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Van Vihar
park3 min from Manali

Van Vihar

Van Vihar is the town's park, a grove of tall deodars on the bank of the Beas beside the Mall, 3 min from the bus stand, with paths, benches and a pond.
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Photo: बृहस्पति · CC BY-SA 3.0

What it is

The town's park: a grove of tall old deodars on the bank of the Beas just below the Mall, with paths under the trees, benches, a small pond with pedal boats and the river loud beside it. It is where Manali sits in the shade, and the easiest hour with small children in the town. A small entry fee at the gate.

Photos: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Kprateek88 (CC BY-SA 3.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

Getting there

A few minutes on foot down from the Mall towards the river, or 3 min by road from the bus stand. No transport needed; it is next to everything.

What it is for

Shade, the river, a bench and a book on a hot June afternoon; a half hour on the pond with a child; the deodars in snow in January, when the town is brown and the trees are not. It is not an attraction and does not try to be. Give it an hour on the day the drives have worn thin.

Around it

The Mall above; the bridge to Vashisht just up the road; the Hadimba temple and the museum fifteen minutes up through the town. The kids itinerary uses the park as its rest stop; our cafés page has where to eat after.

Plans that include this

All 9 plans that stop here →
The Kullu valley from Naggar Castle's balcony2 nights · 3 days · FamilyClassic
Manali with parents — three gentle days, short walks, no altitude
A three-day Manali plan for travelling with parents: everything by car with a short walk at the end — the grove, the museum, the meadow, the baths, the castle.
Best Mar–May · Sep–Nov
See the plan →
Hadimba temple's pagoda roofs among deodars2 nights · 3 days · FriendsRoad trip
A 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 →
Apple blossom against the sky in a Manali orchard2 nights · 3 days · CouplesClassic
Manali in spring — three days of blossom below and snow above
Three days in Manali in March and April: the empty town, the hot springs, the tunnel to a Sissu still under snow, Naggar's orchards in blossom. No crowd.
Best Mar–Apr
See the plan →
Monsoon mist through grass and deodars near Manali2 nights · 3 days · Slow travelMonsoon
Manali in the monsoon — three slow, green days
Manali in July and August: the forest path, the museum, Naggar Castle under a roof, the hot springs and Old Manali — three green days that need no high road.
Best Jul–Sep
See the plan →
Manali in May and June — three days when everything is open2 nights · 3 days · First visitPeak season
Manali in May and June — three days when everything is open
Three days in Manali's fullest weeks, each started before the crowd: Solang at dawn and the Jogini walk, Rohtang Pass newly open, the shaded town after.
Best May–Jun
See the plan →
Paragliders landing at Solang's meadow3 nights · 4 days · FamilyClassic
Manali with kids — four easy days
Four easy days in Manali with children: a river park and the temple grove, Solang's meadow, snow through the tunnel to Sissu with no altitude, and the forest.
Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Dec
See the plan →

Questions people ask

What is Van Vihar in Manali?

The town's park: a stand of tall old deodars on the river bank just below the Mall, with paths under the trees, benches, a small pond with pedal boats, and the Beas loud beside it. It is where the town goes to sit in the shade, and the easiest hour with small children in Manali. A small entry fee.

How far is Van Vihar from the bus stand?

A few minutes on foot — down from the Mall towards the river — or 3 min by road. It sits between the town and the Beas, so it is on the way to nothing and next to everything: the Mall above, the river beside, the bridge to Vashisht just up the road. No transport is needed.

Is Van Vihar worth visiting?

As an hour in the shade with the river beside you, or as the place to take small children when the temples and drives have worn thin, yes. As an attraction, no — it is a park. The deodars are the thing: big, old and quiet ten minutes from the noise of the Mall.

When is Van Vihar open?

Through the day, every day, with a gate that closes at dusk. Mornings are quietest; late afternoon in season brings families down from the Mall. In winter the trees hold snow and the pond is still; in the monsoon the river beside the park is at its loudest and the deodars drip. Both are worth ten minutes.