"Wait till it snows. Snow makes manali look perfect."
Written on : 01-March-2016
Visted During : December 2015
Some more Information
If you have an option, plan your trip to Manali during May-August since Rohtang pass will be open. As far as I have heard from people, Rohtang is something not to miss in Manali. (1st hand experience on Rohtang will be shared once visited). Carry cloths according to the season.
My Experience and Opinion
We visited Manali during the new year's eve. The city was pretty much very crowded during our 2 days in Manali and hence I am actually not able to come to a conclusion on whether Manali is good or not so good. However, it was not as good as we expected. One other reason for that was it was not snowing and temperature was normal. Hence, we could not really get the 'Manali' feel.
After visiting Golden Temple in Amritsar, an exciting trek to Triund and Billing Paragliding, we were in Manali on December 31 of 2015.
Solang Valley
Since Rohtang was closed, we had to be contained with Solang valley. It was kinda dream throughout to try skiing. In spite of people I knew warning about it being damn boring thing I was waiting for it. On the way to Solang, took gum boots and snow wear for rent. There are over 150 shops on the way to Solang who arrange skiing, provide dresses for rent etc.(Including the dress, shoe and skiing the charge was 900 per person.) However, my advice is to not try skiing in Solang. It is absolutly boring, moreover you look like retard when you do that in Solang. Only for a pic and to tick mark that you have done that activity, you should spend some money on skiing.
The day we went, Solang was so crowded that, to skie, we literally had to find a place and hardly there was 5 meters straight free space. It was a total disappointment there. It was a bright day and hence the snow costume was making us sweat. I removed the snow dress half a way and I was comfortable with jeans and Tshirt. (Not every day might be like that. Because, a lot of people who had visited Manali earlier had warned us not to go to Manali during december. It is just that our luck was not good. We had signed for cold weather and waiting to enjoy it.)
Somehow the day had to get better and then came the idea of creating a snow man. Girls in our team were full of enthu to do one. We found a place where there was enough snow and no people. Went there, created a snow man after struggling a bit. It came out pretty well. My scarf made the snow man more handsome :P
And then came the fun part when our girls got a chance to dress up in manali costume and get clicked. From normal straight photo to hugging a tree, saw all possible pose in the world. The ladies who rented them the dress were tired of looking them posing for the photo. They had to remind our girls about returning the dress. (Off course a little exaggeration here..!)
Be Warned - Manali will be too crowded during peak season. The traffic from Solang to Manali was so heavy that vehicles had lined up for over 4-5 kms. It took over an hour to cross a couple of kilometers. So, just imagine how many people might have come to Manali on that day. So, choose a right season when you visit to Manali.
Vasist Kund - Hot water Spring
On the way back from Solang, we visited Vasist Kund. Hot water spring is definitely a 'must see' in Manali. Just for the experience of it. There is nothing great apart from Hot water spring in Vasist Kund. You might see some nasty things like a lot of people taking bath in same tank etc. Yet, pay a visit to it if you are in Manali. I still wonder how can water be so hot naturally in such a cold place.
New year eve in Mall Road Manali
We reached Mall road late in the evening and by then it was crowded. We had a long walk in the road and in some point there was an orchestra(Call it DJ, Live show or whatever.) by some local group (I dont want to call it a band!)
We were so much in a dance mood that we danced for a couple of numbers in middle of the road. When we could not take the songs further, we left the place and came back to our hotel. As per plan, the hotel guy had DJ night arranged for the evening. But when we saw the setup, we thought it would be better to celebrate inside our room itself. So, there was no serious party for new year in Manali for us.
Hadimba Temple
Hadimba temple is situated in a very nice place and is amidst of forest. The temple architecture is also a different one and is definitely a visitable place. This ancient temple as such is a small one basically built with wood. If you have a relaxed schedule, then you can definitely spend a couple of hours chit chatting. There are Yaks here if you wish to get some photo with. (Charges range from INR 30-50)
Bye Bye Manali
Our next plan was to go to Shimla and then back to Delhi. In between these, we had to choose between Manikaran and Kullu River rafting. We opted for Kullu River Rafting and then headed to Shimla.
Photos
Snow covered mountains.
An absolute waste of Money. Skiing in Sholang pass
This was fun! One more person in the pic - Snowman
Group Pic in Sholang
How can girls not get a photo in this dress!
The Hadimba temple
Pine tree forest near Hadimba temple
For People who want to sit on yak and get a photo. (Near Hadimba temple)
The Most Important asset while travelling - Google Maps
