Things to Do in Manali – Complete Guide
Trekking in Manali – The Complete Guide
Manali is the adventure capital of India and trekking in Manali is offers from 1 Day Trek in Manali to Multi Days Expeditions to near by peaks in Himachal Manali. Trekking in Manali is the mainstay tourism in Manali now from family camping, easy treks in Manali you can book it through your Hotels or various Trekking Agency in Manali.
Here are the important information which you might required when Trekking in Manali
About Himachal Pradesh
Trekking in Manali In Hindu religion there are 33 Crore Devis and Devta and Himachal Pradesh popularly known as the Devbhumi means “The Land of Dev”, Himachal Pradesh is a beautiful Himalayan state of north India. The state is surrounded Tibetan plateau, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. Himachal Pradesh is the prominent hills state on the Indian tourism map for both leisure and adventure. Himachal Pradesh is home to High Altitude Trans Himalayan desert, Dense Deodar forests, and mouth watering Apple laden trees, Snow capped high Himalayan mountain ranges, Glacial Lakes, thundering rivers and beautiful people on earth.

Manali – The most Famous Hill Station in India
Manali is undoubtedly an adventure capital of India famous for various adventure activities like Rafting, Paragliding, trekking in the Himalayas, Zorbing, Camping, Birding and other adventure sports. Manali tourist season is year all round affair with tourist. Backpackers come to enjoy the solitude of hippy villages around the Manali town, adventurers come for trekking in Himalayas, rafting, paragliding, skiing and honeymooners and families swarm the Manali town for mountain views and cool air.
Manali town serves as the basecamp for adventure and motorbike junkies for their long demanding journeys to the tough Trans Himalayan terrain of Lahaul & Spiti and Leh Ladakh. Manali also serves as the staging point for trekking in Manali to various treks Hampta Pass, Chandrakhani Pass, Beas Kund Trek, Brighu Lake trek, Sar Pass Trek and numerous other treks in Lahaul and Spiti.
Manali best time to Visit
Though Manali is nowadays is a year long affair but May-June and September – October are the best months to visit Manali but because of good connectivity of luxury Volvo buses anytime is the good time to visit Manali. In July August Manali is full of adventurers who are planning their Leh Ladakh tour and in winters with those who want to have their first snow experience.
Here is the monthly breakup for your Manali tour
March – June: Summer Full Peak Season
July – August: Monsoon, Heavy Rainfall
Mid September – Mid Oct: Monsoons recede leaving lush green cover
October – February: Enjoy Snowfall in Manali
Temperature in Manali

How to Reach Manali
By Volvo Bus
Best way to Reach Manali is by taking a luxury bus from Delhi which starts around 4 PM from Delhi and takes around 14 hours to reach Manali. You can book tickets online through these websites
HRTC
HPTDC
Redbus
Railway Station
Nearest Railway station to Manali: Chandigarh and Ambala are the nearest railway station to Manali and from these stations one can get several buses or taxi for Manali and takes around 8 – 10 Hours depending on the traffic.
By Air
Bhuntar is the nearest airport which is around 50 kms from Manali is the fastest way to reach Manali but at the time of writing this article there were no flight operating.
Manali Sightseeing and best places to visit in Manali
HadimbaTemple
Hadimba Temple is in Manali around 1 km from circuit house. The Hadimba temple is very calm and surrounded by tall deodar trees.
SolangValley
Solang Valley is famous for adventure sports like Skiing, Para gliding, Zorbing is located around 11 kms from
Manikaran
Manikaran is a centre of pilgrimage for both Hindus and Sikhs; it’s located in Parvati Valley on the banks of Parvati Valley and famous for its sulphur springs cooked rice.
Rohtang Pass
It’s the first pass one has to cross on Manali – Leh highway or a gateway to Lahaul and Spiti and situated at an altitude of 3979 m.
Old Manali
Old Manali is backpackers paradise full of awesome cafes, restaurant and budget guest house attract lot of backpackers, trekkers and adventure junkies. Our favourite is Geeta Cottage to stay and Laze Dog cafe for food.
Manu Temple
Manu Temple is about 3 kms from the Old Manali main bazar. It is believed that this is the only temple of Manu Rishi in India. Manu Rishi is believed to be the creator of human race on earth.
Great Himalayan National Park
The newest National Park of India with an area of 754 sq. km. is located in Kullu District and is home to virgin coniferous forest of Himachal Pradesh and important wildlife species of Western Himalayas. Raktisar Trek – the origin of Sainj River and Tirath Trek – the origin of Tirthan River are the famous treks in Great Himalayan National Park.
