Himalayan North People & Culture

If you want to explore India you should start with the North... near the Himalaya everything is a little bit less dirty, a little bit more relaxed and people are really friendly and not only interested in your money.. We met some beautiful boys there, they really surprised us by their sincerity...

McLeodganj (hereafter referred to as McLeod) is the best place to stay in Dharamsala. You need at least 4-5 days to enjoy this place. How to get there:(cheaply): From ISBT bus stand in Kashimiri gate in Delhi , take the night 7:45pm bus to McLeod. Make sure to take tickets of McLeod and not Dharamsala (although McLeod is in Dharamsala; the bus stops are different).McLeod is often referred to as Upper Dharamsala. Good places to stay in Mcleod:: Within McLeod, you can live at Main McLeodganj, Bhagsu, Dharamkot or on wat to Dharamkot. Many like Bhagsu (especially the Israelis living in McLeod for months). Some feel its kinda dirty. Main mcLeod is central and you can find quite places; but this comes with a price. Dharamkot is LOVELY but 30 mins walk from main market (Rikshaw Rs.30...this was in 2006; now with 8% inflation in India, it would be Rs. 35...lol) Room typically Rs. 100; clean room; rented by families living there. The place has only one main place to visit- Dalai Lama Monestary. So what can keep you busy in McLeod: 1) The Tibetan people (the local Himachalis hate them) 2) The Himachalis (the local Tibetans hate them) 3) Good food; Italian, Israeli and Lovely Himachali food 4) Clubs, yes..This place is like Goa on the hills. 5) Yoga classes; loads of them 6) Meditation classes (yes loads again) 7) Movie shows ; no theatres, its not uncommon to see a shop arranging a movie show (no big screens) and 30-40 people glued around. Cost: Rs 2-10 depends on the movie. I have been to McLeod around 5-6 times and each time have noticed "Monsoon Wedding" being screened. A lot of travellers travel to McLeod alone; so you are sure to catch up with good company there. BEWARE: Beware of carpet shop owners trying to arrange Kashmir Tours for you! Its better to manage it urself if you dont want your pockets to be empty!!!

Leh is more like Tibet. The people are much more friendly and they don't hassle you. There's allot of great bargains on clothing up there. Oh and if you are so inclined i highly reccomend getting there by motorcycle. Go around the end of July for the easiest trip but if you really want an adventure, leave as soon as the road opens in the beginning of June but dress WARM!! Really good gloves and waterproof gear otherwise the first pass will SHRED you! Have fun.

Mussourie is the honeymoon hang out for locals all over india. Great couple place lots of western activities, it's not really india. About an hour on the road to Chamba there's another smaller quieter place called Danolti. Lovely scenery, not allot of people, great deals on hand woven clothing made right there. Also an interesting restaurant called Andiji's run but a very odd but friendly British chap. I would not rely on him for any services outside of ordering food but he makes for interesting company and if bring him something good to smoke, or a decent set of guitar strings, he'll give you a great tour of the surrounding area in his black ambassador. Very knowledgable guy. He's been living there for about 7 years. Oh the hotels can be rather expensive relative to India but you do get what you pay for. There's horseriding , apple orchards, lots of hiking and if you can find it there's a fabulous back road to thr east of Danolti that will take you back to Dhera Dun. It's amazing driev on bike and if you time it just right you can watch the sunset like 7 or 8 times behind different mountain peaks as you make your way through. There is no where decent to stay on this road until you get to Dher Dun so be prepared to make the whole journey. It's not that long though.

Shimla or Simla as the British Raj used to call it. What a fantastic spot spread over each side of a mountainous cavern. the roads are VERY precarious especially in the rainy season. A mixture of Indian, Nepalese, Tibetan people. I think this is the most beautiful place I have ever been to. The main street still has a British theatre and library everything still in situ. The grand hotel still serves tea using silverware! Take as many trips as you can use the locals they are extremely helpfull always smiling probably cause we bring in much needed cash. Go to Kufri see the yaks. Stay at the local Youth Hostel was good value when I was there. Go and see Kitcheners summer house fabulous gardens. What more can I say if you are in India this has to be a stop off don't miss it!

Tibetan stronghold... charming city... synonymous with Dharmasala really... stay here rather than than in Dharamsala below... its got much more to see and do and experience in terms of Tibetan culture, food, lovely local folk....stroll up and down its main streets and in the alleys leading from it...

Jammu is known for it's temples and is a very religious old town still sticking to old traditions and culture. Also, people by-pass Jammu and visit on return after completing their holy trip to Mata Vaishno Devi near a place called katra. Famous train connecting jammu is "Jammu Tawi" and Jammu is also connected by air. By road one has several bus options including airconditioned Volvo busses originating from Delhi, Jaipur, chandigarh, ludhiana, amritsar, jalandhar

On the footsteps of the Himalayas, meet with the Buddhist culture in the welcoming place of the Tibetan refugee.  Meet the Dalai Lama.  Participate to Pujas. Trek in the Neighboring mountains.  Retreat in one of the Vipassana meditation center. Take traditionnal music courses. 

Tibetan stronghold... charming city... synonymous with Dharmasala really... stay here rather than than in Dharamsala below... its got much more to see and do and experience in terms of Tibetan culture, food, lovely local folk....stroll up and down its main streets and in the alleys leading from it...

