Manali is the beautiful valley situated in the mountains of
Indian state of Himachal Pradesh at the northers end of Kully Valley at an
altitude of 2,050 metres in the Beas River Valley. This valley between Solang
Village and Beas Kund is not only favourite among the visitors, even among the
locals.
Manali is blessed with breathtaking natural beauty that
comprises lofty snow-capped peaks of Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal, thick forests,
fruit orchards, beautiful hamlets and meadows that are carpeted with lovely
wild flowers. Being a high altitude resort town, Manali is an all-year-round
destination that offers alluring vistas. An ideal destination for Honeymooners
and adventure junkies alike, the town of Manali is a mix of old and new.
Being a hub of adventure activities, Manali offers enthralling
escapades of skiing, paragliding, trekking, mountaineering and rafting. Get
enchanted by the surrealistic snowscape of Rohtang Pass or the Snow Point.
Some of the best things to buy during your visit to Kullu Manali include woolen clothing from the famous Manu Market; Khara bazaar is best for shawls, Kullu caps from Mall road, Dorjes from old Manali, carpets from Gadan Thekchokling Gompa and the unique Tibetan items from the Charitable Trust Tibetan Handicrafts.
How to Reach Manali?
By Bus
Manali is 570km from Delhi, the capital of India, and there are buses connecting the town with Delhi, Shimla, Dharamsala and Leh. For service from Delhi to Manali and back, tickets and reservations can be made at the Inter State Bus Terminus or the Himachal Tourism office on Safdar Hashmi Marg near Mandi House in New Delhi. You can book tickets online too.
The approximate travel time from Delhi to Manali is 14
hours; from Ambala to Manali is 10 hours; from Chandigarh is 08 hours and from
Kulu to Manali is 1.5 to 3 hours. Volvo buses—which depart around 17:00 and
arrive about 10:00 the next day—are available from Delhi and is the best option
in terms of comfort and value for money to reach Manali but you need to book
these in advance. Some hotels like Snow Valley Resorts will book your Volvo
& sightseeing along with their hotel package which results in a good
package deal as you get everything in one go.
By Private Taxi
If hiring a private taxi, ensure that the driver has
experience driving in hilly regions and does not have the habit of drinking
alcohol. Also make sure the driver has done the trip at least once before and
knows all roads. Also make sure that the driver is used to drive for long
hours. If you are going to Manali through Chandigarh-Ropar-Kiratpur-Mandi
highway, then your driver would need to drive on hilly roads for at least 6
hours. Chandigarh to Manali would be about 8-9 hours by taxi.
By Train
The nearest Broad Gauge Rail Head is Ambala Cantt (200km) or
Chandigarh (250km) from Indian Capital New Delhi. Ambala Cantt is on the Delhi
- Amritsar and Delhi - Jammu main lines and is well served by rail, but you
will need to travel to Ambala to get a bus for the 10 hour ride to Manali.
Jogindernagar and Kalka are other, less preferable, rail heads for Manali. The
nearest broad gauge station is Kiratpur Sahib in Punjab near the city of
Nangal. It lies in Ropar district of Punjab. The station lies on the Ambala
Cantt - Una route of Indian Railways. From here you can easily get buses for
Manali.
By Plane
The nearest airport is Bhuntar ( Kullu ) Airport, 50km from
Manali, 10km from Kullu, about two hours away. Air India Regional operate
flights to Kullu from Delhi. However the services can be irregular, and
airfares can be high. Himalayan Bulls offer flight services from Chandigarh to
kullu airport. It can be booked from their site. From the airport the best
option to go to Manali is by Pre Paid taxi which is easily available there. The
taxi stand is 100 metres from the airport. Alternatively just go to Kullu and
take a frequent public bus.
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