MCLEODGANJ [ Dhasa ] --> Where you feel the Tibetans culture

Hello Travellers,

Here I am sharing my experience and some details of McLeod Ganj. I visited in January. And due the Covid
I cancelled my all the trips plan. Hope all of you staying at home and be safe.

Over View:

McLeod Ganj is a hill station located in the state of Himachal Pradesh. This is in the northern region of India. Himachal Pradesh is a boon for all travellers in India. here you feel the Tibetan Culture. as McLeod Ganj is now Home of Dalai Lama. You could observe monks in the monasteries. There are several monasteries that you could visit. Hence, the quiet and serene atmosphere is sure to invoke peace in you.

How to reach :

I am taking Delhi as a center point 

• Bus : Delhi to Dharmshala cost 800- 1500 (2*2 semi sleeper)  HRTC, private both are available.
• Train : Pathankot railway station located around 90 km. 
• Flight : Gaggal Airport is the nearest airport to McLeod Ganj, (very less no of flight) so Indira Gandhi International airport, Delhi is the nearest AirPort
• private Vehicle: McLeod Ganj is around 530 km from Delhi, follow google map. Good Roads So you can easily drive.

                    Dharmshala - McLeod Ganj- local buses and shared cab are available 

Places to Visit : 

1. Bhagsunath waterfall & Temple : Bhagsunath Temple and waterfall both are close to each other. Bhagsunath Temple is one of the historical temples of Lord Shiva , BhagsunNath, I asked Pujari ji (Priest) why the name Bhagsunath, they told me " the temple is that the Nag Devta raged in anger once as King Bhagsu stole water from Nag Dal Lake here. Later, King Bhagsu prayed for forgiveness of the NAG DEVTA  and built this temple in reverence to the Nag Devta"  you have to trek 2kms to reach waterfall. If you are going on weekends it's a little crowded place, because Bhagsunath waterfall is the main attraction of McLeod Ganj.

• Naddi view point :   very beautiful point #mustgo , Naddi is village around 4-5 kms from mcleodganj, it's a very beautiful village, naddi view point' is famous for sunrise and sunset , if you want to see amazing sunset with snow-capped mountain then this place for you, and if you are photographer then you will get your perfect shot of snow-capped mountain. 

          you can enjoy Dhauladhar range with a cup of Tea and with mountain fav Maggie, as there are some Maggie Points, chai tapri (Local small shops)

                Chai, Maggie and Mountains Views Or kya chahiye ek Traveller ko  HAHAHA 

• The Dalai Lama temple :  Very beautiful and peaceful place, You can see Buddhist monks reading hymns, mediating in the premises. One thing to remember in this complex is to keep quite as much as possible. Just keep quite and enjoy the beauty. it is near to the main Square. one can easily go to the spot. road is full of Tibetan shops and restaurants. Must visit Place. 

• Main Square: you can try some tibetan food like Thukpa, tibetan momo, Thai food etc from Norling restaurant, Jimmy's Italian kitchen, You can also do some shopping at main square market.

• Kangra fort - The Kangra Fort was built by the royal Rajput family of Kangra State (the Katoch dynasty), which traces its origins to the ancient Trigarta Kingdom, mentioned in the Mahabharata epic. It is the largest fort in the Himalayas and probably the oldest dated fort in India.

     *  it's around 32 km from McLeod Ganj,  Drive from Mcleod to kangra was good, Kanga is a village. I suggest don't go if you are not looking for architecture places,             because it will take your full day time. But if you are one of them who like to see and capture the Historic sites then this place for you. I saw some local people but less number of tourist were there. there are one museum as well inside the fort  'Maharaja Sansar Chandra Museum' 

  Some More Places : 

• Saint John's Church : 1km from main square, check the timing but, when I visited church was closed. and I don't remember the timing.
• Guna Devi Temple : Actually I was not know about this point before, I was looking for camping site at naddi view point for staying. Asked locals and finally found one travel agency shop, he said Okay,  for some snow site camping. he saw me Picture with lots of camps and lots of snow were there.  and after walking around 2 to 3 kms . we are just going downward. I was like No I want to do snow camping and i am going down, then I asked again How many camps are there, SNOW hai Ya nahi etc, Please tell the truth. he said mam 1 or 2 camps and I don't know about snow, I denied "Ok Bhaiya I don't want to do " , he returned towards naddi view point, So we careful at the time of booking, he was trying to fraud. "we agree for Snow Camps but he was just trying to set up the camps near naddi village's river " even he is running proper travel agency. After some time weather was suddenly changed, For the First time I Feel clouds, I was very happy and that was amazing experience, clouds touched your face. and then It started raining, I started trekking fast and reach one Maggie point after cross the bridge near Guna Devi temple, And I just stuck over maggie point because of heavy rain. I just sit there only and talk with locals, and I cooked Maggie by my self.  that day all the random things happened but I just loved it. 

            Let's Talk About the Trek :

•  its a easy trekking trail starting from Naddi View point lake via Bal village.
•  No need to trek with full trekking gear as its a easy trek of 7-8  kms
•  Early start is recommended if you want to see the beautiful Himalayan birds. Leveled walk passing through Tibetan children village and Naddi village takes us to Bal village. From Bahl village it is steep ascent for about an hour to Guna Devi, a small Hindu temple (GUNA DEVI ) situated in the middle of the forest. People from the neighboring villages go for pilgrimage to this temple. at the maggie point some college students were there  (on bunk I guess) and just enjoying rain.

Some Beautiful and popular trek near mcleodganj like :

1. Triund Trek,
2. Indrahar pass trek,
3. Miniani pass,
4. kareri lake Trek .

   If you love trekking then add these Treks in your bucket list. I will write some point regarding Triund Trek in the next post.