Refuge of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile in India: Dharamsala and McLeod Ganj. Month in McLeod Ganj (Dharamshala)

Pradesh, this village is located just a few kilometers from Dharamsala, the residence of the Dalai Lama is located here, which actually owes McLeod Nanj its popularity.
The central point of the village is a square with a bus stop, it is most convenient to navigate from here.
Locals pass here, here you can take a rickshaw and buy tickets for.

In the upper lower corner of the square there is a good Tibetan restaurant, in the upper corner of the square there is a pastry shop with amazing cakes, if you walk 50 meters up the alley from it you will find several more Tibetan restos, some of which are non-vegetarian. Due to the fact that Tibetans apparently do not eat too spicy food, or maybe because of the tourists, it seemed to me that they cook quite edible, non-fiery food here, even if it is from Indian cuisine.

The road down will lead to Dharamsala. If you go left and down - after passing in 10 minutes the streets lined with Tibetan shops and souvenir shops, turning left at the Shaivite ashram, you will come out onto a road running along a slope overgrown with deodars (coniferous trees with long needles), which in 10 minutes will lead you to the residence of the Dalai Lama, the main Buddhist temple of Dharamsala and the home of the Tibetan government.
Halfway up there is a staircase down that will lead you to a large Buddhist monastery, where they will hospitably show you around. They say that a European can settle in this monastery; the fee is not high, but it is necessary to comply with the monastery rules.

Opposite the Dalai Lama's residence is the main Buddhist temple of Dharamsala, Tsug Lakhang. A large and colorful hall, decorated with paintings, with statues of Buddha (the last Buddha), Saint Padmasambhava (who was brought to Tibet after 7 years of meditation in Rewalsar) and Avalokiteshvara (the Bodhisattva of compassion). Here you can also see unique oil mandalas and small cultures, painted with bright colors, which have no analogues in any other Indian temples.
Here you can also eat momos (Tibetan dumplings) and buy beads, rosaries and Buddhist flags, as well as Tibetan ones.

Tibetan library- a large bright building located next to the Tibetan government house. In addition to the library and archives of texts, some of which are unique, there is a Buddhist museum, which contains all possible canonical images of all past Buddhas and the future Buddha Maitreya, as well as all former future bodhisattvas, the most popular of which are Avalokiteshvara and Padmapani. The museum has courses in Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy. The library provides free brochures on the fate and problems of the Tibetan people and the liberation movement in English. Not far from here is the Astrological Medical Institute, where Buddhist monks work as diagnosticians and prescribe in accordance with the canons of ancient Tibetan medicine, all prescribed drugs are naturally natural.
To the north-west (towards Daramkot) from the central square of Makleon there is a mountaineering center, where they will help you in choosing a route and a trekking company, if you need one.
Further along the road through the flattering hills are the Tushita Tibetan Buddhist Center and the Theravada Vipassana Center.

Accommodation in McLeod ganj
There are almost no problems with accommodation in Dharamsala, McLeodganja, except for the high season, when cheap hotels are already occupied, the second case when it is very difficult to find a hotel is when there is a retreat, we arrived at this time and spent 2 hours searching, there was no choice anyway...If you come to McLeod at this time, I recommend booking in advance.

To the left and up, if you are facing Dharmasala, there are streets filled with inexpensive guest houses, most of which are run by Buddhist monks. In 2002 there were problems with light and water, and in general it was not very clean, but there was a large selection. Be very careful when choosing a guesthouse and its conditions; when checking out, they wanted to charge us 2 days in advance, although we spent only 1 night in the room, so it almost came to calling the police.

On the road to the Dalai Lama's residence, on the hillside, several hotels are built. The hotels are very cozy and comfortable, not cheap, but worth it. No road noise can be heard here, but from the balconies there is a beautiful view of the Dharamsala valley, covered with forests, thanks to which the air is fresh and sweet. In 2002, we lived on the 3rd floor of a hotel whose name I didn’t write down, it seems it started with B, like Varun, a double cost about 700 rupees, clean linen, a bath with hot water, a large window and, as I mentioned, a balcony from which All that was visible were the deodar forests, the yellow roofs of the monasteries and the surrounding area.

