Atal Tunnel

The Atal Tunnel is a 9.02 km highway tunnel on National Highway 3 that cuts under the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas. It has a south portal near Dhundi on the Kullu side, about 25 km from Manali, and a north portal near Teling on the Lahaul side, about 5 km short of Sissu village. It is a single tube, two lane, horseshoe shaped tunnel with a road width of 8 metres and an overhead clearance of about 5.5 metres. A 3.6 by 2.25 metre emergency escape tunnel runs within the main tunnel itself.

Inaugurated on 3 October 2020 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who first announced the project in June 2000. The Border Roads Organisation built it over roughly a decade, beginning excavation at the south portal on 28 June 2010. The World Book of Records certified it as the longest highway single tube tunnel above 10,000 feet in the world in February 2022.

The reason it matters is simple. Before the tunnel, the only road link from Manali to Lahaul was across the Rohtang Pass, which shut under snow for roughly six months a year. Now the drive is year round, about 71 km from Manali to Keylong in around two hours versus 116 km and five to six hours the old way.

These are not suggestions. They are enforced rules, with CCTV and fines under the Motor Vehicles Act.

No stopping inside. Do not stop your vehicle inside the tunnel for any reason except a genuine emergency. Several accidents in the first week after the 2020 inauguration came from tourists stopping for selfies, which is why the rules are so strict.

No photography or videography inside. The ban runs from 200 metres before the south portal all the way through to the end of the tunnel. Helmet cameras and GoPros count. Photography at the approach roads outside that zone is fine.

Speed limits enforced by automatic radar. The limit is 60 km/h for cars and light vehicles, and 40 km/h for heavy vehicles. Automatic radar and CCTV speed traps monitor your speed throughout the tunnel. Exceeding 60 km/h triggers automated fines under the Motor Vehicles Act. Most drivers sit comfortably at 40 to 55 km/h. Overtaking inside is discouraged.

Headlights on. Always, from the moment you enter.

No wandering in the emergency exits. The escape tunnel is not a shortcut. Anyone found inside it without an emergency faces prosecution.

No walking, no cycling for casual use. It is a vehicular highway.

Restricted zone around both portals. As of early 2026, the Lahaul and Spiti administration has designated restricted zones around both portals where entry of tourists on foot, commercial activity, vehicle stopping, and parking are strictly prohibited. This was tightened after a surge in tourist footfall and unauthorised stalls created avalanche evacuation risks. Traffic movement near the portals is now regulated by police and BRO personnel. Pull over only in designated safe spots well outside these zones.

The tunnel itself is a 15 to 20 minute transit, not a destination. Plan your visit around what lies on the Lahaul side.

Half day from Manali: drive through the tunnel, pull over near the north portal for a few photographs, continue 5 km to Sissu for a chai and a waterfall viewpoint, turn back. Possible but thin. Most travellers who do only this end up wishing they had stayed longer.

Full day from Manali: add Sissu Lake, the helipad sunset, and lunch at a village dhaba. A comfortable 7 AM start gets you back to Manali by dinner. This is the right shape for most Manali holidays that want a Lahaul taste.

One to two nights: stay in Sissu or push further to Keylong or Jispa. Use the tunnel twice, once in and once back. Best version of a first Lahaul trip.

Full Spiti circuit: the tunnel is the first leg of the Manali to Kaza via Gramphu route, roughly a 6 to 8 day trip. Summer and early autumn only, the Gramphu to Batal stretch stays closed under snow most of the year.

BRO guided tour: if you are genuinely interested in the engineering, book a guided tour on marvels.bro.gov.in (roughly Rs 100 per person). You get to walk inside sections of the tunnel with a guide explaining the ventilation, safety systems, and construction. This is the only legal way to stop inside.

Queue management at the south portal is the single thing that determines whether your Atal Tunnel day is smooth or frustrating.

