Travel style · Himachal
Monasteries in Himachal
Gompas, dzongs and the mornings they keep
Ladakh, Spiti, Sikkim, Bhutan, Arunachal and the Nepal Himalaya hold some of the oldest Buddhist monasteries still in use. We time visits to morning prayers and festival days, and explain the murals, masks and rules of each house.
Photo: Fredi Bach from Switzerland · CC BY 2.0 · CommonsA monastery visit is best at its own hours. Most gompas hold morning prayers between 6 and 8 am, when lamps are lit and the hall fills with chant. Arrive then and you see a working house rather than a museum.
Himachal is the easiest big mountain trip from Delhi: an overnight HRTC Volvo puts you in Shimla, Manali or Dharamshala for ₹900–1,900. Come March to June or late September to November. Budget ₹1,800–3,000 a day on hostels and buses, or far more for Oberoi rooms above Shimla.
Trips
Monasteries trips in Himachal
Photo: Ms Sarah Welch · CC0 · Commons
Comfort
Chamba, McLeodganj and Bir by private car
Private car with driver
2 places
Where to go
Photo: Fredi Bach from Switzerland · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Bir and Billing
Paragliding over tea gardens and Tibetan monasteries in Kangra
Photo: Rignam Wangkhang · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
McLeodganj (Dharamshala)
Tibetan temples and the Dhauladhar wall above Dharamshala
Experiences
Days that fit the style
Photo: Fredi Bach from Switzerland · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Tandem paragliding from Billing to Bir
Drive up to the Billing take-off at about 2,400 m, run a few steps with your pilot and fly for 15–30 minutes over pine …
Photo: Gannu03 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Monastery walk in Bir's Tibetan colony
A gentle walk through Bir's Tibetan colony at Chowgan, visiting monasteries, prayer wheels and stupas, then out through…
Photo: Rakeshkdogra · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Kangra tea gardens and Baijnath temple
Walk through Bir's small tea estates, buy Kangra green or black tea, then drive 15 km to the stone Baijnath temple, bui…
Photo: (in search for a new country of residence) · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Tsuglagkhang temple and the monk debate
Walk the morning kora around the Dalai Lama's temple with Tibetan pilgrims, visit the main prayer hall and the Tibet Mu…
Photo: Ashish Gupta from Noida, India · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Day hike to Triund ridge
Climb about 900 m from Galu temple above Dharamkot to the open ridge of Triund at roughly 2,850 m, with the Dhauladhar …
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Tibetan crafts at Norbulingka
Visit the Norbulingka Institute near Sidhpur, where Tibetan artists train in thangka painting, woodcarving, statue-maki…
Where to sleep
Stays in these places
Photo: Fredi Bach from Switzerland · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Budget
Zostel Bir
A Zostel hostel in Bir, close to the paragliding landing fields and the Tibetan colony, with dorms, private rooms …
Photo: Wonderlane · CC BY 4.0 · Commons
Mid
Chonor House
A small Tibetan-style hotel on Temple Road in McLeodganj, built and run by the Norbulingka Institute, with rooms d…