Treks in Manali: from a 40 minute walk to Hampta Pass

This is one part of our Manali guide.

TL;DR summary

• Shortest walk: 40 min. Goshal loop from Old Manali, 2.07 km.
• One day trek: Lama Dugh, 3,018 m. Averages 6 h on the trail.
• Bhrigu Lake: 4,235 to 4,300 m. 3 to 4 days from Gulaba. Distance is 10 to 24 km, depending on the plan.
• Hampta Pass: 4,270 m. 4 to 5 days and 25 to 30 km. Height is 4,200 to 4,270 m. No mobile signal between Jobra and Chatru.
• Package prices: ₹3,500 to ₹19,500. Beas Kund and Hampta Pass, 2026 prices. Low prices are discounted and 5% GST is often extra.
• Latest Kullu order: 17 Sep 2022. Issued by the Kullu deputy commissioner. Rules change after accidents, so ask before a high route.

Treks near Manali compared: time, high point, season, guide

Treks in Manali run from a 40 minute village loop to Hampta Pass at about 4,270 m, a crossing that takes 4 to 5 days. The treks below are in order of the time each needs, so you can match a route to the hours you have. One rule runs through all of it: stay away from streams after rain. A trek leader was swept away at Majhach Nala above Old Manali on 25 July 2026 when the water rose without warning.

If you rent a home in Manali for a month, the first three routes start near Old Manali, Vashisht and Prini.

Short treks in Manali: the Goshal loops near Old Manali

Evergreen trees beside a path near Manali.

• Start: Old Manali for Goshal, or Majhach for the longer loop
• Distance: about 1.6 km to Goshal, about 2 km for the Goshal loop, about 4 km for the Bahang, Shanag and Goshal loop
• Time: 30 minutes, 40 minutes and 1 hour 10 minutes
• High point: about 2,100 m
• Guide: not needed

These are the walks for a free hour between calls. All three are very easy underfoot. The walk from Old Manali up to Goshal climbs about 190 m, so it warms you up, and the loops around Goshal and Shanag stay gentle. Keep to dry days. Water is the hazard on this side of the valley, not the gradient, and after rain we’d leave the Shanag and Majhach paths alone.

Arjun Gufa trek from Prini: a 2 to 3 hour cave walk

• Start: Prini village, 5 km from Manali town, 15 to 20 minutes by taxi or auto
• Distance: 1.5 km each way
• Time: 2 to 3 hours in all, with 30 to 45 minutes each way
• High point: the cave, about 2,100 m, after a climb of 200 m
• Season: March to June, October to November
• Guide: not needed. Free

This is the easy second walk after the Goshal loop: a short climb to a cave, with most of the 2 to 3 hours spent at the top. It gets crowded in May and June. In the monsoon the path is slippery and the leeches come out, so we’d keep it for a dry afternoon.

Jogini Falls trek from Vashisht: the one short walk to do

Jogini Falls. Photo: Aditya verma, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

• Start: behind the temple in Vashisht, a ₹100 to ₹200 auto or taxi ride from Manali
• Distance: about 3 to 4 km to the falls
• Time: 1.5 to 2.5 hours there and back, with 30 to 45 minutes uphill
• High point: about 2,150 m
• Season: March to June, September to November
• Guide: not needed. Free

If you only do one short walk near Manali, do this one. It starts behind the temple, where the lane runs out and a single-track path heads into the forest. Chai stalls and cafes sit along the trail, and it is moderately crowded. The last stretch is a steep, rocky scramble to the upper viewpoint.

Nothing is signposted, so download an offline map before you leave the wifi. After rain the path turns to mud with leeches for company, which is why we’d keep it for a dry afternoon. It can take up to 4 hours, so give yourself that if the light is going. Jio and Airtel work on most of the trail and drop out under the trees near the falls.

Half day treks in Manali: Anjani Mahadev and Sethan

Sethan in March 2023. Photo: Catherine Lunaa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

• Start: Solang Valley, about 14 km from Manali
• Distance: about 2.5 km
• Time: 30 minutes to an hour each way
• High point: about 2,850 m, a climb of 400 m
• Season: a frozen Shivlinga forms in January and February
• Guide: not needed. Horses and ATVs run from Solang

Go for the Shivlinga in winter, and skip the walk in the monsoon. Flash floods ran down the Anjani Mahadev nullah at Palchan on 25 July 2024, blocking the Manali to Leh highway until evening, and again around 11 am on 24 July 2025. No lives were lost either time.

Sethan, at 2,700 m, is 12 km from Manali via Prini and 35 to 45 minutes by road in summer. It has an easy 2 km walk to Pandu Ropa and no reliable mobile network.

Lama Dugh trek: the one day trek in Manali, 3,018 m

A high pasture in the Indian Himalayas.

