Rohtang pass

Measuring 9.02 km long, the “world’s longest highway tunnel” connects Manali to the Lahaul-Spiti Valley throughout the year. The Valley was earlier cut off for six months each year because of heavy snowfall.

Nearly 50 years ago, IAF aircraft AN-12 flying from Chandigarh to Leh with 102 defence personnel mysteriously vanished in 1968.

Proposed in 1983 and launched in 2010, this 8.8 km tunnel is deemed the country’s longest. With only four metres left to be excavated in the middle of the tunnel, starting from Dhundi in Kullu district and ending at Gufa Hotel, near Sissu, in Lahaul-Spiti district, the tunnel is ‘almost on the brink of completion’ after a delay of over three years.

Soaring temperatures call for a quick trip to cooler retreats. Here’s a list of 10 places you should consider adding to your itinerary this year.

Check out the pictures of this tunnel being built here!

Rohtang Pass, which is famous for its extreme climatic conditions, will now flaunt CNG buses at 13,050 feet, and may become the world's highest mountain destination to do so.