Earlier this month (July 2024), I spent a week around Manali and Kasol. Here’s the story of my journey and the places I loved.
Manali
My perception of Manali wasn’t too positive. I always thought of it as a touristy town in Himachal only to be used as a base for reaching other less touristy parts, but this trip changed that a little. Perhaps because it was off-season, the crowd was less everywhere except on the Mall road.
Stay
We stayed in Aleo, which was a little away from the Mall road and on the other side of the Beas river. Our hotel/homestay - Qumm was a nice cozy place to live in. It had the amenities of a hotel with the vibe of a homestay. The room had a balcony with good views and there was a common terrace with great views of mountain peaks. The food cooked by the helper - Ramashish was simple but delicious. We had read a lot about our host Singay in reviews, but unfortunately, he was away, so we could not meet him. There were no other guests, so we had the common terrace to ourselves. Just going on the terrace to sit and soak in the landscapes had its own charm.
We paid 2000rs per night for the room.
Ancy’s Cafe & Kerala Store
This small eatery run by a Keralite woman served the most delicious South Indian food we had on the whole trip. It’s very close to Qumm or Aleo petrol pump. I had lunch (thali, 150rs) and breakfast (idlis and uttapam) here. The food was simple but amazingly tasty, and at a reasonable price too.
Manali Nature Park
It was a gem hidden in plain sight. It is located right next to the Mall road, on the banks of Manalsu and Beas rivers. The entrance is a 5-minute walk from Mall road circle, from the Wildlife Information and Interpretation Centre. There is a small entrance fee as well. From the entrance, a path - Van Vihar Path, goes north till Manalsu river. There is another trail forked from this path that goes to the northeast point where Manalsu meets Beas. I would suggest that you take this trail and then walk along a trail along the Manalsu to meet the original well-paved path.
I visited the park on a cloudy day. It was serene - tall deodar trees all around, hardly any people around, sound of birds, and gushing river streams. This place had my heart. Make sure you have a couple of hours if you want to properly explore the park and be ready to walk a couple of kilometers.
Sethan
We had heard a lot about Sethan, so rented out a scooter and set out for it. Though it is just 12 kms from Manali, you climb over 3000 feet in those 12 kms courtesy of 35 hairpin bends. And with the condition the road is in, it takes over an hour to reach Sethan. But boy, is it worth it! As you climb higher, you get better and better views of Simsa and surrounding neighborhoods of Manali and Beas flowing down towards Naggar.
Sethan village is very small and doesn’t have much to offer, so we rode straight ahead till the road ended at Hampta pass trek start point. The 3-4 km ride from the Sethan village till the end of the road is even more scenic. We parked our scooter there and walked on the Hampta pass trail till we reached meadows. It’s a simple trail till that point with slight elevation and a log bridge river crossing. We were not even wearing shoes. It’s worth going on the trail if you reach the start point (at least till the meadows).
From the trek start point till meadows you can get maggi and rajma rice at 2-3 places. Would recommend having rajma rice for lunch there. On the way back, our scooter slipped on gravel and we fell at one point near the village. So be a little careful while coming down.
We paid 700rs for the Scooter (TVS Ntorq 125) for 24 hrs (9AM - 9AM).
Naggar
Naggar is a quaint little town less than an hour’s drive away from Manali. You can hire a cab till there or there are many local buses that go from Manali to Naggar Chowk. Naggar castle is the main attraction there. Most of the restaurants are around the castle, so it makes sense to stay somewhere close to it. There are rooms inside the castle too. Apart from the castle, there are a couple of ancient temples around it. Naggar chowk is already at an elevation from Beas river and the neighboring Patlikuhal town. The castle is perched even higher on the mountain. The castle road after Nightingale provides a great view of Beas riverbed and towns/villages around it.
We paid 1500rs for a cab from Manali to Naggar as we had to work that day. Buses cost much less, but they take more time.
Stay
We stayed at Tsukimi Homestay. The rooms with balcony provide a good view of the opposite mountain. But the road is too close to the balcony so you can’t really sit/stand in the balcony without passers-by noticing you. The host - Amrit, cooked delicious meals. We worked from there for a couple of days and the internet was pretty good too.
We paid 2500rs for two nights for a double room with balcony. Tip: Go for the deluxe double room if you can. The double room felt too small.
Naggar Castle
Though the Castle is the main attraction, much of it has been converted into a hotel and a restaurant. You can access the common areas that provide a good view.
Nightingale
It’s a fancy Italian restaurant on the castle road. Go for the view seats on the side, they offer a great view. We had dinner there and could see the lights of villages down below and of the vehicles passing on the Kullu - Manali national highway. The ambience was amazing with good music playing in the background.
Beena’s Bhojanalaya
Highly rated on Google maps, we wanted to go for dinner but could only go one morning for red-sauce pasta which was the best red sauce pasta we had ever had.
