The Journey so far-

Day 4 – November 13th, 2009 | Manali – Solang Valley – Naggar

This day we were supposed to have fun with the Snow point tour offered by HPTDC Honeymoon package. We had some butter toast in the breakfast, prepared the coffee for ourselves as with rest of the milk and out in a flash to catch the bus which was waiting only for us. Timings of the bus departure was 9.30 AM and we reached there at 10.00 AM and that too only after running the last leg :)  But that’s it we got it. There was a cloud cover since morning and certainty of rain was always there. The temperature was much lower than the previous days. Since it was after a very long time there was November snowfall in Manali, roads were closed badly up from there and we were only allowed till Solang Valley and believe me it was full of snow.Here is the glimpse…

Snow @ Solang…

Although there was not much need of Snow Suits but we still rent them to save our clothes from getting wet. We reached Solang and it started snowing for 10-15 minutes and then converted into rain. Considering the whether conditions driver of the HPTDC bus instructed all of us to come back by 12.30 that was 1.30 Hrs of enjoyment in snow which was pretty much good enough. But the best part was driver said then we will move on to Naggar and I said WOW!! There we can accommodate our booking for tomorrow and stay there for today’s night and come back to Manali to leave for home next day, there by seeing Naggar as well and most importantly avoiding the night stay at that scary Hadimba Cottages. Here are the pictures of Solang Valley where we had great enjoyment…

We had great fun there as my wife seeing snow as well as snowfall for the first time 🙂 After the we moved towards Naggar which was about 30 KM from Solang. The views en-rotue were simply breath taking and here are few pictures from which you can get a feel…

En-route Naggar there was a temple as well know as "Gayatri Temple" know to be one of the oldest temples of all time with relevance to "Mahabharata". Here are few clicks…

Well we finally reached Naggar and straight away went to reception to adjust my booking for today. I asked the guy at reception to accommodate the booking for current day and he obliged favorably. They even adjusted the return tickets of Volvo for very next day which were initially booked for two days after. He also booked a taxi for us to Manali for next day which cost us Rs 500. I believe it was at much higher side but they had an excuse of heavy rain all the way and tough road condition etc. So in all we had cut short the journey by one day. We had lunch at the restaurant, which was really great with added amazing beauty of views from the outside tables. Here are few of them…

Then, guy at reception showed us the room (room number 105) we booked for Rs 3000 from Delhi office (poor me, first time I made that mistake of booking without seeing :( ). When I saw it, I believe it was worth it. But somehow we had to reject it since it was too big and my wife recalled the last night horror at Hadimba Cottages. Moreover, we were alone again that day at hotel as only few foreigners were there and no one could assure their presence at night ;) . So, sadly we rejected that one of most beautiful rooms I have ever seen. Nevertheless in the end we got one of the front facing room (Room Number 112) although it is priced Rs. 900 less :) i.e. Rs 2100. Do check 101, 102, 103, 112 rooms for availability as they are among the front facing rooms I know about (best scenic views, you can see entire Nagger valley from their window or balcony) and if you feel it’s an off season do book only on the spot.

Views from our room…

Source of the above views…room’s balcony…

It was raining most part of the day and we rested for few hours and went to cafeteria in the evening to have some tea and coffee. Outside it was too cold and chilly so we sat inside the cafeteria for few hours. Meanwhile we got to know that during thunderstorms they shutdown their EPABX system to prevent damage. Same is the case with telephone exchange. So if you are there do save the number of any responsible person at hotel as land-lines doesn’t work there during thunderstorms.

In dinner we had some boiled eggs and sweet corn soup which was also pretty nice and went to peaceful sleep. Next morning we had to leave for Manali at 10 AM and the Volvo back home was scheduled 5.30 PM.

Day 5,6 – November 14th / 15th , 2009 | Naggar – Manali – Delhi

We woke up in the morning pretty early to enjoy the beauty and click some photographs of the castle and Naggar valleys breathtaking views. We also went to the temple inside the castle and then took the breakfast. We had french toast in the breakfast and again, they were awesome. So overall the food quality at Naggar Castle was great. Here are the pictures from the day we were to leave.

