About the place Manali (report)
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Oh you remind me my trip to manali. Thanks.
About my own trip.
I’m back from my trip to Manali (via Chandigarh, with a stop at Shimla; 18-23 Sept 2013) and am sharing my experience, as promised earlier on this forum.
We used Chandigarh as the nodal point from where we began our road trip into Himachal. Since there were five of us on this trip, including a kid, we decided not to make a straight 9-10 hour journey from Chandigarh to Manali. That would have been too tiring, we felt. So we chose to make a shorter 3-hour trip to Shimla and spend the night there first. The next morning, we drove from Shimla to Manali which was an about 6-7 hour drive (including a couple of brief stops). We spent a few nights in Manali, and from there took a day trip to Rohtang Pass and Solang Valley (the latter is in the way to Rohtang; we stopped there on our way back). We also visited some places within/near Manali -- the Hadimba Devi Temple, the Club House (chiefly for its access to the Beas River), and the Mall Road shops (winter wear at attractive prices; otherwise this Mall Road is nothing like Shimla’s) are worth a visit.
We visited Himachal during what is referred to as “off season”. Happily for us, the weather was wonderful (cool, sunny) on all days except one afternoon in Shimla when it drizzled). And the usual spots were un-crowded. On top of that, with business being slow, bargaining power was in our hands – from fun activities to shopping!
Like faithful tourists during our stay at Manali, we made the journey to Rohtang Pass. And found not a single flake of snow - nothing, nada, zilch! Yet, the amazing sights that greeted us at every turn, every mile of the journey from Manali made the trip worth it. We passed by the origin of the Beas River, feasted our eyes on the scenic valleys and pine forests, spotted a few water falls and even some local wildlife on the way. We also visited Solang Valley on our way back from Rohtang Pass, and spent a couple of hours there. Personal view: stop by at Solang Valley only if you are keen on paragliding.
During most of the road drives in Himachal, you are likely to be driving alongside the Beas river…..you have to experience it to appreciate how beautiful that can be!
I believe we were particularly fortunate to get a really good vehicle (an air-conditioned Innova in great condition) and a wonderful, repeat WONDERFUL, driver named Ankit Rinku Bhardwaj. I wasn’t aware of which car hire firm to go to, and after some search on the Net and this forum, I connected with Mr Aman Anand of JMK Travel Line and shared my itinerary, insisting on quality and flexibility. After depositing an initial (not very large) amount as advance payment, he confirmed the booking. A day prior to our arrival in Chandigarh, he told me the driver will call me. That did happen, but the caller (supposedly the driver) appeared clueless and so I called Mr Aman Anand back and told him this will not do. Nicely enough, he told me he will have another driver in place. And in about an hour or so, Ankit (Rinku) called – he was courteous from the very beginning, seemed to have been properly briefed by Mr Aman Anand, and assured me that he will meet us at Chandigarh airport.
Upon our arrival in Chandigarh, the driver Ankit (Rinku) was there to receive us, and it was pleasant sailing throughout, right till we returned to Chandigarh airport after 5-6 days! Ankit (Rinku) earned a well-deserved tip from us :-) If you choose to use JMK Travel Line, I recommend you insist on Rinku as your driver. Alternatives are Great Himalayan Travels and others, mentioned elsewhere on this forum. (I noticed one recent post at this forum by a member who did not have a good experience with JMK. So due diligence is advised.)
A note on hiring cars: My experience indicates that while many Travel/Car Hire firms claim to be fleet owners, they often delegate/sub-contract work to individual cab-owners and it is therefore essential that you make things clear to both the key contact as well as the driver. Some nuances you may want t
About my own trip.
I’m back from my trip to Manali (via Chandigarh, with a stop at Shimla; 18-23 Sept 2013) and am sharing my experience, as promised earlier on this forum.
We used Chandigarh as the nodal point from where we began our road trip into Himachal. Since there were five of us on this trip, including a kid, we decided not to make a straight 9-10 hour journey from Chandigarh to Manali. That would have been too tiring, we felt. So we chose to make a shorter 3-hour trip to Shimla and spend the night there first. The next morning, we drove from Shimla to Manali which was an about 6-7 hour drive (including a couple of brief stops). We spent a few nights in Manali, and from there took a day trip to Rohtang Pass and Solang Valley (the latter is in the way to Rohtang; we stopped there on our way back). We also visited some places within/near Manali -- the Hadimba Devi Temple, the Club House (chiefly for its access to the Beas River), and the Mall Road shops (winter wear at attractive prices; otherwise this Mall Road is nothing like Shimla’s) are worth a visit.
We visited Himachal during what is referred to as “off season”. Happily for us, the weather was wonderful (cool, sunny) on all days except one afternoon in Shimla when it drizzled). And the usual spots were un-crowded. On top of that, with business being slow, bargaining power was in our hands – from fun activities to shopping!
Like faithful tourists during our stay at Manali, we made the journey to Rohtang Pass. And found not a single flake of snow - nothing, nada, zilch! Yet, the amazing sights that greeted us at every turn, every mile of the journey from Manali made the trip worth it. We passed by the origin of the Beas River, feasted our eyes on the scenic valleys and pine forests, spotted a few water falls and even some local wildlife on the way. We also visited Solang Valley on our way back from Rohtang Pass, and spent a couple of hours there. Personal view: stop by at Solang Valley only if you are keen on paragliding.
During most of the road drives in Himachal, you are likely to be driving alongside the Beas river…..you have to experience it to appreciate how beautiful that can be!
I believe we were particularly fortunate to get a really good vehicle (an air-conditioned Innova in great condition) and a wonderful, repeat WONDERFUL, driver named Ankit Rinku Bhardwaj. I wasn’t aware of which car hire firm to go to, and after some search on the Net and this forum, I connected with Mr Aman Anand of JMK Travel Line and shared my itinerary, insisting on quality and flexibility. After depositing an initial (not very large) amount as advance payment, he confirmed the booking. A day prior to our arrival in Chandigarh, he told me the driver will call me. That did happen, but the caller (supposedly the driver) appeared clueless and so I called Mr Aman Anand back and told him this will not do. Nicely enough, he told me he will have another driver in place. And in about an hour or so, Ankit (Rinku) called – he was courteous from the very beginning, seemed to have been properly briefed by Mr Aman Anand, and assured me that he will meet us at Chandigarh airport.
Upon our arrival in Chandigarh, the driver Ankit (Rinku) was there to receive us, and it was pleasant sailing throughout, right till we returned to Chandigarh airport after 5-6 days! Ankit (Rinku) earned a well-deserved tip from us :-) If you choose to use JMK Travel Line, I recommend you insist on Rinku as your driver. Alternatives are Great Himalayan Travels and others, mentioned elsewhere on this forum. (I noticed one recent post at this forum by a member who did not have a good experience with JMK. So due diligence is advised.)
A note on hiring cars: My experience indicates that while many Travel/Car Hire firms claim to be fleet owners, they often delegate/sub-contract work to individual cab-owners and it is therefore essential that you make things clear to both the key contact as well as the driver. Some nuances you may want t
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