Anniversary Celebration in Manali Igloo Stay
Manali has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in India and remains full of tourists throughout the year. Apart from the usual hill station tourist attractions, Manali now has a relatively new concept to offer which we explored and enjoyed celebrating our 4thwedding anniversary. What if we told that you don’t have to go to a Scandinavian country to experience an Igloo anymore?? That’s right… You may experience it well in Manali. Read on….
Days required– 2 days(1 more if you have not visited Manali-Kullu before)
Nearby places to go – Kullu, Solang Valley, Rohtang Pass( depending on the season)
Best time to visit – Jan-Feb (Igloos need good snowfall to be prepared. Snowfall usually starts in January. In March, these igloos starts to melt and we have to wait for the next winter)
How to reach – Manali can be easily reached by road. Plenty of state-run and private buses are available for Manali from Delhi and Chandigarh.
There is no rail network or airport in Manali.
From Manali, it is about an hour’s drive to these Igloos. Transfers to Igloo is provided in 4×4 vehicle by the tour agency/igloo owner on a sharing basis.
Our Experience of Igloo Stay
We reached Manali early morning by HimsutaVolvo(HRTC) and took a taxi to the hotel to get some rest. The Igloo owners provided us a room in the hotel for a nominal price. By 11 am, we were ready for the transfer. They provided us a snow dress and snow boots. It took us 45min to reach the Village “Sethan”. It was an uphill ride with very rough roads. As we were ascending, the terrain kept changed quickly. Snow clad roadsides and beautiful Deodar and spruce covering the valley made the view highly picturesque. We stepped out of the vehicle and were amazed to see the beauty of Sethan village covered in the snow. We were in the awe of this place only till we were asked to step downhill for about 100m to reach the Igloo. It was unexpectedly hard for people like us who are not used to anything beyond a moderate level of trekking. However, after a few minutes, we started getting amused by the adventure walking down along the snowy paths falling and sliding towards the Igloos for about 30 minutes.
There were five Igloos the same as seen in the movies and as I had imagined them to be. On arrival, we were provided some hot water and tea/coffee while the lunch preparations started. Our excitement knew no bounds amidst a lot of snow and made it a highly unanticipated kind of the first experience. After having coffee, we started running here and there like rabbits taking photographs from all the possible angles. The management had snow skating gears available for anyone willing to try it. Also, they had prepared a snow slide and swing for fun activities. Interestingly, they also had a warm house made with plastic sheets and a chimney kept inside for those who wanted to stay warm. We played with snowballs and made a snowman while we lived our unfulfilled childhood aspirations. By the time we were exhausted, lunch was ready and we had some scrumptious rice, rajma, and kadhi. As the day passed, we ordered tea/coffee/Maggi several times to overcome the cold. The temperature dipped further with the sunset. In the evening, they started Bonfire for us and we played music on their speakers. We could not have expected a day to be better than this. For the night, the place was decorated with fancy LED lights complimented with music in the background, everything was so magical. We enjoyed the evening with Chicken and paneer for dinner. After staying around the Bonfire till 9 pm we went inside our Igloo thereafter as the temperature fell to -15 degrees in the night.
The igloos here have been prepared with hard snow blocks and their floor, ceiling, and walls are ice. It’s a sturdy round dome-like structure with a narrow entrance having a snow bed in the center. The height is enough to allow us to stand comfortably but not spacious to roam freely inside similar to a camping tent suitable for 2 persons. You can just sit or sleep inside the Igloo. A plastic carton was provided to keep the backpacks and other stuff to prevent it from getting wet from the icy surroundings. A small bulb lights up the igloo and is the only electric connection inside which means no mobile charging point is available. Additionally, portable emergency light for the night is provided by the management. A very basic toilet facility was set up nearby with no bathing option(pretty obvious though). With water so chilling that even washing hands was no less than a dire dare, we didn’t give bathing any thoughts. Changing the clothes was a task in itself because of the cold which was making the hands numb if gloves were taken off even for a few seconds. But hey, isn’t that what one would expect from a stay in the Igloos???
The management staff was really friendly and helpful. They prepared each igloo for the night and equipped us to face the chilling night ahead. We were provided a hot water bag for keeping our legs warm. Then there were two layers of warm cover and a sleeping bag. Over it, there was a warm blanket to maintain the warmth for a comfortable night. The Temperature inside was 8-9 degrees more than that of the outside. We slept like babies the whole night. I woke up early in the morning and enjoyed walking around the place. We sipped the morning tea/coffee on a snow table and had parantha and omelet for the breakfast. By then, it was time to say goodbye to the camp as our transfer vehicle was waiting for us on the road. Climbing up the snowy path seemed even more difficult than the descend as Paaro, and one more guest almost slipped on one of the narrow paths. After 20min of the trek, we were back on our way to Manali.
We reached their hotel and rested for an hour and had some snacks in the restaurant. Our bus was departure was scheduled in the evening that day, and we spent the remaining time exploring Manali. The hotel staff helped us book a cab and we enjoyed the trip to Hidimba Temple, Vashishtha Temple, Clubhouse and Mall Road. We paid the driver and spent the last 2 hours on the Mall road, had dinner later and reached the bus stand to board our bus to Chandigarh.
Expenses for two people –Approx. Rs 18000
Volvo bus from Chandigarh – Rs 1200 per person each side
Igloo stay(inclusive of meals) Rs 5000 per person
Transfer to Igloo, Both side –Rs 3500(on sharing basis)
Taxi to hotel and Local Manali tour- Rs200 + Rs 700
Meals –Rs 1000
Quick tips for fellow travelers–
- Book your visit in January(preferably late January). You can witness fresh snowfall.
- Bargain well with Taxi drivers in Manali for local tours.
- Be ready for harsh weather conditions.
- This stay is not advisable for children and the elderly.
- Things to carry for Igloo stay- Thermal Innerwear, waterproof gloves, woolen socks(3-4 pairs), Jacket, woolen cap, sunscreen, general medicines/prescribed medicines.
- There is no mobile connectivity around the Igloo site so be prepared for some internet detoxification.
- There are two bus stands in Manali – one old one(for Govt.operated local buses) is near Mall road and another new one for Volvo and private buses is just a 5 min ride from Mall road.
Ratings (it is subjective and my personal opinion)
overall rating 10/10 – loved the idea of Igloo stays. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, that too so perfectly managed so that guests are very comfortable even in extremely cold weather conditions.
Expense 4/10 – Both getting to Manali and reaching the Igloo is expensive.
Travel ease 7/10– Reaching Manali is easy but till Sethan, the route is very tiring and rough. An only experienced and trained driver can drive through that road and that too, in 4×4 vehicles only. And lastly, the last 100 meters road to the igloo is very tough.
Food -7/10 – Food at Igloo was average but I am not complaining as it is very difficult to provide meals there. They provide you unlimited Hot beverages and Maggi at any time you demand. The menu is limited. Veg, as well as non-veg food, was average in taste.