Bir-Billing
I visited in September 2021. Best known as a paragliding site, Bir lives up to the hype with one of the best sunsets to be witnessed amidst the Dhauladhar range.
We stayed at GoStops - Recommended. There are other hostels as well for your remote work needs.
Places to eat:
- Northern Cafe: Best pancakes and unmatchable view of the sunset. Wifi available
- June16: Blink and you see kind of a cozy cafe near the landing site. Pick any dessert and you will love it.
Rajgundha-Barot
A couple of hours from Bir, is the Barot valley and accompanying it Rajgundha.
The best part about Rajgundha is during the onset of winters in late-october as a thick layer of snow covers the entire region.
Do checkout the zostel out there. You are almost disconnected from civilisation, barring the few 10s of villagers around and you witness the brightest of stars at night.
Manali
I visited in December 2023, stayed at Zostel Vasisht with a view of Beas River, old Manali and magnificent snow top mountains in the background
Places to Visit:
- Hadimba Temple - Definitely pose and play with the cute rabbits and gentle Yaks
- Van Vihar - Get your snaps and DPs for the next few months
- Solang Valley - Trek to Mandir, Zipline and skiing depending on season
- Vasisht Temple - Take a dip in the holy geyser
- Wayland Trial - Starts just behind the lazy dog in Old Manali, a lesser known trek taking a little over 2 hours along the wildlife sanctuary. Listen to the birds hum, follow the route and enjoy the sceneries along the way and at the top
- Jogini Falls - An 30-minute hike from Vasisth Temple to find the Jogini falls. Want to challenge yourself further, climb up the falls for a better view of the falls and the mountains opposite to it.
Places to Eat:
- Johnson’s Cafe - Probably one of the best Lasagna I’ve had
- The Lazy Dog - Incredible location and food
- Chopsticks: Tibetan / Chinese / Japanese - Pick your cuisine and you will receive an overwhelming quantity of lip-smacking food