More information about accommodation in Dharamsala, McLeod, Bagsu - see the list of guesthouses and hotels at

Upper Dharamsala, or otherwise McLeod Ganj, is a place in the Indian Himalayas where today the Tibetan government in exile is located, as well as the residence of the Dalai Lama himself. I have wanted to visit here for a very long time, but in all my previous trips to India I never got to the north of the country. And finally it happened :)

As a schoolgirl, I listened to Linda and her album “Songs of Tibetan Lamas.” Sometimes I wondered where there were llamas in Tibet, I mean animals =) But I never tried to solve this riddle until I became older. As an adult, of course, I still smile kindly at my childhood ignorance. But somehow we weren’t educated in the fifth grade about Buddhism and who Tibetan lamas are =) That is, lamas have been embedded in my head since childhood, and only after more than fifteen years I was able to see them with my own eyes. But my three-year-old child already knows who llamas are and where they live =))) In general, the school is not obliged to particularly develop his horizons, the main thing is the program, but everything else is the responsibility of the parents. This is precisely why one of the main goals of our travels is to introduce a child to the world, broaden his horizons and get to know our home planet.

To begin with, to avoid confusion, I would like to clarify one point. When people talk about the Dalai Lama, they usually name the city of Dharamsala. This is not entirely true. Dharamsala, a small mountain town, is located down the slope from the place where immigrants from Tibet settled. The place itself is called McLeod Ganj. It is here that the residence of the Dalai Lama is located, as well as the government of Tibet in exile. Sometimes McLeod Ganj is called Upper Dharamsala. And this name is also, in principle, correct. Therefore, when I write in the article “Dharamsala”, this means Upper Dharamsala. In the text this doesn’t play a special role, but in reality it’s better not to be mistaken, because I almost got off the bus when Dharamsala was announced. I decided that this was the end point of my route. It’s good that I clarified it in time and realized that the ride was actually further and higher. By bus it's about another 30-40 minutes steeply uphill, i.e. walking is definitely not an option.

On the first day, having just checked into the guest house found in Lonely Planet, we had breakfast and began exploring the town during our first walk. Upper Dharamsala turned out to be a very small settlement. In fact, there are only two main streets running parallel to each other.

From the opposite slope, McLeod Ganj looks very picturesque.

Upon closer inspection, the streets are not rich, the buildings in the best Indian traditions are not completed, and because of the weather there is also dirt everywhere, so it creates a certain impression of trash =)

But the town is actually quite cozy. It also has cute little corners :)

And everywhere on the streets they fry momos with potatoes and cheese, yum!

Momo has long been one of my favorite dishes. They are similar to our dumplings; they come with both vegetable and meat fillings. Fried until crispy and served with curry paste. Naturally, in Dharamsala, my son and I devoured more than one serving of them =) Oh, and they also drink a lot of hot cocoa there, it warmed us up perfectly in the chilly weather.

Of course, there are many monks walking the streets dressed in red robes.

Quite by accident, Mishutka also ended up in a trend :)

We arrived in Dharamsala in early March. I realized that it would be cool, but there was simply no other time to visit these regions. Therefore, we had to cope with the cold all the days that we were in the town. That is why the child is wrapped in my red scarf, because... On our first walk we discovered that it was very cold. And while we were in a hurry to get home, we had to additionally insulate ourselves with what was at hand.

To be honest, it wasn't much warmer at home. There is no heating provided there, but these are mountains after all. Wild howling winds blew right through our house. We slept in jackets and hats and in a sleeping bag and covered with a blanket on top. But they were CONSTANTLY frozen. It was, of course, a great test.

It would still be warm when the Himalayas stand next door, sternly poking the sky with their snowy peaks.

It's just AHHHH!!! Strength, power, scale, serenity, how much these Great Mountains store within themselves! I was deeply impressed! Mishutka still remembers “mountains-snow” =)

In the opposite direction from the mountains, a very idyllic view of the green and already spring-warm Kangra Valley opened up. There everyone wore light blouses and the apple trees were blooming, and the meadows, fed by mountain streams, bloomed with a colorful variety of flowers. I saw and felt all this not from above, of course, but after descending into the valley by bus, when I was leaving these spiritual places. And from McLeod Ganj there was only one way to admire it.

Still a beauty! :)

Especially at sunset...

On the left on the slope you can see the roof of the Dalai Lama’s residence.

I had a view of it right from the terrace!

That is, it was not difficult to get to the “head office” of Buddhism :) We got there;)

I may upset someone, but I won’t show any photos from there at all. Upon entering the residence, I had to hand over my camera for storage, because... They won't let you in with photographic equipment. Perhaps this rule began to apply recently, because I saw pictures from other travelers from the inside, and none of them mentioned any prohibitions. But in my case this is what happened.

