Day 01: Arriving at Gaggal Airport Dharamshala

Your guide cum escort will meet you outside the Gaggal airport, Dharamshala. A forty-five-minute uphill drive through the rolling meadows and traditional villages brings you to the hill station of Dharamshala. Check-in on arrival and relax a bit. After that, we shall visit the Dalai Lama Monastery and the museum with our guide which is followed by a visit to St. John’s Church in the wilderness.
Dharamshala is the seat of His Holiness Dalai Lama. He has been running his exile government from here since 1962. A township called MacLeod Gunj, ten kilometers above Dharamshala is majorly inhabited by Tibetans who have set up their businesses there and live. Most of them are the refugees from Tibet who were expelled by the Chinese government and found refuge in this area. In the evening we shall visit the Dalali Lama Monastery.

Day 02: Forest Walk

We leave our hotel at 9.30 am and drive to the starting point. Today you will be introduced to the hills. The valleys and forests in the lap of the Dhauladhar ranges of Himalayan you saw from the airplane are calling you to roam in them. So we drive for six km to the village Naddi from where we shall start a forest walk.
A short break for a quick bite and then a visit to Norbulingka Institute is one of the highlights of the trip to Dharamsala. This art institute talks a lot about Thangka paintings. Thangka is a form painting from Tibbet. Thangka is done in paint, wood, patchwork, and embroidery. You will see many artists working there. This institute offers a number of courses for the students, to make Thangka paintings. A tour of the institute takes you to its various classrooms and workshops where you will see many students working and making thangkas.

Day 03: Village Walk

Today we shall go for another walk from the same walking point. We will walk from village Naddi to Gunna Devi temple. On the way, there is a tribal village called Bahl. A visit to the village is enjoyable. After crossing the river, we enter the village.
Return by the evening and then be free to yourself, to explore the bazaar of MacLeod Gunj. This bazaar has a variety of shops selling Tibetan artifacts and antiques. Be careful while you negotiate with the shopkeepers.

B'fast, Lunch & Dinner

On the trail : 5km

Exp: Discovering Local Culture

Day 04: Drive to Pragpur

After breakfast, we drive to Pragpur, the first Heritage Village of India. This place is known for its age-old mansions built by the people of the Sood community of this area. With time these mansions got abandoned as the owners moved to other places in search of survival. These mansions are built in Anglo-Islamic style of architecture and most of them are lying vacant. Before we reach our destination, we shall take a detour to Masroor Rock temples, better known as Ajanta of Himalayan foothills. This group of temples and shrines was built in the eighth century. The whole monument is built by cutting and carving a single rock.

Spend some time here and then continue our drive to Pragpur. Check-in on arrival and then we proceed for a Village Walk through the village of Garli and enjoy the local lifestyle.

B'fast, Lunch & Dinner

Distance:

Exp: Towards Ancient Village

Day 05: Pragpur

An early morning walk through the narrow streets of Garli brings you closer to the inside of the village. Surprisingly there are a number of abandoned houses lying scattered here and there in the streets, which have not been used for ages. They are attractive from the point of view of their design and architecture but not inhabited. Every house has a story to tell.

We return for breakfast in the hotel and then drive to a nearby village Pragpur. A walk through the village of Pragpur is also a treat to your eyes as the traditional houses keep attracting your attention. Afternoon free to yourself to spend time around the pool to enjoy your beer. We shall discuss more about the area.

Day 06: Drive to Palampur

Today, once again we drive towards North and towards the higher side of the state. Drive through the beautiful scenery dominated by snowclad Dhauladhar mountain ranges of the Himalayas. Palampur is known for the tea gardens which were originally planted by the British. After Asam, Palampur was the place where they planted tea. Now these gardens are owned by Indian families and many of them have cooperated together for business. We drive straight to a private Tea Factory. A tea tasting tour, a visit to the factory, and then a short walk through the tea estate is will make your day. We are also going to have lunch in the estate.

Later drive to the village Andreta where Sardar Sobha Singh the famous Sikh artist made his home.

Day 07: Palampur – Village Walk

We drive to Bir, for thirty km, the famous place for Paragliding. A narrow but easy tail bifurcates from here leads along a rivulet and passes through tiny villages. Finally, we arrive at Sherbaling Monastery where we end the walk. Later drive back to Palampur. Rest of the day at leisure.

Day 08: Departure

After breakfast, we shall drive back to Gaggal Airport, Dharamshala to board a flight to your next destination.