How to reach Manali and main places to see around Kullu, Himachal Pradesh

Recently Neha visited Manali, when seasons first snowfall happened. This Photo Journey shares some of the beautiful photographs of Manali town with white sheet all around. Manali town looks beautiful after fresh snowfall and that's when one can enjoy the snow in best way. Fresh snowfall makes a place beautiful and after a while the same snow creates mess, if not handled properly. Whenever Kullu valley gets snowfall, many of the tourists from Delhi, Chandigarh and various parts of Haryana/Punjab start moving towards Manali. Above photograph looks so poetic. Beas river surrounded by snow covered landscapes having symmetrical trees as a background.Usually tourists visit Rohtang Pass to see snow which is usually not that fresh. Fresh snow is always very special. It's fluffy texture makes it special. As it gets old, some part of the snow starts melting and it starts becoming ice which is hard. And after few days, dust starts settling down on this snow and it looks horrible. If you have ever visited Rohtang, you know what I am talking about. Ten years back snowfall pattern was quite predictable and most of the times, snow used to happen in the month of december. Most of the tourists used to prefer Shimla and Manali for Christmas or New Year vacations. For last few years, this pattern was broken and hills were getting first snowfall in January or February. Many of the folks associated with Tourism must be very happy this year. Snowfall in the month of december is definitely a good indicator for a profitable tourist season.Hills around Manali look amazing after snowfall. But at the same time, it restrict you to move around. Most of the basic facilities get disrupted and connecting roads gets blocked. It becomes difficult to go to some of the interesting places like Naggar Castle, Solang Nala, Marhi, Rohtang, Manikaran, Kasol Malana etc. Snowfall in these hill stations is definitely very exciting for tourists, but for local folks it's a temporary fun and suddenly many of the facilities stop working for next few weeks. Electricity cuts become normal and imagine living around snow without electricity. Although folks have figured out right ways to deal with these situations but still not having electricity and water for 6 days is big deal.Thanks Neha for sharing these beautiful photographs from Manali.
New Year is around the corner and lot of folks have started planning the destination to welcome 2016. Recently we have receiving various queries related to New Year Destinations and many of the folks want to visit Manali because of different reasons - high probability to find snow, fresh air,  brilliant landscapes and choices of some good parties. By looking at the trends this year (at least in North India), we thought of compiling this post which would talk about the ways to reach Kullu Manali, road condition, Manali Weather, Manali Hotels, places to see in Manali and Manali trance music etc. 
If you are planning a trip to Manali, Rohtang Pass, Kullu, Manikaran or Lahual Spiti, which Photo Journey will give you some glimpses of landscapes you can expect along with some tips on planning the trip. Which includes modes of transportation, right places to stay and things to do around this region. Manali used to be one of my regular destination 8 years back and almost every year I was there during summers as well as winters.Kullu-Manali used to be one of the top 10 destinations in India, when most of the bollywood was only shooting around Kullu valley. Bollywood has been one of the most important influencer in tourism industry and over the years India has got many new places which were least explored. And some of them are over-hyped because of super-hit bollywood movies :). Still this remains in the top list for folks who like to be around natural beauty. Lot of tourists like Manali, although travelers may want to cross it to hit Spiti or Lahual region. Things have been changing very fast and the places as well.Manali is little far for non-Himachalis as compared to Shimla, especially folks coming from Delhi/Chandigarh and other states of the country. But roads are pretty decent and that’s the only way to hit Manali town. Train is available till Kiratpur(Punjab) and from there one needs to book the taxi or opt for bus. Weekly flights are also available from Delhi which would land you at Bhuntar and need to take Taxi. It would take approximately 3 hours from bhuntar to Manali (writing on the basis of road current conditions). So it’s always recommended to check road condition when someone plans to visit a place/region.Direct luxury buses are easily available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla or other nearby cities in Himachal, Punjab and Haryana. Most of the Volvo and Mercedes buses take 13-14 hours from Delhi to Manali. These buses take 2-3 stops for food and snacks. And they stop at good places unlike other roadways buses which usually stop at dhabas in relatively bad condition and having dirty places around. After 2016, time to reach Manali will reduce because of high-speed highway which is under construction right now and work is happening at very fast pace. And the best part is that new road will avoid the worst stretch of this whole journey.Summers is definitely a best time to explore Kullu valley and Manali, but keep a note that it would be very crowded during summers. All Hotels and Resorts would be full and highly priced. Personally I don’t like visiting places, when tourism is at peak (tourist season). My favorite time is to visit such places in off season and make the best :). So winter is again a good time and there is high probability of experiencing fresh snowfall if you are there between last week of dec and feb.This Photo Journey shares some of the very old photographs with my first point-n-shoot digital camera. I was out with my college friends and idea was to go till Trilokinath Temple which is in Lahual region of Himachal Pradesh.We booked a 4*4 taxi from Bilaspur and headed towards Manali, didn’t stop there and hit Trilokinath temple after crossing Rohtang Pass and some amazing & scary landscapes. We were driving on narrowest roads having river flowing on one side and high hill on other. By night we reached Trilokinath temple after some strrugles on the way. There were some landslides which had broken the roads but that experience made the trip memorable :).Spent a night at Trilokinath temple and drove through other parts of Lahual, mainly around Keylong. Amazing landscapes and humble folks. I will be sharing a separate Photo Journey about Lahual experiences.Crossing Rohtang Pass was one of the major challenges of this trip. Traffic jams are big issue on this road and as you reach the other end of pass, melting snow makes your life most difficult. At times, our taxi starting slipping on the frozen roads and it was very scary. Then we started following few army trucks which proved very helpfulOn our back journey, we spent one night in Manali. Stayed in a very basic hotel booked through a friend working in Himachal Tourism. Explored areas around Manali – Old Manali, Hadimba Temple, Naggar Castle, Kullu, Manikaran, Kasol, Vashishth etc. Probably separate Photo Journeys would be useful to share those experiences and specially the Naggar Castle and Fruits valley.Will share more about this journey in next post…
Let's talk about options to reach Manali - HRTC run Volvo buses are most convenient if you are travelling from Delhi. Apart from comfortable Volvos, there are different other types of buses run between Manali and other major cities in North India. Luxury buses (Volvo) are also run by Himachal Tourism. Why do I mention Buses as first option for reaching hill stations in Himachal? Because, if you don't like breaking the journey buses are only options to reach these beautiful hill stations. Essentially it's about road connectivity, so taxi or self driving is another option. If you are thinking of train journey, then Una and Kiratpur are nearest railway stations. It depends, from where you are coming. Folks coming from Delhi & Chandigarh, Kiratpur is nearest railway station and from here you need to hire a taxi. And distance between Kiratpur and Manali is more than 230 kilometers. Nearest Airport is Bhuntar, which is 50 kilometers away from Manali town and very close to Kullu.

