Famous as the "valley of the Gods", Manali is an important hill station of northern india. It is the destination of thousands of tourists every year. Its cool atmosphere provides a perfect haven for the ones afflicted by the hot Indian summers. Besides offering quite a few places for sightseeing, Manali is also famous for adventure sports like skiing, hiking, mountaineering, paragliding, rafting, trekking, kayaking, and mountain biking. The Hill Resorts of Manali offers an amazing array of picturesque spots to the tourists. For the adventure seekers there are sports ranging from skiing, hiking, mountaineering, paragliding, rafting, trekking, kayaking, and mountain biking. You may indulge in skiing at Solang Nullah (January-March) and Rohtang La (during summer). It is noteworthy that Heli skiing is possible at the deep snowfields. You may even get trained for Mountaineering and kayaking at the Mountaineering Institute at Solang Nullah. The Beas River is excellent for Kayaking. Trekking to the Solang Valley and Manalsu Nala are terrific. The slopes of Solang Nullah attract a lot of tourists in the summer season for the paragliding just like Beas offers excellent adventure activities in the monsoons for rafting. You nay even visit Larji, Katrain and Kasol for some unparallel angling experiences. While you are in the city the Kulluis in brightly patterned puttoos, Tibetan women wearing ankle-length rainbow-striped pinafores, Nepali porters, Buddhist monks, and even the odd party of Zanskaris, swathed in fusty woolen gonchas will not fail to catch your eye. The hubbub of Manali is so mystical and marvelous that every summer thousands of tourists from all over India and aboard throng the streets there.

The hill resort of Manali is well connected with the other important cities of India through air, road and rail. The airport at Bhuntar is the nearest. There are other regular flights from Delhi. Shimla, Chandigarh and Delhi are other cities that offer easy commuting to Manali.

The most visited site in Manali is the Hidimba or Dhungri Temple. Dated 1533, this temple is dedicated to the local deity Hidimba, wife of the Pandava prince, Bhim. The temple is noted for its four-storeyed pagoda and exquisite wooden carvings. A major festival is held here in the month of May.
Manali also attracts tourists with its shiny gompas or Buddhist monasteries. The Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa, built in 1969, is most famous. The monastery is maintained by donations from the local community and through the sale of hand-woven carpets in the temple workshop. The smaller and more modern Himalayan Nyingamapa Gompa stands nearer the bazaar, in a garden blooming with sunflowers. The Museum of Traditional Himachal Culture, near the Hidimba temple, is worth a visit.

By Air : The nearest airport is Bhuntar, 52 km south of Manali. There are flights to Delhi via Shimla.
By Rail :  The closest narrow-gauge railhead is at Jogindernagar, 135 km away. The closest broad-gauge railheads are Chandigarh (310 km) and Ambala (355 km).
By Road : Manali is well connected by road. By road, the distance from Delhi via Mandi is 585 km, and from Shimla the distance is 270 km.