Travel to Dharamsala
From the beginning of April, perpetual wanderers start leaving Indian beaches and head for retreat to the North, closer to the cooling shade of the Himalayas. Usually they start their traveling through Rishikesh, the World Capital of Yoga, where they can enjoy white sandy beaches along the clean waters of Ganga and emerge themselves in traditional yoga practice.
In the middle of May the temperature in Rishikesh rises. At this time, all vagabonds start slowly moving more up to the North, to hide themselves in the forest enclaves like Dharamsala, Shimla or Manali, which are of extreme popularity among western travellers, hosting cheap accommodation, beautiful mountain views and a cool climate.
We also planned to join that mass exodus, but we were a bit confused on where to travel next. We were told that at this time Shimla becomes overcrowded, locals arrive there “en masse” to enjoy the “reprieve” from busy Indian urban life. And since Manali has a fame to be a bit more rastafari (than our young soles strive for), we took the way to chilly Dharamsala, which is famously known as the residence of the Tibetan government in exile and of thousands of Tibetan monks.
View Dharamsala’s Photogallery
If you are interested in Buddhism, Dharamsala will become “your” place of attraction, no doubts. There you will find a few beautiful monasteries and temples, where you can easily join the service with Buddhist monks and have a chance to attend public speeches of the Dalai Lama.
But what will take your breath away are the tremendous views of the snow capped Himalayas as Dharamsala lies right in the middle of Kangra valley. This is an area surrounded by lush forest, comprised of ancient deodars, pines and oaks, where numerous small villages, hill stations, hotels and lakes sprout. Believe us, if you are lucky to get to Dharamsala, you will stay there much longer than you’ve expected. We spent there almost three weeks instead of one, and we left the place solely due to visa limitations. We are already looking forward to our next travel to the North of India, to cover Ladakh and Kashmir to add a bit more of adventure and unique natural settings (for instance, seeing all at once desert, river and snow).
The best time to visit: May-June, September-October
Climate: humid subtropical climate
Accommodation: $6-$50
Continental breakfast: $2,5
Fresh juice: $1,5-$2,5
Coffee: $0,5 – $2
Typical Indian dish: 2$ – 3$
Street food: 1$
This is an area surrounded by lush forest, comprised of ancient deodars, pines and oaks, where numerous small villages, hill stations, hotels and lakes sprout.
Where to stay in Dharamsala
To make it clear for you, Dharamsala refers to the whole urban and rustic area covering the Kangra valley. The Tibetan government resides in Mcleod Ganj, so-called “Upper-Dharamsala”, which is a small suburb up in the mountains. Dharamsala and Mcleod Ganj offer numerous options to stay, fitting basically in any traveler’s budget, from cheap Guest Houses to more upscale cottages with swimming pools. North of India is one of the best options you can find, if you are traveling on budget.
Since Dharamsala and McLeod Ganj are a bit chaotic and overcrowded with numerous locals and tourists, arriving in masses to visit lectures of the Dalai Lama, western travelers prefer to stay in two small neighboring villages – Dharamkot and Bhagsu – set amidst tall pines and rodendrones. They lay further up the forested hills from McLeod Gunj, but are easily accessible: you can either reach both villages by 20-min walk through picturesque well-maintained forest path or take $1 rickshaw. In the villages itself, there is no traffic and everything is connected by forest trails. It is the perfect way to enjoy the lush scenery by walking through myriads of stone pathways leading up, down and around the hillside.
Personally, we found Dharamkot more cozy and serene. Bhagsu is known as the “techno hippy mecca”, where the young Israeli arrive to enjoy the life after long term army service, to try a first taste of freedom. But at the same time, in Bhagsu, you will find more proper shops and much wider variety of cafes for a hang out. By what we have experienced, we can definitely say that there is no need to decide where to stay beforehand: you can always choose the proper place on your arrival.
Accommodation is everywhere in that region more or less the same and the quality/price range doesn’t vary that much. We found it quite easy to get cheap and comfortable accommodation there – Guest Houses around are very neat and usually made with a personal touch. If you would like to stay in a real hotel, there are a few upscale cottages and hotels around Dharamsala and McLeod Ganj, equipped with swimming pools and big terraces.
We’ve not booked anything in advance as most places are not listed on popular booking websites. Honestly saying, it took us a bit of time to find a roof for a night. We arrived with a morning bus and had to wait till 11 am – many owners will only know if their guests are leaving just before the show up with their bags. It is very common for people to stay here more than they have planned plus the atmosphere is too relaxed for any fixed agreements.
While we were walking around, we stumbled upon the very nice Raj Residence guest house, which is a located up the hill from the main street of Dharamsala, just behind a pink shrine. It is a brand new cottage, equipped with a big terrace, offering a panoramic view over the Dharamkot and surrounding mountains, neat spare rooms and good WIFI connection inside. We payed around $10 without any extra negotiations and tiring-bargaining. There are many different options around, you need to walk and check for yourself. The average price ranges between $8 to $ 20 a night. We found that the Dharamsala area offering a much higher value in terms of price and money, than guest houses located in big cities of the Central part of India.
Where to eat
Compared to other popular Indian cities, the choice of eateries is not as broad. We found Dharamkot the least developed in terms of cafes. There are a bit more places in Bagsu village, just a 10 min walk away. We tried a few cafes there and all they were pretty the same in ambience, quality and prices. We can recommend Munchis’s cafe for its variety of dishes with avocado and good pasta with spinach and cheese.
