Day walks and trekking from Manali

From an hour to a week

Manali is where a lot of Himalayan walking starts, and the range runs from an hour's climb to a waterfall to a week over a pass. It helps to sort them by what they ask of you.

Walks of an hour or a morning

Jogini Falls is the one to do first: from Vashisht, about 46 min up through orchards and pine to the upper falls, twenty minutes down, no guide, no ticket. The Anjani Mahadev shrine above Solang is a similar climb to a shrine under a rock, about 46 min up and 21 min down from the road. The Manali Sanctuary has a loop through old deodars that starts a few minutes from Old Manali and can be an hour or three. All three are village paths; shoes with grip, water and a morning start are the whole kit.

A full day

Lamadugh is a meadow high above the town, reached by a steady climb through forest from the Hadimba side — a long day up and back with the whole valley below you at the top. Patalsu is bigger: a summit above Solang that makes a hard day for fit walkers and is done with a guide by most. Both are on our treks pages with routes and road heads. A guided day walk is typically ₹800–2,000 per person, checked in September 2026 against the local market, and a group of four brings the per-head rate down.

The camping treks

Three classics, all from late May to mid-October. Beas Kund is three days from Dhundi above Solang, up a single valley to the lake where the Beas begins, about 240 min of walking up from the road head. Bhrigu Lake is two to three days from Gulaba to a lake at 4,235 m on the ridge east of Rohtang, with a night at the meadows for the altitude. Hampta Pass is four to five days over the pass at 4,270 m into Lahaul, ending at Chandratal — a July-to-September crossing, and the one that needs a guide for everyone.

Trekking outfits in Old Manali and on the Mall run all three as fixed departures through the season, with tents, food, guide and porterage in the price, quoted per day. Ask what is included, how large the group is, and whether the road-head transport is in. The treks page lists the ones we know.

Season

Day walks most of the year, with ice on the shaded paths in December and January. Camping treks from late May: snow on the routes into June, green and wet in July and August, clear and cold in September and early October. The Manali guide has the month-by-month.

What to carry

For the day walks: shoes with grip, a litre of water, a layer for the top, sun protection. For the camping treks: warm layers for the night, rain gear in the monsoon months, a head torch, and the outfit's list for the rest. Nothing needs buying in Manali that you could not bring, but the Mall sells everything from socks to sleeping bags at the last minute.

Plans that include this

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Manali to Sissu — the day trip through the Atal Tunnel

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Best Jan–Jun · Sep–Dec

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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

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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

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1 night · 2 days · Slow travelCafés & food

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

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Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Nov

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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

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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

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