dhungri temple to Gallant Thatch, an alpine meadow used for camping, and the forest holds monal, musk deer and brown bear; higher, near the summer snowline, live blue sheep, ibex and the elusive snow leopard. On the Rohtang road, 5 km out, Nehru Kund is a spring fed by water from Bhrigu Lake, named after the prime minister who drank only its water on his visits.

Solang Valley

Solang Nullah, 13 km from Manali, is an open meadow on a slope ringed by deodar forest and high peaks, and it is busy summer and winter. Quad bikes, zorbing, paragliding, a gondola (ropeway), rock climbing, ballooning and camping fill the warmer months; in winter its snow-packed slopes become a ski area that hosts state and national championships. Solang is also the base for expeditions to Hanuman Tibba and other peaks and the start of the Beas Kund trek. Adventure activities here are not included in our Himachal Hills Tour.

Atal Tunnel and Sissu

Dedicated on 3 October 2020, the 9.02 km Atal Tunnel runs under the Rohtang Pass at about 3,000 m and connects Manali with the Lahaul valley all year; before it, the valley was cut off for about six months each winter. Its south portal is 25 km from Manali, its north portal opens near Sissu in Lahaul, and the tunnel shortened the Manali–Leh road by 46 km. For Keylong, Trilokinath and Chandra Taal beyond it, see our Himachal Pradesh travel guide.

Rohtang Pass

The Rohtang Pass, 51 km from Manali, gives summer access to Lahaul and is visited for its snow, mostly from June to August. Heavy snow closes it in late November, and it reopens by about May. A tourist vehicle needs a one-day permit, issued online by the Kullu district administration within a daily quota of 800 petrol and 400 diesel vehicles, for vehicles no more than ten years old with a valid pollution certificate; apply only for the next two days, and carry a printout. Our Himachal Hills Tour offers an optional drive towards Rohtang, snow and season permitting; the permit is not included.

Naggar and Jagatsukh

Naggar, 22 km from Manali on the left bank of the Beas, was the capital of the Kullu principality until 1660, when the capital moved to Sultanpur in Kullu. Its castle, built by Raja Sidh Singh, shows the woodcarving, stone and metal craft of its time and is now a museum and heritage hotel run by Himachal Tourism. The Nicholas Roerich Art Gallery, in the Russian painter's former home, shows his work, and the Vasuki Nag and Tripura Sundari temples are nearby. Jagatsukh, 6 km from Manali, was the capital before Naggar and keeps its Gauri Shankar and Gayatri temples.

Kullu and Manikaran

Kullu, 40 km down the valley, keeps the valley's presiding deity, Lord Raghunath, in a temple in the palace complex, and holds the week-long Kullu Dussehra in October. A walk uphill to the Bijli Mahadev temple gives wide views of the valley, and the stone Shiva temple at Bajaura, dated to between the 9th and 12th centuries, stands by the highway. Rafting runs on the Beas from March to May and September to November. Manikaran, 45 km from Kullu in the Parvati valley, has a gurdwara and hot sulphur spring; see our Kasol travel guide.

Bhrigu Lake, Beas Kund and the Hampta Pass

Manali is the trailhead for several well-known treks. Bhrigu Lake, at 4,235 m below Bhrigu peak, is a high lake locals hold sacred; Beas Kund, a glacial lake near the source of the Beas, is reached from Solang; and the Hampta (Hamta) Pass crosses from the green Kullu valley to drier Lahaul over several days of camping. The Kullu district issues Hamta Pass permits on the same online portal as Rohtang. Our Manali trekking experience provides a guide, porter or pack-animal support, camping gear and meals on multi-day routes, best from about June to September.

• Weather: Himachal Tourism warns that thunderstorms and sudden snow can turn a warm day cold within minutes, so carry light woollens and a scarf even in summer.
• Paragliding: under the Aero Sports Rules, 2022, fly only with a registered operator and a licensed pilot; children under 12 or under 30 kg, pregnant women, people with heart conditions, epilepsy, lung disorders or asthma, and anyone who has had alcohol in the previous eight hours may not fly, and flying ends an hour before sunset or at 6 pm. Our Bir Billing travel guide covers the rules in full.
• Rohtang: besides the permit, a congestion charge applies to every vehicle crossing the Gulaba bridge.
• Roads in the rains: in July and August, check the road before each drive and leave a spare day.