The Dalai Lama himself, of course, was not there. But I already knew about this in advance, because... Even before the trip, I looked at the official website for the lecture schedule of the head of Buddhism. The guru travels all over the world all year round, but the Dalai Lama visits Dharamsala itself only a couple of times a year. And at this time there are so many visitors here that everything costs many times more, and hotel rooms must be booked in advance. In general, I had no goal of meeting the Dalai Lama, and the fact that there was no such terrible rush and demand for housing only played into my hands, because... I got a decent discount for the whole house =)

But I took pictures right outside the gates of the residence. Here, of course, the entire street is littered with souvenir shops. What kind of stuff is sold there!

All products reflect Tibetan culture, are made in traditional style, and are all handmade.

The metal bowl that especially sank into my soul, when passing a special cylinder through it, an increasing vibrating sound is heard. But I didn’t splurge on it: (Although, in my opinion, it was almost the only thing that really carried powerful energy, and even from such a place.

Although I didn’t show you anything from the interior decoration of the Dalai Lama’s residence. But I want to show you an equally beautiful Tibetan temple that is located exactly between two main streets. You can enter this temple from one or another street.

Mishutka also played drums with mantras =)

The temple is clearly undergoing renovations. Every detail is updated.

I thought it would be impossible to go inside, everyone just walked around the outside and turned the drums. But they not only let us in (for free, of course), but also showed us that there was an exit upstairs, otherwise I didn’t even think about it, because the terrace and passages are not visible from the street. It’s a bit cramped inside for crowds of pilgrims, but very beautiful!

Almost on the roof...

And the view from there...

Buddha sits under the roof itself.

Mishutka checked out the carved wooden pedestal =)

It is no coincidence that Buddhist temples have this particular architecture. The lower floor symbolizes Samsara, worldly life, where mere mortals spin drums and recite mantras. It is believed that this ritual cleanses karma. Well, after purification, a person finds himself in Nirvana, in the upper world, where Buddha is located. This is exactly the top floor of the temple. This structure underlies all Buddhism. True, in Thailand, Buddhist temples look completely different. I have already shown Kaewkorawaram Temple in Krabi and a Buddhist monastery with a temple complex in Phang Nga province.

But still, stupas - a sacred element of Buddhism, symbolizing enlightenment, are present always and everywhere. Here, too, we couldn’t do without her.

In the same room there are many photographs of the current Dalai Lama XIV. I'm sure he's been in this very hall more than once!

The bars on the windows are in the form of Samsara wheels.

Having just arrived in India and thinking about where we should go, Vitalik said that he definitely wanted to visit the city where the residence of the current Dalai Lama is located. I myself became very interested in what “little Lhasa” looks like, so this item became firmly established in our program. The official name of the city is Dharamsala, and McLeod Ganj is the upper part of this city, where mainly Tibetan refugees live.

How to get from Delhi to Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj

But before I start describing the beautiful Himalayas and breathtaking views, I want to talk about how we got here. It seems that everything should have been simple: we take the night train to Delhi, in the morning we arrive in the city of Pathankot, and there we transfer to a bus.

But there were simply unrealistically many people on the train. In general, all my hopes for “sit down and sleep” were crushed. People were everywhere, taking up every place, 5-6 people sat on the lower shelves, at least three on the upper ones. People were standing in such a way that I couldn’t see anything else except, excuse me, their butts, and we had to remove our feet from the aisle because we had seats on the side. Fortunately, after an hour and a half, almost all of them left and we finally managed to go to bed.

The morning in Pathankot turned out to be pleasantly cool, apparently it had recently rained here. When approaching the city, be sure to ask which stations the train passes through, because it makes a very strange detour around the city. Pathankot Junction is two minutes from the bus station, but from Pathankot Cantt it will be a bit far.

We found the right bus, initially we thought that it only went to Dharamsala, but already there it turned out that we could take it directly to McLeod Ganj. It is worth noting that Dharamsala is still typical India, but McLeod Ganj is completely different from it.

Don't ask. Don't ask anything. I'll just leave it here. :) (Near the bus station in Pathankot).

Looking for accommodation in McLeod Ganj

The city greeted us with rain and fog. Without really getting our bearings, we set off to look for housing somewhere up. Surprisingly, finding a free and inexpensive guest house was not so easy. Vitalik left me with my things and went searching alone. He was gone for a very long time (later it turned out that he managed to walk almost all the way to Daramkot, which is actually a neighboring village).

