One day, Vaivasvata, the seventh incarnation of Manu found a tiny fish in his bathing water. The fish told him to look after it with devotion for one day it would do him a great service. Vaivasvatatava took care of the fish till the day it grew so huge that he released it into the sea before departing, the fish warned Manu of an Impending deluge when the entire world would be submerged and bade him to build a sea-worthy ark. When the flood came Vaivasvata and the Seven Sages were towed to safety by Matsya the fish-which is regarded as the first avatara of Lord Vishnu. As the waters subsided the seventh Manu's ark came to rest on a hillside and the place was named Manali (2050 m) after him. As the earth slowly dried, here arose a place of breath taking natural beauty - which was only appropriate, for it was at Manali that life began again. And today this legendary cradle of all human kind is a prime holiday destination. There are high mountains surrounded by silent snows and deep boulder strewn gorges. There are thick forest full of cool breezes and bird song. There are fields of wild flowers, smell picturesque hamlets and fruit laden orchards. All creating enchanting facades of Manali tours.

Altitude:1,950 meters.
Temperature:Summer - Max. 25°C, Min. 12°C & Winter - Max. 14°C, Min. -10°C.
Clothings: Summer- Light woollens for both the places. Winter- Heavy woollens for both the places.
Best Season:April to Mid-July and Sep. to Nov. for both the places.
Languages Spoken:Pahari (Local Dialect), Hindi, English.
STD Code: 01902.

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION
Air : The nearest airport to Manali is Bhunter at 50 km. distance..
Rail: The convenient railheads are Chandigarh 320 km., Jogindernagar and Shimla 260 km. approx.
Road:Almost each and every part of the state is linked by roads. The Himachal Road Transport Corporation is running its buses covering the whole state. There is huge network of HRTC to cater the needs of the people.

DISTANCE
Manali is connected with direct bus services from all cities of Himachal, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The distance from Manali to Shimla is 260 km., Chandigarh 320 km., Delhi 583 km., Pathankot 326 km., Dharamshala 253 km., Udaipur ( in Lahaul-Spiti ) 166 km., Keylong 104 km. and Kaza 244 km.

SHOPPING
Charitrust Tibetan Handicrafts Emporium (Mall) and Kullu - Kashmir Handicraft Cooperation (Bus Stand) offer local clothes (viz. Pashmina shawl) and souvenirs. Traditional Afghan, Kullu and Kinnawri hats are quite cheap. Go for bargain!
For thangkas and a variety of silver and jewellery, you can go either to the Tibetan Market or the Tibetan and Nepalese shops near the Post Office. For woollen stuff such as sweaters, shawls etc go to the Manali market. Do buy locally made pickles, jams and juices

FOOD & RESTURANTS
Ranging from Indian cuisines to international preparations such as Italian or Chinese cuisines all is available in the Manali market. The main market region in the city- Mall Road is flooded by variety of eating options constituting of small settlements such as local dhabas to fancy restaurants. Be it local cuisines or Tibetan food even Vaishnavi Dhabas you are sure to find something interesting in the alleys of Manali. Some of the famous restaurants you can check out while on tours to Manali are:

There are a good number of tourist attractions in Manali to keep you engrossed for three or four days, if sheer beauty of the apple orchards against the backdrop of the soaring snow-laden mountains have not satiated your hunger.  Mythology has major role to play in forming the tourist attractions in Manali.

Rohtang Pass:
Situated at an altitude of 3979 mts, (13,050 ft) above the sea level this tourist spot is the highest point on the Manali-Keylong road. The view of the mountains is really breath taking. Adjacent to it is a lake called Dassaur Lake. The Beas Kund is also nearby to the Rohtang Pass.

Hidimba Temple:
An ancient cave temple entirely dedicated to Hidimba Devi, is circumscribed by cedar forest. The deity image in this temple is that of a huge rock which was built in 1553.

Manu Temple:
Dedicated to the sage Manu, the Manu Temple is situated in the old township of Manali. The ancient temple is located at a distance of 3 kilometers from the chief market place in old Manali. Lying in the congested place, the temple is often visited by the tourists who arrive from different parts of the world to view the only existing temple in the country dedicated to the worship of the Rishi Manu. 
The Manu Temple at Manali is sacred and auspicious to the people of the region since there is no other temple dedicated to the creator of human race in the country. The Manu Temple has remained as one of the primary Manali tourist attractions since time immemorial. 

Vashist Hot Water Springs and Temple:
Just about 3 kms from Manali, spread across the Beas River is Vashist, a village with natural sulphur springs. Comprising of modern bathhouses, Turkish-style showers – travelers come here for medicinal benefit. There is also a pair of old stone temples, dedicated to the local patron saint Vashista.

Tibetan Monasteries:
With a huge population of Tibetan people settled in the region of Kullu, several Tibetan Monasteries have been set up in Manali. The monasteries are rich in preserving the culture of the Tibetan people. The literature and the handicrafts of the people of Tibet are preserved in the Tibetan monasteries in Manali.

Solang Valley:
Popularly known as the Snow Point, Solang Valley is just 13 km northwest of Manali. The 300-meter ski lift is a famous attraction here. Glaciers, snow-capped mountains – the view is picturesque in a manner that you will be awestruck.

Mountaineering Institute:
This institute imparts training in basic and advanced courses of mountaineering. Institute speedily gaining prominence for conducting adventurous sports - rock climbing, high altitude trekking and skiing. It was set up in 1961 A.D.

Rahla Falls:
16 kms. on way to Rohtang pass. If one goes to Marhi on foot from Kothi from the old road, the sight of the falls is fascinating. It is a good picnic spot as well

Club House:
2 kms. from the town, club house has indoor games facilities which has been located on the left bank of Manalsu Nallah. There are some picnic spots near it.

Nehru Kund:
A natural spring of clean cold water named after the late Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, who used to drink water from this spring during his stay in Manali. It is located on the Manali-Keylong road. This spring is believed to be coming from 'Bhrigu Lake'.

Kothi:
A beautiful and quiet spot. The rest house here overlooks the narrow valley and commands views at the mountains. Below Kothi, for more than a km. the river Beas flows through a deep gorge, 30 metres or more in depth. The site of the bridge provides an interesting historical episode in early annals of Kullu. This place is famous for movie picturisation and resting resort for poets, writers and lovers of peaceful environments.

Arjun Gufa:
A legendary cave near the village of 'Prini' on the left bank where Arjuna practised austerities to get the powerful 'Pashupati astra' ( weapon ).

Jagatsukh:
The original name of this was 'Nast', it remained the ancient capital of Kullu for about 10 generations. Jagatsukh is famous for its Shiva temple in Shikhara Style and interesting old temple of 'Gayatri Devi' and Devi Sharvali.