• Start: Dungri village, near Manali
• Distance: 9 to 17 km, depending on the start
• Time: 6 to 9 hours, with 4 to 5 hours up and 3 down. Start early
• High point: 3,018 m
• Season: March to December; heavy snow from late December to March
• Guide: recommended

This is the Saturday trek. It is a one day trip, rated easy, with an average of 6 hours on the trail, and it still takes you above 3,000 m. The route runs through the Manali Wildlife Sanctuary, and the campsite is the only flat clearing in thick oak forest.

Take a guide. Shepherd trails branch off all the way up, and it is easy to follow the wrong one. Water is scarce until the meadow, so carry 2 L. There are patches of 4G at the meadow, so you may get a call through there. The portal’s rules apply: no polythene, carry out your waste, no open defecation. Snow makes it a day trek only.

Bhrigu Lake trek from Gulaba: 3 to 4 days, up to 4,300 m

Bhrigu Lake in June 2017, with snow still on the ground. Photo: Karan Manocha, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

• Start: Gulaba, 20 to 26 km and 30 to 60 minutes from Manali; or Vashisht temple
• Distance: 10 to 24 km out and back, depending on the plan; 27 to 30 km if you finish at Vashisht
• Time: 3 to 4 days
• High point: 4,235 to 4,300 m. Gulaba is at about 3,161 m
• Season: May to October; snow lingers into June
• Guide/permit: a local guide is optional at ₹800 to ₹1,500 a day. Operator packages include forest permits

Bhrigu is the trek we’d choose for a long weekend, as long as you can take Friday off and take the altitude seriously. The usual 3 day plan climbs from Gulaba to Rola Kholi (6 km, 4 to 5 hours), goes on to the lake and down to Pandu Ropa (10 km, 7 to 8 hours), then descends to Vashisht (9 km, 4 to 5 hours). The steepest part is about 2 hours of steady climbing. It is rated moderate to hard.

July and August are the busy months, with wildflowers, and September is quieter. Camp at Rola Kholi or Pandu Ropa, not at the lakeside. Packages usually include a Forest Department permit, which may not be needed in 2026 if you start at Gulaba, so ask. Signal is strong at Gulaba, weak at Rola Kholi and absent at the lake.

Do not look for shortcuts on the way down. In late September 2023 a trekker from Bengaluru lost the trail on the return, searching for a quicker way to Manali, and died near Jogini waterfall in early October. Stay on the route to Vashisht or Gulaba.

Beas Kund trek from Dhundi: a first multi-day trek

A camp in the Kullu valley.

• Start: Dhundi, a 14 km drive from Manali
• Distance: 14 to 18 km round trip, with 7 to 9 km of walking to the lake
• Time: 3 to 4 days
• High point: 3,700 to 3,893 m. Dhundi is at about 2,850 m
• Season: June to September
• Guide/permit: usually an operator package; a small eco-fee may be collected at Dhundi

We’d pick Beas Kund for a first multi-day trek. It is rated easy to moderate and is shorter and lower than Hampta Pass. The hard day is day 3, about 8 hours of climbing, with boulder fields and the steep Lady Leg section. Deep snow lies until late April, so go from June.

Airtel and Jio work at Dhundi and on parts of the lower trail, with weak or no signal at Bakarthach and the kund.

Hampta Pass trek from Jobra: 4 to 5 days, with an operator

Peaks near Hampta Pass in September. Photo: Kunalsvnit, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

• Start: Jobra, 18 to 30 km and 1 to 1.5 hours from Manali
• Distance: 25 to 35 km, most often 26 to 30 km
• Time: 4 to 5 days. It ends at Chatru, 85 km and 4 to 5 hours by road from Manali
• High point: 4,200 to 4,270 m
• Season: mid-June to late September or early October
• Guide/permit: forest permit required, included in packages. A guide costs ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 a day

This is the big one, and a week away from your desk. Go with an operator. The route climbs through camps at Chika, Balu Ka Ghera and Shea Goru (3,900 m) before the pass day: 9 km, 8 to 10 hours, and about 500 m of glissade, a controlled slide down a snow slope. There are four river crossings, thigh-deep in June and July. It is rated anywhere from easy to moderate to extra difficult, so treat it as demanding.

There is no mobile signal between Jobra and Chatru, so book no calls for those days. Operators offer Chandratal as an extra from Chatru; the road opens in late June and closes in October.

Conditions change fast. In July 2021 about 400 trekkers were turned back after a 23 year old woman was washed away in a nullah, and fixed camping has been banned at Hampta since 2022. In September 2025 trekking at Hampta was suspended until 30 September after extreme rain, so ask whether the pass is open before you book.

Longer treks from Manali: Chandrakhani, Friendship Peak, Kheerganga

On the Kheerganga trek, in the Parvati valley.

