- Deodars at Nature Park, Manali
- Bright morning at Nature Park, Manali
- Nature Park across Manalsu River, Manali
- School boys walking through giant deodars at Nature Park, Manali
- The moss covered stones and deodars at Nature Park, Manali
- A Lizard basking in the early morning light at Nature Park, Manali
- A common hoopoe at Nature Park, Manali
- Tall deodars reaching for the sky at Nature Park, Manali
- Pyramid shaped deodars canopy at Nature Park, Manali
Nature Park begins at the fringe of Mall Road Auto junction and runs till Old Manali Bridge for around 3km, between the Beas River and the Old Manali road. Unlike many misconceptions there are no big animals at this park except for birds and small animals. The Park is hemmed by Manalsu River on the North.
The park is distinguished by straight, tall deodars reaching for the sky. It is a grand exhibition of unspoiled Himalayan deodar forest planted right inside the town. This is definitely the best deodar forest I have seen. Deodars are everywhere in Manali even on the upper mountain range but the density dropped as you go higher. On the mountains, trees grow sparsely and their growths are stunted. Here, the park is well fed by the two rivers.
The locals seemed to be oblivious of this beauty. They can watch the snow-capped mountains right from their backyard. So understandably this is not one of the things they craved about. During my two walks I saw only few people at the Park. The Park has been left undisturbed for quite a long time now. The stones and trees have begun to gather moss and towards late evening the forest looked haunting. Cluster of deodars reaches for sky and from a distance it formed a dark canopy like silhouettes of mountains from afar. In the morning the Park looked completely differently. Sun rays find their way into the floor of the forest and the green moss lit up instantly. It looked like a scene straight from ‘Lord of the Rings.’
The fringes of the Park facing the river are most picturesque. These are ideal spots for picnics. From there you can watch the river, Vashisht Village, the road leading to Rohtang Pass and the surrounding mountains.
