So after a long time, I am writing a post about my recent travel to India, where I planned a 3-day long trip to Dharamsala. This is a city in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. surrounded by cedar forests on the edge of the Himalayas, this hillside city is home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile. It is a well-known centre for studying Buddhism, its sutras, tantras, and significant texts related to this. You’ll find Dharamshala in the upper ranges of the Kangra Valley. The 14th Dalai Lama of the Tibetan Sector of Buddhism can be found here. Due to the presence of the Dalai Lama and the beautiful surroundings, Dharamshala became a popular tourist spot in Himachal Pradesh.

I was there for a couple of days and stayed on Airbnb named Cuckoo’s nest, the stay was absolutely memorable and fabulous with an amazing host couple Mr. and Mrs. Nambiyal. The premises is so peaceful and serene with a splendid view of Dharamshala town from above. The premises is full of flora and fauna with appetizing seasonal fruits in the estate garden.

I reached at around 3:00 pm IST from Delhi, it was a 1 1hr 15 min direct flight from New Delhi to Kangra airport. The weather was so good and a bit rainy when landed. Reached my accommodation in about 25 mins from the airport with not much baggage, but did pick a couple of warm clothes for the night as it’s usually cold at night. Usually, when travelling mountains I always try to travel light so that I can drag it quickly even in hilly areas or steep roads; as expected my stay was on top of the hill and took me a whole steep path to reach my room, but with only one cabin bag it was way easy for me to climb the destination. It was typically an ancestral mountain house with old-world charm decked with wooden doors and windows and carpeted floors to keep warm at night, there was a pedestal fan in the room for airflow with white linens on queen size wooden bed. It all felt like a breath of fresh air.

After a nice and peaceful sleep, I headed towards breakfast which was made by the host but the rest of the meals I always ordered. As in the mountains, it was generally so dark after sunset and due to safety concerns, I avoided going out and kept all my outings for the other day. The next day I decided to go out sightseeing despite a bit of hot weather and sun which is absolutely unexpected in the month of rains as per locals, as they said this year there is less rain due to deforestation. So I decided to go as per my driver/guide Jai, he asked me to go to the tea garden first and then we headed towards Kangra tea garden but didn’t stay much longer due to the humid climate. Here is a beautiful view of one of the Kangra Tea gardens.

My next spot was at Dharmshala cricket stadium. Not to mention, various matches are played by the Indian cricket team here. The stadium location was stunning but the pitch (ground) was under construction so I was unable to take the whole view of the location. Here I shared one such picture of the location with a patch of green grass left where there was no construction going on!

Then I left for my next spot, which is Naddi View point Mcleodganj, Naddi View point has a magnificent view of the majestic Dhauladhar mountain ranges. There was also a facility of a telescope at Rs 10 to see a few important spots in the ranges which are unable to see through the naked eye, such as Kali temple which is a small white temple in the middle of the two mountains, there are stairs all the way to reach there! An attractive waterfall flowing scenery was a bliss to the eye, was so far off that only able to see through a telescope from above also there was Triund trek mountain right in front which is so well-formed and a must-go, but you will need extra time for the trek. Other than that, Naddi View Point is famous for its pleasing sunsets and Chai(tea) with Noodles.

This location is full of unique local food stalls and cafes to try on; I couldn’t because it started raining then, so I headed back and called it a day!

The next morning, I decided to start my day a little late as it was a bit hot and humid; which I had already experienced a day before, so I left my site at around 3:00 PM then straight from there I headed towards Dalai Lama temple, it was pretty crowded than expected, I sat there for a while to experience the calmness in chaos, which is a must thing to do quite often, especially when life is so restless and you hardly find time for yourself. Straight from the temple, there is a straight road which goes down to the market of Mcleodganj which is full of artifacts from both Himachali and Tibetan cultures. Handicrafts include beautifully crafted dreamcatchers, stone jewellery, gun-metal earrings, ceramics including Tibetan teapots, various kinds of teas and woollens, also“Chamba Chukh”, a traditionally cooked chutney made with chillies from Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba valley, for which the state government sought a GI TAG in December 2020. It is usually made with local Chitrali Chillies. I must say it’s hard to eat that spicy though I am a lover of very spicy food.

The weather at Mcleodganj was cold enough that it was not at all dry and humid like Dharmshala so I really enjoyed my time shopping there. I spent around 3 hours in the market as it was really enjoyable to roam in a breath of Himachali and Tibetan culture.

Straight from the market, I went for dinner as it was getting pretty late, so I decided to eat Tibetan food and I found this amazing place named HOUSE OF TIBET right there in the centre of the main ridge in Mcleodganj. I ordered steamed Momos, one of the specialties of Tibetan food and Veg Thukpa, an authentic noodle dish from the northeast region. Both are supremely delicious but very much in quantity so it was hard to finish. I really enjoyed my Tibetan dinner which I never had before in an authentic Tibetan restaurant. I must say that was an amazing experience.

So I finished here my three-day-long trip to Dharamshala and enjoyed it to the full. Just one thing I want to mention here is that always choose the correct month to go to this place, as I found a few places hot and humid sometimes, do try to plan it between mid-June to mid-July. Definitely will recommend it as one of the must-go places in INDIA so do plan your trip as soon as you can and have the time of your life watching the Dhauladhar mountain ranges and binging on various delicious Momos.

Travel is a therapy in which people focus on experiencing a country, city or particular place by actively and meaningfully engaging with its history, people, culture, food and environment. It can often be transformative. So plan your next travel and live a little!

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