[DevilzzzzOwn]

Posting on the Delhi Manali thread. Most queries relate to this route rather than Mumbai/Pune Manali route thread.

Thanks to all that help in advance.

I will be travelling by my XUV 3OO Diesel AMT from Pune to Manali on December 25th. I will be travelling with my parents who are senior citizens, but my dad is a keen driver even at this age, so I have the luxury of a co-driver. Although this was factored in the trip planning phase, aka, driving through the night to cover max distance, it was dropped due to no sense of security on Indian Highways at night, that too unfamiliar to me and dad.

Why the trip? I have been continuously working on my projects since February 2022 with no holiday and only weekly offs. I want to decompress and get rid of this burnout. And parents are retired so they just want to go on any trip at the drop of a hat. I wanted to do Goa but that would be the opposite of the peace that I want, so North India it is. And did I mention fresh SNOW

Here's my Itinerary that I have so far managed to create.

Day 1: 03:00 Leave Pune.
Day 1: 23:00 Reach Bhilwada, Rajasthan, 950 Kms. Via Nashik, Ratlam, Chittorgarh. Check into overnight hotel.
Day 2: 06:00 Leave Bhilwara.
Day 2: 20:00 Reach Chandigarh, 720 Kms. Via Jaipur, Ambala.

QUERY 1: Google Maps shows 2 routes. First is the one I have posted. 2nd is from Bhilwara to Chandigarh via Jaipur, Gurugram outskirts, New Delhi outskirts and Panipat, Kurukshetra and then Ambala to Chandigarh. Although the difference in terms of distance on both routes is 40 odd Kms, the time difference is also an additional 1 hour. I am assuming being the capital, the roads around Delhi should be fantastic and hence I can opt for option 2. Which one would you guys suggest?

Day 3: 06:00 Leave Chandigarh.
Day 3: 14:00 Reach Kullu, 260 kms. Check into the hotel. Local sight Seeing.
Day 4: Kullu sightseeing.

QUERY 2: Does Kullu have a lot of places for tourists that we can cover in 1 day? Or is it better to forego this day and head straight to Manali on Day 4? I chose 2 days in Kullu incase Mom or Dad show any signs of AMS, this day can be used as an acclimatization day.
Day 5: 08:00 Leave Kullu.
Day 5: 10:00 Reach Manali, 50 kms. Check into Hotel and do local sight seeing.
Day 6: Targeted points of interest are Solang Valley, Gulaba Viewpoint, Rohtang Pass and return to Manali via Atal Tunnel.

QUERY 3: I will be driving an XUV 3OO AMT Diesel, MY 2020, 31K on Odo. Factory fitted tyres with plenty of thread for another 20K Kms and serviced at 30K Kms. Will the fact that this is a FWD vehicle hinder the progress? Will AMT be a mess on the snowy ghats? I don't have any experience whatsoever of driving in hilly and snowy regions, but ghats are something that we Puneris regularly come across. Any advice on this will be helpful. Dad suggested we take a taxi on hire for the Rohtang Pass day in Manali, and I agree. However, that elusive pic of me and my car and the mile marker with Rohtang written on it, is missing from my To-Do-List. The itch to drive my own car to Rohtang is pretty strong. But not stronger than personal safety, of course.

Day 7: 08:00 Leave Manali
Day 7: 23:00 Reach Agra. Check into hotel.
Day 8: 04:00 Leave Agra.
Day 9: Reach Pune. Leisurely drive back. No targets. No mandatory night halts. The Agra Bombay Road is quite familiar to my dad and I and we can take turns to cover this bit, no problems.

QUERY 4: Any and all inputs on the road conditions, routes to be taken, stays etc are welcome. I have just booked 2 hotels so far. 2 nights in Kullu and 2 night in Manali. Both are cancellable with no charges. So I am open to modify the itinerary as per the feedback.

QUERY 5: As far as I can understand from what I read, AMS will not be a problem in Kullu, Manali or Rohtang. However, since I am travelling with 2 others in their golden age, any suggestions on what meds and or any specialized equipment etc to be carried will be appreciated.

QUERY 6: Will I get to see fresh snowfall at any of the places from December 26th to December 29th, 2022? IMD says yes, in Manali, but you never know. Any special place during this time of the year where I am guaranteed fresh snowfall in that area? Not willing to go over the Rohtang Pass, so that is a limitation.

