MANALI
13 km from Manali; the valley itself is a grazing meadow that's mobbed with day-tour buses May-June and Oct. Skip it if you just want photos - go for the activities (paragliding, zorbing, ropeway) or not at all. Ropeway/cable car fee reported inconsistently across sources (verify same-day).
The valley's name blends 'Solang,' the small village at its mouth, with 'Nallah,' the local word for stream, reflecting its origin as pastureland where shepherds from the Kullu valley grazed livestock through the 20th century. It sits about 14 km northwest of Manali on the road toward Rohtang Pass at roughly 2,560 meters elevation. Solang only rose to prominence as a destination in the late 20th century, when Bollywood productions began filming amid its slopes and glacier views, which in turn drew the ski schools and adventure-sports operators that transformed it into Manali's principal winter-sports hub.