If you are planning a trip to Manali, Rohtang Pass, Kullu, Manikaran or Lahual Spiti, which Photo Journey will give you some glimpses of landscapes you can expect along with some tips on planning the trip. Which includes modes of transportation, right places to stay and things to do around this region. Manali used to be one of my regular destination 8 years back and almost every year I was there during summers as well as winters.Kullu-Manali used to be one of the top 10 destinations in India, when most of the bollywood was only shooting around Kullu valley. Bollywood has been one of the most important influencer in tourism industry and over the years India has got many new places which were least explored. And some of them are over-hyped because of super-hit bollywood movies :). Still this remains in the top list for folks who like to be around natural beauty. Lot of tourists like Manali, although travelers may want to cross it to hit Spiti or Lahual region. Things have been changing very fast and the places as well.Manali is little far for non-Himachalis as compared to Shimla, especially folks coming from Delhi/Chandigarh and other states of the country. But roads are pretty decent and that’s the only way to hit Manali town. Train is available till Kiratpur(Punjab) and from there one needs to book the taxi or opt for bus. Weekly flights are also available from Delhi which would land you at Bhuntar and need to take Taxi. It would take approximately 3 hours from bhuntar to Manali (writing on the basis of road current conditions). So it’s always recommended to check road condition when someone plans to visit a place/region.Direct luxury buses are easily available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla or other nearby cities in Himachal, Punjab and Haryana. Most of the Volvo and Mercedes buses take 13-14 hours from Delhi to Manali. These buses take 2-3 stops for food and snacks. And they stop at good places unlike other roadways buses which usually stop at dhabas in relatively bad condition and having dirty places around. After 2016, time to reach Manali will reduce because of high-speed highway which is under construction right now and work is happening at very fast pace. And the best part is that new road will avoid the worst stretch of this whole journey.Summers is definitely a best time to explore Kullu valley and Manali, but keep a note that it would be very crowded during summers. All Hotels and Resorts would be full and highly priced. Personally I don’t like visiting places, when tourism is at peak (tourist season). My favorite time is to visit such places in off season and make the best :). So winter is again a good time and there is high probability of experiencing fresh snowfall if you are there between last week of dec and feb.This Photo Journey shares some of the very old photographs with my first point-n-shoot digital camera. I was out with my college friends and idea was to go till Trilokinath Temple which is in Lahual region of Himachal Pradesh.We booked a 4*4 taxi from Bilaspur and headed towards Manali, didn’t stop there and hit Trilokinath temple after crossing Rohtang Pass and some amazing & scary landscapes. We were driving on narrowest roads having river flowing on one side and high hill on other. By night we reached Trilokinath temple after some strrugles on the way. There were some landslides which had broken the roads but that experience made the trip memorable :).Spent a night at Trilokinath temple and drove through other parts of Lahual, mainly around Keylong. Amazing landscapes and humble folks. I will be sharing a separate Photo Journey about Lahual experiences.Crossing Rohtang Pass was one of the major challenges of this trip. Traffic jams are big issue on this road and as you reach the other end of pass, melting snow makes your life most difficult. At times, our taxi starting slipping on the frozen roads and it was very scary. Then we started following few army trucks which proved very helpfulOn our back journey, we spent one night in Manali. Stayed in a very basic hotel booked through a friend working in Himachal Tourism. Explored areas around Manali – Old Manali, Hadimba Temple, Naggar Castle, Kullu, Manikaran, Kasol, Vashishth etc. Probably separate Photo Journeys would be useful to share those experiences and specially the Naggar Castle and Fruits valley.Will share more about this journey in next post…
Ideal time to visit Kullu Manali -


Exploring Kullu Manali region easily needs 3-4 days, because there is so much to explore around this region. If you plan to visit Rohtang Pass, it easily takes the whole day unless you plan very smartly. Summers is main season but folks also visit in August-September-October month to see apple laden trees all around. Lot of folks reach Manali for celebrating New Year and folks try their luck to see snowfall in winters. Manali town looks awesome after fresh snowfall. 

If you are planning a trip to Manali, Rohtang Pass, Kullu, Manikaran or Lahual Spiti, which Photo Journey will give you some glimpses of landscapes you can expect along with some tips on planning the trip. Which includes modes of transportation, right places to stay and things to do around this region. Manali used to be one of my regular destination 8 years back and almost every year I was there during summers as well as winters.Kullu-Manali used to be one of the top 10 destinations in India, when most of the bollywood was only shooting around Kullu valley. Bollywood has been one of the most important influencer in tourism industry and over the years India has got many new places which were least explored. And some of them are over-hyped because of super-hit bollywood movies :). Still this remains in the top list for folks who like to be around natural beauty. Lot of tourists like Manali, although travelers may want to cross it to hit Spiti or Lahual region. Things have been changing very fast and the places as well.Manali is little far for non-Himachalis as compared to Shimla, especially folks coming from Delhi/Chandigarh and other states of the country. But roads are pretty decent and that’s the only way to hit Manali town. Train is available till Kiratpur(Punjab) and from there one needs to book the taxi or opt for bus. Weekly flights are also available from Delhi which would land you at Bhuntar and need to take Taxi. It would take approximately 3 hours from bhuntar to Manali (writing on the basis of road current conditions). So it’s always recommended to check road condition when someone plans to visit a place/region.Direct luxury buses are easily available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla or other nearby cities in Himachal, Punjab and Haryana. Most of the Volvo and Mercedes buses take 13-14 hours from Delhi to Manali. These buses take 2-3 stops for food and snacks. And they stop at good places unlike other roadways buses which usually stop at dhabas in relatively bad condition and having dirty places around. After 2016, time to reach Manali will reduce because of high-speed highway which is under construction right now and work is happening at very fast pace. And the best part is that new road will avoid the worst stretch of this whole journey.Summers is definitely a best time to explore Kullu valley and Manali, but keep a note that it would be very crowded during summers. All Hotels and Resorts would be full and highly priced. Personally I don’t like visiting places, when tourism is at peak (tourist season). My favorite time is to visit such places in off season and make the best :). So winter is again a good time and there is high probability of experiencing fresh snowfall if you are there between last week of dec and feb.This Photo Journey shares some of the very old photographs with my first point-n-shoot digital camera. I was out with my college friends and idea was to go till Trilokinath Temple which is in Lahual region of Himachal Pradesh.We booked a 4*4 taxi from Bilaspur and headed towards Manali, didn’t stop there and hit Trilokinath temple after crossing Rohtang Pass and some amazing & scary landscapes. We were driving on narrowest roads having river flowing on one side and high hill on other. By night we reached Trilokinath temple after some strrugles on the way. There were some landslides which had broken the roads but that experience made the trip memorable :).Spent a night at Trilokinath temple and drove through other parts of Lahual, mainly around Keylong. Amazing landscapes and humble folks. I will be sharing a separate Photo Journey about Lahual experiences.Crossing Rohtang Pass was one of the major challenges of this trip. Traffic jams are big issue on this road and as you reach the other end of pass, melting snow makes your life most difficult. At times, our taxi starting slipping on the frozen roads and it was very scary. Then we started following few army trucks which proved very helpfulOn our back journey, we spent one night in Manali. Stayed in a very basic hotel booked through a friend working in Himachal Tourism. Explored areas around Manali – Old Manali, Hadimba Temple, Naggar Castle, Kullu, Manikaran, Kasol, Vashishth etc. Probably separate Photo Journeys would be useful to share those experiences and specially the Naggar Castle and Fruits valley.Will share more about this journey in next post…

