Manali To Lahaul Road Trip - best places to see | New Covid Restrictions In Himachal Pradesh

 Manali To Lahaul - Best Places To See

The world is certainly at the edge right now due to the pandemic that is threatening our existence itself. Let's follow the covid protocols and make sure we don't spread it. 

Himachal Pradesh New Rules For The Tourist 

The travel industry has been hit the worst during the covid pandemic and due to lock down travel is being further restricted in many states of India. Many people in Himachal Pradesh depends on the tourist who visits during the peak season that is from May till July as their source of income.  

Due to new norms and restriction, many of the hotels and travel sector are seeing a decrease in the number of tourists and increased cancellation. 

Keeping in the view of the tourist sector the Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said "We have taken care of our tourism industry to ensure it does not suffer this session as the coronavirus pandemic affected it last year. So, in the SOP released for the industry, we have put in place a mechanism to monitor it accordingly. Tourists and other visitors will not be harassed for corona reports at the State’s borders because it causes a lot of inconvenience and difficulty to them,". 

The Himachal Pradesh government on April 11 made it mandatory for people coming from seven States which have witnessed a spike in coronavirus cases such as Punjab, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh need to carry a negative RT-PCR report not earlier than 72 hours while visiting Himachal Pradesh from April 16. 

The tourist will not be stopped at the border of Himachal Pradesh but they need to carry the test results as they have put in place a mechanism for monitoring tourists on their arrival at the place of their stay. 

Make sure you talk with your travel provider before you plan the trip and do follow the covid norms and prevent the virus from spreading.

Best Places To See, Manali To Lahaul

The most avoided place on the trip of anyone who visits Himachal is Lahaul. treacherous roads, high altitude and the ever so changing weather pattern make it really difficult to travel from May to July, but all that trouble is worth it once you see the magnificent hills. 

Here are a few places you need to visit while travelling from Manali to Lahaul.  

1. Shashur Gompa:

Shashur Monastery can be reached by a 3 km uphill walk from the main road of Keylong. The monastery was built in the 17th Century by Lama Deva Gyatsho of Zanskar who was a missionary of Nawang Namgyal, the king of Bhutan. The lamas of the Gompa are of the Drukpa sect.

2. Triloknath Temple: 

Quite near Udaipur in Himachal Pradesh, the Triloknath Temple (2700 m) is situated in the Udaipur sub-division in Lahaul. It is around 46 km from Keylong and 16 km from Udaipur. This squat stone temple is supposed to have been constructed in the 11th century. It is approached by a very attractive road which climbs up the left bank of the Chandrabhaga.

3. Tower Fort of Gondhla:

Gondhla village is located at a distance of 18 km from Keylong. Gondhla is a large village and is pretty green with inspiring waterfalls surrounding it; there is a dense growth of poplars too. Though neglected and not cared for, there is still a bunch to explore here – from old weapons and statues to yesteryear costumes and furniture.

4. Lahaul & Spiti Tribal Museum:

Near the market in Keylong is the very interesting Lahaul & Spiti Tribal Museum. The many rooms of the museum depict the various regions of Himachal Pradesh displaying tribal art and other local curios, the Museum also displays thangka paintings and ancient manuscripts.

5. Mrikula Devi Temple

Udaipur is the is the second biggest town in Lahaul after Keylong. The unique Mrikula (Markula) Devi Temple (11th or 12th century) is located just above the bazaar. However, the real magic happens when you enter the premises of this beautiful temple – the elaborate deodar-wood carvings depicting scenes from Hindu epics are a sight to behold. 

Locals believe that the temple was constructed from a block of wood by Pandavas. Scenes from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana epics decorate the temple walls.

For any more information, you can reach out to me through email or just leave a comment and I will get back to you. Thank you for reading. 

Safe Travels.