A bikeride through Manali

Where the snowy peaks of the mountains meet the sky, the Beas River chuckles down the gorges, that's what Manali is, in short.
Though the place is a bit overcrowded through out the year, but still it is one of the best places to visit.
It's a vacation destination not only for leisure, honeymoon and budget travelers but also for adventure seekers and bikers as well.
Here you can find temples, hot springs, high mountain passes, culture and adventure activities like river rafting, skiing and paragliding.

And, if we plan a step ahead, there is the beautiful and amazing spiti valley. It is dream for every traveller. It's stunning, it's gorgeous, it's isolated, it's everything an adventurer can dream about.
So me and my friend planned to explore spiti on bike.
We made the necessary preparations and started our journey from Jharsuguda, Odisha on 7th October, 2021.

We reached Delhi by flight and booked a night bus to Manali. We booked a room at Hotel Mahavir. This was my third visit to Manali so we didn't have to do much research for hotel.
Our plan was to rent a bike and start our spiti trip next morning. But for the next 2 days the spiti route was closed from Khoksar to Kaza due to some rally.
So we decided to stay at Manali for the next four days and further explore Manali and visit places that we didnt visit in our previous trips.

Day 1

Triloknath Shiva Temple

After having our breakfast, we rented a bike from the nearest bike rental shop. We rented a Himalayan for 4 days and it cost us 1000 per day with some discounts.
We planned to visit Triloknath shiva temple at Udaipur in Lahaul district, which was around 110 kms from Manali.
We crossed the Atal tunnel on our way. It was first visit to Manali after the inauguration of the tunnel. On the way we visited apple gardens, talked with locals, which felt amazing.
The journey was really fun and adventure.

Day 2

Hampta

Today our destination was the beautiful and amazing Hampta valley. It was around 20 kma from our hotel but it took almost 1.5 hrs to reach there. The road was pure off-roading and there were 39 curves to the last point where we can go on bike.
But the view of the valley was pure pleasure to our heart and soul. The greenery, the mountains, the peaks, the landscape, the grazing animals, it was just mesmerizing. It was no less than heaven. It was one of the best places i have ever visited in my life.

Day 3

Manikaran

Our day 3 plan was to visit the famous hot water springs and the Gurudwara in Manikaran. It is around 80 kms from Manali.
The road was good and journey was amazing.
It took around 2.5 hrs to reach Manikaran.
We visited the hot springs and had lunch in the Gurudwara.

From there we went for a short visit to Parvati valley. It was 17 kms from Manikaran but the road to parvati valley was a bit offroading so it took more than an hour to reach there.
The view of the valley was really beautiful.

Day 4

Sissu

Today we visited the Sissu waterfall situated on the bank of river Chandra in Lahaul district of Himachal pradesh. The waterfall gives an extremely beautiful view when seen from the road on the Manali-Leh highway.
Just outside the south portal of Atal tunnel, Sissu village is famous for its waterfall and also the thick plantation of willows and poplars on either sides of the highway. During autumn the leaves turn red and yellow which makes the view even more beautiful.
During October this village is fully covered in autumn vibes which makes the journey relaxing and amazing.

After spending some time at Sissu, we went towards Keylong. There we visited the Shashur Gompa, on the top of a mountain. The road to the Gompa was too dangerous and was just dirt trails. But the peace and silence in the monastery was too much relaxing and peaceful for the mind and soul.
This small monastery rests in the hilly terrains of the himalayas.
It is situated at around 600 meters above the main road and you have to pass through terrains and narrow roads.