Atal Tunnel
road · 43 min from Manali
4 nights · 5 daysFirst visitClassicpacked
Five days in Manali — the whole valley, first time, pass included
A five-day first-visit Manali plan in season: the town on foot, the tunnel to Sissu, Rohtang at six, Naggar and Jana Falls, then Solang and the springs.
This is the full first visit: every famous thing in the Manali valley in five days, in an order that makes the long day survivable. The town on foot to arrive. The tunnel to Sissu, which needs no permit, before the pass, which does — so that if the pass day fails to weather or permits, you have already had the mountains. Then the pass itself, with the six o'clock start it demands. Then the slow day down the valley to recover, and the meadow and the springs to finish.
It is a packed plan and it says so. Four nights, four drives, one walking day, and a permit to book before you arrive. For a gentler version of the same valley, the slow five-day plan does one thing a day; for the same trip without the pass, the classic three days.
Photos: Vinayaraj (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Itsarti (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Madhumita Das (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Nrr1729 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Navneet Sharma (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
A first visit that wants everything and has the season for it — May, June, September or October, when the pass is open. Friends, couples who like a full day, families with children old enough for the pass. Not for anyone visiting between mid-November and May, when the pass is shut and this becomes the four-day plan with a spare day; and not for anyone who wants a rest day, which this plan does not have.
Day by day
Day 1
The town, on foot
Arrive, walk, sleep low. Everything today is within minutes of the bus stand.
- 09:00Hadimba Devi TempleThe cedar grove before the queue; walk the loop behind the pagoda.
- ↓ a short walk10:30Museum of Himachal Culture and Folk ArtTwo minutes from the temple gate; an hour that explains every building you will see this week.
- ↓ 6 min by road · 3 km15:00Van ViharThe deodar park by the Beas; an hour of shade after the drive in.
- ↓ a short walk18:00Mall RoadThe evening walk, a shawl if you want one, dinner off the Mall.
Day 2
Through the tunnel to Lahaul
The high day that needs no permit; leave by eight.
- 08:00Nehru KundTen minutes at the spring where the valley opens ahead.
- ↓ 36 min by road · 22 km08:45Atal Tunnel8.8 km under the ridge; the light and the country change at the north portal.
- ↓ 11 min by road · 10 km09:30SissuThe first village of Lahaul at 3,120 m: the waterfall across the valley, the lake below the road, a dhaba lunch.
- ↓ 48 min by road · 31 km14:00KothiOn the way back, the gorge from the bridge; five minutes and tea.
Day 3
Up to the pass
The long day. Permit booked in advance, breakfast before six, warm clothes whatever the town feels like.
- 06:45Rehala FallsThe roadside fall in the deodars above Kothi; fifteen minutes on the way up.
- ↓ 12 min by road · 7 km07:15GulabaThe meadow where the road leaves the forest and the checkpost where the permit is checked.
- ↓ 24 min by road · 13 km07:50MarhiTea at the dhabas while the air is still thick; the snow above the hamlet in May and June.
- ↓ 31 min by road · 17 km09:00Rohtang Pass3,978 m; the view down both sides of the divide. Back down for lunch at Marhi and the afternoon free.
Day 4
The old capital and a waterfall lunch
Down the quiet bank; a slower day after the pass.
- 10:00Naggar CastleThe rajas' castle from around 1460; courtyards, balconies, tea on the terrace.
- ↓ a short walk12:00NaggarThe Roerich gallery above the castle, the temples and the orchards below.
- ↓ 24 min by road · 13 km14:00Jana water fallsUp the side valley for a late lunch at the dhabas — siddu, trout — with the falls behind.
Day 5
The meadow, the shrine, the hot springs
The last full day: Solang early, one walk, and the baths to finish.
- 07:30SolangThe meadow while the car park is empty; flying from the ridge in season, typically ₹3,000–5,000 as of Sep 2026, quoted on the day.
- 10:00Anjani MahadevThe walk to the shrine under the rock, about 46 min up at an easy pace, about 21 min down.
- ↓ 25 min by road · 12 km15:30Vashisht TempleThe hot baths across the river as the afternoon cools; a towel and a change.
- ↓ 8 min by road · 4 km16:30Upper Jogini FallsIf the legs allow, the path from the top of the village to the falls, about 46 min up; otherwise the village lane and dinner.
Getting there
The overnight bus from Delhi, 513 km, arrives early on day one, which is why day one is on foot. From Chandigarh, 264 km and about 289 min, arrive the evening before. Bhuntar airport is 49 km and about 62 min away when the weather allows. A taxi for the four drive days; the pass day needs a full-day car with a permit, arranged at the union stand the evening before, or earlier in June.
