Manali Travel

Manali a beautiful valley of Himachal Pradesh perched at an altitude of 2050 m near Rohtang Pass and Solang Valley on the banks of the river Beas. Manali reclaimed its name from Manavalaya (home of Manu) as the legend says that Manu was the only human who sustain when the entire world submerged in a flood, he recreated life in the valley of Manali. The region is therefore sacred for pilgrimage and is thronged with many shrines. Traveler's Ecstasy
Experience the splendid beauty of Manali as it offers an amazing panorama to its travelers. Manali's spectacular snow capped mountains, steeping streams, lush green meadows show cases sheer magic. Manali also offer its visitors diverse number of adventurous sports- skiing, hiking, mountaineering, paragliding, rafting, trekking, kayaking, and mountain biking. The valley is also famous for its booming orchard industry, apple growing has been the big support of the local economy as well as fairly large amount is also exported to other countries.

Major Attraction of Manali City
Hadimba Temple
Constructed in 1553, the temple is built around a natural cave. The temple is dedicated to Hadimba the wife of Bhima, one of the five Pandava brothers of the Mahabharata. This famous temple also sanctifies the footprints of the Hadimba and later became the patron goddess of the royal family.

Solang Valley
Solang valley is 14 km from Manali that boasts of the glacier nearest to the resort. Abundant with marvelous picnic-spots, the wondrous ski slopes here are full of bustling activity, the best time to visit the sport is in January - February.

Manu Temple
The temple is located across the Manalsu River in the ancient village of Manali dedicated to sage Manu. Devotees visit the temple to pay their homage.

Monasteries
Manali is also famous for its beautiful monasteries, it also is an abode of 3 Tibetan monasteries that have been built recently, the place is often visited by many monks and Buddhist followers through out the year.

Excursions from Manali City
Rohtang Pass
The pass still remains the gateway to the districts of Lahaul and Spiti was once the renowned trading route. At a height of 3980 m the Pass is accessible from June to November each year, and offers awesome views of the entire regions.

Arjun Gufa/ Caves
Arjun Gufa is at a distance of 5 km from Manali near the village of Prini. The cave has its significance as Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers has believed to achieve his penance here.

Adventure in Manali
Institute of Mountaineering & Allied Sports, Manali: The Institute undertakes basic & advance training courses, in trekking, mountaineering, skiing and water sports. Skiing and trekking equipment's can be hired from here by booking in advance.

Fishing
The valley also has many opportunities for trout fishing in the river Beas and its larger tributaries. Licences can be obtained from the Fisheries officer - Katrain.

Trekking
There are many trekking possibilities from the nearby villages of Jagatsukh or Nagar, or from Manikaran in the Parbatti Valley.
Some of the trekking routs-
Raison-Malana-Chandrakhan-Raison (139 kms) - 11 days
Manali-Bhirug-Rohtang Pass-Manali (55 kms) - 4 days
Manali-Chhikar-Hamta Pass-Jagatsukh-Manali (55 kms) - 6 days

Manali a Shopper's paradise
The Manali is famous for its colorful topis (caps), the Tibetan ancient artifact are other specialty of Manali besides Buddhist artifacts like prayer wheels, amulets, dorjes (thunderbolts), masks, musical instruments and thangkas. Main shopping hubs are the Main Market, New Shopping Center, Tibetan bazaar and Tibetan Carpet Center. The government shop on the Mall, Himachal Handicrafts at Circuit House Road, and NAC Market are also famous market in Manali.

Mode of Transport
Air - Bhuntar is the nearest airport for Manali. The city is connected with regular flights from Delhi. Shimla and Chandigarh.

Rail - The nearest narrow gauge railhead is at Jogindernagar (135 km). The nearest broad gauge railway station is at Chandigarh (310 km), and Ambala (355 km).

Road - The distance from Delhi is 585 km, and from Simla the distance is 270 km. Manali is located on the National Highway No. 21, regular bus services connect Manali to most of the important places in Himachal Pradesh and the neighboring states. From Simla, Chandigarh and Delhi, luxury buses also run by Himachal Tourism regularly for Manali.