Temple inside Naggar Castle…

Assorted…

It was raining since night and all the way. We started from Naggar around 10.30 AM and target was to reach Hadimba Cottages before check-out time. We reached their in time, I clicked some pictures of the room and we were away. Down at mall we had to spend next 5 Hrs waiting for the bus to leave and it was badly raining and it was very cold. We went to Kunzum hotel, (HPTDC property) asked the guys to keep our luggage. They also obliged in favor and we are thankful to them.

It was lunch time by then and we decided that we will eat at two places. At one place order will be to my wife’s liking and at other it will be mine. First we went to some restaurant and had a DOSA. It was pathetic but thankfully tea was good. We were unable to eat that dosa and in next half an hour we left from there. Then we went to Grozy restaurant, which is I think the first  restaurant at the start. We had a punjabi thali and it tasted good. I tried this restaurant in 2007 and the food was of nice quality still. Then we had left ourselves with 2 more hours and again we went to Kunzum Hotel waiting lounge. After sometime we decided to sit in Bar in the restaurant and have some Vodka and pass time. There we passed the rest of the time and by the time we reach back it was told to us that bus is in place and you can keep your luggage. We went to bus, kept our luggage have 4 boiled eggs and some popcorns for the bus.

During most part of the journey till Sundernagar it was raining and there was a lot of slush on the way where it took almost 5 minutes every time bus was stuck into it. We left for home around 6 PM from Manali and reached Delhi at 9 AM. Overall we enjoyed each and everything right from snow, rain, hills and even the scary night etc.

One of the best…

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I am Dheeraj Sharma - a traveler, techie, and Himalayan lover. Since 2009, I have been helping thousands of travelers every year plan memorable & budget-friendly trips to the Himalayas - Smartly, Safely, and responsibly.

26 Comments

  1. Comments section gets closed in 90 days. To ask your travel questions, you can follow my YouTube Channel for a faster reply or for a much slower reply follow me on Instagram. :)

  2. hi dow

    we are 5ppl planning trip from Bangalore to manali . kindly help( suggest ) us with cab details for delhi to manali if u ppl know any one

    Regards
    Dilip / 9036512344

  3. Mohit Malhotra on

    Hi!

    This is Mohit from Delhi. Loved the way u narrate ur experiences. It really helps.

    We are traveling to Manali on 28th Aug and I have booked 2 days in Manali.

    Now I need to do break journey from Delhi to Manali as I’ll b travelling with my small kids. Also where should I stop for a night where I can get decent hotel. Also would like to cover manikaran Sahib and 1 day in naggar.

    Pls help with suggest. Awaiting to hear from u.

    Thanks
    Mohit Malhotra
    9716299474

    • Mandi/Bilaspur will be right place to break the journey. You can easily do Manikaran and Naggar in a day from Manali while coming back

  4. Hi Dheeraj,
    i ll be travelling to naggar on 24th by private Volvo (delhi-manali) for two days. i will stay on 25th over there and check out on 26th and head to manali to catch the bus back to Delhi. wanted to know any idea about plying of private buses and their hassles since not traveling alone. i hope ll be experiencing snow? Any suggestions what can be done in a day. any near by market or place in naggar to explore? Also, i will get down at patlikuhl and take the taxi to castle from there.Any changes or suggestions required and is taking the taxi from patlikuhl okay or from place else?

    • Ankush, you wil not get snow in Naggar but at snow points of Manali. When yo check out from Naggar on 26th Morning then you can plan for it and catch the evening volvo from Manali. The place where bus will drop you will need either private taxi or need to wait for public transport bus only. Yes, you are right in understanding there. There is a Krishna temple at the top, trek up there in Naggar.

  5. hi
    i have planned a trip to manali for 3nights 4 days. i would like to travel from kolkata. can you suggest the best route-delhi/chandigarh and also plan my trip as i want all adventouros sports and snow activities for teenagers. we have a plan for 12-15th june. is this the right time to visit manali and other near places? please advice.

