Old Manali
area · 5 min from Manali
2 nights · 3 daysFriendsAdventurepacked
Manali with friends — three days of paragliding, waterfalls and the snow line
A three-day Manali plan for a group: paragliding off the Solang ridge at dawn, the Jogini falls and hot springs on foot, then the Rohtang road to the snow line.
This is the plan for a group that wants to do things rather than see things: fly off the ridge at Solang, walk to two waterfalls and swim under one, soak in hot springs, and drive up to wherever the snow line is that week. Three days, two nights, no permit, and every day ends somewhere with music.
The order matters. Paragliding is first because the air over Solang is calmest early in the morning and the counters are empty; by eleven the wind is up and the queue is long. The waterfall day is on foot so nobody is driving after the hot springs. The snow-line day is last because it is the one that depends on the season — in May you may reach Marhi, in January you may not get past Kothi, and either way you turn round where the road does.
Rohtang Pass is not on the plan on purpose: it needs a permit booked in advance and a whole cold day. The four-day plan has it.
Photos: Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Dimukho (CC BY-SA 4.0) · AthulBiju94 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Jagseer S Sidhu (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Nrr1729 (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Groups of friends, college trips, stag and hen weekends that want the mountains rather than a bar, and anyone between eighteen and forty who thinks a trip is measured in things done. Not for the monsoon: the ridge does not fly in rain, the Jogini path is mud, and the Rohtang road closes after slides.
Day by day
Day 1
Fly in the morning, walk in the afternoon
Solang first thing while the ridge is calm, a walk to a rock shrine, and the night in Old Manali.
- 07:30SolangThe meadow 12 km up the valley. Tandem paragliding launches from the ridge above it in season; the counters are above the car park.
- 11:00Anjani MahadevA shrine under a rock overhang above Solang; a gentle walk in from the road and the best lunch spot on the meadow's edge.
- ↓ 28 min by road · 14 km16:00Old ManaliThe lane above the bridge for the evening; music, cafés, and the stone houses at the top for the ones who keep walking.
Day 2
Two waterfalls and hot water
On foot from Vashisht. The Jogini path in the morning, the springs at the end of it.
- 08:30Upper Jogini FallsThrough orchards and forest from Vashisht village, then a steep pull to the upper fall. Ordinary shoes in dry weather.
- 11:00Lower Jogini FallsOn the way down; the pool below it is the swim, if the day is warm.
- ↓ 8 min by road · 4 km14:30Vashisht TempleThe hot-spring tanks in the temple courtyard — the reason to end the walk here.
Day 3
The snow line, whatever month it is
Up the Rohtang road as far as the season allows. The higher villages and the meadow at Marhi; the pass itself only with a permit and in season.
- 08:00KothiThe last village before the climb; the gorge from the road.
- ↓ 17 min by road · 9 km09:00GulabaThe check post and, from autumn to spring, the snow line. Walks on the meadow above the road.
- ↓ 24 min by road · 13 km10:30MarhiThe high dhaba stop where the road levels out; the meadow behind it for the morning if the road is open this far.
Getting there
The overnight bus from Delhi's ISBT Kashmere Gate lands at the Manali bus stand early — sleep on the bus, drop the bags, and go straight up to Solang for the calm air; the Old Manali night is the reward. From Chandigarh, 264 km of slow road, leave before dawn to make the ridge by ten. Fix a full-day taxi the evening before for day one and day three; day two needs only a hop across the river.
Where to stay
Old Manali, without question: hostels, guesthouses and the cafés with live music are all on one lane. Our stays page lists the dorms and the rooms, the cafés page shows who is open after ten at night, and the map shows the walk from the bus stand. The treks page has the longer routes if the group wants a fourth day on foot.
Know before you go
- Paragliding at Solang is typically ₹3,000–5,000 for a tandem flight (as of Sep 2026); operators quote on the day. Ask for the receipt, check the harness and the reserve, and fly with a pilot who has flown that morning.
- The ridge is calm at eight and rough by eleven. Early is safer as well as shorter in the queue.
- Swim below the lower fall, not the upper one; the pool is calmer and the rocks are not.
- The Vashisht tanks are hot and public; a towel, modest swimwear, and no soap in the water.
- Day three is a snow-line day, not a pass day. Turn round where the road closes and do not argue with the barrier.
- Carry cash for the counters above Solang and the dhabas at Marhi; card machines stop with the power.
- Old Manali's music ends when the police say it does. Plan the night around eleven, not one.
If plans change
If the ridge is not flying: rafting runs on the Beas below Kullu in season; ask in town the evening before, and keep day one's afternoon walk.
If the group wants a proper trek: swap day three for the start of Beas Kund — three days from Solang — or Bhrigu Lake from Gulaba, both in season; the treks page has the routes.
If it rains: the Club House, the hot springs, and a slow afternoon in Old Manali. The mountains are still there tomorrow.
Places on this route
Other ways to do it
All Manali itineraries →
1 night · 2 days · Slow travelWaterfallsWaterfalls 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 →
2 nights · 3 days · FriendsRoad tripA Manali weekend from Delhi — two nights, one overnight bus each way
A Delhi–Manali weekend by overnight bus: the town on foot the first morning, Solang and Sissu through the tunnel on the full day, Naggar on the way to the bus.
Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Dec
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 →
Day plan · FriendsRoad tripManali 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 →Questions people ask
How much does paragliding at Solang cost?
A tandem flight from the ridge above the meadow is typically ₹3,000–5,000, checked in September 2026; longer flights cost more, and operators quote on the day at the counters above the car park. Ask for the receipt, check the harness and the reserve, and fly early when the air is calm.
Can we reach Rohtang Pass on this plan?
Not without a permit booked in advance and a full day. Day three goes up the same road to the snow line — Kothi, Gulaba and, in season, Marhi — which gives the group snow and the views without the permit queue. If the pass matters to you, the four-day plan has the timings and the permit details.
Is the Jogini Falls walk safe for a group?
Yes in dry weather: it is a village path through orchards and forest with a steep, short pull to the upper fall, and ordinary shoes are fine. Keep the group together on the unmarked stretch above the village, swim only below the lower fall, and do the walk in the morning so the hot springs are the end of it.
What is the best month for an adventure trip to Manali?
April, May and October: the ridge flies, the paths are dry, the snow line is within reach on the Rohtang road, and the nights are cool rather than cold. June is busy, July and August are rain, and from December the snow-line day starts lower but the Old Manali nights are quieter and cheaper.