Three college friends from MBA. A plan hatched for a quick escape from family, responsibilities, and the relentless predictability of everyday life. And then, chickenpox happened.

The trip was originally Arun’s idea. He and Ashish had cooked up the plan and roped me in. Four days. Bangalore and Hyderabad to Himachal and back. Just us boys, no agenda other than the mountains. But days before departure, Arun came down with chickenpox. Cue the small conundrum — do we still go? Air tickets had already been booked. The mathematics of wasted money won. Me and Ashish decided to go ahead.

Day 1 – Bangalore → Chandigarh → Mandi

I flew out of Bangalore on Saturday morning, April 11th, and landed in Chandigarh around 1:30 pm. Ashish’s flight was due at 4. That left me with a couple of hours to kill.

The airport staff and security, when I asked about ideas for how to spend the time, were quite practical about it — city is far, traffic is unpredictable, don’t bother. Instead, they pointed me to the staff canteen. Plain veg thali. Simple, adequate. After eating, I wandered out and found a stretch of grass and trees just outside the terminal. A few others were already doing the same thing. So I lay down, earphones in, audiobook playing, and an hour and a half just evaporated — lying on actual grass, under actual trees, in actual sunlight. A small luxury I hadn’t realised I’d been missing.

Ashish landed, we called our driver Rahul (Ertiga in tow), and hit the road. First stop: Manjeet Dhaba on the highway outside Chandigarh. Ashish needed food; I tagged along. The parathas, honestly, were a disappointment. Under-stuffed. When I told Rahul, he said if it’s parathas we wanted, there was a place called Haveli known specifically for them. Too late now. Lesson filed for future reference.

We reached Mandi that night and checked into Wild Yak. Clean rooms, clean bathrooms, a freshly built property. The room rate at ₹4,900 felt steep for what it offered, but breakfast was included. We were tired. We slept.

Day 2 – Mandi → Kullu → Manali

Morning walk. Breakfast (parathas again — the theme of this trip, apparently). Then we loaded into the Ertiga and pointed ourselves towards Manali.

On the way, we stopped at Kesar Dry Fruits near Kullu — picked up some dry fruits and saffron. Then a stop at Trishla Shawl Factory, where shawls started at ₹150. I got a couple of shawls and some other paraphernalia for home. Good prices.

Just after Kullu, the river rafting operators started appearing along the road. I had done rafting once before, in Rishikesh, and while it was undeniably thrilling, it was also terrifying enough that I had mentally filed it under “done, never again.” Strong rapids, deep river, rocks everywhere. Not for someone with even a mild fear of water. I told Ashish a firm no. He was tempted but came along with my decision.

Then Rahul intervened. He didn’t just suggest we try it — he campaigned for it. He would join us, he said. He would sit on the sides with Ashish, and I could sit safely in the middle. He would negotiate the price. He was very persuasive. And so, against my better instincts, we signed up.

I am glad we did.

This stretch of the Beas was a completely different experience from Rishikesh. The rapids were gentler, the flow was easier, and there was actually time to sit back, look at the mountains rising on both banks, feel the cold of the river, and just… enjoy it. We took the longer 9-kilometre stretch. At the end, there was a vendor selling Maggi. We had that. Then took the car back to the start point and continued to Manali.

We reached Manali around 3:30–4 pm and headed directly to Hadimba Temple. Hadimba was the wife of Bhim from the Mahabharata and mother of Ghatotkacha. The temple is beautiful, surrounded by enormous deodar trees. But the crowds were enormous too — a long, slow queue just to enter. We took in the atmosphere, skipped the queue, and moved on.

Outside Hadimba Temple
The Hadimba temple

The Manali Mall Road was next. Also very crowded. We were hungry — had barely eaten a proper lunch all day — and it was already past four. We ducked into a restaurant called Corner House, which turned out to be an excellent find. Rooftop seating. Two draught beers. A beautifully cooked trout dish. A burger. We split everything, sat for a long time, and had exactly the kind of unhurried conversation that the trip was meant for.

