New Adventures in Old Manali!

“Old Manali”- As you hear this name, you must instantly think about old ruins and buildings as well as monuments filled with nothing but dust. Surprisingly, Old Manali has none of that. The place provides you with a breath of fresh air, unlike other famous places of Himachal Pradesh, which are more or less filled with swarming crowds of tourists. What makes Old Manali more exciting is that some parts of it look like they are from a retro movie. Moreover, the tranquility you get to experience in Old Manali is one of its kind. If you haven’t visited Old Manali yet, here are some reasons why you should definitely visit this place at least once:

1. Nature Trials

If you are bored with the common trial routes where almost every adventure enthusiast goes, you must visit the off-beat trials and discover new viewpoints by yourself in Old Manali. As you take the road less traveled, you will be in the lap of Mother Nature as the trials are still free of human habitat. These hidden and less traveled trials are a perfect venture for a close group of friends who are ready to take on anything together. The environment of Old Manali is so vibrant that you will not feel any exhaustion even after covering a couple of miles.

2. Food

As travelers from all over the world visit Old Manali, the local restaurant owners have learnt international recipes such as lasagna too. So whether you want to eat something traditional or something out of the box, you won’t be disappointed by the food in the restaurants of Old Manali. The most famous dishes include shakshuka, Yak cheese sandwich, and the fresh river trout.

3. Weather

Even though there are various interesting places in Manali, most people visit this place for the beautiful weather of this place. Most people visit Manali in summers to relax and enjoy the cool breeze of Manali. The advantage of visiting Old Manali in the winter season is that you can see how beautiful the place looks when covered with snow.

4. A base for Nearby Treks

Old Manali is easy to reach and thus acts as a convenient base to numerous treks. Apart from the local short treks, you can also set up here for treks such to Spiti Valley, Pin Valley, and Lahaul Valley. Moreover, it is not only a base for treks but also an adventure hub which provides various activities such as paragliding, zorbing, rappelling, rock climbing, rafting, etc.

5. Shopping

Shopping in Old Manali is not about roaming in the big shopping malls and choosing branded products which are available in your local towns. It is about admiring handmade things in the small but beautiful roadside shops. You can buy things from these shops such as woolen clothes, jewelry, bags, etc. Shopping in Old Manali is best for buying souvenirs and mementos for yourself and your group as these things are unique and, made by local craftsmen. So, back in your hometown, you can boast about the things which you buy from here, as no one else would have such artefacts.

6. Culture and Traditions

Old Manali is a safe place and, you will find that the locals here are very cooperative and friendly. They are always ready to help any traveler who is facing difficulty. Their hospitality is what makes the Manali tours more awesome. You can also have an insight into their age-old customs by going on a local sightseeing tour. You will get to learn a lot from them as they are simple minded people untouched from the complexities of the city.

7. Parties

Just like everything else, the parties in Old Manali are also different than elsewhere. Thus, if you expect to be moving to the heavy beats of Bollywood or rap music, you will be utterly disappointed in the parties organized in Old Manali. Here, parties have a completely different scenario as they will give you a taste of old-school psychedelic trance and reggae. These parties will completely loosen up your mind and, you will forget all the problems which you have in your life.

Even though you will end up having an unforgettable adventure tours in Manali, always remember to respect the place and its traditions as well as people. Don’t throw away chips packets and other things on the trials and don’t do any activity which disturbs the local people.