Rohtang Pass Permit and Himachal Road Status: Atal Tunnel, Kunzum, Baralacha

Every Himachal trip above Manali or beyond Kinnaur depends on a handful of roads that open and close with the snow. Rohtang Pass needs a rationed permit, the Atal Tunnel does not, Kunzum La decides whether you can drive between Manali and Spiti, and Baralacha La decides whether the Manali–Leh road is open at all. This page puts all of them in one place: what each road connects, when it has actually opened and closed in recent seasons, what the permit rules are, and which way to route a Spiti trip in each month. Every fact carries its date and source, because road status in these mountains changes by the week.

Position as of 29 September 2026: the season’s first snow has already landed on the high passes — around four inches at Rohtang, with Baralacha and Shinku La also turning white, on 17–18 September, and snow across Kaza, Losar and Tabo in Spiti on 26–27 September. Traffic was moving on the passes and no closure order had been issued; the district administration’s message was a warning, not a closure. Dry weather is forecast from 30 September. Treat every high pass as open-but-fragile from now until it shuts for winter. Our 28 September snowfall update has the detail.

The high roads at a glance

“Usual season” is the long-run pattern, not a promise for your dates. The dated column shows what actually happened in the most recent seasons we can source. Last reviewed 29 September 2026 — sources are listed at the end of this page.

Rohtang Pass permit: how it works

Rohtang is the one road in Himachal where tourist access is rationed. The permit is for vehicles going up to the pass for sightseeing and is applied for online on the Tourism Development Council Manali portal, rohtangpermits.nic.in.

• Fee: ₹500 permit plus a ₹50 congestion charge for a car, jeep or MUV (₹550 in all). Buses and heavy vehicles pay ₹500 plus ₹100. The congestion charge applies to every vehicle crossing Gulaba bridge.
• Validity: one day, up and back.
• How far ahead: the portal accepts applications for the next six days only, so you cannot lock a permit weeks in advance.
• Vehicle rules: the vehicle must be no more than ten years old and carry a valid Pollution Under Check certificate. You need ID, the vehicle’s registration details and your address in Manali, and a printout of the permit is compulsory.
• Daily cap: the National Green Tribunal limit is reported as 1,200 vehicles a day — 800 petrol and 400 diesel (The Tribune, May 2025 and again May 2026). The portal’s own information screen for its special-permit category lists a far smaller figure, 60 petrol and 40 diesel vehicles a day. Either way, in May and June the quota goes fast.
• Tuesdays: Tuesday has been the weekly maintenance closure in most seasons. It was lifted in late May 2025, but the reopening orders reported in May 2026 again listed Tuesday closures. Check the portal for your date before you plan around it.
• Timing restrictions in winter works: between 5 November 2024 and 15 January 2025, vehicles were allowed from the Kothi check-post towards Rohtang only until 11 am because of BRO road work. Similar orders can come back in any season.

Search interest tells its own story: “Rohtang pass permit” peaks in May–June and again from October to December, which is exactly when the quota and the snow are tightest. On Suzu packages Rohtang is an optional excursion and the permit fee is not part of the package price — tell us at booking if Rohtang matters to you and we will plan the day around the quota rather than hoping on the morning.

Rohtang or the Atal Tunnel?

Since October 2020 you no longer need Rohtang to cross into Lahaul. The Atal Tunnel cut the Manali–Keylong drive from 116 km and five to six hours over the pass to 71 km and about two hours, and it needs no Rohtang permit. Sissu and Koksar on the far side are snow country for much of the year. What it does need, if you are entering Lahaul or Spiti, is a free e-Aagman registration — our guide to Himachal entry tax and permits explains it along with the state entry toll and Manali green tax.

• Choose Rohtang if standing on the pass itself is the point of the trip, you are there between roughly May and October, and you can live with the quota.
• Choose the Atal Tunnel side if you want snow with less risk of a wasted day, you are travelling with elders or small children, or you are going on to Keylong, Jispa or Spiti.
• Either way, snow play itself happens at a handful of points around Manali — see our adventure activities in Himachal page for where and when.

Spiti: Manali side or Shimla side, month by month

There are only two road routes into Spiti, and the choice between them is made by the calendar, not by preference.

• Manali – Atal Tunnel – Gramphu – Kunzum La – Kaza: about 225 km through the Atal Tunnel. Short, spectacular and completely seasonal: nothing crosses Kunzum while it is under snow, and in 2026 the first vehicles through on 20 May were 4x4s only. It also climbs fast, from Manali to 4,551 m in one day, which is hard on anyone not acclimatised.
• Shimla – Kinnaur – Khab – Nako – Tabo – Kaza: 468 km, slower and longer, but open all year apart from short closures after landslides or heavy snow. It gains altitude over several days, which is why we prefer it for first-timers even in summer.

