Things to do in Dharamkot, from Tushita to the Dalai Lama's temple

This is one part of our Dharamkot guide. If you already know you're coming, the homes and rooms are on the Dharamkot homestays page.

TL;DR summary

• Tushita 10-day course: From ₹8,600. Suggested minimum donation, plus a ₹2,000 deposit that is not refunded. 2026 starts: 14 Oct, 3 Nov and 17 Nov. Closed in December and January.
• Vipassana, Dhamma Sikhara: Free; full to 26 Nov. Next 10-day course starts 15 March 2027. Applications open about 15 January on dhamma.org.
• Iyengar yoga course: From ₹5,500. Five days, 23 to 27 October 2026. The 9-day course, 29 October to 7 November, is from ₹21,500.
• Triund registration: ₹100 a person a day. Register at the check post at Gallu temple. Tents are ₹550 for two. Start by mid-morning.
• Dalai Lama teachings: ₹10 to register. Register at the main temple courtyard, 9 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm, from a few days before.
• McLeod Ganj: About 2 km. 10 minutes by taxi or auto, 25 to 40 minutes on foot downhill. The road is in poor repair.

Things to do in Dharamkot compared: distance, cost and best time

The best things to do in Dharamkot are inside the village or a short walk from it: a meditation sit at Tushita, a yoga course, the path up to Gallu Devi and the waterfall at Bhagsu. Dharamkot is a village of lanes and footpaths above McLeod Ganj, about 2,100 m at the top by the Gallu Devi temple and nearer 1,900 m below. It suits people who want quiet mornings, a course to take and walks from the door. For an ATM or a proper shop, go to McLeod Ganj. Anything with a course attached needs booking ahead, because every 10-day Vipassana course to 26 November 2026 is already full. If you plan to stay by the week or the month, see our homes and rooms in Dharamkot.

How many days in Dharamkot, getting around and what is shut

How many days. Three days cover the village, Bhagsu and McLeod Ganj, with Naddi on a fourth morning. We’d add days only for a course, since each walk here is half a day at most.

On foot. Above the road head everything is on foot. Bhagsu, Dharamkot and Heini sit about 10 to 20 minutes apart on the paths.

By road. One road reaches the village from McLeod Ganj, about 2 km and 10 minutes by taxi or auto. It has been in poor repair since about 2024, with collapsed retaining walls, and autos struggle on it, so agree the fare before you get in. The walk down takes 25 to 40 minutes and the way up is longer. How to reach Dharamkot covers the Delhi route and which roads are open.

Cash and shops. There is no ATM in the village, only one small pharmacy (open to 9 pm) and a few general stores. Carry small notes for Tushita’s donation box and the Gallu check post.

What is shut. Tushita closes in December and January, Triund needs police permission in winter, and the Tibet Museum is shut on Saturdays. July and August bring 859 mm and 942 mm of rain in the weather department’s averages for Dharamshala, far below the village. The best months are March to early June and October to November; the best time to visit Dharamkot has the rest.

Things to do in Dharamkot village: courses, yoga and walks

Tushita meditation centre in Dharamkot: drop-in sits and courses

• Where: lower Dharamkot at 1,888 m, 10 minutes by taxi or rickshaw above McLeod Ganj
• Drop-in sit: 9 am, Monday to Saturday, about an hour, no registration
• Library: Monday to Saturday, 9:30 to 11:30 am and 12:30 to 4 pm
• 10-day course: 14 to 23 October, 3 to 12 November and 17 to 26 November 2026
• Cost: suggested minimum ₹8,600 plus a ₹2,000 deposit that is not refunded
• Closed: December and January

Tushita is a Tibetan Mahayana centre in the forested hills above McLeod Ganj. For a first taste, go to the 9 am sit: you do not sign up, you leave a donation in the box, and you are out in an hour. The room changes with the courses, so follow the yellow arrows and check the sign on the reception office window. Keep quiet on the grounds and stay out of any gompa where a course is running.

