Things to Do in Manali: 20 Best Experiences by Season

Short answer: Manali’s best experiences split neatly by season. In winter (December–February) it is snow at Solang and Sissu, the Winter Carnival and hot springs at Vashisht. In spring and summer (March–June) it is Rohtang, rafting on the Beas, paragliding and the Hampta Pass trek. In autumn (September–November) it is clear skies, apple harvest, Naggar and Kullu Dussehra. Year-round, Hadimba temple, Old Manali’s cafes and the walk to Jogini Falls belong on every list.

What are the 20 best things to do in Manali, and when?

Manali sits at about 2,050 m in the upper Kullu Valley, and the valley changes character four times a year. The table below is our working list, the one our drivers use when guests ask “what should we do tomorrow”. The season column tells you when each experience is at its best, not the only time it is possible. This guide is about sights, walks, food and day trips; for the activity price lists (zorbing, ATV rides, ski lessons and the rest) see our separate adventure activities in Manali page.

Which sights in Manali town should you see first?

Start with the Hadimba Devi temple, a wooden pagoda-roofed shrine built in 1553 in a grove of old deodars about 2 km uphill from the Mall. It opens daily from about 08:00 to 18:00 (TravelTriangle listing, checked 30 Oct 2026) and, in our experience, has no entry fee, only a small parking charge if you drive. Go before 9:00 if you want the forest to yourself; by late morning the yak-photo stalls are busy. The Ghatotkach shrine is a short walk behind the main temple.

From Hadimba, a 20-minute walk through the forest takes you down to Old Manali and the Manu temple, dedicated to the sage the town is named after. The lanes between the temple and the bridge over the Manalsu stream hold most of the cafes, bakeries and guesthouses that give Manali its backpacker side. We cover this part of town in detail in our Old Manali guide.

Across the Beas, about 3 km from the Mall, is Vashisht, a stone village around a temple with natural sulphur hot springs. The public baths are free and separated for men and women; the water is genuinely hot, which is why we rate Vashisht as a winter experience. From the top of the village a signposted footpath leads through orchards to Jogini Falls, about an hour each way with a steady climb at the end.

Finish the day on Mall Road. It is pedestrian-only in the evenings, with the Tibetan market for shawls and woollens at the north end and the Van Vihar deodar park along the river for a quiet half hour. Two Tibetan monasteries sit just south of the Mall: the yellow-roofed Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa and the smaller Himalayan Nyingmapa Gompa, both open to visitors.

What are the best day trips from Manali?

Solang Valley, 13 km north of town, is the default half-day. In winter it is Manali’s snow playground; from April to June and September to November it is the paragliding and ropeway stop. Our Solang Valley guide covers how to get there and what to expect by month, and the Solang activities page lists the individual rides.

The Atal Tunnel, 9.02 km long, has changed the day-trip map more than anything else in the last decade. From the Manali side you are through it in about 15 minutes and into Lahaul, where Sissu (about 40 km from Manali) has a lake, a waterfall across the Chandra river and reliable snow from December to March. The tunnel is open all year except during heavy snowfall, when the police close it for a few hours or a day. Our Atal Tunnel and Sissu snow trip page has the practical detail.

Rohtang Pass (3,978 m, 51 km) is the classic summer excursion. It usually opens between mid-May and early June and closes around mid-October; it closed for winter on 15 October 2026 along with the Manali–Leh and Manali–Kaza roads. It is closed every Tuesday for maintenance, and every vehicle needs a permit from rohtangpermits.hp.gov.in, with a daily cap. Our Rohtang permit and road status page explains how we book it for guests.

Naggar, about 20 km south on the left bank of the Beas, was the Kullu capital before the rajas moved to Sultanpur. The 15th-century castle (now an HPTDC hotel with a small museum and a cafe terrace) and the Roerich art gallery, in the house where the Russian painter Nicholas Roerich lived from 1928, are the two reasons to go. Opening days change, so ask us the day before. Continue to Jana waterfall for a village lunch of siddu and red rice, or to Bijli Mahadev above Kullu, a temple on a ridge at about 2,460 m reached by a 3 km uphill walk from the road head.

What can you do in Manali in winter (December to February)?

Winter is when Manali is at its most photogenic and its least predictable. Snow in town itself usually comes in late December or January and melts within days; Solang and Sissu hold snow for weeks. Plan your days around three things:

• Snow days at Solang and Sissu. If the road to Solang is closed by snow, the police stop cars at Palchan and you walk or take a 4×4. Sissu via the tunnel is the backup. Our snow activities in Manali page lists what is possible on snow, and our snowfall in Manali guide explains when it falls.
• The Manali Winter Carnival. Traditionally held 2–6 January on the Mall and at Manu Rangshala, it moved to 20–24 January in 2025 and 2026 (Discover Kullu Manali, checked 30 Oct 2026). Expect folk dance processions, a Winter Queen pageant and food stalls run by village women’s groups. The 2027 dates were not announced when we checked.
• Hot springs and slow mornings. Vashisht’s baths, a late breakfast in an Old Manali cafe with a wood stove, and an evening walk on the Mall under the lights are the winter rhythm. Sunrise over the Dhauladhar from the Hadimba forest is worth the early alarm.

Our month guides go deeper: Manali in December, Manali in January and Manali in February. For Christmas and New Year, book by early November; hotels fill and rates rise about 25% from 20 December to 5 January.

What are the best things to do in Manali in spring and summer (March to June)?

