Kullu Manali and Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh

                                Beautiful Himalaya View from Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India

Kullu Manali and Rohtang Pass

Shimla to Manali – 250 Km

Manali to Rohtang Pass – 50 Km

National Highway # 21 starts from Chandigarh and ends at Manali, so this tour circuit is called Chandigarh-Shimla-Kullu-Manali circuit. Chandigarh is very hot in summer and very cold in winter but Shimla, Kullu,and Manali are the places in Himachal Pradesh which are always cool.

Kullu or Kulu is the capital town of Kullu district. This small town famous for shopping markets on the street is your halt between Shimla and Manali and is situated on the banks of river Beas. The Bias or Beas River rises in the Himalayas and in summer the water it carries is the melted water of snow and glaciers in the Himalayas. The entire road from Shimla to Manali is known for rafting. The white water rafting is a great experience. There is a standardpoint to point rafting adventures arranged in this area and you will see the local people sitting on the roadside with their air filled boats arranging these expeditions. They are really expert in this game and can safely take you across the 10 to 15 Km amazing experience. Rafting in the clean and cold water of Beas is generally covered in the group tours arranged in the Himalayas during summer.

Manali keeps growing due to the tourist inflow and has become a small town in spite of very difficult situation to live and even construct anything with a deepvalley on one side of the road. The Hotels over here are strange. The construction starts from the valley and then the upper floors come at the level of the road. When you enter the Hotel, you are at the topmost floor where you see the reception and then your rooms, dining rooms will be on the lower floors, very confusing and funny experience. Hidimba Devi temple, Manikaran Gurudwara, Vashisthi Baths which is a temple of a rishi (sage) Vashisth and inside the temple are hot water baths arising out of natural spring containing sulfur (known for pain relieving bath), Pandoh Dam are some of the places of tourist interest in Manali. Multiple hotels are available at Manali is reservation is a must.

The key attraction to visit from Manali is the Rohtang Pass. Rohtang Pass is located at a height of 3979 meters. This is a road connecting Kullu valley with Lahaul and Spiti valleys. This pass remains closed in winters and remains open from June to October. Your journey is through the walls of snow on both sides and it’s an exciting trip. The area where you can play in the snow and do activities like riding Yak, snow scooters changes based on the availability of snow. You have to start the earlymorning by local taxi to reach the snow point before it gets too crowded.