My honeymoon trip was to Manali. Manali is a hill station nestled in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh. It was on last July that we visited the hill station. We had to travel about 12 hours to reach Manali from New Delhi. In the beginning up to a short distance our trip was not interesting but as we reach nearer to Manali we found ourselves surrounded by greenery. We passed through high hills. We choose a treehouse cottage in Manali for our stay. The cottage offered us most exceptional views of the Himalayas.
[caption id="attachment_1212" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Manali[/caption]
The scenery there was very picturesque. Manali is surrounded by smaller but equally beautiful towns and villages. Solang Valley is one of the main tourist attractions of Manali. We had to travel 13 kms to reach there. We tried out thrilling adventure sports such as skiing, paragliding, zorbing, mountain biking and horse riding there. The valley offers scenic views of the surrounding snow-capped mountains and glaciers. We got to know that a winter skiing festival is also conducted here.
The Hadimba Temple was our second tourist spot to visit in Manali. The temple dedicated to Hadimba, the wife of Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers was in the middle of the Dhungri Park. There is a four-tiered pagoda-shaped roof, and a carved doorway that is decorated with figures of Hindu gods. A sacred tree is also there in the temple worshipped as Ghatotkach, the son of Bhima and Hidimba.
[caption id="attachment_1211" align="alignnone" width="277"]
Rohtang Pass[/caption]
Rohtang Pass is a must visit place of Manali. It is located on the highway to Leh and is only open from June to October every year. The spot is located at a height of 3979 metres. It offered us spectacular views of glaciers, mountain peaks and the Chandra River. We enjoyed adventurous activities like skiing and sledging there. We also had delicious meal from a riverside cafe.
Our next visit was to Naggar, the former capital of Kullu about 21 kms from Kullu town. The main specialty there was a beautiful castle which is now converted into a heritage hotel. My husband is fond of art and paintings so we also visited the house of the Russian painter Nicholas Roerich which has now been converted into a museum housing his colourful paintings of the surrounding Himalayan ranges.
The other places we visited in Manali include Manikaran and Vashisht. Manikaran is famous for its hot sulphur springs. Pilgrims visit to take a dip here as it is believed to have healing properties. We also visited the temples nearby.
There are many restaurants in Manali serving classy dishes apart from regular eateries. We spent only a few days in Manali but got to taste almost every dish such as Spanish, Italian, French, etc. Manali is truly a famous getaway for honeymoon couples, a best place to spend the most blissful moment of your life.