Chandrakhani Pass runs from Naggar via Rumsu to Malana, at 3,660 m. It takes 4 to 5 days, and operators run it as 4 days and 22 km. Friendship Peak (5,289 m) is a technical climb that needs crampons, an ice axe and rope training.

Kheerganga is in the Parvati valley, 12 to 13 km each way from Barshaini. Overnight camping there has been stopped since July 2024, so plan it as a day walk and ask in Barshaini.

Trekking rules, permits and registration in Kullu district

The Kullu deputy commissioner’s order of 17 September 2022 sets three tiers. Below 9,000 ft you need no permission. Between 9,000 and 15,000 ft you need permission from the divisional forest officer. Above 15,000 ft you need special permission from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, and trekking was banned on six passes at that height, among them Tentu and Gunther. Nobody may trek without safety equipment, essential medicine and a first-aid kit, and violation can mean up to 2 years in prison. Trekkers and operators were told to register on the Trekking Management System at trekking.hp.gov.in.

Rules here change after accidents, so before any route above the treeline, ask the forest office in Manali or the district administration what is in force.

In July 2022 the Kullu forest officer set up a committee to check illegal camping at Hampta Pass and Bhrigu Lake, with a check post at Jobri. On 15 July 2026 the district tourism officer banned rafting, paragliding, river crossing and bungee jumping until 15 September, so expect tighter watch near water in the monsoon.

Trek safety near Manali: altitude sickness and when to turn back

A camp below Hampta Pass. Photo: Kunalsvnit, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Altitude sickness usually starts above about 2,500 m, especially with a fast climb. Above 3,000 m, avoid sleeping more than about 500 m higher each night. Symptoms often start 6 to 10 hours after arrival. If you get a headache, nausea or dizziness, rest at the same height and do not go higher. Bhrigu matters most, because it goes from about 3,160 m at Gulaba to about 4,270 m in two trekking days. Diamox is sometimes carried in trek first-aid kits; ask a doctor before you take any altitude medicine.

Our turn-back rule: turn around if a headache does not ease with rest, if you have lost the trail, if a stream you must cross is rising or has changed colour, or if you will not be down before last light. On 8 October the sun sets at 17:57 and last light is 18:22, and the days shorten through December.

Streams are the main danger on these trails. The Majhach Nala leader was on a 10 person trek in the Shanag and Majhach area, and the water rose suddenly as the group came down. Two tourists drowned in the swollen Beas at Nehru Kund on 26 May 2024.

For rescue, call 112 or 108. ABVIMAS in Manali conducts rescue missions, and the director’s office is on 01902-255313.

Manali trekking price: Hampta Pass, Bhrigu Lake and Beas Kund

Trek prices depend on the route and who sells it. For Hampta Pass, 2026 prices run from ₹5,500 (discounted from ₹8,000) and ₹6,499 plus 5% GST, up to ₹19,500. For Bhrigu Lake, packages start at ₹5,450 plus GST and agencies charge ₹5,500 to ₹10,000, against ₹3,000 to ₹6,000 for a self-organised trip with a local guide. Beas Kund runs from ₹3,500 to ₹15,500.

The spread comes from a few things. Low prices are often struck through or marked “from”, GST of 5% is often added, and what is included changes. Packages usually cover tents, meals, a trek leader and forest permits. Extras include backpack offloading at ₹500 to ₹1,800 and the Chandratal extension at ₹1,500 to ₹4,000. Compare operators, including Indiahikes and Trek The Himalayas, on what is in the price. Arjun Gufa and Jogini Falls cost nothing beyond the taxi.

Taxi and auto fares to Manali trailheads: Gulaba, Jobra, Dhundi

An auto or taxi to Vashisht costs ₹100 to ₹200, and Prini is 15 to 20 minutes away. Gulaba, for Bhrigu Lake, is 30 to 60 minutes by road: a private taxi costs ₹1,200 to ₹1,500 one way and a shared seat ₹200 to ₹300, and a drop there needs no Rohtang permit. Jobra, for Hampta, costs ₹2,500 to ₹3,000 by private taxi and ₹500 shared. Dhundi, for Beas Kund, is a 14 km drive. For the road to Manali itself, see the how to reach guide.

Which Manali trek fits a working week: by hours and days off

With 2 to 3 hours, choose Arjun Gufa or Jogini Falls, and in October start by about 15:00 to be down before dusk. With an hour, do the Goshal loop. A Saturday fits Lama Dugh, so leave early.

Friday off fits Bhrigu Lake as the 3 day plan, and Beas Kund only if the operator runs it in 3 days. Four day plans need Monday too, and Hampta Pass is a week away. Plan around the signal: none between Jobra and Chatru and none at Bhrigu Lake.

If you only have one slot, we’d take Lama Dugh on a Saturday in September or October. In July and August, with streams up and no spare days, leave the multi-day routes for September, which suits Hampta Pass best. For timing, see best time to visit.

Frequently asked questions about treks in Manali