Charming Chamba and Kangra

Get picked up from Amritsar airport/ railway station and check in to your hotel. Rest for a bit before heading for your day’s sightseeing. Visit the Jallianwala Bagh, a historic garden and memorial close to the Golden Temple to preserve the memory of the people killed in the Jallianwalah Bagh massacre. Next, we visit Golden Temple also known as the Harimandir Sahib is the most significant shrine in Sikhism. It is an open house of worship for all people, from all walks of life and faiths and the community-run kitchen that offers a vegetarian meal to all visitors without discrimination daily at different times of the day. In the evening, you can visit the Wagha. The town is famous for the Wagah border ceremony and also serves as a goods transit terminal and a railway station between Pakistan and India. If time permits, you can visit the Gobindgrah.

Leave for Dalhousie today. In the evening you can go for a walk on Garam Sadak. Garam Sadak is a very good place and is considered to be one of the best spots for a walk. The criss-cross roads obtain direct sunlight and so it remains comfortably warm even in the evening. There is a signboard near the road, which holds an interesting caption that reads 'walking is the trend in the knolls.’ This road is only meant for pedestrians and not for vehicles. The best time to visit this picturesque spot is in winter. Visit the St. Johns Church which is one of the 1st churches built in Dalhousie. Located bang in the middle of lush green landscapes and pine valleys, the church is the main attraction of Dalhousie.

A short drive from Dalhousie is the Kalatop Sanctuary, The wildlife sanctuary comprises of trees like Blue Pine, Green Oak, and Rhododendron, and one can spot barking goral, Himalayan black marten, langur, jackal, bear, and leopard within the sanctuary. There are small tributaries of River Ravi, that makes this place look scenic and spectacular. In the middle of the sanctuary is the Khajjiar Lake, Khajjiar Lake is a natural splendour, located at an elevation of 1920 mtrs. The lake is mostly visited by locals and tourists for day picnics, paragliding, zorbing, and horse riding.

Dedicated to Khaji Nag or Lord of Serpents, this is one of the oldest temples of Himachal Pradesh. Built in 12th century and the wood carvings reflect Hindu-Mughal architecture style and pattern.

Its a busy day today with lots of sightseeing in Mcleodganj so we leave early from Dalhousie. Reach Mcleodganj and visit the Namgyal monastery more popularly known as the H.H Dalai Lama temple. You can spend some time there and sit to meditate if you’d like or go and turn the prayer wheels as a form of meditation. From here its mostly exploring on foot as your car cannot go to all the places. Visit the Bhagsu Nag temple and the hike to the nearby waterfall. The Hindu temple is dedicated to the snake god Bhagsu Nag and houses a fresh water seeing open to devotees and visitors to take a dip in. A quick 20 min hike from the temple takes you the Bhagsu Nag waterfall. Next you can visit the Mcleodganj market and relax in one of the many cafes. Enjoy some local Tibetan cuisine or indulge in some great continental food. The market place is Mcleodganj is buzzing and there are ample of places to shop for souvenirs and gifts.

End the day with dinner at your hotel.

Today we explore beautiful Dharamshala, starting off with Dharamkot - Dharamkot is a village above Mcleodganj and more popular as the starting point for the Triund Trek. You can head to the village and walk around the local trails, observe the local architecture and enjoy some spectacular views of the Kangra Valley below. Head to Dal Lake (named after the famous Dal Lake in Kashmir). The lake is a mid altitude lake in the village of Tota Rani. The lake is surrounded by majestic Deodhar Trees and rugged mountains. There is a famous Shiva Temple on the bank of the lake, making it a sacred spot for locals. Visit The church of St. John in the Wilderness - built in 1852 at Forsyth Gunj. Set amidst deodar forest, and built in neo-Gothic architecture, the Church is known for its Belgian stained-glass windows.
Our next stop for the day is the Karmapa temple, belonging to the Kagyu sect of Buddhism. The temple specialises in tantric meditation, tantric ritual arts and Buddhist philosophy. Visitors can take part in the prayers on Wednesdays and Saturdays if they like. The last place to visit today would be the Norbulingka institute, founded in 1995 it is dedicated to the preservation of the Tibetan culture in its literary and artistic forms. Norbulingka is dedicated to handing down tradition and restoring standards by providing training, education and employment for Tibetans. Norbulingka produces high quality, traditionally crafted art objects, as well as clothing and home furnishings. Free guided tours of the institute are available to visitors every day except Sunday. Workshop are also offered for those wishing to study Tibetan arts. All proceeds from all Norbulingka’s projects go directly back into the institute to further our endeavors to preserve Tibetan culture.

Today we head to Bir Billing - a place which is splurged with monasteries displaying the Tibetan culture and its influence on the place and its people. It is also popular for its paragliding. If the weather is clear, you can try your hand at Paragliding or just spend the day visiting the local monasteries. March-May and October - November are the ideal times for prargliding. Among other monasteries, Sherab Ling Monastery is the one which is highly popular because of the meditation courses that it offers. The Deer Park Institute is a centre for the study and practice of classical Buddhist traditions, patronage by Dalai Lama. Established in 2006, this institute organises various programmes concerning meditation, philosophy, yoga and healing arts, Buddhism, art and culture.

Head back to Chandigarh this morning. Trip ends today.