Manali in June

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Getting There from Kullu Airport

We could have taken an 8-hour death bus from Chandigarh on one of the most dangerous roads in the world, but we opted for a semi-sketchy, 30-minute flight to Kullu, and then an hour and a half taxi to Manali.

The landing at Kullu Airport is apparently a challenging one, but the weather cooperated. Kullu itself seemed like an interesting town that wouldn't be terrible to get stuck in for a night, but it was easy to prepay a taxi to Manali with set prices from the taxi union.

The pre-monsoon road construction and general traffic turned the trip from an hour and a half to two, then three, then four hours. At this point, traffic had been at a standstill for an hour, so we got out and walked the last few km up the steep hills and across the one-lane bridge into Old Manali, dodging cars, tuk-tuks, motorbikes, and cows. And some yaks.

Old Manali

The traffic starts to thin out in Old Manali, partly because everyone is in gridlock below. Old Manali sprawls up the

creases of the Himalayan foothills like long fingers, along anywhere flat enough to build on. Some accommodations are accessible only by foot.

The weather in June is pretty much perfect, and the monsoon hits mid-July, so this is the high season in Himachal Pradesh. Much of the rest of India is sweltering and/or in a deluge, adding to the crowds.

Strangely, the massive tourist industry coexists well with the local culture. The main street is a mix of cheap, traditional eateries (though these are much cheaper near the mall of New Manali), foreign bakeries, and bohemian international restaurants. The walk from there to our hostels took us meandering on narrow footpaths, past small farms with cows, storage sheds, and grains drying in the sun, as well as Western-style hostels filled mainly with Israeli tourists, who have been taken by the laid-back atmosphere and completely permissive pot and hash scene.

We spent about a week in Manali, first at Guesthouse Orchards Hidden Tribe and later at the Indian chain Zostel, and then the locally-owned Tiger Eye.

All three are comfortable and have nice atmospheres, being on the outskirts of town, so they're quiet and have terrific views of the mountains. Peggy preferred the comfort of Zostel, but my cynicism of the Hostel 2.0 concept, a chain that is desperately, even pathetically, trying to be hip, overflowing with inspirational quotes on the walls and rhymey reminders of policies, likely won't ever win me over. Orchards Hidden Tribe messed up our reservation for our last two nights, so we switched to Tiger Eye, which is more of a small hotel / B&B. It doesn't have much of an online presence but it's solid and clean, with dozens of flowerpots on each floor.

We spent so much time in Manali because it's a convenient base for other activities, it's tranquil by Indian standards and, after being scared and scarred by the death roads and buses in Nepal a few years ago, I was content with sacrificing mobility for peace of mind. If you have no problem looking past the cow dung, LOTS of flies, scores of Israeli stoners crooning and guitaring strictly The Beatles, and dodging some manner of honking vehicle every thirty seconds, Manali is a comfortable place to while away a week gazing at towering pines, snow-capped peaks, and distant waterfalls muted by the Beas River and the town below.

Food

It would take years to try every restaurant and dhaba in Manali, but Thakur Dhaba, a cheap, nondescript father-son operation, and Raj Food Corner, where the Thankthuk is delicious, are the most memorable in Old Manali. See the photo of their delicious biryani.

The best coffee in town is also a little hole-in-the-wall: Bean and Gone.

Day Hikes

There are a few walks from Old Manali that are worth doing, to help acclimatize for a longer trek if nothing else.

Nature Walk Between New and Old Manali

The road between the new and old towns is in absolute gridlock most of the day, but luckily it can be bypassed through a beautiful nature park with old-growth deodar pine trees. It costs 20 rupees (30 cents) to enter, but you can use the receipt for multiple entries per day.

Day Hike along the Manaslu River

It takes about two hours to complete this loop. From near the bridge leading out of Old Manali, we walked up the northern side of the Manaslu, which offered nice views of the foothills and, on a clear day, the snow-capped peaks towering behind. Eventually the river takes over the trail, but from there it's possible to head north, up the hill toward Manu Temple. There are a few hostels and convenience shops along the way, and you eventually come to the main road of Old Manali, which loops you back into town.

Day Hike to Solang Valley

It's an 11-kilometer hike to the Solang Valley. You basically walk past Manu Temple and up the Beas River, but there were a couple of confusing sections. When you find yourself standing on a retaining wall along a road, turn right and then immediately left to continue on a cobblestone trail. After 2-3 more kilometers, part of which is paved, you enter a town and pretty much walk along a road the rest of the way, which was pretty disappointing. Scroll down to my last photo to see where to turn onto a more peaceful road that eventually leads into an apple orchard. After that, it hits the road again, so we just turned around.

Day Hike to Lama Dugh

Because this hike is very difficult, it's also very peaceful, since few do it. From Old Manali, walk across the bridge toward New Manali and immediately turn right to go up the steps to Hadimba Temple. From there, ask some shopkeepers, but you can either walk along the road or through the park to a trailhead, which is next to a water tank. After about 40 minutes of climbing, when you come to 4 cement structures (also used for some kind of water transport), make a hard, 45-degree right. DO NOT try to walk directly up the hillside that has been eroded by cattle or sheep. All of this is uphill, taking you from 2000 meters in Manali to eventually over 3300. We ran out of food and water at around 2800, where there is a boulder to sit on to overlook the valley, and decided to turn back there. Apparently it's possible to arrange multi-day hikes through here as well.

Hampta Pass Trek

I've written about this 4-day trek in a separate blog entry (click next entry). It's easy to arrange this trip in Manali a day or two before departure, with a dozen or so agencies offering different versions of the 4-5 day trek. We recommend organizing it through Himalayan Trails, which is located on the side street by the Dragon Market in Old Manali.

There are several more photos below.

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Photos

Brilliant
It only takes a few minutes of people watching to notice tourists hobbling along with Ace bandages around their ankles from this and from discount paragliding. The guy standing on the rocks pulls the ropes so that the riders jolt up and down, into the water.

The Manali Waterworks
Much of the city's water supply runs through here.

Caption contest?
"It's good to be a cow in India."

Biryani
The best in town at Thakur Dhaba.

Dhaba in New Manali
We ate a delicious, inexpensive lunch here.

Traffic jam leading into Old Manali
Cars moved at a rate of about 100 feet every 10 minutes.

Peggy with dogs
Two dogs followed us on our day hike up the Manali River gorge.

Schoolchildren singing / chanting
Discipline.

Another traffic jam
Old Manali would be such a better place sans cars.

The loom
It's tough to tell, but this guy is sitting at a loom with a pile of wool beside him.

Turn on Solang Valley hike
About halfway through the hike to the Solang Valley, you emerge onto a somewhat busy road. Stay left, rather than heading toward the road bridge across the river, and walk a few hundred meters till you get to this intersection. If you go right, it's a pretty terrible walk dodging cars and seeing nothing of interest. The second left here, however, where the white SUV/Jeep is headed, takes you through a traditional town and eventually spits you out into an apple orchard.

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Nope
Not for me.

[D MJ Binkley]

Traffic
Love you capturing the local scene. Love the chaos.

[Taxi Booking]

Taxi Booking in India
Manali was once to be the most beautiful Hill station, but now it’s too much crowded. Beautiful photography and excellent blog.