VANAMCOVE 
Riverside cafés and backpacker lanes
Why this weekend?
The day-by-day plan
Day 1 · The old village
- Cafe hour
- Temple visit
- River walk
- Orchard stop
Day 2 · The surrounds
- Bridge walk
- Vashisht dip
- Return
Geography & terrain
Old Manali lies in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh at about 1,950 m, 3 km from Manali and 250 km from Chandigarh — the backpacker village of the region, its cafes, the apple orchards and the river banks set on the Beas's old lanes.
History & culture
The village's story runs with the 1960s backpacker era — the village of the old Manali's settlement and the hippie-era guesthouses of the 1970s, with the village's modern role as the cafe stop of the Manali circuit and the home of the Manu temple and the 16th-century Hadimba temple nearby; the village's history of the orchard life and the trance parties and the river-side walks, gives Old Manali its backpacker character.
Where to stay
Budget
₹1,000–2,500/night
Mid-range
₹2,500–5,000/night
Comfort
₹5,000+/night
Things to do
- Cafe lanes
- Old temples
- River banks
- Orchard paths
- Heritage bridges
Eat & drink
- Dham thali
- Madra (chickpea curry)
- Chha gosht
- Siddu buns
- Kaanji
Getting there
- Fly
- Kullu–Bhuntar (KUU) / Gaggal (DHM) / Shimla (SLV)
- Train
- Kalka–Shimla toy train (heritage); narrow-gauge to Joginder Nagar
- Road from Delhi
- 300–550 km depending on valley
- Getting around
- Taxis and HRTC buses on hill roads
Budget snapshot
- Total
- ₹4,500–11,000 (2 days)
- Per day · Stay
- ₹1,000–5,000/night
- Per day · Food
- ₹600–1,000
- Per day · Transport
- ₹600–1,000
- Per day · Activities
- ₹600–1,000
Month by month
- Jan · Snow
- −5–8°C · Snow rain
- Feb · Snow
- −3–10°C · Snow rain
- Mar · Good
- 2–14°C · Light rain
- Apr · Best
- 7–20°C · None rain
- May · Best
- 12–25°C · None rain
- Jun · Good
- 16–30°C · Moderate rain
- Jul · Monsoon
- 18–28°C · Heavy rain
- Aug · Monsoon
- 17–27°C · Heavy rain
- Sep · Best
- 14–26°C · Moderate rain
- Oct · Best
- 8–20°C · None rain
- Nov · Cold
- 2–14°C · None rain
- Dec · Snow
- −2–9°C · Snow rain
Practical info
- Language: Hindi / Pahari dialects (English understood in tourist spots)
- Best window: Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov
- Connectivity: Patchy in deep valleys — offline maps essential
- UPI/cards widely accepted; keep small cash for hill and market stops
Practical tips
- The season (Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov) holds the village's calm
- The cafes run the long hours
- Pairs with Manali for the circuit
Frequently asked questions
What is Old Manali?
The backpacker village of the Beas.
What is there to do?
The cafes, the river and the orchards.
How long is the visit?
Two days.
Riverside cafés and backpacker lanes
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