An Unforgettable Trip to Manali Hill Station in India

Whether it is chilling winter or hot summer, Manali has long remained one of the most lovable hill stations in India. Manali is not like Shimla, it is not like Mussoorie or Nainital, the beauty, weather, and culture of Manali is totally different and unique from other hill stations. I have traveled to many other hill stations in India with my friends and family, but when I visited Manali for the first time in June 2010, I found that Manali is the best out of them. Before my visit, people used to say that Manali is the Switzerland of India and I have found that this is totally true. On my visit to Manali I found that Manali has given birth to a lot of adventure sports like river crossing, valley crossing, bungee jumping, and adventure bridge climb in Club House Manali and Van Vihar Manali and white water rafting in Beas river in Kullu near Manali. Also, zorbing ball, hot air balloon, and mountain biking in SolangValley just 15 km from Mall Road are just like diamonds studded on this Hill of Gold named Manali. The weather is always pleasant, will increase your appetite both for having fun and eating. I with my daughter and wife spent only two nights and three days vacation in this beautiful place and we felt close to nature and adventure at the same time. All the recreational activities we did in these three days refreshed us up and we now feel much more active than before the trip. I wish to go to this unforgettable place once again this year in the wintertime, sometime in December to see it covered in ice. Below I have shared some pictures with little info on some important sightseeing places in Manali.

Village Heart Cottage, Kanyal Road, Simsa Village, Manali

We were told by the car driver and hotel chefs that bollywood actor Akshay Kumar and actress Priyanka Chopra sometimes come here to spend their leisure time in Manali.

Believe me friends, Kanyal Road in Simsa Village is just 2 km from Manali but it is the most peaceful and beautiful place in Manali as it is away from the usual crowded areas of Manali like Mall Road. In Kanyal Road, there are a lot of beautiful cottages mostly all having their own apple orchards and trees. Also, the cottages provide a spectacular view of Manali mountains, some covered with ice and some covered with greenery. You can also see the clouds kissing the mountains tops here. One more thing, whenever I visited Kanyal Road after coming from sightseeing or from Mall Road, Manali, I found that the temperature over here was always 2 to 3 degrees less than those places making it extremely cold in the mornings of June month.

Lord Vishnu Temple Manali

Below is the picture of Lord Vishnu Temple in Manali which is situated 10 km away from Manali on the way to Naggar. The complex and surroundings of this temple are really peaceful. You can only hear the chirping sounds of birds and animals coming from the mountains and valleys. We spent at least half an hour in this place.

Hadimba Temple Manali

Hadimba Devi temple is very old in Manali. It dates back to the time of Mahabharata in 1533 A.D. This temple is surrounded by at least 2.5 kms of wooden deodar forest which is maintained by travel and tourism of Himachal Pradesh.

This temple is famous for a big festival that is help every year in the May month. This temple complex has prospered many times of adventurous and entertainment activities.

On the right side of the Hadimba complex you can see a big garden where there are more than 10 or 15 swings and rides for children.

In the backyard of the temple, there is a big amusement park where you can enjoy rides on yaks, gun shooting, bungee jumping, valley crossing, bridge crossing, and many more rides.

We spent at least four hours in this complex as it was full of different types of activities but it was worth visiting this place, especially for us because my two and a half year old daughter learned bungee jumping at this place for the first time in her life.

Tibetan Monastery Manali

We also visited Tibetan monastery in Manali. There are some shops outside this monastery complex selling Tibetan carpets, handicrafts, and different types of gift items.

Van Vihar Manali

This place is really beautiful and it is worth spending time over here. Van Vihar is just a few steps away from Manali Mall Road and includes recreational activities like boating, swings for kids and adults, river crossing, bungee jumping, bahma bridge but the main thing for which people visit this place is for getting eternal peace while sitting in the lap of Beas river and amazing Manali mountains.

Below are some pics we shot at Van Vihar Manali. We visited this place twice in our 3 day trip just because we love the beauty of this place.

OMG, there are lot more places and adventures to share with you but I think this hub has become quite lengthy so I need to create another hub which will be titled Unforgettable Trip to Manali Part II. Bye bye for now. As soon as I will publish it, I will post a link here.