Igloo tourism gains momentum in Lahaul

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, December 24

Igloo tourism is gaining momentum in the Lahaul valley these days with two youths having developed an igloo for commercial use at Teling village.

Tourists are thronging the Lahaul valley beyond Sissu after the district administration on Wednesday lifted the restrictions imposed on the movement of tourists in the region.

Deputy Commissioner, Lahaul and Spiti, Neeraj Kumar clarified that there would be no restrictions on tourists entering the Lahaul valley who have bookings at local hotels and homestays. All types of tourist vehicles, except two wheelers, are allowed to enter Lahaul valley between 10 am to 3 pm.

Virender Bodh, the owner of Igloo, told The Tribune, “We set up the igloo at Teling village just three days ago for commercial use this year. Tourists want to have the experience of staying in an igloo. It is the first igloo in Lahaul valley which has been set up for commercial use.”

“Due to the lack of snow, we could not develop more igloos for the stay of tourists at Teling, which we are promoting as an ”igloo village”. As soon as there is fresh snowfall in this region, we will develop more igloos,” he said.

“The package of stay for two persons in this igloo is Rs 9,000. For a single person, it is Rs 4,500 for a night stay. In this package, we are providing breakfast, dinner, tea, coffee, Maggi along with bonfire,” said Virender.

Inspired by the concept of staying in snow houses in foreign countries, eight youths of the district had first built an igloo at Shashin village under Sissu panchayat in 2017.

“Now, after the opening of the Atal Tunnel on the Manali-Leh highway, there is a vast potential of igloo tourism during winter in the Lahaul valley. Before the opening of the tunnel, there was no opportunity for tourists to access Lahaul because of the closure of 13,058-feet-high Rohtang pass on the Manali-Leh highway,” he said.