You can also take a rickshaw or make a pleasant walk down the forested hill to McLeod Ganj. There are a few places that offer you a good value for your money. We enjoyed our lunch in Lung Ta, family run Japanese vegetarian restaurant, located on Jogibara road. Their menu consists of well cooked and light Japanese food for very reasonable prices: relatively big set menu was priced at $3,5 and a typical Japanese dish was for $2. The place itself is warm and cozy, accompanied with an outside terrace offering a scenic view across the valley. It is usually very packed with travelers, but they manage to serve you very fast.
If you are missing Continental food served in a calming western environment with good WIFI, then head to Illiterati cafe, run by a Belgian couple. It’s located on the way down the Jogiwara road after the point where it meets with the Temple. It is the perfect place to eat, relax or spend your whole day, but a quite expensive for local standards. The incredible view over the Dhauladhars mountain is definitely the highlight of the place. They have a great collection of rare books and you can spend days going through them while admiring the Himalayas.
But there is one thing you should not miss in McLeod Ganj if you are a sweets lover, the Tibet Quality Bakery, offering passing by locals and travelers a big variety of cakes, brownies and muffins. Everything is very fresh and yummy there. It is not fancy, but very delicious!
The last words will go to our favourite place – that we are missing already – Trek and Dine cafe in Dharamkot. We ate there every single day, visiting either for breakfast or for other meals and we were never disappointed, not even once. Their food is exceptionally good – be it breakfasts, pizzas, lasagnas, bruschettas, hummus, desserts or kebabs. In the menu the cost is a bit higher than in other cafes around this area, but we always felt it was worth that money. Many travelers, staying in Dharamkot, said they never ate in any other places. Its Israeli, Continental or Spanish breakfast is an unbeatable option for starting your morning the right way and their Chicken Tandoori (full portion) makes the perfect dinner for two at only 400 INR.
Weather in Dharamsala
Since Dharamsala is located in the Himalayas, the weather there is quite tricky and can be often unpredictable. Even during high season (from April to June) it can vary drastically, ranging from hot sunny days to chilly ones. If you stay in Dharamkot or Bhagsu, which lay further up on the mountain, bear in mind that the temperature is a bit cooler there. It is better to be prepared for any conditions, pack both light summer garments and something warm enough: light jacket, thick socks and a sweater are must have items in your traveling wardrobe. In the middle of June till the middle of September, rainy weather takes over Kangra valley – don’t forget your umbrella! Winter comes to that region in December and stays there up till March, bringing cold and snowfalls to the upper part of the mountain.
Dharamsala to Delhi
There are basically two options to get to Delhi from Dharamsala: either by taking a one hour and half flight or by overnight bus. There are about two flights a day from Gaggal airport, located 15 km to the town’s south. Since we were on the backpacking traveling budget, we both decided for a night bus and in the end were very happy with our choice. We’ve heard that more or less all buses commuting between Dharamsala and Dheli are pretty good for Asian standards, but still it exceeded our expectations. Also, in Dharamsala, they don’t try to cheat you and sell you tickets for the local bus priced at the touristic level. We recommend you to take the bus run by Indo-Canadian company. The tickets are priced at 900-1100 INR and get you seated in relatively new and fully AC Mercedes buses with reclinable seats, complemented with warm cover and a bottle of water. It always stops in good places to eat.
View Dharamsala’s Photogallery
5 things to do in Dharamsala:
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Attend Dalai Lama public speech
Since 1959 the Tibetan government, the Dalai Lama and his followers reside in exile in McLeod Ganj. By walking in Dharamsala or McLeod Ganj, you will meet hundreds of Monks, who made it their new home, building authentic monasteries and schools. If you are curious about Buddhism, take a chance to visit those places and attend one of the lectures, given by his Holiness the Dalai Lama. Check the Dalai Lama schedule and don’t forget to make obligatory preliminary registration.
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Enjoy the nature around
Dharamsala valley is the right place to immerse in nature. Take a short 20-min amble to the beautiful Bhagsu waterfalls, which are well worth visiting. Don’t head to the waterfalls from the Bhagsu temple, as that road is a bit overcrowded. It is better to take a tranquil path starting right on the top of the village (when going up just turn right before Zion cafe), which allows you to enjoy full panoramic views, ending in a very nice coffee overlooking the waterfalls. You can also have a walk to Dal Lake, laying behind, but we found it not that much spectacular.
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Trekking in Himalayas
Both Bhagsu and Dharamkot are good starting points for short and long hikes around the Dhauladhar mountain range of the Himalayas. The trodden trekking paths lay through mixed forests of deodar, pine and oak, with occasional encounters with rivers and lakes, giving you vertiginous views. The most popular trekking spot is an eight km trek to Triund, overlooking Dhauladhar mountains on one side and Kangra valley on the other.
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A place of learning
Dharamsala area is a great place for learning alternative medicines, self-development techniques, holistic healing or different styles of yoga and meditation. Check the well-known Tushita Meditation Center or other schools and courses, offering different forms of studying and practicing.
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Play and listen to music
Numerous musicians and artists gather in this area and many times they end up grouping together around a bonfire or a cafe, playing different instruments and jamming for hours. Everybody is invited to join and take part.
The road to Bhagsu waterfall
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