In the end, cold and already pretty tired, we decided to stop at the first available guest house and try to look for something better the next day. With renewed vigor, we easily found an option that was acceptable in all respects.

The owner of our new guest house keeps several dogs. One of them is “hello.” It is difficult to pet him, he is afraid of hands, but his tail wags like a propeller. And for some reason she pees... Poor dog... apparently she got it at some point: C

Looking for housing in McLeod Ganj is actually not difficult at all, since essentially the town consists of just a few streets diverging in different directions. Of course, walking up and down is not always easy, but you get used to it quickly.

McLeod Ganja Center

A couple of central streets here are straight, and the rest are up and down.

The compactness of the town made it very cozy. There are quite a lot of people, but mostly they are all pleasant. These are either Buddhist monks, or tourists who came here to do meditation, and all sorts of things that I understand little about).

One of the main streets of the city.

Types of McLeod Ganja

Clear weather revealed amazing surrounding landscapes.

It turned out that while it was raining here below, snow fell on the pass. Initially it seemed to me that it would be impossible to climb this pass at all, but later it turned out that there was nothing difficult about it. I'll tell you about this little adventure later :).

Unfortunately, the snow-capped peaks of Dhauladhar (as far as my poor English allowed me to figure it out - it’s like the name of a mountain range) were visible mainly in the morning and sometimes in the evening.

View from the cafe window :).

But during the day, most of the time they were hidden by thick clouds.

And the mountains are somewhere there... But they are not visible now. :)

On cloudless days, after sunset, the mountains are still visible for some time, but then for the human eye they are completely swallowed up by darkness... But with the help of a long shutter speed and a camera, Vitalik was able to show me them at night :).

And another beautiful night photo, albeit without the mountains.

If mountains are visible in the east, then a plain stretches in the west.

Our life in McLeod Ganj

We devoted most of our time in McLeod Ganj to work, since our finances had practically dried up. So most often we left the room just to have a snack in one of the many local cafes.

I especially liked thukpa - something like a soup with noodles, vegetables, and sometimes cheese.

The people here are creative :) In this cafe, all the walls are covered with hand-drawn paintings...

... and in this coffee shop, in addition to coffee, they also sell all sorts of cool handmade things :).

If people dominate here during the day, then night is the time of dogs and cows, which I don’t even know where they come from, because I really haven’t met them during the day).

Sometimes we were too lazy to even go to a cafe, so we boiled eggs at home using a boiler, steamed instant noodles, and made salads and sandwiches. And of course, we went grocery shopping. One day we met such a cute dog.

He fit so funny on these narrow steps that I asked Vitalik to take a photo of him).

Noticing that we paid attention to him, he even came out to greet us :).

Another day they filmed a movie here. Bollywood stars sat strutting and arrogant while locals milled around.

But this guy is also clearly working on the set. For some reason Vitalik decided that it was the director :).

Another day we noticed a huge crowd. It turned out that the Dalai Lama himself would be going. He drove in a whole motorcade of three cars and waved to everyone from behind the glass. We were unable to photograph him himself.

Of course, the city is full of all sorts of monasteries and Buddhist schools.

And in April there were often short-term showers and strong thunderstorms.

Short dashes to the desired goal :).

Well, work is work... Even in the rain, even in the snow).

As one Indian told us: “This is the color of Ukraine (pointing to light skin), and this is the color of India (pointing to tanned stripes).” :)

And of course, we couldn’t help but take a walk around the wonderful local surroundings and every weekend we organized small one-day excursions, which I will talk about in the next article.

We are still in Dharamsala, or rather in McLeod. It's been almost a month (wow!)
Olya left, the weather turned bad, we are upgrading the bike and cleaning the feathers. Tomorrow we are moving to Bir, where, I hope, we will be able to fly (like that!)
In the meantime, it's time to "report" on a good time in a good place.

Here, in fact, is a view of McLeod, which is also called Upper Dharamsala.
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It is located on a hill, and below, about three kilometers along a hard serpentine road, going down to the Kangra valley lies Dharamsala itself. In Dharamsala, ordinary Indian reality is seething, and Tibetans live in McLeod. It is also the residence of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile. And also crowds of tourists)

We met Olya, who had flown in from St. Petersburg, and settled in two small rooms of the Himalaya guesthouse for 150 rupees. But we have a huge rooftop balcony right outside the window and a view of McLeod + the valley in clear weather.
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Olya introduced us to Cherchin, a Tuvan guy who is studying Tibetan medicine here and has known her since his trip to Mongolia. Cherchin helped us go to the Dalai Lama’s doctor and an astrologer.
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Evening McLeod, main intersection.
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There are bars and excellent restaurants here. We highly recommend the best Italian restaurant in the city "Jimmy's Italian kitchen"!)) There is pasta with four cheeses, awesome waffles with ice cream and in general everything is very tasty.

