Manali

At the head of the Kullu Valley sits Manali — Himachal's most loved mountain town. Snow-capped Pir Panjal peaks line the horizon, the river Beas roars below, and a constellation of villages (Old Manali, Vashisht, Solang, Naggar) circles a colonial-era core. It's the staging post for Spiti, Lahaul and Ladakh expeditions, the home of the Atal Tunnel, and one of the only places in India where a beginner can ski in February and paraglide in June.