Naggar Castle
Now a HPTDC hotel was once residence of Raja Sidh Singh of Kullu. It’s unique amalgamation of European and Himalayan architecture and use of stone and wood only. Blockbuster Jab We Met and lot of other movies were shot in Naggar Castle. You can stay in Naggar Castle and revisit the history for just Rs 1700 per night for Court Yard Suite.
Pandoh Dam
The dam on River Beas about 80 kms from Manali and is a sight to watch, the gushing water from Pandoh Dam is incredibly beautiful. Just look out from the window on the way to Manali to get the glimpse of the beautiful dam.
Jagatsukh Shiva Temple
Jagatsukh is small picturesque village located 7 kms from Manali on the way to Naggar. Jagatsukh is known for its temples and tranquil environment. The Shiva temple in Jagatsukh was built during 8th century in “Shikhara Style” Hindu temple architecture representing a mountain peak.
Malana Village
The infamous Malana Village is always a hot topic of discussion only because of negative reasons like the drug mafia selling Malana Cream with its Do’s and Don’ts rules. However the Malana Village is unique in terms its geographical location which helped in preserving its Bio diversity. The architecture of temples and houses, language, worship rituals make this village a unique village in Himachal Pradesh. Until few years back the only to reach Malana village is to do Chanderkhani pass trek from Jari to Malana.
Kasol Village
Kasol is a small village located about 75 kms from Manali on road to Manikaran Sahib. Kasol is an ultimate choice for backpacking, trekking and enjoying the nature at its best. Recent flux of Israeli tourist made it famous as mini Israel of India and mushrooming of restaurant and guest house in Kasol.
Roerich Art Gallery
A must visit for art aficionados Roerich Art Gallery is about 2km above the Naggar castle. It is the former home of a possible spy Nikolai Roerich an eccentric painter, spiritualist and an explorer. He died in Naggar in 1947.
Urusvati Himalayan Folk & Art Museum
A five-minute walk uphill from the Roerich art Gallery is the Urusvati Himalayan Folk & Art Museum (admission with the gallery ticket).
Best Trekking in Manali
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Beas Kund Trek
Beas Kund Trekking is the source of River Beas and Beas Kund trek near Manali is very famous amongst the first time trekkers in Himalayas. Beas Kund trek is a easy trek in the Himalayas can be start from Old Manali or Solang Valley. The Beas Kund Trek route is Old Manali – Solang Valley – Bakkar Thach – Beas Kund.
Bhrigu Lake Trekking at an altitude of 4235 m lies east of Rohtang pass and about 6km from village of Gulaba. Brighu Lake trek is another popular trek near Manali which is above 4000m. Bhrigu Lake trek is an easy trek starts from Vashisht and can be done in a span of 1 to 5 days.
Hampta Pass Trekking is a famous trek which connects Kullu Valley to Lahaul and Spiti valley. Hampta Pass trek get its name from people of Hampta village use this pass to take their herds in Lahaul & Spiti valley for Neeru grass.
As the name suggests Pin Valley National Park lies in the Pin Valley of Pin River in Lahaul & Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh and is home endangered animals including shy snow leopard and Himalayan Ibex. There are many treks in Pin Valley National Park the most famous is Pin Parvati Pass Trek which starts from Barsheni in Kullu and ends in Mud Village near Kaza in Lahaul Spiti Valley. Trekking Pin Parvati Pass is challenging and it’s connect Parvati Valley to Pin Valley National Park.
Where to stay in Manali: Hotels in Manali
Now you know what to do in Manali then comes the important question Where to stay in Manali? Here is the list of all types of accommodation from luxury to basic types of hotels in Manali
5 star hotels in Manali: There are no branded hotel chain’s hotel is there in Manali but these two Hotel and resort are of 5 star hotels in Manali.
- Manu Allaya Resort And Spa, Manali
- Span Resort & Spa, Manali
3 star hotels in Manali
Our favourite is Apple Bud cottages for more check out on Cleartrip with Tripadvisor ratings.
Best for backpackers and Trekkers who come to enjoy nature with a budget here are the list of our favourite hotels or guest houses in Manali with their per day tariff.
Geeta Cottage – Old Manali
Basic guest house in Old Manali just before Drifter’s Inn nice rooms with balcony and per day cost around Rs 600 with free WiFi
Mountain View Guest House
A guest just opposite the Hang Out cafe with nice and clean rooms with free wifi and with in a budget of Rs 700
Khusboo Resorts
Its a very good hotel just opposite the BRO camp in Aleo Manali. The service and staff is super for per day cost of Rs 1200
Enjoy your stay in Manali and if you like this please share with your friends!! And for Leh Ladakh Packages click !!
Happy Trekking in Manali