Dharamshala & McLeod Ganj travel guide

Home of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan culture and the Triund trek. Most people stay 2–4 nights. Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov.

Highlights

Tsuglagkhang complex and Tibet Museum · 2 h · free. The Dalai Lama's temple and residence complex; walk the kora path around it clockwise. Bags are checked at the gate, and phones may be restricted during teachings.
Bhagsunag temple and waterfall · 2 h · free
Triund trek · 7 h · about ₹500 per person. About 9 km each way from McLeod Ganj via Galu Devi temple, climbing to 2,850 m for views of the Dhauladhar range. Overnight camping needs a forest permit and the rules change, so check before you go.
Norbulingka Institute · 2 h · about ₹100 per person. Tibetan thangka painters, woodcarvers and tailors at work in Japanese-style gardens; closed on Sundays.
HPCA cricket stadium and the war memorial · 1.5 h · about ₹50 per person
Naddi sunset and Dal Lake walk · 2 h · free
Kangra Fort and Masroor rock-cut temples · 5 h · about ₹300 per person. Kangra Fort is about 45 min away; the 8th-century Masroor monolithic temples are another hour beyond.
Tibetan cooking class (momos and thukpa) · 2 h · about ₹600 per person

McLeod Ganj, Bhagsu and Dharamkot guesthouses (budget, ₹1,000–₹3,000 a night): Walk to the temple, cafés and the Triund trailhead.
Hotels on the Temple Road and Naddi (mid, ₹3,500–₹8,000 a night): Dhauladhar views with car access, 5–10 min from McLeod Ganj.
Tea-garden and forest resorts below Dharamshala (premium, ₹10,000–₹30,000 a night): Spa resorts among Kangra tea gardens or pine forest.

Momos, thukpa and thenthuk: Tibetan restaurants around McLeod Ganj's main square
Kangra dham and Kangra tea: Dharamshala town restaurants and tea estates

Dharamshala is one of India's wettest towns in Jul–Aug; Triund trails get slippery.

McLeod Ganj and Bir: Tibetan culture and paragliding · 6 days, Dharamshala & McLeod Ganj → Bir Billing · from ₹23,475 per person, base estimate before flights. The Dalai Lama's hill town, a Triund trek with Dhauladhar views, then Bir's monasteries and a tandem flight off Billing ridge.
Family trip to McLeod Ganj and Dalhousie · 7 days, Dharamshala & McLeod Ganj → Dalhousie & Khajjiar · from ₹23,550 per person, base estimate before flights. Gentle hill towns with short drives: Tibetan culture, waterfalls and a cricket stadium in Dharamshala, then Dalhousie's forests and the Khajjiar meadow.
Grand Himachal: Shimla to Dalhousie · 13 days, Shimla → Manali → Bir Billing → Dharamshala & McLeod Ganj → Dalhousie & Khajjiar · from ₹61,525 per person, base estimate before flights. A long loop through the best-known hill towns: Shimla, Manali and the Atal Tunnel, paragliding at Bir, Tibetan McLeod Ganj and Dalhousie's forests and meadows.