    • Rashmi, if you are traveling with your own car then you can take the route from Kiratpur – Anandpur Sahib – Nangal – Una – Bhota – Jahu – Ner Chowk – Mandi – Kullu – Manali else there is this normal route from Kiratpur – Swarghat – Bilaspur – Sunder Nagar – Mandi – Kullu – Manali.

      Day 1 | Reach Manali early morning and rest for half a day. Then do local sightseeing in Manali
      Day 2 | Head to snow point of Rohtang Pass and come back by noon. You can do Paragliding in Solang Valley while coming from Rohtang Pass
      Day 3 | Head to Pirni and do river rafting. Come back while visit Naggar Castle by evening before taking overnight Volvo back to Delhi or Chandigarh

  6. i just need advise from a person who got experienced…..and for your information me and my wife both are new to this place…..so please guide me…..

      • thanks bro,

        Below is the plan given by for Mayank . Thats what am also planning for,

        Day 1 – Reach Manali, take rest for half of the day and enjoy the x-mas in the evening including Mall road. (I assume that you will be reaching in the morning by Volvo)
        Day 2 – Manali – Solang Valley (Paragliding) and then back to Manali for Local sightseeing which includes Hadimba Temple, Manu Temple, Mall Road, Local Monastery, Vashisth Hot Water Springs (never found it interesting) etc.
        Day 3 – Manali – Rohtang Pass – Manali. Enjoy in snow and come back to Manali. leave by 4 AM types for sure to avoid any jams or delays in reaching Rothang Pass. If you can't make it before 8 AM, it would be closed for maintenance for next 4 hrs. Make sure, this is not Tuesday bacause road is closed on Tuesdays.
        Day 4 – Manali – Naggar Castle(stay at Naggar and enjoy the place)
        Day 5 – Naggar Castle – Manali – Delhi (Checkout from Naggar Castle by noon. Since, the volov will be around 5.30 PM types, so either you can spend a sometime hanging around Naggar only and after lunch leave for Manali or come back to Manali and hang around on Mall road and finally take the return bus)

        but i have some queries on that, shall i change the 1st day plan from solang valley to manikkaran, however my fiancée not going to like adventure sports.
        Is manikaran worth for a one full day visit or any other thing we can explore on the way.
        Is anything else ther to visit solang valley apart from sports?
        Where did you stayed in Naggar castle?
        Is the hotel Slimog garden is better for staying?

        regards
        Naren

  7. hi deeraj,

    first of all my hearty thanks for the plenty of informations you provided for all without hesitation.

    I just wondering about taxi and food arrangements…..whether can i go with the help of the hotel which am staying or find it outside..? which one will be better?

    Actually am planning honeymoon after my marriage in dec 2012.

    For staying in Naggar castle , can we book the hotels online?

    • Hi Naren,

      It will be better if you can directly go to Manali taxi stand and bargain for the rates of taxi with drivers directly. All other mediators involvled will take their part from the deal :), better to save money as it is just a trivial thing to get a taxi yourself in Manali. Yes, you can do booking at Naggar Castle, online.

      If interested in more details on Manali including sightseeing places, accommodation options, food joints, etc you can go through the Manali travel guide available at the link here

      Regards
      Dheeraj Sharma

  8. Hi Dheeraj,

    I am from Bangalore and planning a trip with my wife in April to Manali. Thanks to you that after reading your blogs I have prepared a itenary, but there are some gaps still and need your help in filling them. We start from Delhi on 20April.

    Day1: Reach Manali in the morning. Check-in to hotel. I am planning to book snow-valley resorts 3N/4D package. This package provides a half day local sight-seeing trip so i think we will do this in later half of the day.

    Day2: GO to Snow point. That should be the best part as thats the thing for which we are crossing whole of the India. Can you tell how much time does it take and how to arrange for logistics ? Anything else we will be able to do other than snow point ?

    Day3: We want to do river rafting and paragliding. So, i think this day shall go towards this. Anything else we will be able to on this day ?

    Day4: This is the day where I am confused what to do, as I am also flexible for one more day. Plan a)Check-out from the resort and go towards nagar castle and return by the evening to catch evening volvo to Delhi. OR

    b) Check-out from resort and check-in at nagar castle. Spend the day there. Check-out from Nagar castle on Day5 and catch evening Volvo. (But, is there anything to cover on Day4 and 5 if I extend the stay according to this plan.

