Kullu Dussehra Package 11 Nights / 12 Days – Opening to Closing Ceremony

Pickup: our driver meets you at Manali Volvo Parking (overnight Volvos arrive 7–10 AM) and transfers you to your hotel.

Check in at your hotel and rest after the overnight journey. The afternoon is free to stroll along Mall Road and get your bearings. Evening and night at your hotel.

🌙 Overnight stay at hotel in Manali

A local guide escorts you to the opening day of Kullu Dussehra in Kullu, 40 km from Manali. Over 200 village deities arrive at the Dhalpur meadow to pay homage to Lord Raghunath, who comes in an elaborately decorated chariot accompanied by the erstwhile Raja of Kullu. The chariot is pulled with massive ropes that the local people consider sacred.

When the rites are over, the thousands of visitors spread out over the ground, full of tents selling sweets, snacks, clothing and household items at bargain prices. Stroll around and enjoy the local enthusiasm. By evening we return to Manali. Overnight at your hotel.

• 🛕
  Raghunath Rath Yatra · Kullu · opening & closing day
  The decorated chariot of Lord Raghunath, the presiding deity of the valley, is pulled by hand with sacred ropes while over 200 village deities in palanquins pay homage.
• 🎪
  Dhalpur Maidan (Dussehra Ground) · Kullu · approx. 40 km
  The big Dussehra ground of Kullu, filled with fair stalls, food tents, folk music and hundreds of visiting village deities during the festival week.

🌙 Overnight stay at hotel in Manali

Today we drive up to the Rohtang Pass (13,050 ft), gateway to the high-altitude deserts of Lahaul and Spiti. From the pass you see the barren, towering mountains of the Greater Himalaya to the north and the green forests and glades of Kullu to the south. Stops on the way at Rahalla Falls and Marhi.

Back to Manali by evening. Evening at leisure – stroll down the busy Mall Road with its shops and restaurants and pick up some local handicrafts. Overnight at your hotel.

• 🌊
  Rahalla Fall · approx. 27 km
  Waterfall fed by melting snow, falling over rocks beside the road. A popular photo stop.
• ☕
  Marhi · approx. 33 km
  Last halt before Rohtang with dhabas for tea, Maggi and parathas. Snow dresses can be hired on the way.
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  Rohtang Pass · 3,978 m · approx. 51 km
  High mountain pass between Kullu and Lahaul. Snow, glacier views, snow scooter, skiing and sledging (extra cost). Permit included.

🌙 Overnight stay at hotel in Manali

A full day around Manali. Visit the 500-year-old Hadimba Devi Temple in its grove of giant deodars, its walls adorned with the horns of animals once offered to the goddess. Then the finely crafted Buddhist monastery near the market with a giant Buddha, and the older monastery built in the early 1960s by Tibetan refugees, with ancient statues and beautiful thangkas painted on silk. Lunch at the Club House beside the Manalsu stream.

In the afternoon we cross the Beas to the ancient village of Vashisht for a dip in the hot sulphur springs, then walk through its cobbled lanes to the cascading Jogini Falls with grand views of snowy peaks and meadows. Back to Manali by evening – relax at the hotel or take a stroll in the market.

• 🛕
  Hadimba Devi Temple · Dhungri forest · 2 km
  Four-tier pagoda wooden temple built in 1553, dedicated to Hidimba, wife of Bhima. Set in a tall deodar forest, with the Ghatotkach shrine nearby. Yak rides and photos in local Himachali dress.
• ☸️
  Tibetan Monastery · Near Mall Road
  Colourful Gadhan Thekchhokling monastery built by Tibetan settlers, with a large Buddha statue, murals and prayer wheels. Tibetan market for handicrafts nearby.
• 🎡
  Club House · Old Manali road · 2 km
  Fun spot on the Manalsu stream with indoor games, river crossing and small amusement rides. Good for families, with a small market for woollens.
• ♨️
  Vashisht Hot Springs · Vashisht village · approx. 3 km
  Old stone village above the Beas with natural hot sulphur springs in two large tanks, believed to have healing properties.
• 💧
  Jogini Falls · Above Vashisht · short walk
  Tall cascade reached by a pleasant walk through orchards and cobbled paths beyond Vashisht village.

🌙 Overnight stay at hotel in Manali

We escort you to the quaint village of Naggar, once the capital of the Kullu Rajas, on one of the most picturesque drives of the valley along the left bank of the Beas. Visit the ancient Naggar Castle with its museum on Kullu culture, and the Roerich Art Gallery – the cottage of Svetoslav Roerich, with some of the most mesmerising Himalayan landscape paintings you will ever see.

Lunch at the castle restaurant overlooking the central Kullu valley. On the way back we stop at the Patlikuhl trout hatchery and farm. Drop at your hotel for the night.

