Himachal Pradesh · 5 Days
Himachal — Dharamshala & Dalhousie
The quiet north-west — three nights in Dharamshala for the Tibetan town and the Triund trek, then Dalhousie for Khajjiar and Chamba.
Day by Day
5 Days, In Full
Himachal's north-western corner, less travelled than the Shimla–Manali line. Three nights in McLeodganj: the Dalai Lama's temple and the Namgyal monastery, the Tibetan market and the Norbulingka institute, the Bhagsu falls, and the Triund trek up under the Dhauladhar wall. The forest drive over the ridges to Dalhousie for two nights: the colonial town and its churches, a day at the Khajjiar meadow through the Kalatop forest, and the old temple town of Chamba in the valley. Out via Pathankot, or on to Amritsar for the Golden Temple.
Dharamshala
Dharamshala — the Dalai Lama's Temple and Little Lhasa
A day in the Tibetan town. The Tsuglagkhang complex first, the main temple across from the Dalai Lama's residence, with the Namgyal Monastery and the Tibet Museum, and the kora path around the hill hung with prayer flags. Then McLeodganj itself: the market, the cafes, and the Norbulingka Institute down the hill, where Tibetan thangka painting and metalwork are taught. The Bhagsu waterfall, a short walk from the village, is an easy afternoon. It is a day about a culture rebuilt in exile.
Dharamshala
Dharamshala — the Triund Trek
The classic day walk of the Kangra hills. From the Galu Devi trailhead above McLeodganj, the path climbs about a thousand metres over nine kilometres, through oak and rhododendron forest, to the open grassy ridge of Triund at two thousand eight hundred metres. The Dhauladhar range stands straight above it, a wall of rock and snow, and the Kangra valley falls away behind. Four to five hours up, three down, with a guide and a packed lunch. It needs fitness but no skill, and it is the highlight of the region for walkers.
Dharamshala → Dalhousie
Dharamshala to Dalhousie
A drive of about six hours, north-west out of the Kangra valley over forested ridges into the Chamba district. The road climbs and drops through pine and deodar, with the Pir Panjal snows coming into view. There is a stop at the Kangra Fort, one of the oldest and largest in India, on a spur above the Banganga river. You reach Dalhousie, spread over its five hills, by mid-afternoon, with time for one of the walking circuits before dark.
Dalhousie
Dalhousie — Khajjiar and the Chamba Valley
A day out from the town. Khajjiar first, half an hour through the Kalatop forest: a round green meadow with a lake in the middle and a golden-domed temple at the edge, ringed by deodar cedars, long sold as a little Switzerland. Go early, before the horse rides and the crowds. The road can carry on to Chamba town, an old capital in the valley, with a cluster of stone temples from the tenth century and a small palace museum. The deodar forest itself is the real reason to make the drive.
Dalhousie
Dalhousie Down to Pathankot
The road down from Dalhousie to Pathankot takes about three hours, losing height steadily out of the pines and into the heat of the Punjab plains. Pathankot has the nearest large railway station and airport, and Amritsar is a further three hours west for anyone adding the Golden Temple. The drive is timed to the train or the flight, and there is a last view back at the snows from the higher bends.
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