Vashisht Hot Springs

Cross the Beas River from Manali and climb about 3 km to Vashisht, a village of carved wooden houses where hot sulfur water rises under the old temple. The stone tanks beside the shrine are fed directly by the spring, and there are separate baths for men and women. Entry to the temple baths is free; around the village, small bathhouses pipe the same water into showers and private tubs for a fee.

Expect water hot enough that most people ease in slowly, and a faint egg smell from the sulfur. Remove your shoes before the temple area and bathe in shorts if you are a man; women generally bathe clothed. Mornings bring locals doing their daily dip, while afternoons fill with tourists.

Pickpocketing at the baths is a known problem, so leave your wallet with a friend or at your guesthouse rather than on the hooks. The honest downside: the tanks are busy, the water is shared by many bathers a day, and cleanliness can vary, so look before you lower yourself in.