Travel Blog Delhi-Manikaran Sahib-Manali-Delhi. Review on Manali

Some important distances:

# Delhi to Manikaran Sahib: 568 KM (Karnal Bypass is appx 40 KM from my place)

# Manikaran Sahib to Manali: 83 KM

# Bhuntar to Manikaran Sahib: 35 KM

17/11/2010 Day 1: Started early from home at 0400 hrs. Since there were only 2 adults, so moving early was not an issue. Drive till Panipat was breeze with wide road and less traffic at that point of time. However, after Panipat diversions starts due to ongoing flyover construction. It seems that Harayanavi's are constructing flyovers on all the crossings except the Pipli. Pipli crossing is the busiest one on this stretch of NH1.These diversions continue till Ambala. After Ambala, continued on the NH1 till Shambu barrier and took a right turn towards Banur. Stopped for breakfast near Banur.

The road till Kharar and then till Ropar is fine but two way. After Ropar there are diversions due to construction work but overall the road is good. From Kiratpur Sahib took the right turn and the fun starts. The road is pot holed till you enter Himachal and HImachalis love charging toll tax just to enter their state.

Slowly and steadlity the climb starts. NH22 is of good quality. The next major town is Bilasput. There are many blind curves and sharp bends on this road, a speciality of the mountains. Stopped near Bilaspur to take some pics of the Gobind Sagar Lake. The next stop for pics was just after Sundernagar. Pandoh is another town and it's here that the water of Beas is diverted to Satluj. After Pandoh, the road climbs again and has narrow stretches. So, beware of the traffic coming from opposite direction especially trucks and buses. There might not be enough space at some stretches for two vehicles to pass. Also watch out for broken edges of the road towards the cliff side. River Beas is constant companion. Had a lunch on road side dhaba before Pandoh.

After crossing Mandi, there is a tunnel appx 3-4 KMs long that opens up 1 KM from Oot. Don't know when this tunnel was constructed. Also I don't remember if it existed on my previous trip 5 years ago. I was probably sleeping then in the state transport bus. The unfortunate part of this tunnel is that there (or seems to) is or provisions for any emergency or rescue services. Also there is no ventilation, so fuel fumes get accumulated in the tunnel. God Forbids if some accident occurs or there is fire in the tunnel !!!.

Overall this road has less curves as compared to the one in Sangla valley. Mandi, Sundernagar, Slapper, Bhuntar are another major towns on NH22. Road diverts for Manikaran Sahib from Bhunter. (Also Bhunter has an airport)

The road from Bhuntar to Manikaran Sahib is pathetic. It's narrow with steep climbs as well as non existent at number of places. It took me appx 2 hours to complete the 35 KM stretch due to poor road quality and increasing darkness. It was almost 1900 hrs when I reach Manikaran Sahib. A run of 15 hours with 2 stops for food and another 2 for pics.

After reaching Manikaran Sahib checked into the hotel and went to visit the temple/Gurudwara. With this Task 1 of the plan was accomplished

18/11/2010 Day 2: Went of sight seeing and pic taking session in Manikaran Sahib. The weather at Manikaran Sahib is very damp and humid. This adds to the cold as everything feels wet.

Left for Manali around 1100-1130 hours and reached there at 1400 hrs with few stops for pics. The road after Bhuntar is good. Just before entering Manali an entry tax of 200/- has to be paid. It is a multiple entry tax and valid for a week. It was raining and weather was of course cold. The hotels were offering good discount (50-60%) due to off-season.

Booked into the hotel Beas View on the banks of the Beas. The room was spacious and clean. The balcony of the room offered good view of river as well as the mountain peaks. Had lunch at hotel and then went for a stroll on the Mall Road in the evening. Mall Road has all sorts of shops, restaurants, cinema, bus stand, monastary etc.

19/11/2010: Day 3: It was still raining in the morning. This had resulted in snow fall in the higher reaches and snow capped peaks were visible from the balcony. When rain slowed to drizzling, we decided to move out. Had breakfast on the mall road and then walked to the Hidamba and Gathochkach Temple. Got myself pictured with a cute bunny. Had another photo session on the rocks in the Beas. Water level was low but the flow is very swift and water ice cold.

Then walked to the Manu Temple that is in the part of the town called Old manali. The road is narrow and steep but motorable. It has houses on the both the sides, typical of old indian town and cities. From Manu temple a trek goes to Goshal Village and is appx 2 Kms. Club house is near the bridge once you climb down from the manu temple. Himachalis have started charging entry fee for the club house.

Exploring Manali on foot was fun and by evening the sky had cleared. The snow capped peaks were clearly visible. So, decided to put the tripod and the zoom lens to use. Evening was spend in taking the pics of the snow capped peaks and enjoying snacks with drink (or drink with snacks !!!).

20/11/2010: Day 4: The morning was welcoming with bright sun shine and clear skies. The weather was conducive for next drive to Snow point. on the Rohtang road. (Snow point is not a name of a place, location or town !!! It is a first place on the road to Rohtang where you get snow.)

Road to Rohtang has been closed, So, drive was possible till mid way 23-24 km from manali or 7-8 KM before Marhi. Rohtang is 55 KMs from Manali. The road seemed to newly laid with black tarmac but has the usual flavour of mountain roads - bad patches or road washed out due to land slides. The climb is steep, road is narrow and has many hair pin bends. Luckily the cliff is not as steep as in Sangla Valley.

The snow fall has been good and there was thick layer of white blanket on the hills. It is advisable to rent snow suits and boots. That will prevent your clothes from getting wet. The day was sunny but the wind was ice cold. Spent 2-3 hours there, took lots of pics and returned back with happy memories.

On way back went to the Solang valley. It offers para gliding, snow scooter rides etc. There is a Shiva Temple behind the mountains, appx 2 KM trek on the stony path. Ponies can also be hired if you don't feel like walking. It is a small temple in the base of the mountain. A water spring makes sure that the stone Shivlinga is always drenched. Also a snow Shivlinga had started forming there and according to the priest, it rises to 30-35 feet in height by Feb/march. Trek to the temple consumed 2-3 hours but was worth the effort. Temple is on other side of the Beas River. You cross the river using a wooden plank as water level is low. During rainy season when the water level is high, a trolley is used to transport necessary things to the other side. Had a light lunch there and returned back to the hotel. Then visited the monastory on the mall road.

21/11/2010: Day 5: It was the last day of the journey and started back at 0600-0630 hours. The return journey was 598 KMs and took 17 hours due to jam near Ambala and a wrong turn. The wrong turn from Naini costed me an additional travel of 15-20 KMs. Moreover, the towns of Bhuntar and Kullu were covered in thick blanket of dark clouds. Rest of the journey was uneventful with usual stops for food.

Have a look at the pics on FB:

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