Looking for the best Things To Do in Dharamshala, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamkot, Bhagsu and this region in general?
The area of Dharamshala up in Himachal Pradesh is a must-visit on your trip to India if you love the mountains, want to be around good vibe people and if you feel like you want a bit of a break from the rest of India.
One of the reasons people come here is to chill in the mountains but there are still many things to do in Dharamshala and the nearby tourist areas.
Things to do in Dharamshala, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamkot, Bhagsu
Although all of these things are in technically different areas, you can see a lot by walking, just be prepared for a lot of hills, but this is the best way to see the area. Or you can get a taxi from place to place.
Things to do in Mcleod Ganj
My favourite place to base myself is Mcleod Ganj because of its central location. (Dharamshala is actually the main busy city so you don’t want to stay here, it’s just the overall name for the area.)
1. Visit the Dalai Lama Temple
This is one of the top things to do in Mcleod Ganj because Dharamshala is now the home of the Dalai Lama so you have to visit his temple. It’s not the most impressive temple I’ve ever seen but it is a fairly big complex and it’s nice to walk around the different areas and see the incredible views of the mountains from here.
2. See the Dalai Lama
Although the Dalai Lama travels a lot around the world and around India, it’s worth checking to see if he’s around when you’re in Dharamshala so you can go to one of his teachings or ceremonies in the Dalai Lama Temple in Dharamshala!
You can view the Dalai Lama’s schedule here to check if your dates match. I went to one of his morning ceremonies and it was amazing to see him in real life.
Here is more information on how to see the Dalai Lama in India based on my experience seeing him.
3. Learn the History of Tibet at the Tibet Museum
This is a must-visit in McLeod Ganj too. It’s right next to the Dalai Lama temple so you should visit both places at the same time. The museum explains the history of Tibet and why it is in the situation it is in today along with why the Dalai Lama now lives in India and why do so many other Tibetans.
To be honest, I didn’t know much about the history of Tibet before arriving in Dharamshala and it kind of surprised me when I saw so many Tibetans in McLeod Ganj when I arrived, but it all made sense after visiting.
The history (and the current day situation) is really shocking so you really should visit this museum in Dharamshala and I recommend visiting the museum on your first day as it will help you understand the area and people better. If you want to start reading up now, look into the history of Tibet from 1950-Present here!
4. Volunteer with Tibetans
I feel like you’re sensing a theme here and that’s because the town of Mcleod Ganj is home to many Tibetans with a huge Tibetan influence. I really liked this and it’s what made me feel like I was no longer in India when I arrived after already spending a month travelling around Rajasthan.
Tibetan people are the loveliest people and there are ways to volunteer with Tibetans in Dharamshala long term and short term. From what I’ve heard, the need to speak and learn English and other languages like French is welcomed here.
Places you can volunteer at are Stories of Tibetans.
5. Visit Mcleod Ganj Temple
In the middle of Mcleod Ganj’s two small but busy streets is a temple. The main thing to do is to walk around it and turn the prayer wheels and there’s another big prayer wheel inside.
This isn’t something yo go out of your way for but it’s nice to see when walking down the street.
6. Eat Tibetan Food
Final point on the Tibetan Culture in Mcleod Ganj is to eat some Tibetan Food whilst you’re in the town, this will be especially good if you have been in India for a while and need something over than Indian Food for a meal or two.
I’d suggest going to Tibet Kitchen in the centre of Mcleod Ganj for the best Tibetan food in Mcleod Ganj. Or you can get some Momos from the street stalls. Tibetan Food is the perfect food to warm you up too.
7. Go to Illiterati Cafe
This is the best cafe in Mcleod Ganj due to the views, uniqueness and quirkiness of it. It’s a bit of a walk downhill from McLeod Ganj to Illiterati Cafe but it’s well worth it! It is filled with books, nice seating and it has balcony views of the mountains.
They offer mainly international foods, nice drinks and good cake!
Related Post: My Full Dharamshala Travel Guide.