This is also why our long circuit carries a warning on its page: it runs only while both the Manali road into Spiti and the Chandratal road are open, and once Chandratal closes the Manali leg is not possible and the trip has to be re-routed. For what Spiti is like after the passes shut, read our winter Spiti guide.

Manali to Leh: Baralacha, and the season window

The Manali–Leh highway crosses Baralacha La beyond Darcha and runs on through Sarchu into Ladakh. The Border Roads Organisation starts clearing it in late March and in 2026 it reopened in mid-May. Autumn is the risky end: on 2 December 2024, snow at Baralacha blocked the highway beyond Darcha and the Lahaul-Spiti police advised against travel on the stretch. For a road trip on this route, plan for June to September and treat October as a gamble. Our Leh Ladakh road trip guide covers the full route.

How to check the status yourself before you leave

• Rohtang permit availability: the permit portal, rohtangpermits.nic.in, shows what can still be booked for the next six days.
• Closures and advisories: the Lahaul-Spiti and Kullu district administrations and police announce closures and restrictions; local news (The Tribune’s Himachal desk reports them quickly) picks them up within hours.
• Weather warnings: the Meteorological Centre, Shimla issues the yellow, orange and red district warnings. A yellow warning for Lahaul-Spiti or Kinnaur is the signal to add a buffer day.
• The day before, not the month before: passes reopen and close on short notice. Status a week out tells you very little in October or May.

How we plan around closures

We are a Himachal-based ground operator running these routes through the season. On any itinerary that crosses a high pass we build in one spare day, agree a fallback route before you leave (Kinnaur for Spiti, the tunnel side for Rohtang), and re-check road status the evening before each crossing. If a pass shuts, the itinerary changes; it does not simply stop. Travel agents running these routes can read how we handle it on the Spiti DMC page, and every trip we run in the state is on the Himachal tour packages page.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the Rohtang Pass permit in 2026?

₹550 for a car, jeep or MUV: a ₹500 permit fee plus a ₹50 congestion charge. Buses and heavy vehicles pay ₹500 plus ₹100. It is valid for one day, up and back, and is booked online up to six days ahead.

Do I need a Rohtang permit to go through the Atal Tunnel?

No. The Rohtang permit is for vehicles going up to the pass. The Atal Tunnel route to Sissu, Koksar and Keylong needs no Rohtang permit, though you do need a free e-Aagman registration to enter Lahaul-Spiti.

Is Rohtang Pass open in October?

Usually, yes — the pass is normally open from about May to November — but October is when the first snow arrives, and in 2026 snow had already fallen on Rohtang by 17–18 September. Expect short closures after snowfall and check the permit portal for your date.

When does Kunzum Pass close and open?

It is usually open from about June or July to October or November. In the most recent cycle it was blocked from early November 2025 and reopened on 20 May 2026, initially for 4×4 vehicles only.

Can I reach Spiti in winter?

Yes, but only from the Shimla side through Kinnaur, which stays open through the year apart from short closures after landslides or heavy snow. The Manali side over Kunzum La is closed through winter, so Chandratal is not reachable either.

Is the Atal Tunnel open in winter?

It is built as an all-season route and normally stays open, but traffic is stopped during and after heavy snowfall until the approach roads are cleared. In March 2024, for example, tourist traffic was held at Solang for a day.

Sources

• Tourism Development Council Manali, Rohtang permit portal — fees, validity, six-day window, vehicle age, documents (read 29 September 2026)
• The Tribune, 4 May 2026 — Rohtang road reopening up to Marhi, 1,200-vehicle cap, Tuesday closures
• The Tribune, 25 May 2025 — Tuesday closure lifted, 800 petrol / 400 diesel
• The Tribune, 5 November 2024 — Kothi check-post timing restriction
• The Tribune, 20 May 2026 — Kunzum Pass reopening, 4×4 only, Manali–Kaza about 225 km
• The Tribune, 2 December 2024 — Baralacha snow block
• The Tribune, March 2024 — Atal Tunnel approaches closed, traffic held at Solang
• The Tribune, 9 April 2025 — Darcha–Shinku La–Padum road reopening
• Reference data for Atal Tunnel, Kunzum Pass, NH-505 and Kaza distances: Wikipedia articles on each, read 29 September 2026