Manali Manali, at the northern end of the Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh, is a hill station situated at a height of 2050 m (6398 ft) in the Himalayas. Situated on the Beas river (Vyaas in Hindi) and near its source, it is a popular tourist spot for Indians in summer and a magical, snow-covered place in winter. A staging point for a number of treks (Beas Kund, Chandrakhani Pass) and sports such as white-water rafting, Manali is also on the road to Ladakh via the valley of Lahaul and Spiti and rohtang pass which is main attraction near manali. It is an excellent place for a holiday, a favorite resort for trekkers to Lahaul, Spiti, Bara Bhangal (Kangra), and Zanskar ranges. From temples to antiquity, to picturesque sightseeing spots and adventure activities, Manali is a popular resort for all seasons and for all travellers.
The Major trekking areas in Manali are Chanderkhani- Malana Trek : 3660Mts Beas Kund Trek: 3660 Mts Chandertal (base of Deo Tibba): 4480Mts Bhrigu Lake: 4240Mts Chandertal over Hamta Pass: 4800Mts Manali- Padum: 5090Mts Manali- Lamayuru: 5090Mts Bara Bhangal Trek: 4878Mts Pin Parvati Pass: 4810Mts Kibber Tsomoriri over Parang La: 5450Mts Another adventres are Skiing, Mountain Biking, Fishing, Jeep Safaries, Adventure Camps.
About the taste of manali, first on the list is a small box made of planks of wood loosely nailed together. You need to get on a local bus from Manali to Kullu, and get off at Patlikul. At the Patlikul crossing you need to head on to the Naggar road. 50 meters down the road on your right is the above mentioned box. Step inside and sit on the bench, the inner wall are soot blackened and the place has a wonderful ambience and fragrance. It’s a momo/thupka place run by a Tibetan family. The key thing to great Momos in Manali is that they should be fresh and they should be hot. Only if these two conditions are fulfilled do you get a truly great momo. A great momo envelopes within it the melted fat of the meat that it’s made with. Chicken, Mutton and the glorious Pork momo should drip the melted fat as you bite into it. Similarly the small and large dots of fat float in the thupka and add their fragrance to the environment. This smell of melting fat with the garlic in water bottles on the table and the other herbs used make this place favourite for momos and thupka in the entire Manali valley. For the less adventurous its strongly recommend a visit to Chopsticks on the main Manali Mall, opposite the entry to the bus stand. The Chinese and Tibetanfood in Manali and specificly in Chopsticks comes with the statutory warning “Beware of the Huge Portions”. Most favourite here is the America Chopsuoy, they don’t make in taste like crispy noodles smothered with tomato ketchup. It’s a more delicate affair where you can taste the different vegetables and the meat is juicy and fresh. Another most favourite here are the Khotey momos. Now the absolute worst thing you can do to a momo is fry it. That’s the death of a momo. But if you do like your momos fried then the Khotey momo is a pan seared version. Large juicy momo are shallow fried on a pan. Rather than fried I would describe them as browned on one side. While retaining the juicy nature of the momo the pan sear gives the outer shell a mild crispiness and that what makes Khotey momos a unique must have food in Manali.
Get In To Manali BY BUS Manali is 570 kms from Delhi, the capital of India, and there are buses connecting the town with Delhi, Shimla, Dharamsala and Leh. For service from Delhi to Manali and back, tickets and reservations can be made at the Inter State Bus Terminus or the Himachal Tourism office on Safdar Hashmi Marg near Mandi House in New Delhi. You can book tickets online too. The approximate travel time from Delhi to Manali is 14 hours; from Ambala to Manali is 10 hours; from Chandigarh is 08 hours and from Kulu to Manali is 1.5 to 3 hours.
BY TRAIN The nearest Broad Gauge Rail Head is Ambala Cantt(200 km) or Chandigarh (250 km)from Indian Capital New Delhi. Ambala Cantt is on the Delhi - Amritsar and Delhi - Jammu main lines and is well served by rail, but you will need to travel to Ambala to get a bus for the 10 hour ride to Manali. Jogindernagar and Kalka are other, less preferable, rail heads for Manali. The nearest Broad gauge station is Kiratpur Sahib in punjab near the city of Nangal. It lies in Ropar district of Punjab. The station lies on the Ambala Cantt - Una route of Indian Railways. From here you can easily get buses for Manali.
BY PLANE The nearest airport is Bhuntar ( Kullu ) Airport ( Tel: 01902-265037, 265603), 50 km from Manali, 10 km from Kullu, about two hours away. Indian Airlines and Kingfisher airlines operate flights to Kullu from Delhi and Chandigarh. However the services can be irregular, and airfares can be prohibitively high. From the airport the best option to go to Manali is by Pre Paid taxi which is easily available there. The taxi stand is 100m from the airport. They have written prices with minimum Rs. 1200 to Manali. Alternatively just go to Kullu and take a frequent public bus. ŠSidharth Babu