Dalhousie   Dharamshala   Manali   Shimla

Manali located in the Kullu Valley in the state of Himachal Pradesh, Manali is one of the most beautiful hill stations of the country. The town provides ample opportunities for adventure sport and winter sports. Easily accessible by road and a major base point for many of the important passes of the country, Manali draws a good number of tourists from within the country and abroad every year.

Sightseeing Manali has a number of thrilling and picture perfect sites to visit. Some of the important attractions are the natural hot-water fountain and temple in the Vashishtha Baths, the legendary Hadimba Devi Temple and the picturesque Tibetan Monastery. Go a little bit away from the town, and you come across the legendary Arjun Gufa, the historical Jagatsukh, the Nehru Kund, Kothi, and the Solang Valley, besides the Rehalla Falls. Excursions Manali offers sites nearby that you can visit on a daylong trip. These places provide you a view of the magnificent Himalayas and the scintillating feeling of being one with the Mother Nature. The region around Manali also has some of the major passes of the country. The Rohtang Pass, Keylong, Naggar, Manikaran, Udaipur, Bhutta Weavers Colony, Kullu and the Bhuntar are some of the places that are worth a visit. VASHISHTHA BATHS The hot water spring of Vashishtha is famous for its medicinal power. A large number of people throng here for a bath as the water of the spring is believed to cure several diseases. There is a pyramidal stone temple nearby, which is dedicated to Vashishta Muni. HADIMBA DEVI TEMPLE The Hadimba Devi temple is an important place to visit in Manali. The temple is dedicated to the goddess-turned-demoness Hadimba (or Hirimba), the wife of Bhima. It is said that Bhima fell in love with Hadimba, the sister of demon Tandi, whom he killed in order to marry Hadimba. Built in the 1553, this temple is locally known as Doongri Mata temple. The temple is characterised by its pagoda-like roof that adds into the beauty of the place. According to a legend, to prevent the duplication of this four-tier temple construction, the chief craftsman’s right hand was chopped off. But this motivated the builder to construct another more elaborate and beautiful temple with his left hand, for which he lost his head. The second temple was built at Triloknath, 155 km away from Manali. TIBETAN MONASTERY The colourful Tibetan monastery is famous for its carpet-weaving unit where the residents, the immigrants from Tibet, produce handicrafts of various kinds that attract the tourists towards it. ARJUN GUFA Located at a distance of 15 km from the main Manali town area, Arjun Gufa is another place to visit in Manali. Located near the Prini Village, the legendary gufa (cave) is an ideal spot for a daylong visit. According to a legend, Arjuna, one of the Pandavas, used to practice stringent meditation here to attain the powerful Pashupata Ashtra (a powerful weapon used in warfare). JAGATSUKH Located at a distance of 6 km from Manali, Jagatsukh is the largest village of Kullu district. It is situated on the bank of the river Beas, and is famous for its glorious history as well as the religious importance that it holds. The village has a famous temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The structure of the temple is of the Shikhara style. Jagatsukh also holds historical importance as it functioned as the ancient capital of Kullu for about ten generations. In addition, it was here that the first and second revolutions against the Thakurs and Ranas took place. NEHRU KUND Located on the Manali-Keylong road at a distance of 6 km from Manali town, Nehru Kund is a calm and peaceful place to visit. The name of the place is given after the first Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. The place is especially famous for the clean water spring, which is believed to flow from the Brhigu Lake KOTHI Located at a distance of 12 km from Manali, Kothi is situated on the Lahaul-Spiti-Leh highway. Kothi served as the camping place for tourists when the 3,978-metre-high Rohtang Pass had to be reached on foot. However, the Rohtang Pass is now accessible by bus, jeep and pony. It also has a comfortable staying option in the beautiful PWD Rest House, which lies in the middle of a picture-perfect surrounding of the snow-capped peaks and glaciers. SOLANG VALLEY Located at a distance of 13 km from Manali town, Solang Valley is known for its beautiful landscape, thrilling snow-capped mountain peaks and the view of the glaciers. You can have a breathtaking view of the Himalayan range from the various view points. Many tourists throng this place especially during the winter skiing festival. It also has on-the-spot skiing training facility, a hostel of the Department of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, and ANTREK Campsite Resort. REHALLA FALLS Located at a distance of 16 km from Manali, the picturesque Rehalla Falls is a result of spilling water from steep rocks and melting glaciers. It is perched at an altitude of 9,000 ft. and provides you an excellent view of the nature around. The entire area is also characterised by the forest of deodar, silver birch trees and a fresh and aromatic air. Excursions for Manali Bhuntar Located at a distance of 50 km from Manali town, Bhuntar is a picturesque town. Bhuntar houses the nearest airport to Manali. Bhutti Weavers Colony Bhutti is an important shopping place around Manali. It houses the Himachal State Weaving Co-Operative, also called the Bhutti Weavers colony. It has retail outlets for shawls, caps, gadmas and other handicrafts. Keylong Keylong, located at an altitude of 3,350 metres, is the headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti district of the state of Himachal Pradesh. Keylong makes a convenient base to visit some of the nearby destinations like the Rohtang Pass, Koksar, Sissu, Gondla and Tandi. Kullu Kullu is a wonder-filled, picturesque excursion itinerary from Manali. The place is characterised by fascinating mountains, calm, placid and gorgeous valleys, gentle breeze, and whispering pines. Kullu finds mention in the great Indian epic Mahabharata as many mythological figures came and resided in this valley of the Gods. Being in Kullu will give you the opportunity to see some of its important places like the Akhara Bazaar, Katrian, Kasol, Rasion, Manikaran and Pulga. Manikaran Located at a distance of 86 km from Manali, Manikaran is another mythological as well as religious site to visit from Manali. The name of the place is derived from the words, 'mani' (meaning jewel) and 'karan' (meaning ears). According to a legend, fascinated by its beauty, Lord Shiva and Parvati decided to stay here. One day Goddess Parvati lost one of her earrings here and could not find it despite all efforts. This made the Lord angry and He opened his third eye, which resulted in large-scale destruction. The name Manikaran is believed to have its origin in the above legend. Naggar Located at a distance of 22 km, Naggar makes an ideal getaway from Manali. Besides its natural beauty, the place is also an important pilgrimage site with its Gauri Shankar Temple, the Chatar Bhuj Temple, Tripura Sundri Devi Temple and the Murlidhar Temple. Naggar was the capital of the Kullu Valley during the 16th century. The beautiful castle here, built by the then Kullu ruler, houses a temple in the courtyard with a small museum. Rohtang Pass

Situated at an altitude of 3,978 m, the famous Rohtang Pass is a must visit destination near Manali. The gateway to Lahaul Spiti, Pangi and the Leh valley, it is an important excursion point, a paradise for the adventurous tourist. Although it asks you to bear some chill in the wind but the views it provides are worth all the hardships. You can also see the precipitous cliffs, huge glaciers and deep ravines. However, this pass is open for tourists only during the summer months as the rest of the year the traffic flow is interrupted due to the heavy snowfall.

From Rohtang, one can access the Sonepani Glacier and the snow-crowned twin peaks of Geypang and Marh (10 km from Manali). Udaipur Located at a distance of about 145 km from Manali, Udaipur is the base point to visit a number trekking of sites. It is also famous for its exemplary shikhara style temple built after 1720 near Chamba. Formerly known as Margul, the name Udaipur was given during the reign of Raja Udai Singh of Chamba (1690-1728). The place is also known for its apples, walnuts, apricots, etc.