78: Offbeat Manali with Priyanka Gupta

The Musafir Stories - India Travel Podcast

In this episode:
#Manali #HimachalPradesh #Himachal #offbeat #oldmanali #oldcity #walking #trail #trekking #hiking #temples #hotsprings #architecture #himachali #naggar #vashisht #kathkuni #zorbing #river #rafting #beas #yoga #nature #mountains #himalayas

This week, The Musafir Stories speaks to Priyanka Gupta from the blog onmycanvas.com as she takes us offbeat in Manali!

Today's destination: Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Nearest Airport: Bhuntar airport (50kms)

Nearest Railway Station: Joginder Nagar, Himachal Pradesh (50kms)

Nearest Bus Station: Kullu (40kms)

Prerequisites: n/a

Packing: pack some light layers of wool as mornings and evenings can be chilly. Warmer clothes are required for the winters

Time of the year: October to Feb is a good time to enjoy the snow, March to July is best for summers

Length of the itinerary: 5-6 days

Itinerary Highlights:

- Priyanka sets her sight on Old Manali to explore having already visited New Manali in the past. Just crossover the bridge from New Manali to wander off in the less explored older Manali

- Old Manali is more laid back with a lot of homestays and old rickety wooden cottages, apple orchards and friendly locals. The best thing to do in Old Manali is to wander off with google maps handy to ensure you don't get lost. One can also explore close by villages like Bari which are rich with the nature and in the vicinity of river Beas.

- While in Manali, make sure to try out the rainbow trout, juicy apples and the local dishes like Siddu.

- Naggar is another village that is not far away (20kms) and has a lot of points to cover. There are a lot of beautiful temples like Gauri Shankar temple, Vishnu temple with stunning Himachal architecture (nagara style) with stone shikharas and a wooden level on top.

- Naggar castle is the seat of Kullu kings for a long time before it was moved to Kullu. The castle is built in a beautiful kathakuni architecture is made mostly of stone and an upper wooden level. The castle is now a heritage hotel and also houses a small temple and a museum.

- Other points of interest include the Nicholas Roerich museum, the home of the famous Russian painter and traveler which has now been converted to a museum.

- After spending a day or two in Naggar, another option is the Vashisht village about 5-6 Kms from Old Manali which is where the Rishi Vashisht is believed to have meditated. Must see places include the Vashisht temple, the hot springs and the Jogini falls. Other famous temples include the Manu temple and Hidimba Devi temple which are situated within Manali.

- Spiti valley is another spot that is pretty close to Manali and deserves an itinerary of itself. You can check out our podcast on Spiti for more places.

- If you want to indulge in some adventure activity, one can sign up for river rafting in the Beas river, Zorbing, paragliding (viral paragliding video!) are some options.

Links:

Link to Priyanka's blogpost:

https://www.onmycanvas.com/best-places-visit-manali-itinerary/

https://www.onmycanvas.com/places-visit-naggar-manali-himachal/

Spiti blogpost:

https://www.onmycanvas.com/spiti-valley-travel-blog/

Link to Priyanka's blog:

https://www.onmycanvas.com

Social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/priyanka_onmycanvas/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/guptapranky

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onmycanvasblog/