This is more like a itenary with all details possible than a review. I hope this will help people in deciding how to spend their time in Manali. I along with my friends did a lot of research before going to Manali and I’m including most of them here.
I visited Manali in the last week of June. As per a lot of recommendation, this was probably the best time to visit Manali.
How to get there*
Manali is around 570Kms from Delhi. HRTC and HPTDC buses(volvo/hitech/deluxe) are available through out the week. Please note that most of the Volvo buses start before 7:00 PM from Delhi and tickets cost around 900/-. Unfortunately I had flights to Delhi from Hyderabad only in the evenings and hence I had to take HRTC’s Hi-Tech bus - a 3x2 seater. It was quite uncomfortable through out the 16 hours of the travel. Since we were all young we didn’t feel that uncomfortable. If you are traveling with family and kids, better avoid this.
We reached Manali at around 2:00 in the afternoon. Checked into a Hotel called Ankit Palace(the rooms cost around Rs.900). The climate was cool and very pleasent.
Hadimba Temple*
On the same day evening we visited the famous Hadimba temple. It was quite beautiful. It reminds you of the temple that Madhubala visits in the movie Roja. The place is around 2.0 Km walk from center of Manali. Please walk to this place as the location is very good. At Hadimba temple, you can take pictures with Rabbits and Yaks. It would cost you 10 bucks. Also you can try the local dress for 20 bucks. I advise you to try at least one of them. It is really fun!
The next day we checked into a different hotel called The Lords Regency. The hotel was much more spacious and had a awesome view of the River Beas. We then went on to do River Rafting in River Beas. The place where Rafting is organized is around 40 Kms from Manali and very close to Kullu.
Rafting*
Rafting is available in 7Km and 14Km range and we obviously took the 14Km range. The price was listed as 650/- for an individual. You need to bargain here(and at many other places). We got a pretty good deal and sealed the final rate at 300 per head. The Rafting lasted for an hour and a half and it was an truly an awesome experience. This is first time we had the feel of River Beas. Though we were given oars to paddle, the guy at the center controls the proceedings. If he is nice enough, he will let you get into the water for a float:)
Tip: *Do not book for the rafting at the place where it is done and book in advance at Manali a day before. There are a lot of agents in Manali who could offer you a good deal.
Manikaran*
After the rafting we left for Manikaran which was about 16kms from Kullu. I wouldn’t say the place was great. It has a Gurudwar, a Shiva and a Ram temple. The place is at the banks of River Parvati and is quite different. There is nothing special out here. If your schedule is tight, cut this out from the itenary.
Tip: *The taxi booking has to be done the day before. The rates are quite high and there is no way you can reduce them since the Himachal Taxi Union has fixed rates for each place and you can’t bargain much. But you will eventually realize that driving through hills and bad roads deserves the amount. They charged us 2100 for the entire day to Kullu and Manikaran.
River Beas*
On the third day we decided to relax a bit. We took a morning walk to River Beas and spent some time drenching ourselves in the unbelievably cold water. The feel of the water is amazing. At one place they were organizing River Crossing. It cost Rs.100 per person and you’ll cross the river to and fro once. Midway, the guy at the end of the rope will oscillate you in and out of the water which is real fun.
Tip: *Do the River crossing at Children’s park in The Mall. That is where the rocks are less and the breadth of the River is more.
Vashishtha Hot water springs*
In the evening, we set off to Vashishtha which has the world famous hot water springs. The place is around 3kms from the central Manali and the autowallahs will charge you around Rs.50 for the travel. The water at Vashishtha is really hot! The administration has build two separate places for men and women to bath in the water. Here, you can see a lot of people from other countries as well. Vashishtha is also a good shopping center.
Rohtang pass*
The must see place in Manali. It is around 51Km from Manali and it takes around 2 hrs to reach there. Start early to avoid the traffic. If you have a good set of warm clothing, carry them all; you surely will need them! Since we didn’t do that, we had to rent overcoats and boots for about Rs.90 per person which is the standard rent.
Rohtang pass has snow through out the year. The snow will be a bit off color but it is still snow(who cares!). We had a lot of fun here. Skiing is available at Rohtang pass. They charge you 100 bucks for it. A guy will train you(rather push you around) for some time. He then will take you to some distance and will push you down and that’s it! really! So, skiing is not something worth trying at this place. I’ll rather recommend you do something else. Walk up all the way to the top and then just slide down on your back. Trust me it was the largest slide in my life and certainly the best! There is also a place called Zero Point around 15mins walk from Rohtang pass. There are horses to take you there for Rs.200, but we preferred walking. The place has more snow and you can have some amazing views over the valley.
Solang Valley*
After Rohtang, we went to Solang Valley to do paragliding. Gliding cost us around Rs.600 per head. This is organized by the tourism department and it is fixed rate. But it is certainly worth doing. It lasts about 2 minutes and you would have got the feeling of flying for those two minutes. Definitely worth trying.
Tip: *Paragliding is also organized at some place near Rohtang. It is better than Solang because you’ll have great view over the valley.
On the final day we spent some more time in River Beas and did some shopping at The Mall and started for Delhi in the evening by a Volvo bus.
General tips*
Spend a considerable amount of time for relaxing and exploring the nearby places by yourself on foot. And spend more time with River Beas.
Do not book the rooms for days together. Just book a hotel room for only one day and then move out to a better hotel(if any) if you want to. Even in peak times, the hotels are relatively free.
Do not try searching for high profile restaurants. The dabbas were just as good as any other place.
Hope this was useful.