Hadimba Devi Temple
temple · 1 min from Manali
1 night · 2 daysSlow travelCafés & foodrelaxed
Old Manali — two days of cafés, lanes and one forest walk
Two days in Old Manali without a car: long breakfasts on the lane, the Manu temple, the riverside lawns, the forest walk, the Hadimba grove and the hot springs.
Old Manali is the village across the Manalsu stream that the town grew out of, and it is where people who stay more than two nights end up. Guesthouses sit in orchards, a lane of cafés and bakeries climbs to the Manu temple at the top, and the forest gate is a few minutes away. This plan never gets in a car. It is two days of the lane, one temple, one forest walk, the grove next door, and the hot springs across the river.
It is the plan for a rest day in the middle of a bigger trip, for a couple who want the room and the café, and for anyone who has done the drives and wants to stop.
Photos: Nrr1729 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Donvikro (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Kiran Jonnalagadda from Bangalore, India (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Michael Goodine (CC BY 4.0) · Birte Fritsch (CC BY 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Couples, solo travellers, writers and readers, and anyone on a longer trip who wants two days without a taxi. Not for a first visit with only two days — that needs a drive out, and the two-day first-time plan is the one.
Day by day
Day 1
The lane, the temple, the river
Nothing before ten. This is the plan for people who came to sit.
- 10:00Old ManaliA long breakfast on a café roof above the bridge; then the lane up through the old houses.
- ↓ a short walk12:30Manu TempleAt the head of the village, the shrine the town is named for; stone steps at the end.
- ↓ 3 min by road · 1 km16:00Club HouseThe riverside lawns below the village; tea by the Manalsu.
Day 2
The forest, the grove, the hot water
One walk under trees, then the temple next door, then across the river to the springs.
- 08:30Manali SanctuaryThe deodar path from the gate near the village, an hour under the big trees, back for a late breakfast.
- ↓ 7 min by road · 2 km11:30Hadimba Devi TempleThe cedar grove five minutes from the sanctuary gate; the loop behind the temple.
- ↓ 9 min by road · 4 km16:00Vashisht TempleThe hot baths across the river as the afternoon cools; a towel and a change.
Getting there
The overnight bus from Delhi, 513 km, arrives at the bus stand, from which Old Manali is 2 km up — five minutes by autorickshaw, twenty on foot. From Chandigarh, 264 km and about 289 min. Nothing in this plan needs a car after that.
Where to stay
In the village, as high up the lane as you can — the upper guesthouses are the quiet ones with the view. A room facing away from the lane matters in season. Our stays and cafés pages have the ones we know in the village, with what they cost.
Know before you go
- Breakfast lasts till eleven here; the cafés on the lane open slowly and serve late.
- The sanctuary path is the walk that stays safe in every season; the first hour is shaded and gentle.
- Hadimba before noon or after four; between, the queue fills the lane.
- The Vashisht baths are free and separate for men and women; take a towel and something to change into.
- Many cafés close from December to February; check the guesthouse is open and heated for a winter visit.
- Cash in the lane; the machines drop with the power.
If plans change
If you want one drive: Naggar Castle and lunch at Jana Falls, half an hour down the valley, on the second afternoon.
If you want a longer walk: Jogini Falls from Vashisht, about 46 min up, instead of the springs — or after them.
With a third day: do the same again. The five-day slow plan is this with the drives added.
Places on this route
Other ways to do it
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See the plan →Questions people ask
Is Old Manali better than Manali for staying?
For more than a night, yes: quieter, greener, better cafés, and the town twenty minutes down when you need the bus stand. The upper lanes of the village are the calm end; the lane by the bridge runs late in season. Many places close from December to February, so check before a winter trip.
What is there to do in Old Manali?
Not much, which is the point. The Manu temple at the top of the village, the lane of cafés and shops, the river at the bridge, the riverside lawns of the club house; the forest gate of the sanctuary a few minutes away and the Hadimba grove beyond it. It is where the slow day between the drives happens.
Which cafés in Old Manali are good?
The lane has long breakfasts, wood-fired pizza, the valley's trout and the sweet-shop chai of the old houses, with prices a step above the town's. Tastes move with the season and the owners; our cafés page lists the places we know with what they serve and cost, and is kept current rather than guessed.
Can you do Old Manali without a car?
Entirely. From the bus stand it is five minutes by autorickshaw or twenty on foot, and this plan never leaves on wheels. The temple, the lawns, the forest gate and the Hadimba grove are all on foot; the hot springs at Vashisht are a fixed-fare autorickshaw or a half-hour walk across the river.