Now let's talk about some of the interesting places to explore in and around Kullu Manali. 
Personally I like driving around Kullu region, especially small villages, high hills, monasteries, apple orchards etc. Imagine yourself driving on narrow roads surrounded by tree landscapes and open windows of your car. What can be better than exploring hills by inhaling fresh air. If you are there in right season, you may get lucky and can get fresh apples to eat. And not only apples, you can expect pears, raw almonds, apricot, peach as well. But be aware when you are around these orchards. Don’t try to go near these orchards, because there can be dogs guarding these properties. So it’s recommended to request local folks instead of plucking apples yourself. 

Recently Neha visited Manali, when seasons first snowfall happened. This Photo Journey shares some of the beautiful photographs of Manali town with white sheet all around. Manali town looks beautiful after fresh snowfall and that's when one can enjoy the snow in best way. Fresh snowfall makes a place beautiful and after a while the same snow creates mess, if not handled properly. Whenever Kullu valley gets snowfall, many of the tourists from Delhi, Chandigarh and various parts of Haryana/Punjab start moving towards Manali. Above photograph looks so poetic. Beas river surrounded by snow covered landscapes having symmetrical trees as a background.Usually tourists visit Rohtang Pass to see snow which is usually not that fresh. Fresh snow is always very special. It's fluffy texture makes it special. As it gets old, some part of the snow starts melting and it starts becoming ice which is hard. And after few days, dust starts settling down on this snow and it looks horrible. If you have ever visited Rohtang, you know what I am talking about. Ten years back snowfall pattern was quite predictable and most of the times, snow used to happen in the month of december. Most of the tourists used to prefer Shimla and Manali for Christmas or New Year vacations. For last few years, this pattern was broken and hills were getting first snowfall in January or February. Many of the folks associated with Tourism must be very happy this year. Snowfall in the month of december is definitely a good indicator for a profitable tourist season.Hills around Manali look amazing after snowfall. But at the same time, it restrict you to move around. Most of the basic facilities get disrupted and connecting roads gets blocked. It becomes difficult to go to some of the interesting places like Naggar Castle, Solang Nala, Marhi, Rohtang, Manikaran, Kasol Malana etc. Snowfall in these hill stations is definitely very exciting for tourists, but for local folks it's a temporary fun and suddenly many of the facilities stop working for next few weeks. Electricity cuts become normal and imagine living around snow without electricity. Although folks have figured out right ways to deal with these situations but still not having electricity and water for 6 days is big deal.Thanks Neha for sharing these beautiful photographs from Manali.

Rohtang Pass - Most of the folks who visit Kullu Manali, they plan to visit Rohtang Pass. Mainly because Rohtang pass has snow all the time. Even I have Rohtang Pass in this list, but please be aware that old snow looks pretty bad, especially on the hills which are near road. Dirt settles on the white sheet and one don't feel like touching this snow. If you are there at Rohtang Pass, then various snow sports are available there. Make best of the time you spend around Marhi or Rohtang Pass. Also be aware that Manali to Rohtang Pass is most of the times impacted by traffic jams. So plan your visit wisely.

If you are planning a trip to Manali, Rohtang Pass, Kullu, Manikaran or Lahual Spiti, which Photo Journey will give you some glimpses of landscapes you can expect along with some tips on planning the trip. Which includes modes of transportation, right places to stay and things to do around this region. Manali used to be one of my regular destination 8 years back and almost every year I was there during summers as well as winters.Kullu-Manali used to be one of the top 10 destinations in India, when most of the bollywood was only shooting around Kullu valley. Bollywood has been one of the most important influencer in tourism industry and over the years India has got many new places which were least explored. And some of them are over-hyped because of super-hit bollywood movies :). Still this remains in the top list for folks who like to be around natural beauty. Lot of tourists like Manali, although travelers may want to cross it to hit Spiti or Lahual region. Things have been changing very fast and the places as well.Manali is little far for non-Himachalis as compared to Shimla, especially folks coming from Delhi/Chandigarh and other states of the country. But roads are pretty decent and that’s the only way to hit Manali town. Train is available till Kiratpur(Punjab) and from there one needs to book the taxi or opt for bus. Weekly flights are also available from Delhi which would land you at Bhuntar and need to take Taxi. It would take approximately 3 hours from bhuntar to Manali (writing on the basis of road current conditions). So it’s always recommended to check road condition when someone plans to visit a place/region.Direct luxury buses are easily available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla or other nearby cities in Himachal, Punjab and Haryana. Most of the Volvo and Mercedes buses take 13-14 hours from Delhi to Manali. These buses take 2-3 stops for food and snacks. And they stop at good places unlike other roadways buses which usually stop at dhabas in relatively bad condition and having dirty places around. After 2016, time to reach Manali will reduce because of high-speed highway which is under construction right now and work is happening at very fast pace. And the best part is that new road will avoid the worst stretch of this whole journey.Summers is definitely a best time to explore Kullu valley and Manali, but keep a note that it would be very crowded during summers. All Hotels and Resorts would be full and highly priced. Personally I don’t like visiting places, when tourism is at peak (tourist season). My favorite time is to visit such places in off season and make the best :). So winter is again a good time and there is high probability of experiencing fresh snowfall if you are there between last week of dec and feb.This Photo Journey shares some of the very old photographs with my first point-n-shoot digital camera. I was out with my college friends and idea was to go till Trilokinath Temple which is in Lahual region of Himachal Pradesh.We booked a 4*4 taxi from Bilaspur and headed towards Manali, didn’t stop there and hit Trilokinath temple after crossing Rohtang Pass and some amazing & scary landscapes. We were driving on narrowest roads having river flowing on one side and high hill on other. By night we reached Trilokinath temple after some strrugles on the way. There were some landslides which had broken the roads but that experience made the trip memorable :).Spent a night at Trilokinath temple and drove through other parts of Lahual, mainly around Keylong. Amazing landscapes and humble folks. I will be sharing a separate Photo Journey about Lahual experiences.Crossing Rohtang Pass was one of the major challenges of this trip. Traffic jams are big issue on this road and as you reach the other end of pass, melting snow makes your life most difficult. At times, our taxi starting slipping on the frozen roads and it was very scary. Then we started following few army trucks which proved very helpfulOn our back journey, we spent one night in Manali. Stayed in a very basic hotel booked through a friend working in Himachal Tourism. Explored areas around Manali – Old Manali, Hadimba Temple, Naggar Castle, Kullu, Manikaran, Kasol, Vashishth etc. Probably separate Photo Journeys would be useful to share those experiences and specially the Naggar Castle and Fruits valley.Will share more about this journey in next post…

Hadimba Temple - Hadimba temple is located in in Manali town. One can walk to Hadimba temple from Mall Road or main market. Temple is located in middle of a dense deodar forest. The Architecture of Hadimba temple is unique. 