The 10-day Introduction to Buddhism is residential and strict. Check-in is at 1 pm on day one and check-out at 1 pm on day ten. The gong goes at 6 am, the last session ends about 9 pm and silence starts on the first evening. You hand in your phone, laptop and camera at check-in, you cannot leave the property, and no one may arrive late or leave early. Meals are vegetarian, the beds are mostly in dormitories that you cannot book ahead, and you keep your shoulders and knees covered. Register online. The centre says that up to half of the people who register never turn up, and a second no-show bars you from later courses, so register only for dates you will keep.

We’d try the drop-in sit before committing ten days, since the course takes your devices and your freedom to leave. If you work remotely, plan it as ten days of leave.

Vipassana in Dharamkot: free 10-day courses at Dhamma Sikhara

• Cost: free, with donations only from past students
• Apply: on dhamma.org, separately for each course
• Reply: up to two weeks; confirm to hold the place
• Next open 10-day course: starts 15 March 2027, applications open about 15 January

Dhamma Sikhara teaches Vipassana in the Goenka tradition, in Hindi and English, on three acres of deodar forest at about 2,000 m beside the village. Every 10-day course to 26 November 2026 is full for men and women, so anyone reading this in autumn 2026 should plan for 2027. After 15 March the courses start on the 1st and 15th of each month, and each one opens for applications about two months ahead.

Read the Code of Discipline before you apply, and expect a harder schedule than Tushita’s: a 4 am wake-up and about 12 hours of sitting a day. Reach it by taxi or auto from McLeod Ganj, or on a steep 1.5 km uphill walk from the main square.

Dharamkot yoga: Iyengar courses from ₹5,500

The Himalayan Iyengar Yoga Centre runs courses in the village. The 5-day course on 23 to 27 October 2026 starts at ₹5,500, and the 9-day immersion on 29 October to 7 November starts at ₹21,500. For winter dates, ask the centre. Smaller drop-in classes come and go with the season, so ask your host what is running.

Walk up to Gallu Devi temple: the top of Dharamkot at 2,100 m

• Cost: free
• Time: 30 to 60 minutes uphill from the village

Gallu Devi is the temple at the top of Upper Dharamkot, dedicated to a local deity believed to be a form of Kali. Take your shoes off at the door. A few tea stalls and guesthouses stand nearby, with the check post where the Triund trail starts. It is the easiest of the village walks.

Walk from Dharamkot to the Gallu waterfall: 2 km, 2 to 3 hours

• Cost: free
• Time: 2 to 3 hours there and back
• Season: March to June and October to November

The path climbs to a saddle behind Heini, then runs mostly level to a small waterfall with swimming holes and three or four cafes. Parts are smooth and slippery and a walking pole helps, so we’d keep it for the dry months.

Triund trek from Dharamkot: the short version

The ridge at Triund in October 2015. Photo: Ashish Gupta, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

• Distance: about 6 km from Gallu Devi (about 9 km from McLeod Ganj)
• Time: 2.5 to 4 hours up, 2 to 3 down
• High point: about 2,850 m
• Cost: ₹100 a person a day, ₹550 a tent for two

Triund has its own guide, treks around Dharamkot. In short: since November 2025 every trekker must register at the check post at Gallu temple, by order of the district magistrate. The fees belong to the forest department and were last set in January 2024. Day walkers are reported to be turned back at Gallu after about 11:30 am, so start by mid-morning. In recent winters the district has made the Kangra police superintendent’s permission compulsory for Triund, so from December to March ask at the Gallu post or the police first. In July and August the trail is slippery and the forest department can turn people back in heavy rain.

Cafes in Dharamkot: mains ₹200 to ₹350, coffee ₹100 to ₹150

The cafes cluster around the chowk and the main lane, and some close for weeks between seasons. The food and cafes guide for Dharamkot lists what is open. A meal costs ₹200 to ₹600 a head.

Places to visit near Dharamkot on foot: Bhagsu, Naddi and McLeod Ganj

All of this is walkable from the village, though you may want a taxi for the climb back from McLeod Ganj.

