Kullu & Mandi · Western Himalaya & Trans-Himalaya
Terrain and eco-zones
Temperate monsoonal on the valley floor, cold temperate to alpine above. Kullu takes roughly 1,000–1,200 mm a year, markedly less than Kangra because the Dhauladhar has already taken the first cut out of the monsoon, and the drier air is precisely what apples need. Winters bring snow above about 1,800 m and close the high passes from November to May.
Landforms
The Beas trench — a straight, deep, north-south valley walled by the Pir Panjal and the Great Himalayan rangeSide nalas at right angles to it — Parvati, Malana, Sainj, Tirthan, Jiwa Nal — each a self-contained catchmentThe Rohtang saddle at about 3,980 m, the climatic and cultural boundary at the valley headSeraj ridge country, crossed by the Jalori pass at about 3,120 mThe Mandi basin, where the Beas takes the Suketi and widensDeep gorges at Larji and Pandoh where the river cuts through resistant rock
Rivers and waters
Beas — rising at Beas Kund below Rohtang and running the length of the regionParvati — the hot-spring valley, joining the Beas at BhuntarTirthan and Sainj — the Great Himalayan National Park rivers, still largely undammed at their headsUhl — coming down from Chota Bhangal to meet the Beas near MandiSuketi — the Sunder Nagar river, joining the Beas at Mandi below the Panchvaktra temple
Through the year
| Season | Months | Typical | What it is like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | December–February | -2–15 °C | Snow on the upper valley, passes shut, and the devtas largely at rest. Manali fills with visitors who have come specifically to see snow. |
| Spring | March–April | 5–22 °C | Apple blossom through April, and the fair season opening. Mandi Shivratri falls at the front edge of this window and is the year's first mass gathering. |
| Summer | May–June | 12–30 °C | The busiest weeks of the year on the valley floor. Rohtang and the Atal Tunnel carry heavy traffic to Lahaul, and the high pastures fill with flocks. |
| Monsoon | July–mid September | 15–27 °C | Less rain than Kangra but on steeper, more fractured ground. The Beas rises hard, road cuttings fail, and the valley has repeatedly lost bridges, riverbank buildings and stretches of highway in single events. |
| Post-monsoon | Late September–November | 5–24 °C | The apple harvest and its transport rush, then Kullu Dussehra in October. Clear air, and the best walking in the Tirthan and Sainj catchments before the snow. |
Best time to visitLate September to early November for the harvest, the clear weather and Dussehra; April to June for blossom and the high valleys. Avoid the July–August peak of the monsoon on these roads.
The climate, landforms, rivers and seasons of Kullu & Mandi, and the best time of year to visit. (5)