Atal Tunnel
road · 43 min from Manali
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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.
The tunnel changed the shape of a Manali day. Before October 2020, the Lahaul side was a long, high, permit-and-queue day over Rohtang Pass, open only in summer. Now the Atal Tunnel — 8.8 km through the ridge — puts Sissu about an hour from Manali in every month, with nothing to book.
This is that day: up the valley past Solang, through the tunnel, two hours in Sissu, and back for a late lunch at the meadow. It works as a first look at the Lahaul side, as the snow day in winter, and as the easy alternative for anyone who could not get a Rohtang permit.
Sissu itself is small — a village on the Chandra with a waterfall on the far wall and a lake below the road. The point is the change: from Kullu's orchards and cedar to Lahaul's bare slopes and a colder sky in the length of one tunnel.
Photos: Timothy Gonsalves (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Navneet Sharma (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) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Anyone with a spare day in Manali, families who want snow without altitude sickness, and winter visitors, since the pass is shut. Not for anyone hoping for a long day out — the far side beyond Sissu is a separate trip with its own nights.
Day by day
Day 1
Through the ridge and back
Out by eight, Sissu by ten, back for a late lunch at Solang. The tunnel needs no permit and is open all year.
- 08:30KothiThe last village before the old climb, and the view down the gorge from the road. Ten minutes.
- ↓ 35 min by road · 21 km09:15Atal Tunnel8.8 km under the Rohtang ridge, opened in October 2020. The air at the far portal is a different season.
- ↓ 11 min by road · 10 km09:45SissuThe waterfall across the valley, the lake below the village, tea in a kitchen with the Chandra below the window. Two hours is right.
- ↓ 35 min by road · 26 km13:00SolangBack through the tunnel for lunch at the meadow — paragliding from the ridge in season, the ropeway on a clear afternoon.
Getting there
You start from Manali, so the only travel is the taxi: fix it the evening before, and ask whether the driver has been through the tunnel this week — in winter that answer tells you whether chains are being asked for above Solang. Self-drive works the rest of the year; the road to the south portal is a normal two-lane climb past Solang and Dhundi.
Where to stay
Any Manali stay works, but one on the Solang road at Palchan or Kothi puts you twenty minutes closer to the tunnel and lets you leave later. Our stays page shows both sides of town on the map; the cafés page has breakfast before eight.
Know before you go
- Leave by eight in summer and by ten in winter, after the road has been cleared. Either way, aim to be back through the tunnel by early afternoon before the return queue builds.
- There is no permit for the tunnel. If a taxi driver says otherwise, find another taxi.
- It is colder on the Lahaul side in every month. Take a layer you would think unnecessary in town.
- Two hours in Sissu is enough: the waterfall, the lake, a walk through the village, tea. Beyond that you are driving deeper into Lahaul, which is a different trip.
- Lunch at Solang on the way back rather than in Sissu — the meadow has the dhabas and the afternoon light.
- Mobile signal drops inside and beyond the tunnel; download the map before you go.
If plans change
In May–October with a permit: go up to Rohtang Pass in the morning and come back through the tunnel — the loop over the top and under it is the full version, and it needs the early start the four-day plan describes.
If you have the whole day: add Kothi and Marhi on the way up for the gorge and the meadow, and skip Solang on the return.
If the road above Solang is closed by snow: the snow line is your destination that day; go as far as the road allows, and try again tomorrow morning.
Places on this route
Other ways to do it
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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.
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2 nights · 3 days · CouplesSnowManali in the snow — December and January in three days
Three winter days in Manali: a slow cold town, the hot springs at Vashisht, and the snow day through the Atal Tunnel to Sissu while Rohtang is shut.
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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.
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See the plan →Questions people ask
How far is Sissu from Manali?
About 39 km by road through the Atal Tunnel, which the routing model puts at roughly an hour each way from the bus stand. With a stop at Kothi on the way up and lunch at Solang on the way back, the whole outing is a comfortable half day, leaving Manali around eight and returning by mid-afternoon.
Do I need a permit for the Atal Tunnel?
No. The tunnel is a national highway with no permit or pass system, unlike the road up to Rohtang Pass, which needs a per-vehicle permit with a daily cap. In winter the police may check that cars above Solang carry chains when there is snow on the road, which is a safety check rather than a permit.
What is there to see in Sissu?
A village on the Chandra river at the Lahaul end of the tunnel: a tall waterfall on the far wall of the valley, a small lake below the road, and a first sight of Lahaul's bare, high country after Kullu's orchards. Two hours covers it. Snow lies here for most of the winter and often into spring.
Is the tunnel open in winter?
Yes — that is its purpose. The pass over the top closes with snow from around November to May, and the tunnel keeps Lahaul connected through the winter. The approach road above Solang can close briefly after heavy snowfall while it is cleared, so start later in the morning in December and January.