Best window: leave Manali by 7 AM, reach the south portal by 7:45, cross before 8:15, and you will have mostly empty road on both sides. This is also the cleanest light for photographs at the portals.

Queue window: roughly 9 AM to 1 PM on weekends from May to September, peak summer season, 30 to 60 minute waits are common. Some weekends it gets worse. Avoid this window if you can.

Return leg: queues on the north portal side build in late afternoon as day trippers head back to Manali. Leave Sissu or Lahaul by 3 PM if you want to avoid them.

Winter: queues mostly disappear from late November to March. Traffic is thin, the road past the tunnel on either side can be icy, carry chains if self driving.

A gentle recheck reminder. Traffic patterns, occasional maintenance closures, and weather related shutdowns change the picture. Check the BRO or HPTDC social pages on the morning of your drive in peak season.

The Atal Tunnel stays open year round, which is the headline of this section. Lahaul is now a winter destination from Manali, something that was not possible before 2020. The caveats are on the approach roads, not the tunnel itself.

South portal side (Kullu): the 25 km road from Manali to Dhundi climbs steadily and can get icy in deep winter, especially the stretch above Solang. Fresh snow occasionally blocks the road for a few hours, sometimes a few days, while the BRO clears it. In January and February 2026, the road was blocked for several days during heavy snowfall spells.

North portal side (Lahaul): the 5 km from Teling to Sissu is usually open but can be snow covered from December to February. The longer drive to Koksar, Keylong, or further in winter has its own risks, including avalanche prone stretches.

Inside the tunnel: temperature is managed by the ventilation system and is generally 10 to 15 degrees year round. No ice inside, no snow, no visibility issues beyond occasional fog at the portals in extreme weather.

Practical winter advice: the administration sometimes restricts winter access to 4x4 vehicles with snow chains only. Travel is advised only during daytime, roughly 10 AM to 5 PM. Hire a local taxi rather than driving yourself if you are unfamiliar with mountain winter driving. Fill fuel in Manali because there is nothing till Tandi, and leave early so you are back on the Manali side before sunset. Confirm the road status on the day of your drive, road conditions change fast after snowfall.

The tunnel is a sealed underground passage and is not directly affected by rain. But the approach roads on both sides are mountain roads, and monsoon brings real risk.

Kullu side: the stretch from Manali to the south portal can see landslides, debris flows, and road blockages during heavy rain in July and August. Pagal Nala near Sissu on the Lahaul side has been a recurring trouble spot, causing multi day blockages in some years.

What this means for planning: if you are crossing in monsoon, keep a buffer day in your plan. Check road status before you leave Manali. Drive in the morning, not after heavy afternoon rain. Keep enough supplies in the car for a possible overnight wait if the road gets blocked while you are on the Lahaul side.

The good version of monsoon: Lahaul sits in a partial rain shadow, so the valley itself sees less rain than Manali. If the road is clear, the green landscape on the Kullu side and the rock faces of Lahaul are at their most dramatic in July and August.

A few things the Atal Tunnel is not, despite how it gets described on tourism pages.

Not the world's longest highway tunnel. It is the longest highway single tube tunnel above 10,000 feet in the world per the World Book of Records, which is a more specific claim. Several highway tunnels elsewhere are longer in absolute length.

Not a tourist attraction in the usual sense. No ticket counter for regular driving, no walking tour (though BRO runs guided tours by prior booking), no designated tourist parking inside. It is a working public highway on NH 3.

Not a replacement for a Rohtang Pass visit. Some travellers confuse the two. If you want to stand on Rohtang Pass in summer, you still drive up the old road from Manali with a Rohtang permit, then down the other side to Koksar. The tunnel bypasses all of that.

Not a destination in your itinerary. It is a route. Plan the day around Sissu, Keylong, or Spiti, and the tunnel will take care of itself.

Not a good place to overnight near. There is no village at either portal itself. Sissu on the Lahaul side and Manali on the Kullu side are the natural bases.