Himachal
Places to Visit
Top 5 reasons why it’s risky to visit Manali in Monsoon
Manali in the monsoon months of July and August is truly awesome. But is it safe also to visit Manali in monsoon?
As the monsoon hits Manali, it becomes quiet and peaceful. There are no maddening crowds, no traffic jams and no scrambling for anything including hotel rooms. Sounds like a good time to visit this top tourist town of the country?
Actually, no. Read these top reasons why your trip to Manali can turn out to be a risky one in monsoon and then decide for yourself.
1. Unsafe roads
It becomes highly unsafe to travel on the national highway (NH-21), which connects Chandigarh to Manali, during the monsoon months of July and August. There are frequent landslides and traffic jams on this road because of heavy rains during monsoon months. The highway, especially between Mandi and Manali, falls in the high landslide-prone zone even though a number of tunnels have been opened on this road stretch. The landslides not only cause traffic jams but have also resulted in casualties in the past.
Even the alternative link road from Mandi to Manali — Mandi-Kamand-Bajaura — also gets blocked frequently during monsoon months, leaving everyone stuck in either Mandi or Manali. Also, floods can cause a lot of damage to highway and roads. In the unprecedented monsoon mayhem of 2023, multiple stretches of this highway near Manali, Kullu and Pandoh in Mandi district were washed away due to floods and cloudbursts.
So, reaching Manali in monsoons can turn out to be the riskiest and also the biggest hurdle.
2. Dangerous rivers and rivulets
All the rivers and rivulets in and around Manali are in spate during monsoon, making it dangerous to go near them. It’s impossible to even go near the river banks and if somebody dares, it can turn out to be a huge mistake. In 2024, six tourists lost their lives in the months of May and June when they went too near the Beas river and were washed away.
Also, the Beas river is at her ferocious self in July and August and in the event of heavy rainfall, the river gets flooded and causes huge damage along her bank. Thousands of tourists had got stuck in the Kullu and Parvati valleys in 2023 after a flooded Beas and Parvati rivers washed away many stretches of the highway.
3. Heavy rains
Even if you manage to reach Manali overcoming all hurdles, chances are you will remain tied down to your room due to rains outside. The rains can restrict your movement in and around Manali and your vacation can turn out to be a real damp squib. Until and unless of course, you enjoy watching the rain from your hotel room window the whole day.
4. No adventure activities
If you are an adventure freak and want to enjoy some adrenaline rush during July and August, then again Manali is not the place for you during monsoon. Most of the adventure activities including rafting and paragliding are temporarily banned by the local administration for two months. The ban on adventure activities comes into effect on July 15 and it continues till September 15.
5. Risky to visit nearby places of interest also
It’s riskier to move out of Manali also during the rainy season. If you are in Manali and say want to visit Atal Tunnel or Sissu or may be Naggar and Kasol in the Parvati valley, then road conditions and rains may impact your movement.
Landslides and flash floods also occur on the road from Manali to Atal Tunnel and Sissu and also on the road from Bhuntar to Kasol. Even the narrow road to Tirthan, Jibhi and Jalori Jot also becomes highly unsafe during monsoons. The bottom line is it’s also unsafe to visit other places of interest near Manali during monsoon months.
Best time to visit Manali
So, what is the best time to visit Manali then? You should avoid visiting Manali in monsoons and in the summer months especially June, when there is a huge rush in Manali. The best time is September, October and November, if you want to enjoy nice warm days and nippy evenings. You should visit in December, January and February, if you want to enjoy the snow and in the spring months of March and April, if you want to witness the entire Kullu valley in full bloom.
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