Manali : The Mecca of Adventures

Tripoto
14th Apr 2017
Day 1

March 28, the day when a dormant WhatsApp group suddenly changed its title from "Manali Trip Postponed Hai" to "Manali Trip Planned Again" in less than 10 minutes of chats, addition and removal of members happened for the next 30 minutes and finally an hour later, 6 tickets were booked.

After around a week of planning, we boarded our bus to Manali from New Delhi on April 13th, late night. We were welcomed by the cool breeze in the morning, that woke us up, refreshing our bodies and soothing our souls.

The bus crossed through the upper areas of Mandi district, whereby we passed through extremely beautiful yet dangerous slopes near Pandoh Dam Reservoir alongside River Beas. What a panoramic view it was.!

Pandoh Reservoir

Photo of Pandoh, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

River Beas, near Mandi

Photo of Pandoh, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

Manali, a place which we generally hear from people going to as their honeymoon destination, is not only the place for couples but a hub for adventure seekers and a heaven for nature lovers. We fall in the last two categories ofcourse.

Although we reached around three hours late as per our plan, we had ample time to cover up the locals in Manali for the rest of the day. We booked a cab driver on call for rest of the weekend who was known to one of our friends.

After booking a lodge in the vicinity of the Mall Road, we started our exploration from the most popular attraction in Manali, The Hidimba Devi Temple. Surrounded by a cedar covered forest, this is a place where people come to acquire religious solace.

Hidimba Devi Temple Complex

Photo of Hadimba Devi Temple, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

Hadimba Devi Temple

Photo of Hadimba Devi Temple, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

Hadimba Devi Temple Complex

Photo of Hadimba Devi Temple, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

Hidimba Devi Temple Complex

Photo of Hadimba Devi Temple, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

Hidimba Devi Temple Complex

Photo of Hadimba Devi Temple, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

Hidimba Devi Temple Complex

Photo of Hadimba Devi Temple, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

Our next stop was The Club House, a small area market cum activity zone. The entry costs 20 bucks per person. There were people enjoying street food at different stalls, so did us, Gol Gappe and so awesome they were :P.

In the backyards of Club House, River Crossing and other adventure activities were being carried out. We spent 100 bucks each to let some fear flow out and do the dare.

Club House Backwaters

Photo of Manali Club House, Old Manali, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

River Crossing @Club House

Photo of Manali Club House, Old Manali, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

On our way back to the lodge, we visited The Buddha Monastery and The Mall Road.After the dinner, we advanced through the Mall Road and reached our lodge as the next day was planned to be a power packed full day adventure.

The Buddha Monastery, Manali

Photo of Himalaya Nyingmapa Buddhist Temple, Gompa Road, Siyal, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta
Day 2

We woke up early morning and after breakfast, we left at sharp 8 am for the Snow Point. The Snow Point typically varies from season to season, the point upto which the roads are cleared off and are accessible. Ours Snow Point was that of the Gulaba Camp, the base camp of the Bhrigu Lake trek. Since, it was a high altitude point, and wind was blowing at greater speeds, our driver suggested to rent some clothes for Gulaba. We paid around 500 bucks each for the dress. They do not bargain.. sigh. Gulaba Camp snow point lies midway between Manali and Rohtang La on The Leh-Manali Highway. The road is well maintained and provide breathtaking views of the valley as we go upwards.

Leh-Manali Highway

Photo of Gulaba Viewpoint, Kothi, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta
Photo of Gulaba Viewpoint, Kothi, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

Reaching at Gulaba was like visiting a paradise. We started early so we found least people and that was the best thing in visiting such a beautiful place. There was snow everywhere. After climbing up the hill through a tricky trek, we encountered crystal clear patches of snow, places unvisited by people yet. The best time started now, we played in and with the snow, hit snow balls at each other, slide down on the snow slopes, made snow man, too ugly though :P:P and yes clicked photos of each other and made fun videos.

