how to reach · from manali
manali to jibhi
jibhi is the easiest offbeat add-on to a manali trip. it's about 100 km south, roughly 3 to 4 hours by road, back down the valley toward kullu and then off the highway into the quiet banjar valley. a lot of people do manali, then come here to slow down before heading home.
- distance
- ~100 km
- time
- 3 to 4 hours by road
- the route
- manali → kullu → bhuntar → aut → banjar → jibhi
- nearest airport
- bhuntar (kullu), on the way, ~2.5 hours from jibhi
by taxi or self-drive
the simplest way. follow the highway south from manali through kullu and bhuntar to aut, then take the turn into the banjar valley just before the aut tunnel. from there it's about 33 km of slower, prettier road through banjar to jibhi. the last stretch is single-lane and winding, so leave a little buffer and try to do it in daylight.
by bus
take any manali-to-delhi or manali-to-aut bus and get off at aut, the tunnel town. from aut, local buses and shared taxis run into the banjar valley toward jibhi. it's a change of vehicle but an easy one, and aut to jibhi is only around an hour.
a good way to combine them
manali first for the big sights, then jibhi to wind down, is the natural order. you can also string in kasol on the way, since the parvati valley turn-off is close to bhuntar.
one tip
if you're driving down in the afternoon, fuel up at bhuntar. there's little reliable petrol once you turn into the banjar valley.