Rohtang Pass, 51 KM from Manali, is a high mountain pass that connects the Kullu Valley with the Lahul and Spiti valleys of Himachal Pradesh. India. It has become a summer tourist spot, all thanks to the rising popularity of Manali, and excellent roads maintained by Border Road Organization. Almost every visitor to Manali yearns to visit Rohtang Pass as one can walk over and touch snow even in the peak of summer on this pass.This point is one of the main attraction for tourists coming to Manali. The Rohtang pass is 51 KM north of Manali and it is located on Manali Keylong Highway at an altitude of 4111 meters ( 13,400 ft ). This pass opens for tourist from April end to October end of the year. The permission to travel on this highway is given by Indian army after they clear the snow and inspect the road for it's fitness and safety for movement of person and the vehicles.Manali is the gateway to Rohtang pass beyond which lie the twin valley of Lahaul and Spiti. In winter the mountain slopes are snow clad and they turn into perfect skiing slopes. This point is one of the main attraction for tourists coming to Manali.
The road through the Kullu Valley, past Manali (nearest town, 51km) and over the Rohtang Pass to Keylong, and Lahul and on to Ladakh, has become very busy during the summer months as an alternate a military route following Kargil Conflict and, because of the troubles in Kashmir . Traffic jams are common occurrences caused by the inability of military vehicles, trucks, and goods carriers to navigate the tight roads and rough terrain, compounded by, snow/ice at certain points and the large number of tourists vehicles. There are a lot of 'dhabas' or indian style food shacks and eateries along the way.The pass is open from May to November, has a nasty reputation for being very dangerous because of unpredictable snowstorms and blizzards. Some linguists say that the name rohtang is a Persian word meaning pile of dead bodies.This pass was ancient trade route between the people on either side of Pir Panjal and accidents must have been very common as inferred from the folk lores. The local name for this pass is a generic name of pass. And there are many other passes in Lahoul and Spitti which have specific names (Kunzom La, Bara Lachala, etc.). This is suggestive of the fact that this must have been the oldest and most frequented pass in the region.
The main attraction for tourist at Rohtang pass is snow and the scenic beauty of the area.
The road is very narrow near the Rohtang pass and the parking of vehicles is very difficult and one has to be very alert while parking the vehicles because slight distraction may be hazardous.The Rohalla falls are on the way to Rohtang pass from Manali and are worth visiting. On the way to Rohtang at Beas Nallah one has to cross the river Beas. This river starts from here ( Beas Kund ) . There are daily bus tours to Rohtang pass. On the way to Rohtang pass one can find many food stalls serving variety of foods.Tourists plan their trip in early hours to reach Rohtang very early to avoid traffic and reach at the snow point, at the same time it is equally difficult to return as all vehicles way down as to be clear the road. You can get a cold drink as shopkeepers keep then in running water to maintain the temperature as there is no need of a refrigerator here. One can relish the food by sitting inside the low running water of the river Beas.The weather here is highly unpredictable and it does not take much time for the bright sun shine to change over to moderate to heavy snow fall. The shop owners have provided some temporary sheds for the benefit of tourists/visitors to take shelter in case of sudden change of weather.