• 🏰
  Naggar Castle · approx. 21 km
  Built around 1460 by Raja Sidh Singh in Kath-Kuni style of stone and wood. Now a heritage hotel with the Jagti Patt temple and wide valley views.
• 🎨
  Roerich Art Gallery · Naggar · approx. 22 km
  Former home of Russian painter Nicholas Roerich, showing his famous Himalayan paintings in a garden setting.
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  Patlikuhl Trout Farm · Patlikuhl · approx. 15 km
  Trout hatchery and farm on the left bank road, a short stop on the way back from Naggar.

🌙 Overnight stay at hotel in Manali

We drive south past Kullu – still full of the Dussehra fair – into the Parvati side valley to Manikaran, known for its large Gurudwara visited by thousands of pilgrims, an ancient Hindu temple and its near-boiling hot springs in which food is cooked.

After the morning here we head back to Manali. On the way you can enjoy an optional 14 km river rafting trip on the Beas (extra cost).

• 🙏
  Gurudwara Manikaran Sahib · Manikaran · approx. 80 km
  Large Sikh shrine beside an ancient Ram temple, with boiling hot springs where the langar is cooked.
• ♨️
  Manikaran · approx. 80 km
  Sacred town of Gurudwara Manikaran Sahib and the Ram Temple, with natural boiling hot springs where langar rice is cooked.
• 🚣
  Beas River Rafting · Near Kullu · optional
  Optional 14 km river rafting on the Beas on the way back to Manali (at extra cost, subject to water level).

🌙 Overnight stay at hotel in Manali

After breakfast we drive to the beautiful Solang Valley, a ski resort in winter. In October you get great views of snow-clad peaks as you stroll through green meadows. Try horse riding or a short paragliding flight (extra cost).

We also take you on a short hike through meadows and forest to the small hamlet of Dhundi for a packed lunch with magnificent panoramic views. Back to Manali and your hotel for the night.

• 🪂
  Solang Valley · 2,480 m · approx. 14 km
  Adventure valley with paragliding, ropeway, ATV rides and zorbing in summer, and skiing in winter (all extra cost).
• 🥾
  Dhundi · Beyond Solang · short hike
  Small hamlet reached by a gentle hike through meadows and forest from Solang, with a grand mountain panorama.

🌙 Overnight stay at hotel in Manali

After a late breakfast we head north to the village of Kothi and the meadows of Gulaba for a quiet day with nature at its best – lush meadows, gurgling streams and wild flowers. Lunch and back to Manali by evening. Enjoy the hustle and bustle of Mall Road and pick up some handicrafts before returning to your hotel.

• 🌿
  Kothi Meadows · Kothi · approx. 12 km
  Quiet village and meadows on the old Rohtang road, with views into the deep Beas gorge.
• 🌼
  Gulaba Meadows · Gulaba · approx. 20 km
  Open meadows with streams and wild flowers below Rohtang, ideal for a relaxed day in nature.

🌙 Overnight stay at hotel in Manali

A free day to relax at your hotel or go on a shopping spree on the lively Mall Road (vehicle not included today).

🌙 Overnight stay at hotel in Manali

Drive to the ancient temple of Bijli Mahadev on a hilltop above Kullu town. The temple is famous for lightning that strikes its stone Shivling almost every year – the priests then join the pieces together with butter and it returns to its original shape. From the temple courtyard enjoy panoramic views of the snowy Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges. After a packed lunch at a scenic spot we return to Manali by evening.

• 🔱
  Bijli Mahadev · 2,460 m · approx. 62 km + 3 km walk
  Hilltop Shiva temple reached by a short walk of about 3 km from the road head. Famous for its tall wooden staff said to attract lightning, with wide views of the Kullu and Parvati valleys.

🌙 Overnight stay at hotel in Manali

Today we drive to Kullu for the closing ceremony of Kullu Dussehra. Watch the village deities leave for their home villages and the chariot of Lord Raghunath return to its temple near the royal palace. Enjoy the lively atmosphere and pick up a few souvenirs before returning to Manali for the night.

• 🛕
  Raghunath Rath Yatra · Kullu · opening & closing day
  The decorated chariot of Lord Raghunath, the presiding deity of the valley, is pulled by hand with sacred ropes while over 200 village deities in palanquins pay homage.
• 🎪
  Dhalpur Maidan (Dussehra Ground) · Kullu · approx. 40 km
  The big Dussehra ground of Kullu, filled with fair stalls, food tents, folk music and hundreds of visiting village deities during the festival week.

🌙 Overnight stay at hotel in Manali

After breakfast, check out from the hotel. Free time for last-minute shopping.

Drop: after check-out we drop you at Manali Volvo Parking for your onward Volvo (usually 4–6:30 PM). On request we also book your onward bus, taxi or flight to Delhi at extra cost.

Tour ends with happy memories.