Dharamshala

The gateway

Dharamshala was the starting point of my June 2025 trip into the Dhauladhars. It's really two towns stacked on one mountainside: lower Dharamshala, the busy market and bus hub down in the Kangra valley, and upper Dharamshala — McLeod Ganj, Bhagsu and Dharamkot — about 600 metres higher up the hill.

The thing that stays with you is the wall of mountains directly behind it. The Dhauladhar range rises so steeply from the valley that you can go from warm, green terraces to snowfields in a single long day on foot. That's exactly what I came for: the plan was a few days on the trail to Triund and Laka Glacier, with McLeod Ganj as the base.

Weather in June

I arrived just before the monsoon properly set in. Mornings were often clear, but clouds built up over the valley every afternoon — the view you see above, with the hills fading into grey, was the typical light of the trip. Pack a rain jacket even when the forecast looks fine.

Getting there

• Bus: overnight Volvo buses from Delhi reach Dharamshala or McLeod Ganj in about 10–12 hours
• Train: Pathankot is the nearest broad-gauge station, around 3 hours by road
• Air: Gaggal (Kangra) airport is about 15 km from town

If you're heading up to trek, read Himachal treks for beginners before you go.