Kulu Manali

From Amritsar we started after having a complimentary breakfast in Hotel Ritz plaza .

We were informed before as it would be a long journey and reach only by night so that day was full of travelling .

Had lunch break by 1.00 pm and again started our journey .

Coffee break at Mandi the travel and the entire journey was through scenic places with chill breeze mountains valleys falls and much more made the journey awesome .

We reached Hotel Whistling pines by night had dinner and took rest.

Next day morning we were excited to see the snow hills from our room windows . As this is the first time we are witnessing snow other than that we had seen only in movies .

After our breakfast we were informed they are not allowing till rohtang pass as there was some land slides but could go to Solang valley .They charged Rs. 600 for to n fro for that and we hired thermalwear and it was charged Rs. 300 per head along with boots . We had to buy caps and gloves .

Solang Valley derives its name from combination of words Solang and Nallah. It is a side valley at the top of the Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh, India 14 km northwest of the resort town Manali on the way to Rohtang Pass, and is known for its summer and winter sport conditions. 

Solang valley is also known as the ‘Snow Valley,’ which is famous for hosting various winter adventure sports like skiing, parachuting, paragliding, trekking, and mountaineering . As we went during the vacation time it was over crowded, our bus moved inch by inch and without the air conditioner could not sit in the bus with those thermal wear. Somehow managed and reached the place and had to walk half a km from parking place .

To our disappointment there was only snow at some places already occupied by people’s taking photos and selfies due to heat the snow had melted and water flowing here and there . We could not move fast with that boots as we were not used to but enjoyed the cool climate and wore their tribal dresses and took pictures . After spending 2 hours we thrived on fruits bread sandwich and hot maggi for afternoon lunch it tasted yummy to that cold weather .

Then by evening started from there as it started drizzling and again asusual moved inch by inch due to traffic and reached mall road did some shopping and reached room by night and had dinner and slept well .

The next day morning after breakfast we started to Hadimba temple .

Hadimba Devi Temple, locally known as Dhungari Temple , is located in Manali, a hill station in the State of Himachal Pradesh in north India It is an ancient cave temple dedicated to Hidimbi Devi, wife of Bhima a figure in the Indian epic Mahabharata. The temple is surrounded by a cedar forest called Dhungiri Van Vihar at the foot of the Himalayas. The sanctuary is built over a huge rock jutting out of the ground which was worshiped as an image of the deity. There is no main deity idol only the rock is worshipped. The structure was built in 1553 by Maharaja Bahadur Singh .

This temple too was crowded and then on our way to Shimla we saw Hanogi Mata temple , manali tunnel Pandoh dam .

Pandoh Dam is an embankment dam located on the Beas river. En route to Manali, a short stop at this dam would be a pleasant surprise. Pandoh lake is the reservoir of the dam. The water in Pandoh dam is used for power generation at the Dehar Power House, before being discharged into River Sutlej. It is about 10km from Manali.

At 8.8 km (5.5 mi) length, the tunnel will be one of the longest road tunnels in India and is expected to reduce the distance between Manali and Keylong by about 46 km (28.6 mi). The tunnel is at an elevation of 3,100 metres (10,171 ft).

Before lunch we enjoyed river rafting in Raison . At a distance of 13.5 km from Kullu, 14 km from Naggar and 27 km from Manali, Raison is a small cluster of villages on the banks of Beas River which has vast camping grounds maintained by Himachal Pradesh Tourism. It is one of the top adventure destination in Himachal and also a top rafting destination in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Rafting in Raison is one of the top things to do in Kullu & Manali.

Situated at an altitude of 1433 m, Raison is well known for its camping sites and white-water river rafting. Numerous apple orchards and fruit gardens of plums and apricots add to the natural beauty of the place. Apart from the nature, Raison is famous for adventure activities like rafting, trekking, mountain climbing and river crossing etc.

By the end of the winter season, in the month of March, the whole region becomes colorful with blooming flowers. This place is also famous as rural centre of AIIMS where summer camps for various ophthalmological diseases are held every year.

At the camping sites, there are about 14 tourist huts, which require advance booking through the Kullu Tourist Office. These wooden huts are built along the banks of the Beas River.

During winter the temperature falls down to 1-2°C and the summer weather is pleasant and enjoyable. Summer between March to June is the best season for outdoor activities like Rafting, Trekking and River Crossing. There are several rafting agencies along the Beas river between Khatrain and Kullu. These are approved agencies by HP Tourism and the prices are almost same at all the points.

Rafting charges vary depending on the season and group size. The usual charges for 7 km rafting stretch cost between Rs. 500-800 per person. Additional price is charged for photos and videos. The cost can be bargained, especially if you have a group participating in the activities.

Rafting Timings: 10 AM to 4 PM .

It was a great and thrilling experience we fully got drenched and those who dint join the ride where sent to the other end through our tour bus such that they could join the rafting people . We after the rafting changed our clothes in cloak room .

Then we had a lunch break on the way that took for about an hour .

We reached Shimla by night .