Where to stay
Old Manali for all four nights — near the cafés, the museum and the bus stand, and every drive starts from the bridge. A room facing away from the lane in season. Our stays page shows what is open and what it costs; the where to stay article compares the areas.
Know before you go
- Book the Rohtang permit the day your dates are fixed. It is one per vehicle, online, capped, and it sells out on weekends in season.
- Do Sissu before Rohtang, always. If the pass day is lost to weather or a closed road, the tunnel day has already given you the mountains.
- Leave for the pass at six. The checkpost queue at Gulaba and the hairpins above Marhi are what turn a clear morning into a nine-hour day.
- The pass is nearly two thousand metres above the town: a fleece and a shell in the car, and a hat, in June as much as October.
- Paragliding at Solang is typically ₹3,000–5,000 for a tandem flight (as of Sep 2026); fly early, ask for the receipt, check the harness.
- Cash for the dhabas at Marhi and Sissu, the counters at Solang and the temple lanes; the machines drop with the power.
- Day five's Jogini walk is optional; the springs are not.
If plans change
If the pass is closed or the permit is gone: day three becomes Gulaba as far as the plough allows, Kothi and its gorge, and an early afternoon at the Club House by the river.
If it rains on day four: the castle is under a roof; keep it and drop Jana.
With a sixth day: nothing planned. The forest path in the sanctuary before breakfast, a book, an early dinner — the rest day this plan does not have.
Places on this route
Hadimba Devi Temple
temple · 1 min from Manali
Naggar Castle
fort · 31 min from Manali
Rohtang Pass
pass · 1 h 29 min from Manali
Solang
town · 21 min from Manali
Jogini Falls
waterfall · 8 min from Manali
Vashisht Temple and hot springs
temple · 6 min from Manali
Anjani Mahadev
temple · 23 min from Manali
Gulaba
pass · 35 min from Manali
Jana Falls
waterfall · 53 min from Manali
Mall Road, Manali
area · 3 min from Manali
Rehala Falls
waterfall · 47 min from Manali
Sissu
town · 54 min from Manali
Kothi
town · 21 min from Manali
Marhi
town · 59 min from Manali
Museum of Himachal Culture and Folk Art
museum · 5 min from Manali
Nehru Kund
hotspring · 8 min from Manali
Van Vihar
park · 3 min from Manali
Other ways to do it
All Manali itineraries →
4 nights · 5 days · Slow travelClassicFive days in Manali, slowly — one thing a day
A five-day Manali plan at one thing a day: the temple and Old Manali, Naggar Castle and Jana Falls, the hot springs, the tunnel to Sissu, then the forest.
Best Mar–May · Sep–Nov
See the plan →
3 nights · 4 days · First visitClassicFour days in Manali — the valley, the pass and the meadow
A four-day Manali itinerary: the temples on foot, a full day up to Rohtang Pass with the permit sorted, a slow day at Naggar Castle, then waterfall walks.
Best May–Jun · Sep–Oct
See the plan →2 nights · 3 days · First visitClassicThree days in Manali — the classic first visit
A three-day Manali itinerary: the temples and Old Manali on foot, Solang and the Atal Tunnel to Sissu with no permit, then Naggar Castle on the way out.
Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Dec
See the plan →
3 nights · 4 days · First visitAutumnManali in October — four days in the clearest month
Four days in Manali's clearest month: the cedar grove and hot springs, Rohtang Pass before it closes, Solang and the shrine walk, the orchards of Naggar.
Best Oct–Nov
See the plan →Questions people ask
Is five days enough to see everything in Manali?
In season, yes — this plan has every famous thing in the valley in five days: the temple grove, the old village, the tunnel to Sissu, Rohtang Pass, Naggar Castle, Jana Falls, Solang, the shrine walk, the hot springs. What it lacks is a rest day or a trek; other plans have those.
In what order should I do Rohtang and Sissu?
Sissu first, the pass second, always. The tunnel day needs no permit and is open in every weather short of a slide; the pass day depends on a permit, the road and the sky. If you do Sissu on day two and the pass fails on day three, you have already had the mountains.
Which months does this five-day plan work?
May, June, September and October, when the pass is open — it usually opens in May and closes by mid-November. October is the best of them for clear skies and no crowd; June has the roadside snow and the fullest roads. From mid-November to May the pass is shut and the plan loses its third day.
How much walking is in this plan?
One walking day in the town and short walks at every stop, plus two optional climbs on the last day — the shrine above Solang, about 46 min up, and Jogini Falls from Vashisht, about the same. Everything else is reached by car with a few minutes on foot at the end.