QUERY 7: Are private vehicles welcome in HP? I remember the incident where the windscreen of a private vehicle was smashed by a huge rock by a taxi operator and the resulting court case etc. But that was in Leh. Also, I came across a Green Tax that tourist vehicles have to pay in advance for Himachal. But couldn't find a place to pay it. What other charges should I be aware of?

QUERY 8: I have been reading horror stories about the Chandigarh - Manali road jams. Is the situation still the same? In that case, it doesn't make sense to drive all the way to Chandigarh and get stuck in constant jams. Maybe take a bus from Chandigarh to Kullu/Manali?
If anyone has recently done the route, the details and feedback will be very helpful please.
Thanks in advance. This will be my first documented Travelogue ever, so very excited.

Drive Safe.

[benzinblut]

Originally Posted by DevilzzzzOwn

QUERY 1: Google Maps shows 2 routes. ...... Which one would you guys suggest?

I went on the same stretch from Mumbai last week.

I suggest Bhilwara > Kishangarh > Jaipur Bypass > Kotputli > Ambala-Narnaul Expressway > Ambala > Chandigarh.

This will be the fastest.

About 250km on the Ambala-Narnaul Expressway you will be averaging around 100km/hr. Thats also the speed limit there.

Also, as you are planning the night halt at Bhilwara, I would advise you to check hotel/lodging options in advance. In general options are limited. May be you have to go inside Bhilwara to get decent options.

Kishangarh has better options but you will have to go inside Kishangarh for the better ones. It all depends on what suits you and what you accept.

Have a safe drive!

[Sumain]

Hello,
Let me try and answer some of your queries:

Kullu stay - I would suggest one night in Kullu is enough. Manali is so much more beautiful. There is nothing much in Kullu.

AMS and other concerns - You are unlikely to encounter any Acute Mountain Sickness at all, since you are staying below 8,000 ft even at the highest point. AMS occurs only at higher altitudes.
Your concern should be motion sickness, if at all. If all the occupants in your vehicle are okay on ghat roads and do not have motion sickness, you should be fine all along this route as well.
In case motion sickness is a concern, there is some mild preventive medicine available for that. Maybe you could ask your doctor or chemist.
There is no shortage of oxygen at heights upto 8000 ft, so you are fine on that account as well.

Suitability of vehicle - You can plan to take your vehicle up to Manali, and even beyond. However, please avoid driving it on snow, as it is a 2WD, and only 4WD vehicles are recommended for snow. Also, you will need appropriate tyres, if you are to be even safer.
If you want to venture out on a snowy route beyond Manali, it would probably be better to hire a local 4WD vehicle with an experienced driver.
If there is no snow on the roads, you can go through the Atal Tunnel (Rohtang tunnel) and onto the other side, where you are more likely to encounter some snow.
Much more dangerous than snow is "black ice", which starts forming later, after it stops snowing. It is invisible, and very tricky. Google "black ice" on the Internet and see some YouTube videos on this to understand this better.
The local authorities follow strict safety protocols in case of bad weather and snow storms, and will not allow 2WD vehicles to go through. Please follow their directions.
Again, you are unlikely to encounter snow on the roads upto Manali on your dates.

Out of state vehicles in HP - Not a problem. Just don't drive or behave aggressively. Local police are more likely to side with locals, in case of any incident.
In Ladakh also, it is only the taxi union which objects to out of state rental vehicles and taxis, since they lose business. If it is a private vehicle registered to you or a family member, there is no problem.

Traffic jams - Google maps may be your best friend. Look for alternate routes in case you see a jam on the map. In any case, your XUV300 will be more agile than taking a bus.
There is a fair bit of roadworks on this route, so you will encounter some bad patches on the route. And some bits will be such a delight to drive on.
Best advise as always - leave early - as early as possible.

Hope this helps

[sahil624]

Hi all, I am planning to go to Manali in the first week of February from Jaipur in Nissan Kicks. My mom will be traveling with me. I have a few questions:

1. I will be self driving from Jaipur and on the first day planning to stay at Chandigarh. Is this the recommended stop or should I stay someplace else?

2. How grave could be the Black Ice situation at that time? (February 1st week)

3. Will this be a tourist season and can we encounter huge traffic jams while going from Chandigarh to Manali?

4. We will be staying in Manali for three or four nights, what all places should I visit in and around Manali?

5. Once in Manali, should we hire local taxi or Kicks will be able to take us around?

Thanks.

