River rafting near Manali

Where it happens

Rafting is a Kullu thing, not a Manali thing. The Beas at Manali is a steep, boulder-strewn torrent; by the time it reaches the valley floor below Kullu it has widened and slowed into a river you can put a raft on. The stretch runs from Pirdi, on the highway south of Kullu, down to around Jhiri near Bhuntar — about 40 km and roughly 49 min from the Manali bus stand. Most people do it as the first half of a day that continues to Kasol or on the way down to the airport at Bhuntar.

You do not book in Manali. The counters are on the roadside at Pirdi, side by side, and you go with the next raft to fill. Each counter is an operator with its own rafts and guides; there is no central booking and no need for one outside the peak weeks of May and June, when arriving by nine avoids the wait.

The stretches

Two, roughly. The short stretch is a few kilometres of steady water with a handful of small rapids — forty minutes on the river, the one families and first-timers take. The long stretch runs the full way to the take-out with more and bigger rapids and an hour and a half or more in the raft. Both end with a jeep ride back to the start, which is part of the price.

What it costs

Typically ₹500–1,500 per person, checked in September 2026 against the local market, the short stretch at the low end and the long at the top, quoted at the counters on the day. The price covers the raft, a guide, life jacket, helmet and the jeep back. Waterproof phone pouches and photographs are sold on top. Ask before paying what is included; ask to see the jacket and helmet; cash is easier at the river.

Season and water

March to June and September to November. Snowmelt makes May and June the highest, coldest and roughest water; the monsoon closes the river in July and August; autumn is lower and clearer with gentler rapids. Mornings are calmer than afternoons on the water and the road. Wear clothes that can get wet and shoes that stay on; leave everything else in the jeep.

Getting there and making a day of it

Down the valley on the Kullu road: about 40 km and 49 min by taxi, or any Kullu bus from the Manali bus stand to Pirdi. A taxi for the day makes sense if you are going on to Kasol or Manikaran afterwards, which is the usual shape of the day — raft in the morning, the Parvati valley after lunch. The Kullu guide has the town and the temples for the return.

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 →