On the footsteps of the Himalayas, meet with the Buddhist culture in the welcoming place of the Tibetan refugee.  Meet the Dalai Lama.  Participate to Pujas. Trek in the Neighboring mountains.  Retreat in one of the Vipassana meditation center. Take traditionnal music courses. 

If you want to have a rewarding experience - go to Rishikesh proper and ask for Mukesh, the drum maker. He's got his own workshop where he and his sons work on drums, dijeridoos and tipis. You can sit there and make an instrument or just drink chai and talk to fascinating people. After some time you'll go out with a new musical device that you created with your own hands - you just can't beat that.

They don't serve liquer openly in rishikesh and when they do it's massively overpriced. Save some money and find the beer store (known locally as "english wine shops") about 15 km outside of town on Haridwar road. Be really adventurous and rent a bike from Lucky's Enfield shop in Rishikesh proper (tell him Aaron sent you, maybe he wont rip you off, although probably he will).

About a half hour drive up the mountains from Almora is a place called Kasar Devi. It's much quieter, the view is spectacular and the little guest house all along the side of the mountain are lovely. I stayed at the flowerhouse and had a love ly room with a fireplace for only 100rps. If you go in January there's hardly anyone there, it's very cold at night but during the day as long as the sun is out you can get away with a t-shirt and jeans. Rent a bike and check out the local roads and smaller dirt ones going through the woods. There are many out of the way interesting temples and small towns to find. Wonderful place to relax and enjoy the Himalayas.

Mussourie is the honeymoon hang out for locals all over india. Great couple place lots of western activities, it's not really india. About an hour on the road to Chamba there's another smaller quieter place called Danolti. Lovely scenery, not allot of people, great deals on hand woven clothing made right there. Also an interesting restaurant called Andiji's run but a very odd but friendly British chap. I would not rely on him for any services outside of ordering food but he makes for interesting company and if bring him something good to smoke, or a decent set of guitar strings, he'll give you a great tour of the surrounding area in his black ambassador. Very knowledgable guy. He's been living there for about 7 years. Oh the hotels can be rather expensive relative to India but you do get what you pay for. There's horseriding , apple orchards, lots of hiking and if you can find it there's a fabulous back road to thr east of Danolti that will take you back to Dhera Dun. It's amazing driev on bike and if you time it just right you can watch the sunset like 7 or 8 times behind different mountain peaks as you make your way through. There is no where decent to stay on this road until you get to Dher Dun so be prepared to make the whole journey. It's not that long though.

On a bike(350cc or more) is a best way to see around Leh. The place is scenic. The weather can be dry during the day and cold during the night. Don't forget to go to Kardhung-La Pass which is the world's highest motorable road. It's just a 50km trip from Leh.

If you are on way to Leh - just take train from Delhi to Shimla and then go to bus station and go Manila. Shimla for me is too crowded -too many hindi tourist. Although it is great for hiking!!!

heaven on earth...!!naini lake surrounded by mountains on all sides..its ZE BESHT place dat i've bin to..!!just a piece of advice..be well geared with ur winter clothes wen u go there..no matter wut time of d yr is it

if you want to save water and plastic waste just go and refill empty bottle in Dzomsa shop near Zangsti Complex

If you travel to Dehra Dun, I recommend you drive to Mussoori town- 3 hours drive from here so you can horse ride to see famous Himalayas in the background.

Mussoori town is home to Himalayas back ground behind the hills. You can either horse ride or ride a rickshaw to see that Himalayas.

Go during the Hemis Festival - it was awesome

Chandigarh, built by the utopian French architect Le Corbusier, was intended to be the symbol of modern India and is actually a tribute to its creator. While it amazes the local Indian visitor with its straight roads and simplicity, it is nothing new to overseas visitor used to the suburban sprawl. For the denizen of Chandigarh, the life is too tranquil devoid of the pressures of living in a "normal" "chaotic" Indian city. It grows on the person who lives there until he moves outside when he starts missing it. It is famous for the Mohali Cricket stadium situated in the satellite town of Mohali (outside UT Chandigarh in the state of Haryana). Average person in Chadigarh spends his free time looking at each other (men at women and women at men) in Sector 17 or Sukhna Lake. There is pretty much nothing to see beyond the "famous" Rock Garden Chandigarh is the staging point to visit many places around area. Places to visit from Chandigarh McLeodganj, the capital of Tibetan Government in Exile and the seat of Dalai Lama, and the trek in the Dhauladhar mountain ranges Solan and Shimla Amritsar and the Golden Temple

shimla was my first stop in the indian himalayas. it is an old british colonial town. it was in fact the place where the british raj retired in summer to escape the heat. the highlights are a hindu temple in a wood and the old british government building

When he's in town, HH the Dalai Lama often gives lectures on Tibetan Buddhism to visiting groups. If you are on your own you may be able to request to join one of these pre-arranged lectures, if the group doesn't mind. After the lecture, HH may take a moment to bless each of the attendees in Tibetan. If you have bought some of the red satin cords from one of the gift shops and hold them in your hands, he will also bless those, which you can then give to Tibetans you meet in Tibet, who will appreciate them greatly, without drawing the attention of the Chinese government police. (Pictures of HH or the Tibetan flag are illegal in Tibet.)

An almost forgotten city to travelers because of the dispute with Pakistan over governance. A stay on the local house boats for a few nights will make you forget about the war