MANALI
NGT caps daily permits at 1,200 vehicles (800 petrol/400 diesel), released online in two slots (10 AM and 4 PM). Book at least 48 hrs ahead in peak season - touts near travel agencies in Manali claim they can get you a same-day permit 'through contacts' for a markup; there is no legitimate offline counter, and this is the single most common Manali scam. Bring a printed permit copy - a phone screenshot is not accepted at the checkpost.
At 3,978 meters, Rohtang Pass has for centuries been the principal gateway linking the Kullu valley with Lahaul-Spiti, and its name is popularly derived from Tibetan/local terms meaning 'pile of corpses,' a grim reference to travelers who died attempting the crossing in sudden blizzards. It sat on an ancient trade corridor used by traders and pilgrims moving between the Indian plains and Central Asia long before it carried a motorable road. The pass's heavy seasonal traffic and fragile alpine ecology led to Indian Supreme Court-mandated visitor permit limits in the 2010s, and its role as the only road link to Lahaul was finally reduced in 2020 by the construction of the Atal Tunnel beneath it.