This is us at the astrologer. We write down our data in a notebook for the assistant so that he can come back the next day for ready-made horoscopes.
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As a result, my uncle, the astrologer, predicted a lot of good things for the three of us. Long life and all sorts of success. He talked about future problems, but not much)) “Behave well, don’t get nervous over trifles and everything will be fine”)) Universal advice. But, in general, everything turned out quite close to the characters, and Adjei was given, in my opinion, the life most suitable to his plans. We took the papers with the Tibetan shorthand of our horoscopes; we wanted to keep them as souvenirs, but the astrologer advised us to burn them.

We once walked through the neighboring village of Bagsu to a waterfall. Mineral springs were discovered in Bagsu.
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And then there’s the swimming pool!
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On the way to the waterfall - there are many red spots along the stream and river - the monks wash and wash.
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The waterfall, compared to the one in Vashisht, turned out to be just a stream)), but the place is pleasant.
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On the way back we met a nice shepherd.
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They look at the stupa.
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There are Hindu temples in Bagsu and there, apparently, as in Vashisht, they often bring gods to visit each other. She was caught in such a procession.
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And then, when we met Sasha and Anton and visited them in Bagsa, we saw an elegant temple, where Israelis sat in a crowd with Hindus and chanted mantras.
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But this, of course, does not compare with the way Tibetan monks chant mantras.
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Olya and I went to the main Buddhist temple of McLeod within the Dalai Lama’s residence almost every day as if we were going to work. We took a lot of photographs. They came three times to film the process of creating a sand mandala.
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We also went to the surrounding monasteries. Sometimes far up, sometimes very down. And there is beauty everywhere.
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The Norbulingka Institute has a museum of dolls in Tibetan costumes.
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And in the town of Bir there are very richly decorated monasteries.
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One of them has simply unrealistically beautiful ceilings. This is only a tenth.
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They also looked into the windows of the school.
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We drove 50 kilometers to Bir with a bunch of local transfers there...
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And take a taxi back with some music and a breeze. Tomorrow we will go there on our own bike.

Olya and I accidentally made a kora (ritual circumambulation) around the hill with the residence of the Dalai Lama. We got there in excellent weather.
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When I was photographing the stupa, a rude old man came out from behind it, he scared me at first) It turns out he wanted to show the pictures.
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And on the hill, instead of a residence, we saw a luxury villa for rent with the best view of the Kangra Valley. The advertising poster calls this building “the best house for meditation.”
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Here's the view.
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Seeking accreditation for the teachings of the Dalai Lamas, they came to the Tibetan government in exile.
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This time, no journalists with photographic equipment were given accreditation, they say, special training, come next time.
The Tibetans here are determined to almost march to China for the Olympic Games, counting down the days until.
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Almost every evening, candles are handed out to everyone at the main intersection, so that they can then go to the main temple with mantras.
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Like this, single file behind the monks.
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There, near the temple, candles are left near the portrait of the little Panchen Lama.
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And in the temple itself they keep the fire going every evening.
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There’s such a pause here, I don’t know how to fill it...