    I will appreciate your help in planning this trip.

        • Hi Sanjay,

          I did reply, but do not know what went wrong it didn't appear on the blog 🙁 … Anyways, you can follow a plan like below:

          Day 1 – Reach Manali, take rest for the day. Local sightseeing which includes Hadimba Temple, Manu Temple, Mall Road, Local Monastery, Vashisth Hot Water Springs (never found it interesting) etc.
          Day 2 – Manali Local sightseeing whatever left above, and in the second half you can go to Solang Valley for paragliding if you like to.
          Day 3 – Manali – Snow Point either at Solang Valley or Marhi/Gulaba on the way to Rohtang Pass. Enjoy in snow and come back to Manali
          Day 4 – Manali – Naggar Castle (stay at Naggar and enjoy the place)
          Day 5 – Naggar – Delhi

          Getting to snow point on Day 3 will help you be accustomed to hilly terrain for first two days. You will feel much better on thrid day instead of going there on the second day itself. I hope this helps. Please let me know incase you need any other details or have any queries.

          Regards
          Dheeraj Sharma

      • Hai Dheeraj, we planning a trip to Manali in august.We will reach Manali on 10th morning by Volvo n will return on 15th.please suggest a suitable itinerary for five days in which paragliding is a must.Also i will appreciate some information on hoe to reach Solang, Naggar and Rohtang.

        • Hello Mayank,

          Use local taxis to reach Solang Valley, Naggar Castle and Rohtang Pass. For 5 days, you might like to follow a plan like below:

          Day 1 – Reach Manali, take rest for half of the day and enjoy the x-mas in the evening including Mall road. (I assume that you will be reaching in the morning by Volvo)
          Day 2 – Manali – Solang Valley (Paragliding) and then back to Manali for Local sightseeing which includes Hadimba Temple, Manu Temple, Mall Road, Local Monastery, Vashisth Hot Water Springs (never found it interesting) etc.
          Day 3 – Manali – Rohtang Pass – Manali. Enjoy in snow and come back to Manali. leave by 4 AM types for sure to avoid any jams or delays in reaching Rothang Pass. If you can't make it before 8 AM, it would be closed for maintenance for next 4 hrs. Make sure, this is not Tuesday bacause road is closed on Tuesdays.
          Day 4 – Manali – Naggar Castle(stay at Naggar and enjoy the place)
          Day 5 – Naggar Castle – Manali – Delhi (Checkout from Naggar Castle by noon. Since, the volov will be around 5.30 PM types, so either you can spend a sometime hanging around Naggar only and after lunch leave for Manali or come back to Manali and hang around on Mall road and finally take the return bus)

          I hope this helps. Let me know incase you need more info. or have any queries or doubts.

          Regards
          Dheeraj Sharma

  9. hey

    Really goood …Checked all your Trips ..

    even we had a group by the name of dangar academy but got split…

    cheers

    • Hi Sarthak!!
      Thanks a lot…yups with time priorities keeps on changing…even we are only able to maintain the group as wifes are not much against the travel ;)…for me it's just Travel and soon we would be heading Leh-Ladakh in this July…I would also love to check your logs/pictures as well if they are present somewhere…great to hear from you mate…I hope I would be able to keep the good work and provide you guys with more and more mother nature eye candies….

  10. Hey Dheeraj. I am a friend of Neeraj. Awesome pics and a great blog.

    Planning to go to Manali and Rohtang from 25th May(next week). Just wanted to inquire bout some economic hotels in Old Manali. Do let me know if you have some idea.

    • Hey Ravish…Thanks alot…Well you can check with Jagdish Manali (9816828821) he was our SPOC when we went to Delhi to Chandratal…He knows certain hotels there in old manali and has various contacts there too….nice guy although runs a business…

      Secondly you may check Hotel Summer King near ITB petrol pump, or Tourist Lodge.

      In Old Manali you may find plenty of budget hotels once you cross over the bridge and head towards Manu Temple…