Atal Tunnel

The Atal Tunnel is named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and opened in 2020. It is 9.02 km long and runs through the Pir Panjal range on National Highway 3. It is the longest single-tube highway tunnel above 10,000 ft in the world. It bypasses the Rohtang Pass. The Manali to Keylong distance falls from about 116 km to about 71 km. The drive takes around two hours instead of five or six. The southern portal is near Dhundi, and the northern portal is at Teling near Sissu. The road to Lahaul now stays open much later in the year. But heavy snow on the Lahaul side can still close it. The onward roads to Spiti via Kunzum Pass and to Leh stay shut in winter. You cannot stop inside the tunnel, so photographers use the portals and the nearby Sissu waterfall. The tunnel is at about 3,100 m. If you go on to Lahaul or Spiti, acclimatise, as altitude sickness is possible above 3,000 m. Expect queues on summer weekends.