[ChiefAmay]

Did a 20 days Manali trip from Dec to Jan so I could answer some of your questions.

Originally Posted by sahil624

2. How grave could be the Black Ice situation at that time? (February 1st week)

Up until Manali you should not encounter any black ice

Originally Posted by sahil624

4. We will be staying in Manali for three or four nights, what all places should I visit in and around Manali?

You should definitely visit the following places:
1. Hadimba Devi Temple (You'll encounter good traffic enroute)
2. Manu Temple (Narrow roads & steep climb)
3. Van vihar
4. Vashisht temple (Parking inconvenience at the top)
5. Solang Valley (Snow activities)
6. Atal Tunnel
7. Sissu

Originally Posted by sahil624

5. Once in Manali, should we hire local taxi or Kicks will be able to take us around?

You can use your own vehicle for most of the places listed above except the last two. Depending on the weather condition the authorities close the road towards Atal Tunnel post Solang allowing only local vehicles and 4X4s.

[SNayak]

hello all - so finally we are planning a trip to Himachal this April. We would be driving from Bangalore and would be mostly visiting Shimla and Manali and nearby places. Coming to this part of the country, I am looking for some handholding from this thread as this is our first visit. So here are few questions to the knowledgeable folks here :-

1. How would be the traffic/crowd during April in these places ? Mostly worried about the traffic to reach these places. We are planning to hire Taxis for the local sight seeing anyways. The concern is more to visit from one place to another like Shimla to Manali ?

2. Any recommendation of good homestays/hotels in Shimla and Manali

thank you for your answers !!!

[SNayak]

We just completed our first trip to Himachal Pradesh last week and we really had a great time there. We visited Shimla, Manali and Jispa and each place had it's own charm. Here are the list of places where we stayed and short review on them.

Marley Villa - Shimla : Fantastic homestay with very good accommodation. The view from the homestay is breathtaking and the homely food served is tasty. The staff was accommodative and ensured a comfortable stay. They have a 5 BHK and a 3 BHK and you can book through Air BNB or directly through the owner. Out of all the stays, this was the best I would stay. The only cons was the parking which I must say will taste your driving skills. Otherwise this one is highly recommended.

Snow Valley Resorts - Manali : A proper 4 star hotel and in a good location. Everything felt good here starting from rooms to food to hospitality of the staff. You can see the snow cladded mountains from the hotel. They have a nice play area for kids, a gym and some recreational rooms as well. If you prefer hotel, go for it.

The Karma cottages - Jispa : Went with very less expectations however this turned out to be pretty decent. We just stayed for a day there but we had no regrets. It was worth for the price you pay. Hot water was available through out the day, food had less spread but taste was good, views from the cottage was breathtaking. The river is 5 mins walk from this place. Only cons was the hotel has less staff and the surrounding areas are not kept clean. We saw lots of littering in the open areas

Note : This post is just to share my experience and I have no personal affiliation.

[trippytragopan]

Travel advisory for people planning to visit Lahaul

[kushalshah]

Hi all,

I am traveling from Delhi to Manali this weekend with family and needed help with latest condition of roads from Chandigarh to Manali as I had heard a new highway work is in progress. Is that work over or does it have impact on the road condition or speed of travel?
Also, I am reading road closures and avalanches ahead of Manali due to change of weather. Any update on roads, weather and accessibility till places like Sissu? Will they be open now?
Lastly, what are some of the good food options & sights/interesting places to cover on the way - Not more than 10-15 min detour.

[gyanbaba]

Originally Posted by kushalshah

Hi all,
I had heard a new highway work is in progress. Is that work over or does it have impact on the road condition or speed of travel?

The work is almost complete and waiting for inauguration, possibly in the first week of May.
The Keeratpur -> Bilaspur -> SunderNagar stretch takes time like 4-5 hours, which this new route is supposed to reduce to 30 min. If you are travelling this weekend, no time-saving so far.

Also, I am reading road closures and avalanches ahead of Manali due to change of weather. Any update on roads, weather and accessibility till places like Sissu? Will they be open now?

Sissu was opened yesterday and also open today. You can find good amount of snow in Sissu. Police was not allowing tourists beyong Sissu but they may allow further till Darcha, if there is no new snowfalls/avalances/tornedos.