Our Ugly SnowMan :P :P

Photo of Manali : The Mecca of Adventures by Tushar Gupta

Gulaba Snow Point

Photo of Manali : The Mecca of Adventures by Tushar Gupta

Gulaba View Point

Photo of Manali : The Mecca of Adventures by Tushar Gupta

While returning from Gulaba, we took a stop at a roadside cafe to have the most delicious hill food, Maggi.

The day was half past, and we had to move to the adventurers' pilgrimage, The Solang Valley. Popularly known as The Adventure Valley, Solang provides numerous adventure activities like Paragliding, Skiing, Skate Boarding etc. However there is no snow in the month of April, so we were left only with Paragliding and Cable Car Ropeway.

Solang Valley

Photo of Solang Valley, Burwa, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

Solang Valley

Photo of Solang Valley, Burwa, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta
Photo of Solang Valley, Burwa, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

Flying in the air, like a bird, is everyones' dream. But with no wings of your own is a bit risky. The organiser there provide the adventure in two forms, The Lower Ride starting from a plain area up the slope costing around 1200 bucks per head and The High Ride starting from the mountain top where the person is taken by the Cable Car Ropeway and costs 3200 bucks per head. In less than a minute, we all managed to let our heart pump the blood slowly and booked the 3200 INR tickets.

We all were assigned dedicated pilots with their gliders and in no time we were standing at the mountain edge with a slope cleaned for purpose.

Paragliding @Solang Valley

Photo of Manali : The Mecca of Adventures by Tushar Gupta

Paragliding @Solang Valley

Photo of Manali : The Mecca of Adventures by Tushar Gupta

Three , Two, One... Step.. Run.. Run...Legs Up.. Whoa.. I tightened up my hold and watched beneath, we crossed the trees and now there was me at the centre of an empty sphere. The surrounding view was a treat to the eyes. A moment when you find something shiny flying below you, and when you know those were the eagles which are dark when seen from ground.

Paragliding: Me flying in the air

Photo of Manali : The Mecca of Adventures by Tushar Gupta

Paragliding: Me flying in the air

Photo of Manali : The Mecca of Adventures by Tushar Gupta

The thrill got over in some time, but we were still talking to the winds. We moved on for the next place discussing individual experiences all along the journey.

Vashisht Temple

Photo of Vashishtha Temple, Vashist, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

Shiva Temple @Vashisht

Photo of Vashishtha Temple, Vashist, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

Our next stops were The Vashisht Temple and Van Vihar where we spent some quality time watching things around and relaxing along the riverside.

Photo of Van Vihar, Old Manali, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

A R

Photo of Van Vihar, Old Manali, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

After some shopping and dinner at Mall Road, we went straight to our hotel to take some rest. Activities were planned for the next day too.

Day 3

Sunday, we checked out from the lodge at around 9 AM, and headed towards Hampta Pass Trek. The trek is generally not opened for tourists and requires special grant permission to reach, or money. The trek is also one of the routes to the well-known Spiti Valley.

We booked package for Skiing and slider equipments to have some more adventure. The road was poor, but the scenery was splendid.

Photo of Hampta, Lahaul And Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta
Photo of Hampta, Lahaul And Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta
Photo of Hampta, Lahaul And Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta
Photo of Hampta, Lahaul And Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta
Photo of Hampta, Lahaul And Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, India by Tushar Gupta

After reaching some snowy areas suitable for Skiing, we gathered the things up and the trainers started binding our legs onto the ski planks.

Our first experience in snow and snow activities was worth every penny spent upon it. I can't explain much more, the pictures can say by itself ;) ;).

FYI, we didn't covered the trek completely due to shortage of time.

Photo of Manali : The Mecca of Adventures by Tushar Gupta
Photo of Manali : The Mecca of Adventures by Tushar Gupta
Photo of Manali : The Mecca of Adventures by Tushar Gupta

The location is truly a heaven on earth, from mountains to grasslands, valleys and river, the trip was a bundle of joy, happiness and thrill.

In the evening, we boarded our bus back to New Delhi from Manali ISBT with baggage full of memories and experiences.

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