Camping near Manali
Three kinds of camping
Camping near Manali is three different things, and it helps to know which one you are buying.
Photos: Gxyd (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Consequoia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Adarsh Patel (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
The first is the fixed tented camp: canvas tents on platforms with beds, a bathroom block, a dining tent and a bonfire, run by an operator for the season. These are at Solang and the slopes above it, and at Sethan, the Buddhist village on the Hampta side of the valley above Prini, which has the better view and the quieter night. You drive there, sleep, eat and leave.
The second is the riverside camp on the Kullu road, around Raison and Patlikuhl, half an hour down the valley: lower, warmer, on the bank of the Beas, popular with groups from the plains for the river and the fire. The state tourism corporation has run a camping ground at Raison for decades and private camps have grown around it.
The third is the trek camp, which a trekking outfit pitches for you at the meadows on the way to Beas Kund or Bhrigu Lake. You walk to it. This is the real thing: a night above the treeline with the peaks close.
What it costs
A tented camp with meals is typically ₹1,000–2,500 per person per night, checked in September 2026 against the local market. Dormitory-style tents sit at the low end, private tents with beds and an attached bathroom block above it. Trek camps are priced per day of trek with food, guide and porterage included. Ask what meals are in, whether bedding is provided, and whether the price is per tent or per person. Cash is easier at the camps.
Operators
No operator has listed this on HimLocal yet. The prices above are typical local rates; you pay the operator on the ground.
Run a centre here? List it on HimLocal →Season
April to June and September to November for Solang and Sethan, with cold clear nights. The riverside camps run longer, from March into December. July and August are wet at every altitude. A few outfits run snow camping at Sethan in January and February; it is genuinely cold and only worth it with proper sleeping bags and a fire.
Pitching your own
On the treks, yes: the meadows on the way to Beas Kund and Bhrigu are where every group camps, and a self-sufficient party with its own tent can do the same with care for water and fire. On the valley floor and at Solang the land is farmed or managed and the fixed camps are the practical option. Inside the Manali Sanctuary and the national park, camping needs a permit from the forest department.
Getting there
Solang is 12 km and about 24 min from the bus stand; Sethan is a short drive up from Prini on the far side of the river; Raison is on the Kullu road on the way down. Our stays page lists the camps we know, and the treks page has the outfits that run Beas Kund and Bhrigu with camping included.
Plans that include this
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1 night · 2 days · CouplesTemples & heritage
1 night · 2 days · Slow travelWaterfallsQuestions people ask
Where can you camp near Manali?
Three sorts of place. Fixed tented camps with beds and meals at Solang and at Sethan on the Hampta side of the valley. Riverside camps on the Kullu road around Raison and Patlikuhl, lower and warmer. And trek camps that an outfit pitches for you at the meadows on the way to Beas Kund or Bhrigu Lake.
How much does camping cost near Manali?
A tented camp with meals is typically ₹1,000–2,500 per person per night, checked in September 2026 against the local market; private tents with beds and a bathroom block cost more, dormitory tents less. Trek camps are priced per day of trek with food and guide included. Ask what meals and bedding are in.
When is camping season around Manali?
April to June and September to November for the high camps at Solang and Sethan, when nights are cold but dry. The riverside camps at Raison run longer, from March into December, being lower and warmer. July and August are wet everywhere; a few outfits run snow camping at Sethan in winter, which needs proper gear.
Can you pitch your own tent near Manali?
In the meadows above the road on the treks, yes, with care for water and fire; that is how the Beas Kund and Bhrigu camps work. On the valley floor and at Solang the land is farmed or managed and the fixed camps are the practical option. Inside the Manali Sanctuary, camping needs a forest permit.