Things to do in Bhagsu
Bhagsu is up the hill from McLeod Ganj but it is walkable to get there,
8. Walk to Bhagsu Falls
This is the most popular thing to do in Bhagsu and the biggest tourist attraction in Bhagsu. It isn’t the most impressive waterfall in the world and it’s very easy to get to via a path from lower Bhagsu which means it’s very touristy and heavily visited by many Indian tourists as well as foreign tourists, but it’s something to do to pass an hour or so.
Walking to Bhagsu Falls is a good way to get a sweat on as there are quite a few steps up to the base of the waterfall and plenty of cafes to stop at along the way.
It is possible to bathe in the base of the waterfall and in some pools lower down so bring a change of clothes if you fancy this.
9. Go to Shiva Cafe at the top of Bhagsu Falls
When you get to the base of the waterfall where loads of other people will be too, keep walking up the path and steps all the way up until you reach Shiva Cafe. (Be aware that at the base of the falls there is a cafe called Shiva Cafe, this is not the right one).
Shiva Cafe is a really cool cafe and area that plays good music with cool seating inside and outside, and it has a really nice vibe.
The best thing is that only people who can be bothered will walk all the way to the top.
10. Eat Bhagsu Cake
Yes there is a cake named after the town of Bhagsu. It’s sold in many of the cafes in Bhagsu and it’s delicious. If you’re wondering ‘what is Bhagsu Cake?’, well, it’s a bit like a millionaire shortbread and the chocolate should be made from cacao if it’s made right, this is what I heard anyway.
Cacao is a heart opener and gives us a bit of extra energy so this is why it’s said that people feel good after eating Bhagsu Cake!
11. Do Yoga
There’s lots of yoga in Dharamshala on offer, especially in the high summer season. The best places for yoga in Dharamshala are in Dharamkot and Upper Bhagsu.
The best thing to do is to join the Dharamkot and Bhagsu Community Facebook Group to see what is on and look out for the flyers around the towns.
12. Take part in some Classes & Training
It’s not just yoga on offer here, you can go to Ecstatic Dance Classes, Breathwork Sessions, Tibet Sound Bowl Healing and I found that most of these are offered in Upper Bhagsu.
You can go to all of these as a participant or you can do classes like Reiki Training. Again the Facebook group is a good way to see what’s on and look out for the flyers about.
There’s also woodwork classes and pretty much everything you can imagine so keep a look out. Upper Bhagsu is a great place to learn new skills and grow. Plus, doing classes and training’s like this are a great way to meet new people.
13. Do the Triund Trek
The Triund Trek is one of the most popular treks in Dharamshala and the base of it leaves from Lower Bhagsu, also known as Bhagsu Nag Village, the same way the waterfall leads, so doing this hike is one of the good things to do in Bhagsu. I’ve heard the views from the top are amazing and you can read exactly how to hike Triund in this post, or you can hike Triund with a guide by booking this Hiking Day Tour to Triund.
Things to in Dharamkot
Dharamkot is between McLeod Ganj and Bhagsu and a lovely area to walk up to,
14. Tushita Meditation Centre
Up in Dharamkot is Tushita Meditation Centre, a Buddhist Centre which offers Buddhism Courses from 2 to 10 days nearly all year round, but also a daily meditation class from 9:30 every day except Sunday.
I only went once (actually I went twice but the first time it was cancelled due to there being another course on, so call them in advance to check it will be on!), and I really enjoyed it. We did 2 simple meditations which lasted about 10-15 minutes each and it is on a donation basis.
Tushita Meditation Centre is very quiet and relaxed and visiting made me really want to go back and do a 10-day silent course on the Introduction to Buddism! Check out the location and courses here!
15. Cafe Hop in Dharamkot Village
Dharamkot Village is only very small but it’s home to lots of nice cafes. Bodhi Green’s is a Vegan Cafe in Dharamkot that I would highly recommend, and Cool Talk Cafe looked busy every time I walked by.
I hope this helps you work out things to do in Dharamshala
Note that no matter where you stay – Mcleod Ganj, Bhagsu or Dharamkot you can see and do all of these things, you’ll just need to walk or take a taxi between the towns.
I really love destinations like this! Thank you for sharing!
Good to hear! Me too! Thanks for reading!