Marhi can be the first halt on the Manali Leh Highway, depending on when you start. Usually, no one halts here; just a small break that's all. But there's a lot of beauty around the place and worth staying if you have started in the evening. We started from Manali at 4 p.m. and stayed overnight at Marhi, and then proceeded to Spiti. Then came back for the Manali Leh Highway.

There are enough camping sites in Marhi. Readymade beds in the self styled dhabas are also available. But having your own tents is a much exciting experience. In the evening, after the sun sets, the place is almost invariably blanketed by thick moisture laden clouds, and the surrounding green pastures have a lot of horses grazing as also cattle and buffaloes. In the extremely eerie and foggy atmosphere, the sound of swiftly flowing Beas in the background is a treat. As you erect your tents and sit outside for some time, the noises of horses grazing as well as chasing each other if fun. Buffalo fight is also a common feature here.

There are a few dhabas here, but I would personally recommend the Mansrover Dhaba (it is wrongly spelled on the board). The food is great and in a chilly atmosphere, can be quite exciting. One can come back and on request earlier, the person at the dhaba may collect some wood for you for setting up a campfire.

In the morning, you can get up by 5 o'clock, and have refreshments at the dhaba and move on.