If you are planning a trip to Manali, Rohtang Pass, Kullu, Manikaran or Lahual Spiti, which Photo Journey will give you some glimpses of landscapes you can expect along with some tips on planning the trip. Which includes modes of transportation, right places to stay and things to do around this region. Manali used to be one of my regular destination 8 years back and almost every year I was there during summers as well as winters.Kullu-Manali used to be one of the top 10 destinations in India, when most of the bollywood was only shooting around Kullu valley. Bollywood has been one of the most important influencer in tourism industry and over the years India has got many new places which were least explored. And some of them are over-hyped because of super-hit bollywood movies :). Still this remains in the top list for folks who like to be around natural beauty. Lot of tourists like Manali, although travelers may want to cross it to hit Spiti or Lahual region. Things have been changing very fast and the places as well.Manali is little far for non-Himachalis as compared to Shimla, especially folks coming from Delhi/Chandigarh and other states of the country. But roads are pretty decent and that’s the only way to hit Manali town. Train is available till Kiratpur(Punjab) and from there one needs to book the taxi or opt for bus. Weekly flights are also available from Delhi which would land you at Bhuntar and need to take Taxi. It would take approximately 3 hours from bhuntar to Manali (writing on the basis of road current conditions). So it’s always recommended to check road condition when someone plans to visit a place/region.Direct luxury buses are easily available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla or other nearby cities in Himachal, Punjab and Haryana. Most of the Volvo and Mercedes buses take 13-14 hours from Delhi to Manali. These buses take 2-3 stops for food and snacks. And they stop at good places unlike other roadways buses which usually stop at dhabas in relatively bad condition and having dirty places around. After 2016, time to reach Manali will reduce because of high-speed highway which is under construction right now and work is happening at very fast pace. And the best part is that new road will avoid the worst stretch of this whole journey.Summers is definitely a best time to explore Kullu valley and Manali, but keep a note that it would be very crowded during summers. All Hotels and Resorts would be full and highly priced. Personally I don’t like visiting places, when tourism is at peak (tourist season). My favorite time is to visit such places in off season and make the best :). So winter is again a good time and there is high probability of experiencing fresh snowfall if you are there between last week of dec and feb.This Photo Journey shares some of the very old photographs with my first point-n-shoot digital camera. I was out with my college friends and idea was to go till Trilokinath Temple which is in Lahual region of Himachal Pradesh.We booked a 4*4 taxi from Bilaspur and headed towards Manali, didn’t stop there and hit Trilokinath temple after crossing Rohtang Pass and some amazing & scary landscapes. We were driving on narrowest roads having river flowing on one side and high hill on other. By night we reached Trilokinath temple after some strrugles on the way. There were some landslides which had broken the roads but that experience made the trip memorable :).Spent a night at Trilokinath temple and drove through other parts of Lahual, mainly around Keylong. Amazing landscapes and humble folks. I will be sharing a separate Photo Journey about Lahual experiences.Crossing Rohtang Pass was one of the major challenges of this trip. Traffic jams are big issue on this road and as you reach the other end of pass, melting snow makes your life most difficult. At times, our taxi starting slipping on the frozen roads and it was very scary. Then we started following few army trucks which proved very helpfulOn our back journey, we spent one night in Manali. Stayed in a very basic hotel booked through a friend working in Himachal Tourism. Explored areas around Manali – Old Manali, Hadimba Temple, Naggar Castle, Kullu, Manikaran, Kasol, Vashishth etc. Probably separate Photo Journeys would be useful to share those experiences and specially the Naggar Castle and Fruits valley.Will share more about this journey in next post…
Vashishth Hot Water Springs - Vashishth Temple and warm water springs are little away from Manali Town. One can hire an auto to reach the place. It’s walkable as well, if it’s not raining. You need to take a short-cut from Mall road which would take you to the road heading towards Rohtang and then walk for 800 meters. You would find a hike on the right side, which takes you towards water springs. If you are lucky, you may see local deities doing some activities around the temple. Hot water springs are interesting. There are different sections for males and females to take bath. There is mild sulfur smell around these springs, because that’s the reason you get hot water there. Such hot water springs are also there in Manikaran, which 80 kilometers away from Manali. I have also attached tourist map of this region which would give you some sense about location of these places and how you should plan your days in Kullu Manali. 

Solang Valley - Solang Valley is popularly known for it's Paragliding experience and other snow sport activities. It's little away from Manali town. Solang is 13 kilometers away from Solang valley, if we look at the distance. Because of dense forestation around, snow is retained in Solang valley for a little longer.   

Manu Temple - Manu temple is very different from  Hadimba temple and also little different from traditional temples in India. It's interiors give you experience of a pahadi temple. It's interiors are made up of wooden structures. Also the location is very beautiful. It's in middle of a village and you need to walk a bit. 

Bijli Mahadev Trek - When I first heard of Bijli Mahadev and the way my friend explained about the place, this was first place to visit when I went to Kullu. We landed at Kullu after overnight journey from Delhi, put our stuff in room and started our journey towards Bijli Manahdev. One needs to park the car in one of the closest village and trek from there. From Parking it takes 45 minutes and it’s an easy trek. It’s a brilliant place to plan picnic at the top of the hill with fast flowing wind, which can also freeze you at times. The views from the top are unmatchable. This is one of the most beautiful and easy trek around Kullu. And the views from the top are brilliant. One can see Bhuntar Airport, Kullu Town, Manikaran and high hills all around. Bijli Mahadev is 22 kilometers from Kullu town.

