Explore Dharamshala

Dharamshala is the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile and the residence of the 14th Dalai Lama-which makes McLeod Ganj, the upper township 10 kilometres from lower Dharamshala, the most politically significant hill station in India and one of the most culturally distinct. The Tibetan presence, which began after the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959 and the Dalai Lama's flight across the Himalayas, has created a settlement that feels more Lhasa than Himachal Pradesh in certain neighbourhoods-Tibetan restaurants, thangka painting studios, mani wheel prayer walls, and the sound of Sanskrit and Tibetan chanting from the Tsuglagkhang temple complex. The Dhauladhar range rises almost vertically behind McLeod Ganj, with the ridge line at 4,700 metres. Triund, a meadow at 2,850 metres, is the most accessible point on this ridge-a 3-hour hike from McLeod Ganj through rhododendron forest and across boulder fields. The view from Triund takes in the full Dharamshala valley below and the Dhauladhar snowline directly above. Alike's complimentary Triund Trek is done at dawn-leaving McLeod Ganj at 5am to reach the ridge as the first light hits the snowfields. Bir Billing, 75 kilometres from Dharamshala, is the paragliding capital of India. The Billing launch site at 2,400 metres and the landing zone at Bir below are used for the Paragliding World Cup and national championships. Try paragliding here; 10-20 minutes in the air with a professional pilot, flying above pine forests and over the valley, is one of the most accessible adventure experiences in the Himalayas. Alike arranges Bir Billing as a full-day excursion from Dharamshala. The Namgyal Monastery (inside the Tsuglagkhang complex, McLeod Ganj) is the personal monastery of the Dalai Lama-the largest Tibetan monastery outside Tibet, with a library of over 100,000 texts and an active community of 200 monks. A curated cultural walk through the Tsuglagkhang complex, the Tibetan Museum, and the Rogpa social enterprise kitchen (run by Tibetan refugees) is the most substantive introduction to the settlement's history and contemporary situation. Palampur, 35 kilometres south of Dharamshala, is set in the largest contiguous tea garden in North India-the Kangra Valley tea estates, producing the pale, floral Kangra tea that tea specialists rank among India's most interesting single-origin teas. An estate walk in Palampur paired with a tasting session is a natural Dharamshala itinerary addition.