Craving for an escape from this heat? Feeling adventurous? If that is the case and you happen to have your sights set on a brief trip to Manali and want to try out Camping in Manali, we have just the thing for you. Check out these 7 amazing places with breathtaking and serene views, each with its own characteristic qualities and features.
Even though commercial campsites exist, note that the ones listed below are all places that you don’t need to book a place for. Just carry a tent, find a spot that works for you, set up your campsites and you are good to go for some cozy bonfire story sessions.
In this article, I am going to mention some of the best places for camping in Manali for you. Let’s start!
Top 7 Places For Camping in Manali
1. Sethan
About 15 km away from Manali offering a peaceful escape from huge crowds lies Sethan, a serene haven that is promised to provide you a relaxing time accompanied by the most humble and friendly Buddhist monks.
The natural views are most pleasing and seemingly out of the world, especially during dusk as the Kullu Valley, about a hundred ft. below, starts glistening under the setting sun. It is also the perfect place to learn snowboarding and skiing in the Himalayan range and thus makes it an ideal location to come with your loved ones and spend some time here camping.
2. Village Soyal
Soyal Village, situated less than about 15km from Manali on Naggar road, going towards Kullu, is a must-visit destination for tourists who enjoy time away from the tourist trail. Here, tourists can find a glacier water stream surrounded by forest and a couple of cafes to satiate your hunger whenever you crave some calories.
It is indeed possible to do a day trip from Manali to the village but it is highly recommended to camp or stay overnight. The camping site itself is placed about 1km outside of the village making sure you can enjoy a peaceful you-time and the place is huge enough for at least a few dozen people to sleep simultaneously.
3. Solang Valley
Imagine having a place to spend the night surrounded by lush green meadows and beautiful mountains. Solang valley provides you with exactly that. Located about 12 km away, it offers one of the best places to camp in Manali for all adventure lovers. Solang Valley is an Adventure activity lover’s paradise with activities like paragliding, trekking, zorbing, and ATV rides available to the tourists.
Solang valley has a lot of flat ground perfect for setting up camp, bonfires and makes for an excellent camping experience. Though this spot has gotten a bit more crowded in recent years due to its popularity, it isn’t hard to find land to put your tents down. 2400 meters above sea level, Solang valley provides you with one of the most exhilarating camping experiences in Manali.
4. River Beas
Want a riverside camping experience in Manali with the sound of gushing water entrancing your soul the whole time? The area near the Beas river would make the perfect camping spot for you then. The Beas river can be found to be flowing all the way from Rohtang pass to Kullu, but the best patch for putting your tent down and camp can be found near Manali.
To get to that place, you set out from the town of Manali and keep driving for about a distance of 20 km and find a flat surface that you feel is right and you are good to go. If you want a suggestion from a third party, you can try out the spot near the Indian oil petrol station between Manali bridge and Vashishth. Throughout the 470 km that the river runs, you can find beautiful flat spaces to camp at.
5. Hallan Valley
If you love the serene and beautiful sights that mother nature has to offer, Hallan is a must-visit spot. This photogenic valley which so happens to be one of the smallest valleys in all of Himachal Pradesh provides one with breathtaking views of the Kullu Valley giving Hallan valley a solid spot In the list of the must-camp locations around Manali.
You can also do a day trip to the valley on a hired bike while enjoying the lovely sights of apple orchards on the way. The valley is also soon to receive Asia’s biggest zipline allowing you to indulge in the beauty of nature engulfing you while enjoying some adventure activities.
6. Fojal
Right about at a distance of 5 km from the Dhobi Paragliding site and right about midway between Kullu and Manali is the beautifully scenic Fojal Valley. The location of Fojal right between Kullu and Manali makes it a place that tourists would definitely want to hit on the way and maybe spend a few relaxing nights as well while they are there.
Fojal is known not only for its beauty but also for its adventure sports like paragliding, done at the more commonly known place called Dhobi Paragliding site. You can try doing a one-day trip to Fojal as well, try paragliding, enjoy the sights and then head back. Fojal is one of the more peaceful camping locations in Manali, ideal for people looking to spend some quiet time.
Apart from these things, there isn’t that much for a regular tourist to see at Fojal valley except for a bit of trekking that they can do during the summers but for an adventurous person who also appreciates and embraces the idea of a slow and relaxed journey, It is a perfect place to lay low and let in the more laidback side of Himachali life.
7. Village Nayalag & Kasheri
Nayalag and Kasheri offer some of the most breathtaking and enchanting views that you can find adjoining the Kullu Valley. Right about 13 km from Nayalag lies one of Manali’s most offbeat and interesting Buddhist monasteries known as the Nyingmapa Pangan Monastery.
There also exist quite a few flat meadows accompanied by dense jungles near the Kasheri village to try setting up a camp and get a fresh and different camping experience compared to the rest of the camping locations in Manali.
Something important to note before you head out would be that it is almost impossible to camp here (and also most other places surrounding and near Manali) in winter because of the freezing cold and snow thus making summer and autumn the best time to go and enjoy these places.
8. Other Forms of Stay In Manali
If you don’t want to camp or are unsure of the idea of camping and the dangers involved, you can try looking for a more traditional setup like a hotel room or some other form of accommodation. I would personally recommend you to check out aggregator websites for the job like booking.com, trivago, and Hostelworld, among the many other options out there.
They have and offer thousands of places with many different setups like that of a homestay, a hostel, and/or that of a budget/luxury hotel. You can filter through them all by various parameters like budget, distance from the city center, etc, and choose a place that fits best your needs.
Another useful platform that has been buzzing about recently and one that I have found out about recently is cozy which compares for you all the available accommodation types (like hotels, Airbnb, villas, boats, chalets, etc.). It is especially helpful for last-minute reservations and plans as it receives accommodation offers from about 100 websites and provides to you the best available and the best-suited ones.
If you want to take a holiday but can’t afford to miss work, consider these work from Hills options in Himachal and Uttarakhand.
Outro
If you have read till here, then now you have all the information on the best places for camping in Manali. Call your gang set up a trip and get ready for some heartwarming camping in the lap of mother nature.
Let me know in the comment section whether I have missed any other good camping location in Manali or not. Also, do tell me about your experiences while camping at these places.
Thank You.
