Manali, the symbol of ecstasy, is full of history and known as” the Abode of Manu”.In Hindu cosmology, Manu was the first man in the world, who had stepped off his ark in Manali to recreate human life. Though it is a very unknown fact for an ordinary person who is not studied Hindu Cosmology. But, in today’s world Manali is known to be one of the best destinations for adventures, honeymoons, and family holidays. The serenity, the apogee, the cool nature, and the snowy alp of the Himalayas in Manali allure people to come over again and again. One can get information about Manali’s beauty from Google but to experience the true beauty of one place you must visit that place in real.
I always heard about Manali’s beauty from my husband, “Sitaram”. He is a solo traveler and a great foodie and has a very good knowledge of different cultures and traditions. We decided to visit Manali in the off-season because I wanted to see snowfall. In general, the tourist season is April-August. But, I think the decision we took was right. So, if anybody plans to visit Manali or other tourist places then please do visit in the off-season so he/she can enjoy the beauty to the fullest with the little crowd. I am sharing my journey about how Manali responded to us magically.
Our Journey Towards Manali:
It was February 2022, I visited Manali with my husband. Before going to Manali I was hoping to see snowfall. Fortunately, with God’s blessings, Manali welcomed us with beautiful white snowfall. We started our journey from Delhi with a Himachal Pradesh tourism bus at night around 8:30. Though it is true that the journey is more beautiful than the destination. Still, for us, the journey and destination are both equally memorable. The night travel and window seat are the best couple ever. That night, the weather was rainy but Delhi’s nightlife was unstoppable. Delhi people’s love for paratha is known to everyone. The Delhi-Manali route is full of Dhabas( Roadside restaurants) and the best time to enjoy there is nighttime.
The smell of food from Dhabas was increasing the food cravings. We stopped in a Dhaba and ate some hot butter sweet corn and coffee and again started our journey towards Manali. It was around 2 AM and we took a nap for almost 3hrs. Around 5 AM we woke up and reached Kullu Busstand already. Then we just freshen up there with a cup of tea and left for Manali on another bus. Again the rain had started and the beauty was increasing time by time. The foggy stiff road and cloudy mountain were enough to capture one’s heart and mind like it was indicating something good will happen in the next destination. Yeah, that became true when we were welcomed by snowfall in Manali, all the journey tiredness vanished within a minute.
After reaching there 1st thing we bought, was an umbrella as the snowfall was increasing with time. Then we went to a hotel which was very affordable and cost us around 800 rupees per night and we booked for 1 night and half day..so in total it costs around 1400-1500 with all the extra facilities. You must think how the hotel was very cheap…So, the answer is we went there in the off-season. There was heavy snowfall for almost 6hrs. We just enjoyed the view with 2 cups of ginger tea and burgers from our hotel window seat and the view was so amazingly beautiful that I think my words are very less to describe it. After the snowfall had decreased slowly, we went out of the hotel to view the side scene there.
What we Did In Manali??
After heavy snowfall slowly decreased in the afternoon around 4:30 we got out of the hotel and explored the Mall road. Although it was off-season the mall road was quite crowdy. The Himachali traditional food, art, culture, and people were enhancing the beauty of that place. We ate their “Siddu” and it was perfectly amazing for keeping the body warm from the freezing weather. The Himachali hand-sewings were clearly showing their tradition through their shawls, caps, and other handicraft items. After spending some quality time there, we went to Van Vihar National Park which was 2km from Mall Road. The long pine trees and natural sanctuaries were enough to attract someone’s inquisitiveness.
It Was around evening we headed towards Himachal Museum which showed us different types of Himachali culture, cooking, and how their traditions had changed with time. Then we went to Goddess Hidimba’s temple but unfortunately, the temple was closed as we reached there late evening. We just took some photos and decided to return to our hotel because the snowfall was increasing gradually. Though we did not get a chance to explore other side scenes due to heavy snow, we enjoyed the little exploring because small things which were done together with your favorite person always added value to your beautiful memory. Before coming back to the hotel we had our dinner at a Punjabi Restaurant. As the night got darker the snowfall was increasing at the same rate. We felt freezing in the room then we ordered some” hot Milk and Jalebi” which is the best remedy to counter cold in North Indian culture and then we slept.
The next morning, we headed to Shollang Valley which is famous for adventure sports like skiing, paragliding, river rafting in Beas River, and many more. After reaching there we booked an adventure package which included skiing and mountain sliding. You can book any adventure package and costume from different boutiques there. Then we came back from Shollang Valley and again went to Mall Road and did some shopping. We were searching for Trout fish for lunch but we found a delicious Bengali restaurant that served us Rohu fish curry which was amazing. After the delicious curry, we came across a fish fry shop and finally found the Trout fish fry which was my husband’s favorite dish. After having our lunch we directly went to the bus stand and went back to Delhi. It takes almost 11-12 hrs between these 2 destinations by bus.
The short trip became too short due to heavy snowfall. So we did a little exploration of Manali but I think short trips are not always bad, sometimes it creates lots of memories. For me to see live snowfall was a dream come true. Before Manali, I went to Darjeeling and Gangtok but did not get a chance to see the snowfall which had fulfilled in Manali. For this, I am really thankful to my husband who accompanied me despite his busy office schedule.
Travel Tips For Manali:
- If you travel between April-July then pre-book your hotel online otherwise the rooms may not be available there as these months are peak season for tourists.
- If you travel between November-March, which is off-season then pack lots of cold clothes due to the winter season.
- During the off-season don’t book hotels online. Just go there and book hotels at a cheap price.
So, my short Manali trip was over and I hope you all liked it. If you want to know anything about the trip then comment down below and stay tuned with me for the next blog.
…..Thank You…..
A girl who loves to travel and always craving food. Let’s explore some good places and eateries together.