Delhi to Manali Taxi Tour — 5 Days / 4 Nights

The longest drive of the trip. We head north on NH-44 through Haryana and Punjab, leave the plains at Kiratpur Sahib and climb along the Beas river through Bilaspur, Mandi and the Kullu valley to Manali.

1. 5:00 AM Pickup from your home or hotel anywhere in Delhi NCR
2. 7:30 AM Breakfast at Murthal The highway dhabas at Murthal are known across North India for stuffed parathas served with white butter.
3. 11:00 AM Past Chandigarh and Ropar; the hill road begins at Kiratpur Sahib
4. 1:30 PM Lunch near Sundernagar or Mandi
5. 3:30 PM Pandoh Dam A short photo stop where the Beas is held back in a deep green lake right below the highway.
6. 5:00 PM Through the Kullu valley The first views of snow peaks open up after the Aut tunnel, with apple orchards on both banks of the river.
7. 7:00 PM Arrive in Manali, hotel check-in, evening at leisure

An easy first day in the hills, visiting Manali's temples, the old village and Mall Road at a relaxed pace so you can get used to the altitude.

1. 8:30 AM Breakfast at the hotel
2. 9:30 AM Hadimba Devi Temple A 16th-century wooden temple with a four-tier pagoda roof, set in a cedar forest. It is quietest before 10 AM; weekends bring long queues.
3. 11:00 AM Old Manali and Manu Temple The old village above the town, with stone-and-wood houses and a temple to the sage Manu, reached by a short walk through the lanes.
4. 12:30 PM Vashisht hot springs Natural sulphur springs beside the Vashisht temple, with separate bathing areas for men and women.
5. 1:30 PM Lunch — try the local siddu or river trout
6. 3:30 PM Tibetan monastery and Van Vihar Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa is known for its prayer wheels and murals. Van Vihar next door is a deodar park on the Beas with boating on a small lake.
7. 5:00 PM Mall Road Manali's main street for woollens, local handicrafts and the evening walk.

The high-mountain day. Solang Valley for snow and adventure sports, then through the Atal Tunnel under the Pir Panjal range to Sissu in Lahaul, a completely different landscape of bare slopes and waterfalls.

1. 8:00 AM Breakfast and departure from Manali
2. 8:45 AM Solang Valley Snow for most of the year, with paragliding, zorbing, the ropeway and skiing in winter. Activities and snow-gear hire are paid on the spot.
3. 11:30 AM Atal Tunnel A 9.02 km highway tunnel at about 3,000 m under the Pir Panjal range, linking Manali to Lahaul in minutes instead of hours over Rohtang.
4. 12:15 PM Sissu A village in Lahaul with a tall waterfall above the road and a small lake beside the Chandra river.
5. 1:30 PM Lunch at Sissu
6. 3:00 PM Return through the tunnel to Manali
7. 5:00 PM Evening free in Manali

Down the Kullu valley and into the Parvati valley — a castle, the hot springs of Manikaran and a riverside village of cafés — returning to Manali in the evening.

1. 9:00 AM Breakfast and departure
2. 10:00 AM Naggar Castle and the Roerich Art Gallery A stone-and-timber castle over 500 years old, now a heritage hotel with views across the valley. The home of the painter Nicholas Roerich is a short drive above it. Small entry fees apply. The gallery opens at 10 AM and is closed on Mondays.
3. 11:30 AM Through Kullu and Bhuntar into the Parvati valley
4. 1:00 PM Manikaran Sahib A Gurudwara and Shiva temple built around boiling hot springs. The langar is cooked in the spring water and is open to all.
5. 2:30 PM Kasol A riverside village on the Parvati, popular for its cafés and short walks through the pine forest.
6. 4:30 PM Drive back, with a stop at a Kullu shawl showroom
7. 7:30 PM Arrive in Manali

The drive home, the same way we came. We leave early so you reach Delhi before 11 PM.

1. 6:30 AM Early breakfast and check-out
2. 7:00 AM Depart Manali through the Kullu valley
3. 1:00 PM Lunch near Bilaspur or Kiratpur Sahib
4. 4:30 PM Tea stop near Chandigarh or Ambala
5. 8:30 PM Dinner stop at Murthal if you wish
6. 10:00 PM Drop at your home or hotel in Delhi NCR