Kasol
Kasol is famous for all the wrong reasons. While that is not untrue, it has so much to offer other than that. There are many treks to go on, hotels/homestays/hostels with great views to chill in and many offbeat villages nearby to explore. It is a bit touristy and expensive though. I can’t imagine going there in peak season.
From Naggar, we reached Kasol using buses. Took one from Naggar square till ISBT Kullu, another one from there to Bhuntar bus stand, and then the final one from there to Kasol. Don’t remember the exact fare, but it cost us less than 150rs per person. Direct cab from Naggar to Kasol was 3000rs.
Stay
We stayed at The Hosteller Kasol, Parvati Valley. Luckily we got the best Room with Balcony with an unobstructed view of the mountains on one side. It is newly built, has all the modern amenities, and is closer to the main road than the older Hosteller.
On the last day, we had a bus to catch at 9.30 PM so we stayed at Narayan Guest House for half a day. It was a forgettable experience. The rooms were unclean and lacked basic amenities. We thanked our stars that we didn’t have to stay there for too long.
For the Hosteller room, we paid 7034rs for 3 nights. At Narayan Guest house, we paid 800 to use the room till 9PM.
Nature Park Kasol
A gem hidden in plain sight. Reclaimed from a wasteland, this park provides a refuge from the busy main street. It has an entry fee, but is well maintained. There are many places to sit, but the gazebo near the Parvati river is the best. You get a great view of the river, Kasol bridge and mountains in the distance. The sitting area on the side where a stream flows into Parvati is good too.
Kasol Bridge
A small truss bridge that connects the main areas of Kasol to Chalal and areas on the other side. If you want to get away for a while from the buzzing main street, go to the other side using this bridge. Or go on it to experience the cool breeze that Parvati carries along with it. There are a couple of shacks on the other side at walkable distance where you can have a quick snack/tea.
Offlimits Coffee Kasol
A fancy cafe/restaurant situated on the bank of Parvati. Offers hemp-infused everything - from tea to cold-pressed juices. Quite expensive too. But worth a visit in the evening if you want to sip on a hemp-infused (possibly non-alcoholic) drink while Parvati is gushing by you (at a safe distance).
Panjtara Bar & Grill
Another fancy place in Kasol. Tastefully decorated. Offers a wide range of food and drinks. This place comes alive in the evening, often hosting live music events. We didn’t get a chance to attend one though.
Usha Dhaba
A small eatery run by a lady that serves delicious food at a reasonable cost. The veg thukpa and momos we had were amazing.
Manikaran and Tosh
We rented a scooter from Kasol and set out for a day trip to Manikaran and Tosh. The road till Manikaran was decent, there weren’t many turns or steep climbs. From Manikaran to Barshaini, there was a good deal of climb. The road was pretty bad at certain stretches but overall it wasn’t that bad. The road after Barshaini, from Tosh split was almost non-existent. There were too many potholes and loose gravel.
Tosh was a bit disappointing. Once you enter the village, it was mostly narrow paths surrounded by houses/stays. We went to Pinki didi’s cafe. Unlike the name, it wasn’t some small cafe/homestay run by a lady. It was a proper cafe with staff wearing t-shirts with the cafe logo. While it did offer views of snow-capped mountains from the cafe, the best end of it was reserved for private access.
We roamed around a bit in the Tosh village but there was nothing apart from rampant construction. When we returned to our scooter in the parking lot, one of the mirrors was dislocated and lying in the dust. Later we replaced it with a new one at a bike shop in Kasol; the repair guy said either the scooter had fallen or it was the work of some local miscreants.
Overall, I found Tosh very overrated. There are no good views to justify the troubles taken to reach there. If you only go till Barshaini HEP Dam, you won’t miss out on anything. The road after Manikaran till this dam is not bad and the views are magnificent. If you don’t want to hire a vehicle, you can catch a bus from Kasol going to Barshaini, walk till the dam viewpoint, explore the area and return via the same/another bus. There are multiple buses plying between Kasol and Barshaini. Make sure that you confirm with the conductor/driver that the bus goes till Barshaini because even if they have written Barshaini on the board, they may go only till Manikaran. For the views, sit on the right side while going to Barshaini and on the left side while returning.
For the scooter (TVS Ntorq 125), we paid 700 for the day (return by 9PM the same day). There is no petrol pump in Kasol, so we had to buy petrol from the same guy. He was charging 120rs/litre. The scooter already had more than half a tank full and he charged us 300rs for that.
Delhi
I had some time in Delhi between flights and buses, so ended up exploring India Gate and Red Fort. While the India Gate complex was okay, the management of the Red Fort complex left much to be desired.
This entire trip lasted a week, from Saturday (when we reached Manali) to Saturday (when we left Kasol). We had to work on Monday and Tuesday, so we couldn’t explore much on those two days. We missed out on Malana and Grahan, but that’s okay - it gives me a reason to come back! Even though it was monsoon season, the weather was nice. It was sunny on most days, and although it drizzled sometimes, it never lasted long. Overall, it was a great trip. I got to relive it while writing this post. :)