Manali is a popular tourist resort town located at an elevation of 6700 feet at the northern edge of Kullu district, nestled in the picturesque Beas Valley. Malani used to be a sleepy village which started booking in the 1990’s due to its cool weather in summers and abundance of natural beauty. New Manali and Old Manali is divided by river Beas flowing through. New Manali is where most of the new hotels & resorts are located. But Old Manali has a charm of its own and one must walk the narrow streets going up and down the hill to get a real feel of the place. It is very popular with back packers as there are lots of small guest houses and hotels located here. But it is a must visit place for everyone, specially the popular café’s and restaurants, some of them by the river bank.
One must visit the ancient Hadimba Devi temple, also known as Dhungari temple amongst the locals. The temple is dedicated to Hadimba Devi, wife of Bhima, one of the five Pandva brothers from Mahabharata period.
14 Kms from Manali lies a very popular tourist spot of Solang Valley at an elevation of 8400 feet, visited each year by huge number of tourists. It offers adventure activities line parachuting, paragliding, horse rides, skiing in winters, zorbing in winters, jeep rides and many other adventure activities. 15 Kms from Manali, at an elevation of 12800 feet, is another famous spot Beas Kund, the place where the river Beas originates. Beas Kund trek is one of the most popular treks from Manali. It is a 3 days trek (both ways), and takes you right to the source of river Beas. The trek passes through lush green grasslands and Deodhar forests to reach Beas Kund.
One can travel to Manali round the year. All hotels and resorts are open round the year. Manali can be reached from Delhi and Chandigarh by overnight Volvo coaches or one can drive on own. If you are driving on your own then it is suggested that you leave early morning so that you can reach Manali in time. There is a flight service to Bhunter airport from Chandigarh and Delhi, but the service is erratic and unreliable.
