Rohtang Pass or the Atal Tunnel — which day to do

Two ways over one ridge

The Rohtang ridge closes the Kullu valley to the north, and there are two ways across it: over the top, by the pass at 3,978 m, or under it, by the tunnel, 8.8 km long. They are different days, and the most common confusion in planning a Manali trip is treating them as one.

The pass

Open roughly May to November. Every vehicle needs a permit, one per car, issued online by the district administration with a daily cap that sells out in season; taxi operators usually hold their own. It is 49 km from Manali and about an hour and a half of driving each way on a clear road, more with the queue at the checkpost above Gulaba and the traffic on the hairpins. Budget the whole day.

What you get is height: the road above the treeline, snow at the roadside into June, the view down both sides of the divide, and the thin, cold air of nearly four thousand metres. What you do not get is a place — the top is a car park, a few stalls and a lot of people in hired snowsuits.

The tunnel

Open every month. No permit. About 43 min from Manali to the south portal, ten minutes through, and a short descent to Sissu on the far side: 39 km and roughly an hour door to door. In winter the road above Solang is cleared after each snowfall and the police may check chains at the barrier; that is the only friction.

What you get is a place. The change of country at the north portal, the bare slopes and cold sky of Lahaul, a village with a waterfall across the valley and a lake below the road, and snow for most of the winter and into spring. What you do not get is the height or the sense of crossing.

The loop

In season, with a permit and a six o'clock start, the two combine: up over the pass, down the far side to Sissu for lunch, and back through the tunnel in half an hour. It is the full version of the ridge and a long day. With two days out from Manali it is better as two days, with the four-day itinerary as the shape.

Winter

From December to April the choice makes itself: the pass is shut and the tunnel is the snow drive. A winter "Rohtang trip" sold in the town is a Sissu trip, and a good one. The snow itinerary is built round it.

Cost

The tunnel costs nothing. The pass costs the permit fee on the portal and a longer taxi day; taxi rates for both are quoted by the union at the Manali stand by the day and change with the season, so ask the evening before. Warm clothes are hired at the roadside above Kothi by the day for either.

Plans that include this

All Manali itineraries →

Day plan · FriendsRoad trip

Manali to Sissu — the day trip through the Atal Tunnel

The Manali–Sissu day trip through the Atal Tunnel: about an hour each way, no permit, open all year. Timings, what to see in Sissu, and lunch at Solang.

Best Jan–Jun · Sep–Dec

See the plan →

Day plan · First visitClassic

One day in Manali — the first visit

A one-day Manali plan for a first visit: Hadimba's cedar-grove temple, the Manu shrine, the Vashisht hot springs and the walk to Jogini Falls — no car till two.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Dec

See the plan →

Day plan · Slow travelTemples & heritage

Kullu from Manali — the district town, its temples and the river, in a day

A day in Kullu from Manali, 40 km down the valley: the Raghunath temple above the bazaar, the Dhalpur ground, the shawl weavers, the stone temple at Bajaura.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Nov

See the plan →

1 night · 2 days · Slow travelCafés & food

Old Manali — two days of cafés, lanes and one forest walk

Two days in Old Manali without a car: long breakfasts on the lane, the Manu temple, the riverside lawns, the forest walk, the Hadimba grove and the hot springs.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Nov

See the plan →

1 night · 2 days · CouplesTemples & heritage

Naggar and the left bank — two days below Manali

A night at Naggar below Manali: the castle from around 1460, the temples and the Roerich gallery; then lunch at the Jana Falls dhabas and a temple walk.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Dec

See the plan →

1 night · 2 days · Slow travelWaterfalls

Waterfalls and short walks around Manali

A slow two-day Manali plan on foot: the Jogini falls above Vashisht, a rock shrine above Solang, Rehala Falls on the Rohtang road and Bhrigu Lake in season.

Best Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct

See the plan →