Shimla to Manali- The distance between Shimla to Manali is only 255 km. You can also reach to Manali by bus if you want. But there are some problems, if you are going through Bus. During bus journey, you have to plan to stay in Kullu for 1 night. But if take a car from Shimla, you can see all the road side places of Kullu while going to Manali. Then you don’t have to stay in Kullu for one night extra.
You can rent a 6 seated Xylo car from Shimla. It will be done within Rs. 1000/- to 2000/-. You have to leave Shimla very early in the next morning. After seeing all the places, you can buy a shawl from Kullu and reach Manali within 10-11 pm.
And if you want to go directly to Manali without going to Shimla, then you have to go to Delhi first by Rajdhani Express or any other trains from Howrah/ Sealdah railway station. Then you can go to Manali by road from Delhi by AC buses. The charges of AC Volvo is around Rs. 1000-1500/-. You can also take a taxi or private car from Delhi to Manali.
History of Manali-
In ancient times, the valley was inhabited by a nomadic hunting community called “Rakshas”. Later came the shepherds from the Kangra Valley who settled in Manali for agriculture work. One of the oldest inhabitants of the region was “Naur” or “Nar”. A diverse species in the Kullu valley. There are still a few houses of the “Nar” family. There was a “Naur” family in the village of Soal near Haripur on the west bank of the Manali.
The English began to cultivate apples and trout, but they did not exist in the history of Manali’s flora and fauna. The main livelihood of most of the residence here.
On the way to Manali you will see everything in Kullu-Manikaran-
Naturally hot (boiling) water always coming out from the underground in Manikaran, is a famous place to see. Kullu is one of the best hill station in Manali. If you visit Kullu, must buy shawls from Kullu. Kullu shawls are famous and the price is also low. Girls can buy pashmina shawls. There are also different types of shawls for boys.
Kullu has its own natural beauty, so lots of people come to visit Manali through Kullu. It will take at least 3-3.3 hours to travel from Manali to Kullu. Places to visit in Kullu are Hanging Bridge, rafting point, Sams Lake, Honuman temple, 3 idiot tunnel etc. 3 idiot tunnel means that 3 idiot movie has been shooting a little bit in that tunnel. About 5 km long tunnel. 44 km from Kullu. Manikaran is about 44 km away, can be reached in about two and half hours via Bhuntarjari-Kasol Vishnukunda in the west. Harendra Mountain in the north, Brahmanala in the east, Parbatiganga in the south – Manikaranatirhta across this vast land.
The mythological narrative of Shiva-Parvati, the free purification of all people irrespective of religion, the whole picture of Nanak’s gurudwara-manikaran is like a pilgrimage ground deserted in devotion. In the temple here, Vaishnodevi, Hanuman, Mainadevi, Sri Krishna, Rama and other deities reside.
Mandi (mandi)-
Pandoh Dam, some distance from Mandi. Hydropower generation through dams on the river. Beas is horrible here. Going to Beas here is strictly prohibited. There is a history of some bad accidents here.
If you want to go to these of interest, there is no alternative but you can go by car. Because no other vehicle can to those places without car. So it would be best to tale a car from Shimla to Manali.
Everything to see in Manali-
If you stay in Manali for 2 days and 3 nights, you will see everything in Manali.
Rohtang Pass:
Rothang Pass is located at an altitude of 13050 feet above sea level. Its distance from Manali city is about 51 km or 32 miles. It is connected to the valleys of Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti. You have to go to Rohtang Pass to enjoy the winding path of the hilly road and the beautiful scenery. When you come here, you will see rows of huge White Mountains and huge boulders. For those who love ice skating, tobogganing etc., there are beautiful arrangements. Overcoats, boats, etc. are available for rent as the weather is very cold there.
Buses are available to Rothang Pass. The journey started at 9 am and ended at 5 pm. The rent is 500 rupees per person. Exclude Tuesday from the plan, as this day is allowed for cleaning Rothang Pass. ROhtang Pass-Gulaba Border, Solang Valley is of 1 day tour package, which may cost 3500-4000 rupees if you reserve a taxi.
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The Manali government does not allow more than 600 vehicle to pass through Rohtang Pass every day (to maintain environmental balance). So fix the cab the night before and make sure you get permission.
You can rent special snow jackets on the way. But if you have winter clothes like Gloves, hats, snow boots and jackets, you don’t just need to rent. After touring Rothang Pass, on the way back to Solang Valley, you can ride the cable car (Rs. 600 per person) and paragliding (Rs 2000 per person). The way to and from Rothang Pass is the most beautiful. You can enjoy the view from different parts of the road. On the way you will see many Bollywood movie shooting sites including Krish.
The Rothang Pass is called from December to mid-June due to heavy snowfall. There is no reason to despair. The next time you go to Ladhak, you have to take the Manali-Leh highway. Because then you have to visit Ladakh after passing the Rothang Pass.
Solang Valley-
It falls on the way to Rothang Pass and is 14 km from Manali city. Located on the northwest side. It is well known for adventure lovers. There are parachuting, paragliding, skating etc. You can ride a horse from the road side to the snow point of Solang Valley. Horse rent is 300-500 rupees per person.
Rehalla Falls:
It will fall on the way back from Rothang Pass. It is a beautiful waterfall in mAnali. If you go here, you can see how the water flows down the hill and joins the Bipasha / Beas River.
Dett Gulaba:
From here you can enjoy the beautiful scenery. Its location is a short distance from Rehala Falls.