Lastly, what are some of the good food options & sights/interesting places to cover on the way - Not more than 10-15 min detour.

Entire Delhi to Manali route is interesting and a paradise beyond Atal Tunnel. I love sizzlers at Chopsticks, on Mall Road. Also, you can try Johnson's Bar Restaurant.

[sinharishi]

Got back from Manali yesterday covering over 1600 KMs. This was our maiden trip to the infamous hill station.

• Places visited: Manali, Sissu, Tandi and Manikaran.
  
  
• Route: G.Noida-Delhi-Karnal-Ambala-Chndaigarh (Halt at Ginger, Zirakpur)-Ropar-Swarghat-Bilaspur-Pandoh-Kullu-Manali.
  
  
• Not sure if it still makes sense to take the Shambu border-Kurali road to bypass Chandigarh vs the Aerocity road.
  
  
• On return we stopped at Almeida, Zirakpur. Took aerocity road to NH205 from Zirakpur both ways.
  
  
• Swarghat to Bilaspur and Pandoh to Aut, both stretches in a mess. However, the new road is almost ready and will be open to traffic on May-18. As per the local pump guy, it will be shorter by 50-60 kms.
  
  
• On return we ended up on the new road, entered from Sundernagar and was stopped at Swarghat to make a u-turn as the tunnel wasn't ready. Took some internal narrow road to join the main highway back.
  
  
• We wasted a day driving to Kullu-Kasol-Manikaran. Came back utterly disappointed. Narrow battered roads and impatient cabbies. There was nothing much to see it Parvati valley, I would any-day prefer tirthan to parvati. You can have the same "type" of enjoyment in tirthan minus some thousand of people. Ended up visiting shiv temple and hotsprings, wanted to go to Gurudwara but was very crowded.
  
  
• Stops taken enroute:
  - Nik Bakers, Zirakpur
  - Starbucks, One something complex at Kurali
  - Cafe Suket, Sundernagar (Highly recommended)
  - Hotel Raja, Sundernagar (Return leg)
  - Haldirams, Sonipat

Some videos from the drive, for pictures you can visit the Slavia official thread.

https://youtu.be/JHwUZ2Rg_cY

https://youtu.be/zbb3BSnUUuU

https://youtu.be/jzD_MsIpBxc

https://youtu.be/IvFEGmzRVh0

[Tanmay_868]

Greetings to all,
Planning to do a Delhi-Manali trip around end of June. I just wanted to know about the new highway and various tunnels connecting Chandigarh and Manali.
Have they been opened and ready for use?
Since some YouTubers have uploaded video for the same, but validation from bhpians is needed.

[gyanbaba]

Originally Posted by Tanmay_868

Greetings to all,
I just wanted to know about the new highway and various tunnels connecting Chandigarh and Manali.
Have they been opened and ready for use?
Since some YouTubers have uploaded video for the same, but validation from bhpians is needed.

Quite possible that I am driving on this route on 7th June.
I will post my updates with the pictures/videos.

[helterskelter]

Hello everyone, any latest update on the Manali-Chandigarh route. Are the tunnels operational? Coming back on the 12th from Manali to Delhi.

[gyanbaba]

Originally Posted by helterskelter

Hello everyone, any latest update on the Manali-Chandigarh route. Are the tunnels operational?.

Just came back from Manali, like 3 hours ago. So, I can give you the most accurate update!

It took me exactly 10 hours 7 minutes of driving time (plus 2 breaks of 45 minutes each for food and another 15 min break for fuel) to reach from Manali to Gurgaon, which includes a bad traffic jam somewhere between Punjabi Bagh and Naraina Flyover which might have eaten up like 40 minutes for 3-4 KMs.

Most of the tunnels are open except a few nearby Kainchi Mod.

Tunnel 1,2 and 3 were in pure darkness but sweeping and cleaning was at a full swing, probably to impress gadkari Ji.

I also witnessed a landslide between tunnels 1 and 2 (feeling lucky)
Clearning of road was swift (The JCB team is always there in landslide-prone areas) but it took like 15 min.

The new route is impressive and 4-5 speed cameras are working too So, beware of crossing the limits.

I still can't believe that I did Manali to Gurgaon in a broad daylight and still feeling fresh enough to write this post.