And a sharp transition to another topic) It’s the season of purple trees in the valley. There are many of these blooming in Dharamsala, terribly beautiful. It appears to be a type of acacia.
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And not far from McLeod there is a Catholic church. Gothic.
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Just a shot on McLeod's street.
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In one of the cafes in the photograph on the wall, Adjei recognized an acquaintance of his.
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And here is a cheerful Ajay on the way to Triund.
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There, in Triund, people go on a small one-day trek. It takes three or four hours to crawl up the mountains to eventually come to a beautiful pass with a view of the snowy peaks. Here we go. A stone path leads there through a fairytale forest.
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But our first attempt failed, we didn’t reach Triund, and we didn’t take any jackets or normal shoes with us. We were stopped by rain and hail. We sat out under a bush, it became too late to go further and we returned, postponing the trek for later. But at the point where the rain caught us, we did not let the man with the car fall off the cliff. It was not in vain that we went.
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We returned through wet Dharamkot.
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Conifer monkeys)
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Next time we go there quickly and confidently, prepared)
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Along the way we saw the valley and hills in an even better light and from a better perspective than before. It was such an immense view! It didn’t even fit into my wide-angle lens.
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There are several cafes along the road; you won’t be left without water and food.
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Drying the flying carpet)
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When we were almost there, the rain started pouring again. It was cold and dark up there, we grabbed some tea and warmed our hands by the fire...
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Suddenly everything cleared up and became simply magical - we saw a double rainbow.
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So it’s even great that we didn’t make it the first time, and this second time we went late, we were afraid we wouldn’t have time to get back by dark, but we arrived at such a moment that we simply didn’t care about all the worries!
Then they solemnly burned their horoscopes, as the astrologer ordered)
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They came back very quickly, they almost rolled off)
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The sunset was on the way.
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We arrived at the rickshaw stand in Dharamkot just when the stones under our feet were almost invisible in the thick twilight.
Then it rained and hailed in McLeod, thunderstorms every day. Once even a cloud came over. We couldn't see a damn thing from our balcony.
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And the city became mystical. Only colored umbrellas, which are very popular here, glowed with bright spots here and there.
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Dharamsala is one of the most amazing cities in the world that I have been lucky enough to live in. It is famous, first of all, for being the current residence of the Dalai Lama in exile. Therefore, the bulk of the local population are Tibetan monks. They are not limited to the territory of monasteries and calmly walk around the city, sit in cafes and are always open to communication. I also met many Israeli youth here after the army, reflecting on their place in life against the backdrop of forests and snow-capped mountain peaks.

I arrived in Dharamsala in early spring, expecting to spend a couple of days there and move on. As a result, I stayed almost until the summer, as I realized that I couldn’t find a better place! Everything is beautiful in Dharamsala: fresh Tibetan steamed buns for breakfast, the smell of pine and cedar, educational lectures at the Dalai Lama's residence, hotels and guest houses overlooking the Himalayas.


The most important thing in Dharamsala is the people! Every day I spent there gave me an acquaintance with incredibly charming personalities: doctors, artists, writers and simply mischievous travelers. Dharamsala is a real magnet for those who love Asia, Tibetan culture, the Himalayas and are open to everything new!

How to get there

Everyone who travels to Dharamsala from Russia flies through Delhi. Read more about how to get to the capital of India. I'll tell you about the next steps. You can travel from Delhi to Dharamsala by plane, bus or train.

By plane

An airplane is the fastest, easiest, most comfortable, but also expensive way. There are 2 Indian airlines flying from Delhi to Dharamsala: Spice Jet and Air India. Travel time is about one and a half hours. The average cost of a one-way ticket is 100 USD. You can compare prices and choose the most profitable option, for example.


How to get there from the airport

The small airport of Dharamsala is called Gaggal and is located 20 km from the city. Upon arrival you need to take a taxi (10 USD). Don't forget that in India you should always haggle and agree on prices before getting into the car! The drive to the tourist center of Dharamsala from the airport takes from half an hour to an hour, depending on the traffic congestion.

By train

The train is, in my opinion, not the most convenient option. Firstly, Indian trains are always crowded. Secondly, Dharamsala does not have its own railway station. Therefore, you need to take a ticket to the nearest Pathankot, and then go to Dharamsala by taxi or local bus. It takes a long time (10-13 hours by train, 4-5 by bus). There is also no benefit in price compared to the bus (from 20 USD). The main bonus is that the journey by train is much easier than by bus, given that most of the route passes along mountain serpentine roads.


By bus

There are many evening and night buses leaving Delhi for Dharamsala every day. They are quite comfortable, with soft seats that recline and air conditioning. Travel time - from 10 hours. The average ticket price is 15 USD. You can purchase it in advance on this website. Or come to Delhi to the Kashmiri Gate station, from where all buses depart in the northern direction, and buy a ticket at the window.


How to get there from the bus station

Please note that buses arrive in Lower Dharamsala, where the local population lives. Therefore, I advise you to immediately change to a local bus at the same station to McLeod Ganj. This is the name of the tourist center of Dharamsala. From the McLeod Ganja bus station to its main square is literally a 5-minute walk.

By car

Hotels- don’t forget to check prices from booking sites! Don't overpay. This !

Rent a Car- also an aggregation of prices from all rental companies, all in one place, let's go!

Anything to add?