Bipasha / Beas River:
The Bipasha/ Beas River, which flows through the village of Manali, is truly a marvel of Nature. The length of the River is 480 km or 290 miles which joins the Sutlej River in Punjab. The flowing water of this river is very much cold and its current are very dangerous. So for river rafting lover, there are good rafting facilities available here.
Hirimba Temple-
Hirimba Devi was the wife of Bhima, a character in the Indian mythology “Mahabharata”, the origin of this temple is in her memory. The temple is surrounded by a forest monastery. The temple was built in 1553 on a gigantic rockey outcrop inside a forest covered with fir trees. Surrounded by wooden infrastructure, the temple has a spire shape above it.
The three-tiered quadrangular roof on the side gradually gets smaller in size and rises to the top, the peak on the top of it. According to the Mahabharat, when the five Pandavas were sent into exile, they moved to Manali. There ws a battle of Panchapandab with the brother of the powerful Harimba Devi. Harimba Devi’s brother died in this battle and later Harimba Devi was married to one of the Vims of the Panch Pandaba. Later when the five Pandavas returned after the exile, Harimba Devi didn’t return with Vima. He stayed in Manali and spent her life which is originally known as Harimba Temple.
Next to HArimba Temple is Mall road. You can walk from the hotel.
Roerich Art Gallery:
I was stunned, speechless, as I entered the compound of the Roerich Art Gallery on a hilly road with a pine forest on the either side. Surrounded by pine and mountain flower gardens, the environment like this picture is perfect for an art gallery.
This art gallery was once the residence of the popular Russian painter Nicholas Roerich (born on 9th October 184AD, St. Petersburg Russia – died on 13th December 1948, Nagar, Himachal Pradesh, India). Mr. Roerich moved to India after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Fascinated by the beauty of Himachal, Roerich built his residence here and lived here till his death. After his death, his son Savitoslav converted the residence into the Roerich Art Gallery. In addition to the art gallery, there is a photo-studio of Savitolay.
Naggar Castle:
The castle is just one minute drive (by car) from the Roerich art gallery. On the banks of the river Beas, the village of Nagae, 1751 meter high, was the capital of the Kullu kings. The castle was built by King Sidh Singh of Kullu in about 1460 AD. Another young king of his dynasty, Gyan Singh, sold the castle in exchange for a small gun to Major-Hay, the first British commissioner of India. The walls of this castle are made of stone, wooden beams and wooden ceilings.
With the combination of stone and wood, this castle looks a unique example of architecture. Thanks to Major Hay, the combination of western materials such as fire-place, chimney, wooden staircase, sofa set, etc. has created a unique Indo-European ambiance.
In the post-independence period, Nagar Castle was handed over to HPTDC in 1986. At present this castle is a hotel of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC). This castle hotel is an ideal place to spend your honeymoon. Another feature of the castle hotel is the food served here. Extraordinarily delicious trout curry (meaning trout fish soup).
Known waterfalls:
Curved mountain path, hills on the one side of the narrow road. There are apple orchards and pine forest on that hill step by step. On the other side of the road, somewhere deep, somewhere or shallow canyon. If you look closely, you can see the river Beas. Somewhere again you have to leave behind the beautiful hill village like the picture towards the known waterfall.
The road is so narrow that two car can’t pass by each other, one need to stop other side. It takes about 45 minutes by car to reach the known waterfall from Nagar castle. The natural beauty of the road from the car during this time is indescribable. One has to walk through the extraordinary breath taking beauty towards the known waterfall.
Living in Manali-
Manali is a small town in the middle of the big hills. The mall Road is famous here. Many hotels and motels have sprung up around Mall road. The rent of the hotels varies from Rs. 1500 to Rs. 2000. The hotels have heater system. There are many shopping malls on the mall road for shopping, which are very close to the hotel.
Foods in Manali-
There are many good quality food hotels in Manali. Such as: Gujarati, Madrasi, Punjabi, Bengali etc. Among the Bengali food hotels are Hotel Adarsh, New Ashapuri Bhojonaloy, Ashapuri Bengali restaurant etc. Which are located on Mall road. Among the Bengali hotels, the food of Santiniketan is quite good.
Breakfast:
Try to make a breakfast arrangement with the hotel where you will be staying. If it takes a little extra charge, agree that one. Because you don’t want to go in the cold at seven in the morning. You have to make breakfast with potato paratha, fried bread, Maggi noodles and tea. Tea will not be very good in quality. Because they use ginger and cardamom for tea.
Lunch / Dinner:
If you wish to eat rice, eat in Thali system. You get both Veg/Non-Veg. It will be better to eat veg thali. Because cooking fish and meat is not good at all. You can’t eat it. It will just be wasted.
Also what else you can eat:
– Chicken Momo – Local food.
– Trout fish.
– Pastries, cupcakes.
– Lick the petals.
– Velpuri.
– Golgappa or Panipuri.
– Idli, Dosa.
– Chanachat.
– Apples, pears – Do not forget to eat the fruit. Very fresh, no formalin.
– Mutton.
– Potato Gobi.
Things to consider in Manali-
- Smoking on the streets is prohibited. If caught, you will have to pay a fine.
- Manali is cold all very round. Those who are planning to go to Manali, warm clothes must carry. Like Jackets, overcoat, hat, sneakers, gloves etc.
- When fixing the hotel, check if the geyser and room heater are Ok or not.
- The best time to visit Manali is from May to October. Many people go to see the snowfall in the end of the year, November to December.
- There is no better way to redeem dollars in Manali. It is best to redeem dollars from Kolkata before moving to Manali.
This is all about Shimla Manali Tour guide. I think these all information will be helpful for your visit. During this pandemic, before you plan please check all the Covi-19 protocol state wise. Have a safe Journey.