If you are planning a trip to Manali, Rohtang Pass, Kullu, Manikaran or Lahual Spiti, which Photo Journey will give you some glimpses of landscapes you can expect along with some tips on planning the trip. Which includes modes of transportation, right places to stay and things to do around this region. Manali used to be one of my regular destination 8 years back and almost every year I was there during summers as well as winters.Kullu-Manali used to be one of the top 10 destinations in India, when most of the bollywood was only shooting around Kullu valley. Bollywood has been one of the most important influencer in tourism industry and over the years India has got many new places which were least explored. And some of them are over-hyped because of super-hit bollywood movies :). Still this remains in the top list for folks who like to be around natural beauty. Lot of tourists like Manali, although travelers may want to cross it to hit Spiti or Lahual region. Things have been changing very fast and the places as well.Manali is little far for non-Himachalis as compared to Shimla, especially folks coming from Delhi/Chandigarh and other states of the country. But roads are pretty decent and that’s the only way to hit Manali town. Train is available till Kiratpur(Punjab) and from there one needs to book the taxi or opt for bus. Weekly flights are also available from Delhi which would land you at Bhuntar and need to take Taxi. It would take approximately 3 hours from bhuntar to Manali (writing on the basis of road current conditions). So it’s always recommended to check road condition when someone plans to visit a place/region.Direct luxury buses are easily available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla or other nearby cities in Himachal, Punjab and Haryana. Most of the Volvo and Mercedes buses take 13-14 hours from Delhi to Manali. These buses take 2-3 stops for food and snacks. And they stop at good places unlike other roadways buses which usually stop at dhabas in relatively bad condition and having dirty places around. After 2016, time to reach Manali will reduce because of high-speed highway which is under construction right now and work is happening at very fast pace. And the best part is that new road will avoid the worst stretch of this whole journey.Summers is definitely a best time to explore Kullu valley and Manali, but keep a note that it would be very crowded during summers. All Hotels and Resorts would be full and highly priced. Personally I don’t like visiting places, when tourism is at peak (tourist season). My favorite time is to visit such places in off season and make the best :). So winter is again a good time and there is high probability of experiencing fresh snowfall if you are there between last week of dec and feb.This Photo Journey shares some of the very old photographs with my first point-n-shoot digital camera. I was out with my college friends and idea was to go till Trilokinath Temple which is in Lahual region of Himachal Pradesh.We booked a 4*4 taxi from Bilaspur and headed towards Manali, didn’t stop there and hit Trilokinath temple after crossing Rohtang Pass and some amazing & scary landscapes. We were driving on narrowest roads having river flowing on one side and high hill on other. By night we reached Trilokinath temple after some strrugles on the way. There were some landslides which had broken the roads but that experience made the trip memorable :).Spent a night at Trilokinath temple and drove through other parts of Lahual, mainly around Keylong. Amazing landscapes and humble folks. I will be sharing a separate Photo Journey about Lahual experiences.Crossing Rohtang Pass was one of the major challenges of this trip. Traffic jams are big issue on this road and as you reach the other end of pass, melting snow makes your life most difficult. At times, our taxi starting slipping on the frozen roads and it was very scary. Then we started following few army trucks which proved very helpfulOn our back journey, we spent one night in Manali. Stayed in a very basic hotel booked through a friend working in Himachal Tourism. Explored areas around Manali – Old Manali, Hadimba Temple, Naggar Castle, Kullu, Manikaran, Kasol, Vashishth etc. Probably separate Photo Journeys would be useful to share those experiences and specially the Naggar Castle and Fruits valley.Will share more about this journey in next post…

 Naggar Castle - Naggar is situated on one of the high hills around Kullu, which exposes you to brilliant views of Kullu Valley full of apple orchards. Naggar is 19 kilometers from Manali and the Kullu is 23 kilometers further from Naggar. HPDTC hotel Naggar Palace is one of the best options if you want to stay here. This is premium property of Himachal Tourism and lot of folks prefer staying here instead of crowded Manali town.

Recently Neha visited Manali, when seasons first snowfall happened. This Photo Journey shares some of the beautiful photographs of Manali town with white sheet all around. Manali town looks beautiful after fresh snowfall and that's when one can enjoy the snow in best way. Fresh snowfall makes a place beautiful and after a while the same snow creates mess, if not handled properly. Whenever Kullu valley gets snowfall, many of the tourists from Delhi, Chandigarh and various parts of Haryana/Punjab start moving towards Manali. Above photograph looks so poetic. Beas river surrounded by snow covered landscapes having symmetrical trees as a background.Usually tourists visit Rohtang Pass to see snow which is usually not that fresh. Fresh snow is always very special. It's fluffy texture makes it special. As it gets old, some part of the snow starts melting and it starts becoming ice which is hard. And after few days, dust starts settling down on this snow and it looks horrible. If you have ever visited Rohtang, you know what I am talking about. Ten years back snowfall pattern was quite predictable and most of the times, snow used to happen in the month of december. Most of the tourists used to prefer Shimla and Manali for Christmas or New Year vacations. For last few years, this pattern was broken and hills were getting first snowfall in January or February. Many of the folks associated with Tourism must be very happy this year. Snowfall in the month of december is definitely a good indicator for a profitable tourist season.Hills around Manali look amazing after snowfall. But at the same time, it restrict you to move around. Most of the basic facilities get disrupted and connecting roads gets blocked. It becomes difficult to go to some of the interesting places like Naggar Castle, Solang Nala, Marhi, Rohtang, Manikaran, Kasol Malana etc. Snowfall in these hill stations is definitely very exciting for tourists, but for local folks it's a temporary fun and suddenly many of the facilities stop working for next few weeks. Electricity cuts become normal and imagine living around snow without electricity. Although folks have figured out right ways to deal with these situations but still not having electricity and water for 6 days is big deal.Thanks Neha for sharing these beautiful photographs from Manali.
Jogini Waterfall - You need time to reach Jogini fall as there is slight trek till the temple and then further to reach waterfall. But it's worth trekking till the waterfall. This is beautiful waterfall and surrounding are quite good. If you are reading this blog and going to Jogini Waterfall, I would request you to carry a garbage bag with you and bring back all the stuff you carry for trek. Such locations are getting dirty because folks don't think before throwing the garbage around these hills and unfortunately, there is no authority which takes care of such garbage. 

Recently Neha visited Manali, when seasons first snowfall happened. This Photo Journey shares some of the beautiful photographs of Manali town with white sheet all around. Manali town looks beautiful after fresh snowfall and that's when one can enjoy the snow in best way. Fresh snowfall makes a place beautiful and after a while the same snow creates mess, if not handled properly. Whenever Kullu valley gets snowfall, many of the tourists from Delhi, Chandigarh and various parts of Haryana/Punjab start moving towards Manali. Above photograph looks so poetic. Beas river surrounded by snow covered landscapes having symmetrical trees as a background.Usually tourists visit Rohtang Pass to see snow which is usually not that fresh. Fresh snow is always very special. It's fluffy texture makes it special. As it gets old, some part of the snow starts melting and it starts becoming ice which is hard. And after few days, dust starts settling down on this snow and it looks horrible. If you have ever visited Rohtang, you know what I am talking about. Ten years back snowfall pattern was quite predictable and most of the times, snow used to happen in the month of december. Most of the tourists used to prefer Shimla and Manali for Christmas or New Year vacations. For last few years, this pattern was broken and hills were getting first snowfall in January or February. Many of the folks associated with Tourism must be very happy this year. Snowfall in the month of december is definitely a good indicator for a profitable tourist season.Hills around Manali look amazing after snowfall. But at the same time, it restrict you to move around. Most of the basic facilities get disrupted and connecting roads gets blocked. It becomes difficult to go to some of the interesting places like Naggar Castle, Solang Nala, Marhi, Rohtang, Manikaran, Kasol Malana etc. Snowfall in these hill stations is definitely very exciting for tourists, but for local folks it's a temporary fun and suddenly many of the facilities stop working for next few weeks. Electricity cuts become normal and imagine living around snow without electricity. Although folks have figured out right ways to deal with these situations but still not having electricity and water for 6 days is big deal.Thanks Neha for sharing these beautiful photographs from Manali.

