Manali Tour Packages

Each vehicle going up to Rohtang for sightseeing needs a permit from the Kullu district administration, applied for online. Numbers are capped under National Green Tribunal orders at 800 petrol and 400 diesel vehicles a day; a permit is valid for one day, can be requested up to two days ahead, and needs a valid pollution certificate and a vehicle under ten years old. A congestion charge applies at Gulaba. The permit is not included in the Himachal Hills Tour.

For travel north, yes. The Atal Tunnel, opened on 3 October 2020, runs 9.02 km under the Rohtang Pass at about 3,000 metres, from a south portal 25 km from Manali to the Lahaul valley near Sissu. It keeps Lahaul connected to Manali all year, where the valley used to be cut off for about six months each winter, and shortens the road to Leh by 46 km. Rohtang itself is now a separate sightseeing trip, with its own permit.

Snow comes in the deep of winter: the state tourism department says December and January temperatures in Manali can fall below minus 5°C. Solang's slopes then become a ski area, where state and national ski championships are held, and the town's winter carnival takes place in the first week of January. Rohtang is closed through the winter. The Himachal Hills Tour is recommended for spring and autumn, so for snow, ask for a tailor-made winter plan.

In summer, Solang Nullah, 13 km from town, offers a gondola ropeway, paragliding, zorbing and quad-bike rides. Naggar, 22 km down the valley and the old capital of Kullu, has a castle that Himachal Tourism runs as a museum and heritage hotel, and the Nicholas Roerich Art Gallery. Vashisht village, reached on foot from the market, has hot springs. On the Himachal Hills Tour, Solang's activities are paid separately, so you choose which to do.

At times, yes. The state tourism department names April to July, when visitors escape the heat of the plains, and October to December as the busy seasons, and the Rohtang road draws most traffic from June to August. Access to Rohtang is capped each day to protect the pass, so plan that day early. For a quieter visit, ask about March or September dates; both fall inside the seasons the Himachal Hills Tour is planned for.

Yes, in the warmer months. From Manali the road to Kaza runs through the Atal Tunnel and over the Kunzum pass, which the Lahaul and Spiti district says is usually closed from about October or November until June or July. Our Spiti Valley circuit chooses its way in by season and can start from Manali when the pass is open, leaving towards Shimla if roads allow. Because Spiti is high, the circuit's days are paced to let you acclimatise.