March is the quiet shoulder: snow still on the ridges, apple blossom in the orchards from late March, and Solang slushy but open. By mid-April the valley is green and the rafting season begins at Pirdi, 45 minutes south, with 7 km and 14 km stretches on the Beas (rafting in Kullu Manali). Paragliding at Solang runs most days with good weather.

From mid-May the big attraction is Rohtang: snow walls on both sides of the road, the Beas Nala rest stop and the view into Lahaul. This is also the busiest Manali gets, with school holidays across north India from late May to the end of June. Start for Rohtang by 06:00, book permits as soon as your dates are fixed, and stay in Old Manali or Prini rather than the Mall if you want quiet nights.

June is the start of the trekking season proper. The Hampta Pass trek (4–5 days, crossing from Kullu to Lahaul at about 4,270 m, with the option of a jeep to Chandratal at the end) runs from June to September. Shorter options are the Beas Kund trek (2–3 days to the source of the Beas above Solang) and the Bhrigu Lake trek (2–3 days from Gulaba to a high lake at about 4,300 m).

What is Manali like in the monsoon and autumn (July to November)?

July and August bring the monsoon. Manali itself gets less rain than the Kangra side, but the Mandi–Kullu highway along the Beas is landslide-prone and closes for hours after heavy rain. We still run trips, with a buffer day built in; the reward is empty cafes and green hillsides. See Himachal in the monsoon before you book.

September to November is, in our experience, the finest season. Skies clear by mid-September, the apple harvest fills the Naggar and Patlikuhal roads with crates, and trekking is at its best until mid-October. Kullu Dussehra, a week-long festival that starts on Vijayadashami in October, brings over 200 village deities to the Dhalpur ground in Kullu town, 40 km south of Manali; our Kullu Dussehra guide covers how to see it. Rohtang stays open until about mid-October, after which the Atal Tunnel and Sissu take over as the snow destination. November is cold, clear and cheap, and a good month for couples; see Manali in November.

What should you eat in Manali, and where?

Three things are worth seeking out. Siddu is a steamed wheat bun stuffed with walnut or poppy-seed paste, eaten with ghee; the stalls near the Hadimba temple and the dhabas on the Naggar road do it well. Trout, farmed in the Beas tributaries at Patlikuhal and Hamta, is grilled or pan-fried at most mid-range restaurants on the Mall and in Old Manali; ask for the local rainbow trout rather than imported fish. Tibetan food, thukpa and momos, is best in the small family places behind the Tibetan market and near the gompas.

Old Manali’s cafes are the place for breakfast and lazy afternoons. Expect ₹150–350 (US$1.60–3.70) for a dhaba meal and ₹400–800 (US$4–8.50) a head in a cafe or trout restaurant. Apple products, from fresh juice to jam and cider, are everywhere from September to November.

How many days do you need, and how should you plan them?

Three nights is the minimum if you want more than a tick-list. Our standard shape, which also underlies the Manali family 5-day itinerary, is:

Getting here is the other half of the plan. Most guests drive from Delhi (about 530 km, 12–14 hours) or Chandigarh (about 300 km, 7–9 hours); the alternative is a flight to Bhuntar, 50 km south, which we cover in our Kullu Manali airport guide. For month-by-month weather and crowd levels, see best time to visit Manali, and for the wider region our Manali destination page. Couples can start from our Kullu Manali honeymoon package at ₹12,999 per person (about US$137) in the off-season band; peak dates (20 Dec–5 Jan and from 15 Mar) run about 25% higher.

Frequently asked questions

What is the number one thing to do in Manali?

For a first visit, the Hadimba Devi temple in its deodar forest, followed by the walk down to Old Manali. For a winter trip, a snow day at Solang Valley or Sissu through the Atal Tunnel. For summer, the drive to Rohtang Pass, which usually opens between mid-May and early June and closes in mid-October. Book Rohtang permits early and avoid Tuesdays.

How many days are enough for Manali?

Three nights cover the town, Solang and one more day trip such as Sissu or Naggar. Four or five nights let you add Rohtang in summer, a two-day trek such as Beas Kund, or a slow day at Vashisht and Jogini Falls. Our Manali from Delhi package is 4 nights and 5 days, which suits most families and couples.

Is Manali worth visiting in winter?

Yes, if you want snow and do not mind cold nights. Solang and Sissu usually have snow from late December to March, the Winter Carnival runs in January, and Vashisht’s hot springs are at their best. Rohtang and the roads to Leh and Spiti are closed, so plan around the Atal Tunnel and Solang instead.

Can you visit Rohtang Pass in December?

No. Rohtang closes for winter in mid-October (it shut on 15 October 2026) and reopens between mid-May and early June depending on snow clearance. In winter the Atal Tunnel gives you snow at Sissu in Lahaul instead, usually within an hour of Manali, and Solang Valley is 13 km from town.

What can you do in Manali for free?

Hadimba temple, Manu temple, the Tibetan monasteries, Vashisht hot springs and the walk to Jogini Falls are all free. Mall Road in the evening, the orchards around Naggar in September and October, and Kullu Dussehra in October cost nothing to see. Transport and activity fees at Solang are the main expenses.

Which day trip from Manali is best?

In winter, Sissu through the Atal Tunnel for reliable snow. In summer, Rohtang for the snow walls and views into Lahaul. In any season, Naggar Castle and the Roerich gallery, about 20 km south, make a quieter half-day, and Jana waterfall beyond Naggar gives you a village lunch. Solang is the easy default at 13 km.