 Beas River - I was not sure if I should write it or not, but finally decided to add because it would be unfair to not share about the beautiful beas river and what all you can do. Before I share, I want to say that don't go down to the river unless it's specified that area is safe. Most of the patches in beas river see abrupt water rush and hence it's not recommended to go near the river. Having said that, authorities have some way to tell latest status and the places where you can go near to the river. Please contact Himachal Tourism information counter in Manali on mall road. If you are interested in rafting, then you can find approved places to enjoy rafting on Beas. 

If you are planning a trip to Manali, Rohtang Pass, Kullu, Manikaran or Lahual Spiti, which Photo Journey will give you some glimpses of landscapes you can expect along with some tips on planning the trip. Which includes modes of transportation, right places to stay and things to do around this region. Manali used to be one of my regular destination 8 years back and almost every year I was there during summers as well as winters.Kullu-Manali used to be one of the top 10 destinations in India, when most of the bollywood was only shooting around Kullu valley. Bollywood has been one of the most important influencer in tourism industry and over the years India has got many new places which were least explored. And some of them are over-hyped because of super-hit bollywood movies :). Still this remains in the top list for folks who like to be around natural beauty. Lot of tourists like Manali, although travelers may want to cross it to hit Spiti or Lahual region. Things have been changing very fast and the places as well.Manali is little far for non-Himachalis as compared to Shimla, especially folks coming from Delhi/Chandigarh and other states of the country. But roads are pretty decent and that’s the only way to hit Manali town. Train is available till Kiratpur(Punjab) and from there one needs to book the taxi or opt for bus. Weekly flights are also available from Delhi which would land you at Bhuntar and need to take Taxi. It would take approximately 3 hours from bhuntar to Manali (writing on the basis of road current conditions). So it’s always recommended to check road condition when someone plans to visit a place/region.Direct luxury buses are easily available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla or other nearby cities in Himachal, Punjab and Haryana. Most of the Volvo and Mercedes buses take 13-14 hours from Delhi to Manali. These buses take 2-3 stops for food and snacks. And they stop at good places unlike other roadways buses which usually stop at dhabas in relatively bad condition and having dirty places around. After 2016, time to reach Manali will reduce because of high-speed highway which is under construction right now and work is happening at very fast pace. And the best part is that new road will avoid the worst stretch of this whole journey.Summers is definitely a best time to explore Kullu valley and Manali, but keep a note that it would be very crowded during summers. All Hotels and Resorts would be full and highly priced. Personally I don’t like visiting places, when tourism is at peak (tourist season). My favorite time is to visit such places in off season and make the best :). So winter is again a good time and there is high probability of experiencing fresh snowfall if you are there between last week of dec and feb.This Photo Journey shares some of the very old photographs with my first point-n-shoot digital camera. I was out with my college friends and idea was to go till Trilokinath Temple which is in Lahual region of Himachal Pradesh.We booked a 4*4 taxi from Bilaspur and headed towards Manali, didn’t stop there and hit Trilokinath temple after crossing Rohtang Pass and some amazing & scary landscapes. We were driving on narrowest roads having river flowing on one side and high hill on other. By night we reached Trilokinath temple after some strrugles on the way. There were some landslides which had broken the roads but that experience made the trip memorable :).Spent a night at Trilokinath temple and drove through other parts of Lahual, mainly around Keylong. Amazing landscapes and humble folks. I will be sharing a separate Photo Journey about Lahual experiences.Crossing Rohtang Pass was one of the major challenges of this trip. Traffic jams are big issue on this road and as you reach the other end of pass, melting snow makes your life most difficult. At times, our taxi starting slipping on the frozen roads and it was very scary. Then we started following few army trucks which proved very helpfulOn our back journey, we spent one night in Manali. Stayed in a very basic hotel booked through a friend working in Himachal Tourism. Explored areas around Manali – Old Manali, Hadimba Temple, Naggar Castle, Kullu, Manikaran, Kasol, Vashishth etc. Probably separate Photo Journeys would be useful to share those experiences and specially the Naggar Castle and Fruits valley.Will share more about this journey in next post…

Old Manali - Old Manali has it's own charm. Streets of Old Manali are full of little cafes, where you can see plenty of foreigner tourists socializing and having fun. Manu Temple is also in Old Manali. It's a steep hike, but one can hire an auto-rickshaw. 

If you are planning a trip to Manali, Rohtang Pass, Kullu, Manikaran or Lahual Spiti, which Photo Journey will give you some glimpses of landscapes you can expect along with some tips on planning the trip. Which includes modes of transportation, right places to stay and things to do around this region. Manali used to be one of my regular destination 8 years back and almost every year I was there during summers as well as winters.Kullu-Manali used to be one of the top 10 destinations in India, when most of the bollywood was only shooting around Kullu valley. Bollywood has been one of the most important influencer in tourism industry and over the years India has got many new places which were least explored. And some of them are over-hyped because of super-hit bollywood movies :). Still this remains in the top list for folks who like to be around natural beauty. Lot of tourists like Manali, although travelers may want to cross it to hit Spiti or Lahual region. Things have been changing very fast and the places as well.Manali is little far for non-Himachalis as compared to Shimla, especially folks coming from Delhi/Chandigarh and other states of the country. But roads are pretty decent and that’s the only way to hit Manali town. Train is available till Kiratpur(Punjab) and from there one needs to book the taxi or opt for bus. Weekly flights are also available from Delhi which would land you at Bhuntar and need to take Taxi. It would take approximately 3 hours from bhuntar to Manali (writing on the basis of road current conditions). So it’s always recommended to check road condition when someone plans to visit a place/region.Direct luxury buses are easily available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla or other nearby cities in Himachal, Punjab and Haryana. Most of the Volvo and Mercedes buses take 13-14 hours from Delhi to Manali. These buses take 2-3 stops for food and snacks. And they stop at good places unlike other roadways buses which usually stop at dhabas in relatively bad condition and having dirty places around. After 2016, time to reach Manali will reduce because of high-speed highway which is under construction right now and work is happening at very fast pace. And the best part is that new road will avoid the worst stretch of this whole journey.Summers is definitely a best time to explore Kullu valley and Manali, but keep a note that it would be very crowded during summers. All Hotels and Resorts would be full and highly priced. Personally I don’t like visiting places, when tourism is at peak (tourist season). My favorite time is to visit such places in off season and make the best :). So winter is again a good time and there is high probability of experiencing fresh snowfall if you are there between last week of dec and feb.This Photo Journey shares some of the very old photographs with my first point-n-shoot digital camera. I was out with my college friends and idea was to go till Trilokinath Temple which is in Lahual region of Himachal Pradesh.We booked a 4*4 taxi from Bilaspur and headed towards Manali, didn’t stop there and hit Trilokinath temple after crossing Rohtang Pass and some amazing & scary landscapes. We were driving on narrowest roads having river flowing on one side and high hill on other. By night we reached Trilokinath temple after some strrugles on the way. There were some landslides which had broken the roads but that experience made the trip memorable :).Spent a night at Trilokinath temple and drove through other parts of Lahual, mainly around Keylong. Amazing landscapes and humble folks. I will be sharing a separate Photo Journey about Lahual experiences.Crossing Rohtang Pass was one of the major challenges of this trip. Traffic jams are big issue on this road and as you reach the other end of pass, melting snow makes your life most difficult. At times, our taxi starting slipping on the frozen roads and it was very scary. Then we started following few army trucks which proved very helpfulOn our back journey, we spent one night in Manali. Stayed in a very basic hotel booked through a friend working in Himachal Tourism. Explored areas around Manali – Old Manali, Hadimba Temple, Naggar Castle, Kullu, Manikaran, Kasol, Vashishth etc. Probably separate Photo Journeys would be useful to share those experiences and specially the Naggar Castle and Fruits valley.Will share more about this journey in next post…
Jana Falls - When we visited Manali first time, we were not aware of Jana Falls and accidentally reached this place. Don’t have very high expectations from this place but the drive is beautiful. At the some time, be cautious that road to Jana village is not maintained very frequently, so it’s advisable to check latest status and plan your drive. 

