What to See in Manali
In the first week of November, 2023, we did our first road trips in the Himalaya, around Manali in Himachal. We were stationed at Burwa village in Manali and went on day trips from there. We visited the Rohtang La, Baralacha La, Hampta valley, Solang valley, and Hadimba temple. In this blog, we will talk about how it feels to travel to Manali in early November etc. In our Manali Travel Guide, you can see our itinerary details, private car booking, trek booking, hotels, budgets etc.
This blog is more like - finding out if these places suit you!
Rohtang La
Popular
3,978 MSL
Rohtang Pass is 51 kilometres from Manali and it takes about 2-3 hours to reach there. Start early in the morning, so you can avoid the traffic at Atal tunnel. On the way to Rohtang La, we stopped at the roadside food stalls of Marhi village for breakfast. The location is spectacular! The whole journey is! On the way, you can also do activities like paragliding. Paragliding costs INR 2,000 for a shorter height, INR 4,000 for a higher drop. I have done the first option. I did not really plan to do it. But our driver was encouraging us a lot, and I was not thinking much. I loved it!
Before leaving for Rohtang pass, we actually rented some ice boots and overalls from Manali. This was our first trip in the cold climate and we didn’t know what we would need. You don’t need to rent anything if you have a windbreaker and a pair of waterproof boots.
After reaching the pass, you have a variety of options for activities. First, to reach the valley (where there are all the activities and food), you can walk/trek if you have good trekking boots (mid ankle, waterproof). Otherwise, take a pony just like we did. The path is very rough, so the ride will be thrilling, he he. After reaching the tourist spot, we tried skiing. A guide actually does skiing with you. So, not much autonomy. I wouldn’t do it next time here. We hired a photographer randomly, there we got lucky. Because the photos were stunning! The day was full of sunshine.
The activity part is a bit chaotic, with all the ponies, sellers haggling for photos, aunties selling Maggi. But the valley is huge. Walk a little distance and you will be by yourself. Around the first week of November, the ground is covered with snow. You walk on the snow and see snowcapped mountains. Play with the snow, rest on a rock, eat some hot Maggi!
Tip: The way to Rohtang Pass is amazing, and the view from the Pass is spectacular. Just start the journey early to avoid traffic, walk a little to find a spot for yourself—a rock for you to sit, kilometres of mountain range all for you to peek at! The specialty of Rohtang La is—it offers fun-filled activities for group tourists, but also has vast space for quiet tourists to just sit on a rock to admire the beautiful landscape.
Baralacha La
Offbeat
4,850 MSL
You see along the way: Manali-Leh highway, Suraj Taal, Deepak Taal, frozen.semi-frozen waterfalls.
It took us four hours to reach Baralacha La from Manali. The Manali-Leh highway was spectacular—you can spot various landscapes, lakes, green mountains, rock mountains. Waterfalls were either frozen or in the process of freezing at that time of year. Upon reaching the mighty Baralacha Pass, once you get out of the car, you may experience AMS, because you have quickly ascended such high altitudes. I experienced shortness of breath for the first few minutes.
The weather is very clear and visible around this time of year. We experienced bright sun and strong wind. The place was very silent—no activity, no people. We were met with an open sky and vast landscape of snowy peaks. This is truly your peak if you love quiet road trips, quiet places and like to be surrounded by high altitude mountains.
Baralacha Pass gets closed around the second week of November. So, plan accordingly. We experienced a winter land—which offered us a great mountain view, no crowd. If you are more interested in the lakes, then October can be better, as lakes start to freeze in November, so colors are not the brightest.
Tip: No crowd if you start at 6 am from Manali, we were literally the only tourists, we stayed for an hour. On the way back we spotted 9/10 cars going in that direction.
Hampta Valley
Offbeat
About 90 minutes drive from Manali takes you to this magical place - only you and nature. The road is not smooth and wide, maybe that kept Kampta valley free from any touristy set up.
Checkout our guide about Hampta Valley Hike for Beginners.
Solang Valley
Quiet and orange in early November
This is very close to Manali. It is a tourist hub. But in the first week of November, there are hardly any tourists, so you find the Solang valley to yourself. The fall color is still there in early November. Just walk a little, sit anywhere, see orange leaves falling with the wind, cows grazing, distant mountain peaks. Here we tried some traditional costumes rented from an old lady.
Hadimba Temple
Manali town itself is beautiful. I liked the clean, open streets, huge trees everywhere. You can combine Hadimba temple with your Manali town visit. The temple itself is small. The surrounding forest took my breath. Very tall, huge trees shade the temple ground. Walking around that place felt good. It’s a touristy place. It’s a lightweight addition to your city itinerary.
Himachal is vast, and we only experienced a little of it. But we were amazed at what we saw. IMO, our Manali itinerary was a superb road trip itinerary. We loved the views, the thrills, and perfect weather. Often from the car window, I spotted tiny settlements in mountain tops, little tourist hotels - I would encourage you to try something new, an unconventional itinerary. If you are a beginner, you can follow our itinerary - which is stationed in Manali, based on road trips, and gets the best of both popular and offbeat places.
Hope this blog helps you plan your itinerary in Manali! If you are confused what destination would suit you, how to navigate etc. please drop a comment for us.
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