Kaza-Manali, Himachal Pradesh:
Mani stones at the Kunzum Pass (~4590 m)
Once our work in the magnificent Spiti Valley was done, we left Kaza and began our long return journey via Manali.
The ca. 200 km long drive took us through a massive mountain landscape up to the highest point of our trip, the Kunzum Pass, at an altitude of ca. 4590 m. The views towards the mountains and their glaciers were really impressive. The scenery beyond the pass was still rugged, but slowly more and more green grass appeared on the valley floor. Eventually we reached the Rohtang Pass (3978 m), a popular destination for tourists residing in nearby Manali to see the snow-clad mountains. The road conditions improved considerably and we could have arrived in Manali in the late afternoon, but the heavy traffic slowed us down.
While we enjoyed warm weather throughout our journey, the strong wind at the Kunzum Pass was really chilly. If you want to get an idea of just how stormy it was, you can check out the following short clip of prayer flags fluttering in the wind:
After the long journey, we had a day to explore Manali before continuing our journey to the plains of northern India – but you will have to wait for the next post to read about this final stretch of our road trip through Himachal Pradesh.
Matt Travels 
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