If you are planning a trip to Manali, Rohtang Pass, Kullu, Manikaran or Lahual Spiti, which Photo Journey will give you some glimpses of landscapes you can expect along with some tips on planning the trip. Which includes modes of transportation, right places to stay and things to do around this region. Manali used to be one of my regular destination 8 years back and almost every year I was there during summers as well as winters.Kullu-Manali used to be one of the top 10 destinations in India, when most of the bollywood was only shooting around Kullu valley. Bollywood has been one of the most important influencer in tourism industry and over the years India has got many new places which were least explored. And some of them are over-hyped because of super-hit bollywood movies :). Still this remains in the top list for folks who like to be around natural beauty. Lot of tourists like Manali, although travelers may want to cross it to hit Spiti or Lahual region. Things have been changing very fast and the places as well.Manali is little far for non-Himachalis as compared to Shimla, especially folks coming from Delhi/Chandigarh and other states of the country. But roads are pretty decent and that’s the only way to hit Manali town. Train is available till Kiratpur(Punjab) and from there one needs to book the taxi or opt for bus. Weekly flights are also available from Delhi which would land you at Bhuntar and need to take Taxi. It would take approximately 3 hours from bhuntar to Manali (writing on the basis of road current conditions). So it’s always recommended to check road condition when someone plans to visit a place/region.Direct luxury buses are easily available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla or other nearby cities in Himachal, Punjab and Haryana. Most of the Volvo and Mercedes buses take 13-14 hours from Delhi to Manali. These buses take 2-3 stops for food and snacks. And they stop at good places unlike other roadways buses which usually stop at dhabas in relatively bad condition and having dirty places around. After 2016, time to reach Manali will reduce because of high-speed highway which is under construction right now and work is happening at very fast pace. And the best part is that new road will avoid the worst stretch of this whole journey.Summers is definitely a best time to explore Kullu valley and Manali, but keep a note that it would be very crowded during summers. All Hotels and Resorts would be full and highly priced. Personally I don’t like visiting places, when tourism is at peak (tourist season). My favorite time is to visit such places in off season and make the best :). So winter is again a good time and there is high probability of experiencing fresh snowfall if you are there between last week of dec and feb.This Photo Journey shares some of the very old photographs with my first point-n-shoot digital camera. I was out with my college friends and idea was to go till Trilokinath Temple which is in Lahual region of Himachal Pradesh.We booked a 4*4 taxi from Bilaspur and headed towards Manali, didn’t stop there and hit Trilokinath temple after crossing Rohtang Pass and some amazing & scary landscapes. We were driving on narrowest roads having river flowing on one side and high hill on other. By night we reached Trilokinath temple after some strrugles on the way. There were some landslides which had broken the roads but that experience made the trip memorable :).Spent a night at Trilokinath temple and drove through other parts of Lahual, mainly around Keylong. Amazing landscapes and humble folks. I will be sharing a separate Photo Journey about Lahual experiences.Crossing Rohtang Pass was one of the major challenges of this trip. Traffic jams are big issue on this road and as you reach the other end of pass, melting snow makes your life most difficult. At times, our taxi starting slipping on the frozen roads and it was very scary. Then we started following few army trucks which proved very helpfulOn our back journey, we spent one night in Manali. Stayed in a very basic hotel booked through a friend working in Himachal Tourism. Explored areas around Manali – Old Manali, Hadimba Temple, Naggar Castle, Kullu, Manikaran, Kasol, Vashishth etc. Probably separate Photo Journeys would be useful to share those experiences and specially the Naggar Castle and Fruits valley.Will share more about this journey in next post…