View of the Mall Road from Corner House
Beer on the Rooftop
Corner House

The hotel we’d booked was 14 Gables, about 10 kilometres from the mall, near the Solang Valley road. By the time we arrived, it was 7:30 and the cold had set in properly. We freshened up, ordered dinner in — tawa roti, butter chicken — and went to bed.

Day 3 – Atal Tunnel, the Snow Point & Back Downhill

I woke up at around 5:30 in the morning. The room was dark. I walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside.

Snow-capped mountain ranges filled the entire view, catching the first pale light of morning. I genuinely hadn’t expected it. We’d arrived in the dark, so there had been no hint of what was outside the glass. I stood there for a while before waking Ashish. He was equally floored. As the sun started rising, the light shifted across the peaks — pale gold, then warmer amber, then full morning brightness. It was the kind of view that makes you feel quietly lucky.

The view from the room – Just WOW!
The hotel – beyond the bridge

Rahul had warned us the previous night: the road through the Atal Tunnel gets impossibly crowded as the day progresses — cars stuck for three, four hours. So we skipped breakfast entirely and were in the car by 8:15.

On the way up, we stopped briefly to rent heavy jackets and snow boots — essential for playing around on the ice. Then we drove straight to the Atal Tunnel. There was some minor congestion, but nothing serious. And the views on the way — as the valley narrowed and the peaks closed in around you — were stunning.

We passed through the tunnel (9 kilometres, connecting Manali to the Lahaul-Spiti valley) and emerged into a different world on the other side. Sisu. Then further on. At a small roadside dhaba somewhere between Sisu and the snow point in Koksar, we stopped and had aloo parathas and paneer parathas.

Sitting by the road, ice-covered slopes all around, mountains on every side. I don’t think parathas have ever felt more earned or more perfectly placed.

At the snow point itself, the crowds had already gathered. But we found our own patch, slid around, threw some snow, behaved roughly like the children we temporarily were. Then headed back.

On the way down, we stopped again — this time at a spot where you could climb down to the bank of the Beas. Sat there for a while. Had Maggi from a roadside vendor — veg Maggi, made well, eaten beside a river with mountains above. Then cold drinks at another stop near the rafting stretch further down.

Maggi by the river
Serenity beside the river!
waiting for maggi

We didn’t really have lunch. It was Maggi, parathas, and cold drinks — and somehow that felt entirely right.

spend some beside the Beas – watching rafters while on the way back

We checked into Mandi Heights that night. Basic. Functional. Dinner there itself: tandoori roti, chicken. The food was good. Short walk after dinner. Early night.

Day 4 – Mandi → Chandigarh → Home

Morning walk with Ashish. Got ready. And then the drive down to Chandigarh — a long but easy descent, the mountains slowly giving way to flatter land and warmer air.

Ashish’s flight back to Hyderabad was at 4 pm, so we needed to be in Chandigarh by 2. We made it comfortably. Lunch at Palda Dhaba — one of those famous spots, photos of celebrities like Anupam Kher on the walls. Mutton, roti, and lassi. The food was very good.

My flight back to Bangalore wasn’t till 8 pm. I had time. So I did something I almost never do on a trip: booked a movie. Found a mall, watched Project Hail Mary. Then took a cab to the airport, boarded an Air India Express that left almost an hour late, and landed in Bangalore close to 2 am.

Quick Notes — In Case You’re Planning

  • Atal Tunnel:Start early. The crowds build fast and jams can last hours. We left 14 Gables by 8:15 and had smooth passage.
  • River Rafting (near Kullu):The 9 km stretch on the Beas is genuinely enjoyable — not terrifying like Rishikesh. Good for reluctant rafters too.
  • Shawls:Trshla Shawl Factory near Kullu. Starting at ₹150, decent quality.
  • Corner House, Manali:Rooftop seating, good trout, draught beer. Worth it.
  • 14 Gables: A bit far from Manali Mall road, but amazing amazing views!
  • Wild Yak, Mandi: Clean and functional. ₹4,900 includes breakfast but felt a bit steep for what it offers.
  • Pal da Dhaba, Chandigarh:If you’re passing through, don’t miss it. Try the mutton.
  • Highly recommend Rahul (Driver) – This is his number – 8219188175