Atal Tunnel
road · 43 min from Manali
2 nights · 3 daysFriendsRoad tripbalanced
Manali to Sissu and Lahaul — three days with a night across the ridge
Three days from Manali with two nights at Sissu: the tunnel and the meadow on the way, the Chandra valley to Koksar and Gondhla's tower house, the gorge home.
Sissu is an hour from Manali through the tunnel, and most people see it as a day trip — up, lunch, back. This plan gives it a night, and the night is the point. The evening light on the far wall of the valley after the day cars have gone; the cold clear dark of a village at 3,120 m; a second day to go deeper into Lahaul than a day trip can.
Day one is the drive up with the meadow on the way. Day two goes along the Chandra valley to Koksar and the tower house at Gondhla on the road towards Keylong, and comes back to Sissu for the second night. Day three returns through the tunnel with the Kothi gorge on the way down. Nothing needs a permit.
Photos: Navneet Sharma (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Timothy A. Gonsalves (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Avantikac98 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Jagseer S Sidhu (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Timothy A. Gonsalves (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Timothy A. Gonsalves (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Friends and couples who have done Manali and want the other side; anyone who has seen Sissu from a car for two hours and wants the evening. Not for a first Manali visit with three days in total, and not in winter without checking that the Sissu stays are open and heated — many close.
Day by day
Day 1
Up the valley and through
A late start; the tunnel is an hour, and Sissu is the night.
- 10:00Nehru KundTen minutes at the spring where the valley opens.
- ↓ 14 min by road · 6 km10:30SolangThe meadow on the way; a walk on the grass, tea, the ridge above.
- ↓ 22 min by road · 16 km12:30Atal Tunnel8.8 km under the ridge; the light and the country change at the north portal.
- ↓ 11 min by road · 10 km13:15SissuThe village at 3,120 m; the waterfall across the valley, the lake below the road, the evening light on the far wall. Sleep here.
Day 2
Deeper into Lahaul, and back to Sissu
The Chandra valley beyond the village — a fort, a waterfall, the road towards Keylong — and the night at Sissu again.
- 08:30Sissu FallsAcross the river from the village; the fall on the far wall, fullest in early summer, frozen at the edges in winter.
- ↓ 17 min by road · 13 km10:30KoksarThe old checkpost village where the pass road comes down; tea at the dhabas by the river.
- ↓ 39 min by road · 26 km12:30Gondhla FortA tower house of timber and stone on the road towards Keylong, the Thakurs' seat; the valley's oldest building.
Day 3
Back through the tunnel, and the gorge
Down to Manali by lunch; the afternoon in the town.
- 11:00KothiThe gorge at the bridge on the way down — take the pass road fork for it and rejoin below.
- ↓ 27 min by road · 13 km15:00Hadimba Devi TempleThe cedar grove after two days of bare slopes.
Getting there
Manali by the overnight bus from Delhi, 513 km, or the drive from Chandigarh, 264 km and about 289 min. Sissu is 39 km and about an hour from the Manali bus stand through the tunnel; a taxi for the three days is the sensible way, or self-drive outside the snow months. Shared taxis and a few buses reach Sissu; beyond it they are rare.
Where to stay
Sissu for both nights, in a homestay or small guesthouse in the village — a handful exist and most close in winter. Ask about heating, hot water and dinner before you book; there is no town to fall back on. Our stays page shows what we know is open; the map shows the village against the valley.
Know before you go
- Book the Sissu stay before you leave Manali; there are few rooms and no walk-in town.
- Sissu is at 3,120 m and cold at night in every month; a real jacket, and a hat for the morning.
- The tunnel needs no permit. Chains may be checked above Solang in winter; that is a safety check at the barrier.
- Deeper Lahaul — Keylong, Jispa, Chandratal — is a separate trip with its own nights; day two goes as far as Gondhla and turns round on purpose.
- Cash: there is no reliable card machine in Sissu and the nearest cash is in Manali.
- July and August bring slides that close the tunnel road for hours; this is a May–June and September–October plan.
If plans change
If you want the pass as well: in season, with a permit, go up over Rohtang on day one and come back through the tunnel on day three — the full loop.
If you only have a day: the Sissu day trip is this plan's first morning and afternoon.
If you want to go on: Keylong is the next night and Chandratal the one after; that is a Lahaul trip, and our Sissu guide is where it starts.
Places on this route
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See the plan →Questions people ask
Is it worth staying overnight in Sissu?
Yes, if you want the evening and a second day. The day trip sees Sissu between eleven and two with the day cars; the night gives the light on the far wall after they leave, the cold dark of a village at 3,120 m, and a morning to go deeper into Lahaul. Rooms are few; book ahead.
Do you need a permit for Sissu and Lahaul?
No. The Atal Tunnel needs no permit and is open every month, and the road on through Sissu towards Keylong is a national highway. The only permit on this side is for the old road over Rohtang Pass, which this plan avoids. In winter a chain check above Solang is a safety check, not a permit.
What is there to see beyond Sissu?
Along the Chandra valley on the road towards Keylong: the Sissu waterfall across the river from the village; the old checkpost village of Koksar, where the pass road comes down; and the tower house at Gondhla, the Thakurs' timber-and-stone seat. Keylong itself is a further trip with its own nights.
When is the best time for a Sissu overnight?
May and June, when the waterfall is fullest and the valley is still edged with snow; and September and October, when the sky is clearest and the poplars turn. July and August bring slides that close the tunnel road for hours. Winter is possible and white, but most Sissu stays close and the cold is real — check first.