If you are planning a trip to Manali, Rohtang Pass, Kullu, Manikaran or Lahual Spiti, which Photo Journey will give you some glimpses of landscapes you can expect along with some tips on planning the trip. Which includes modes of transportation, right places to stay and things to do around this region. Manali used to be one of my regular destination 8 years back and almost every year I was there during summers as well as winters.Kullu-Manali used to be one of the top 10 destinations in India, when most of the bollywood was only shooting around Kullu valley. Bollywood has been one of the most important influencer in tourism industry and over the years India has got many new places which were least explored. And some of them are over-hyped because of super-hit bollywood movies :). Still this remains in the top list for folks who like to be around natural beauty. Lot of tourists like Manali, although travelers may want to cross it to hit Spiti or Lahual region. Things have been changing very fast and the places as well.Manali is little far for non-Himachalis as compared to Shimla, especially folks coming from Delhi/Chandigarh and other states of the country. But roads are pretty decent and that’s the only way to hit Manali town. Train is available till Kiratpur(Punjab) and from there one needs to book the taxi or opt for bus. Weekly flights are also available from Delhi which would land you at Bhuntar and need to take Taxi. It would take approximately 3 hours from bhuntar to Manali (writing on the basis of road current conditions). So it’s always recommended to check road condition when someone plans to visit a place/region.Direct luxury buses are easily available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla or other nearby cities in Himachal, Punjab and Haryana. Most of the Volvo and Mercedes buses take 13-14 hours from Delhi to Manali. These buses take 2-3 stops for food and snacks. And they stop at good places unlike other roadways buses which usually stop at dhabas in relatively bad condition and having dirty places around. After 2016, time to reach Manali will reduce because of high-speed highway which is under construction right now and work is happening at very fast pace. And the best part is that new road will avoid the worst stretch of this whole journey.Summers is definitely a best time to explore Kullu valley and Manali, but keep a note that it would be very crowded during summers. All Hotels and Resorts would be full and highly priced. Personally I don’t like visiting places, when tourism is at peak (tourist season). My favorite time is to visit such places in off season and make the best :). So winter is again a good time and there is high probability of experiencing fresh snowfall if you are there between last week of dec and feb.This Photo Journey shares some of the very old photographs with my first point-n-shoot digital camera. I was out with my college friends and idea was to go till Trilokinath Temple which is in Lahual region of Himachal Pradesh.We booked a 4*4 taxi from Bilaspur and headed towards Manali, didn’t stop there and hit Trilokinath temple after crossing Rohtang Pass and some amazing & scary landscapes. We were driving on narrowest roads having river flowing on one side and high hill on other. By night we reached Trilokinath temple after some strrugles on the way. There were some landslides which had broken the roads but that experience made the trip memorable :).Spent a night at Trilokinath temple and drove through other parts of Lahual, mainly around Keylong. Amazing landscapes and humble folks. I will be sharing a separate Photo Journey about Lahual experiences.Crossing Rohtang Pass was one of the major challenges of this trip. Traffic jams are big issue on this road and as you reach the other end of pass, melting snow makes your life most difficult. At times, our taxi starting slipping on the frozen roads and it was very scary. Then we started following few army trucks which proved very helpfulOn our back journey, we spent one night in Manali. Stayed in a very basic hotel booked through a friend working in Himachal Tourism. Explored areas around Manali – Old Manali, Hadimba Temple, Naggar Castle, Kullu, Manikaran, Kasol, Vashishth etc. Probably separate Photo Journeys would be useful to share those experiences and specially the Naggar Castle and Fruits valley.Will share more about this journey in next post…

Some of the other places to explore around Kullu Manali include Club House, Pin Valley National Park, Ma Sharwari Temple Kullu, Sultanpur Palace, Basheshwar Mahadev Temple, Van Vihar National Park etc. 

Recently Neha visited Manali, when seasons first snowfall happened. This Photo Journey shares some of the beautiful photographs of Manali town with white sheet all around. Manali town looks beautiful after fresh snowfall and that's when one can enjoy the snow in best way. Fresh snowfall makes a place beautiful and after a while the same snow creates mess, if not handled properly. Whenever Kullu valley gets snowfall, many of the tourists from Delhi, Chandigarh and various parts of Haryana/Punjab start moving towards Manali. Above photograph looks so poetic. Beas river surrounded by snow covered landscapes having symmetrical trees as a background.Usually tourists visit Rohtang Pass to see snow which is usually not that fresh. Fresh snow is always very special. It's fluffy texture makes it special. As it gets old, some part of the snow starts melting and it starts becoming ice which is hard. And after few days, dust starts settling down on this snow and it looks horrible. If you have ever visited Rohtang, you know what I am talking about. Ten years back snowfall pattern was quite predictable and most of the times, snow used to happen in the month of december. Most of the tourists used to prefer Shimla and Manali for Christmas or New Year vacations. For last few years, this pattern was broken and hills were getting first snowfall in January or February. Many of the folks associated with Tourism must be very happy this year. Snowfall in the month of december is definitely a good indicator for a profitable tourist season.Hills around Manali look amazing after snowfall. But at the same time, it restrict you to move around. Most of the basic facilities get disrupted and connecting roads gets blocked. It becomes difficult to go to some of the interesting places like Naggar Castle, Solang Nala, Marhi, Rohtang, Manikaran, Kasol Malana etc. Snowfall in these hill stations is definitely very exciting for tourists, but for local folks it's a temporary fun and suddenly many of the facilities stop working for next few weeks. Electricity cuts become normal and imagine living around snow without electricity. Although folks have figured out right ways to deal with these situations but still not having electricity and water for 6 days is big deal.Thanks Neha for sharing these beautiful photographs from Manali.

Recently Neha visited Manali, when seasons first snowfall happened. This Photo Journey shares some of the beautiful photographs of Manali town with white sheet all around. Manali town looks beautiful after fresh snowfall and that's when one can enjoy the snow in best way. Fresh snowfall makes a place beautiful and after a while the same snow creates mess, if not handled properly. Whenever Kullu valley gets snowfall, many of the tourists from Delhi, Chandigarh and various parts of Haryana/Punjab start moving towards Manali. Above photograph looks so poetic. Beas river surrounded by snow covered landscapes having symmetrical trees as a background.Usually tourists visit Rohtang Pass to see snow which is usually not that fresh. Fresh snow is always very special. It's fluffy texture makes it special. As it gets old, some part of the snow starts melting and it starts becoming ice which is hard. And after few days, dust starts settling down on this snow and it looks horrible. If you have ever visited Rohtang, you know what I am talking about. Ten years back snowfall pattern was quite predictable and most of the times, snow used to happen in the month of december. Most of the tourists used to prefer Shimla and Manali for Christmas or New Year vacations. For last few years, this pattern was broken and hills were getting first snowfall in January or February. Many of the folks associated with Tourism must be very happy this year. Snowfall in the month of december is definitely a good indicator for a profitable tourist season.Hills around Manali look amazing after snowfall. But at the same time, it restrict you to move around. Most of the basic facilities get disrupted and connecting roads gets blocked. It becomes difficult to go to some of the interesting places like Naggar Castle, Solang Nala, Marhi, Rohtang, Manikaran, Kasol Malana etc. Snowfall in these hill stations is definitely very exciting for tourists, but for local folks it's a temporary fun and suddenly many of the facilities stop working for next few weeks. Electricity cuts become normal and imagine living around snow without electricity. Although folks have figured out right ways to deal with these situations but still not having electricity and water for 6 days is big deal.Thanks Neha for sharing these beautiful photographs from Manali.

A little distant options to explore around Kullu Manali include Kasol , Manikaran & Parashar Lake.

 Do share through comments about your experiences and questions. 

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Main places to see & Top things to do around Dalhousie : Stunning Hill Station in Himalayan State of India

  Dalhousie is one of the most popular Hill Stations in Himachal  and there is lot to explore around Dalhousie. This is small and very well maintained town in Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh . This Photo Journey shares some of the exciting places around Chamba and how to plan a good one day tour through Khajjiar, Chamba & Chamera etc. CHAMERA HYDROLIC PROJECT Chamera Hydroelectric Project is located in Banikhet, 7 kms from Dalhousie. The water body near the lake is very scenic and is a popular boating spot. Chamera Dam is around 40 kilometers from Chamba Town. It takes approximately 1.5 hrs to reach the place is road condition is good. Overall it’s a little dry terrain as compared to Dalhousie and Khajjiar. And temperature also goes up as we go towards Chamera Dam.  As you move out from Chamba town, you follow Ravi river for some time and then take right. After 45 minutes of drive, you get a glimpse of Chemera Dam.