Bhagsu Nag temple and waterfall: 10 to 20 minutes downhill

The Bhagsu waterfall in June 2017. Photo: Nishat.ch100, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

• From Dharamkot: 10 to 20 minutes on foot to Bhagsu; Upper Bhagsu is 10 to 15
• Temple to waterfall: about 1 km, 30 minutes
• Cost: free

The Bhagsu Nag temple has a sacred pool with separate bathing areas for men and women. Stairs with railings cover most of the path on to the waterfall, which is fullest from July to September. Cracks opened on the stretch between the temple and the fall in August 2024, so ask your host whether it has been repaired. A cafe 15 to 20 minutes beyond the fall, up a rough rocky path, opens at 9:30 am, closes by early evening and rents trekking sticks.

Naddi viewpoint and Dal Lake: a level walk for sunset

Dal Lake in September 2015. Photo: Officialkt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

• From Dharamkot: 2 to 3 hours on foot
• Cost: free

Naddi is a Gaddi village at about 2,000 m, about 3 km from McLeod Ganj. The walk from Dharamkot or Heini is the easiest of the longer ones, because the trail stays at nearly the same height. Go in the late afternoon for the sunset.

Dal Lake lies below Naddi, about 4 km from McLeod Ganj, a small lake that has run dry in recent summers: it was dry in April 2025 and refilled for the fair that August. Check the water level first. We’d treat it as an add-on to Naddi in or after the monsoon, not a destination.

The Dalai Lama’s temple complex and the Kora in McLeod Ganj

Prayers at Namgyal Monastery in July 2025. Photo: Mohdirfaniitmandi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

• From Dharamkot: about 2 km, 10 minutes by taxi or 25 to 40 minutes on foot downhill
• Entry: free
• Kora: 30 to 40 minutes at an easy pace

The Tsuglagkhang is the main Tibetan temple, with Namgyal Monastery inside the same complex. The Kora is the path that loops round it, walked clockwise, and it is best early in the morning. About halfway the trees open to a view of the Dhauladhar range. Dress modestly, take off your shoes and hat in the halls, and look for signs before taking a photo, since cameras are often not allowed inside.

Dalai Lama teachings in McLeod Ganj: how to register

Teachings are free, but you must register for every one held in Dharamshala. Registration opens a few days before the first day and closes the day before it, at the main temple courtyard from 9 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm. Foreigners bring copies of their passport, Indian visa and C form. Residents of India bring a copy of their Aadhaar card. The fee is ₹10. The Dalai Lama’s official schedule page posts dates, which can change.

Tibet Museum in McLeod Ganj: open 9 am to 5 pm, closed Saturdays

The museum stands opposite the Tsuglagkhang. It is open 9 am to 5 pm every day except Saturdays and gazetted holidays, and shuts from 1 to 2 pm for lunch. Go before 1 pm, with the Kora.

Library of Tibetan Works and Archives classes: ₹100 to register

If you are staying a month, the library’s classes make a good use of mornings. It is at Gangchen Kyishong, below McLeod Ganj, so take a taxi down. Buddhist philosophy classes run in English translation from 9:00 to 10:15 am, with a second class from 10:30 to 11:45. The basic and intermediate Tibetan language classes run from 9 to 10 am. Registration costs ₹100 once. Philosophy is then ₹400 a month for one class (₹500 for the afternoon one) and language is ₹600 a month.

The 2026 year runs from 11 March to 11 December, with no classes on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays. The casual Tibetan language course, from 10 to 11 am, takes new students at any point in a semester; the other language courses stop after the third week. Register in person at the library office. The library is open 9 am to 5 pm, shuts 1 to 2 pm, and is closed on Sundays, the second to fifth Saturdays and gazetted holidays.

Day trips from Dharamkot by taxi: Norbulingka, Kangra Fort and Masroor

Dharamkot has no local bus, so day trips mean a taxi. Agree the hours and fare first.

Norbulingka Institute in Sidhpur: ₹50, open to 5 pm

The Norbulingka Institute. Photo: Sridhar Rao, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

• Distance: about 12 km from McLeod Ganj
• Cost: ₹50 at the entrance; foreign visitors may be charged more, so check at the gate

Norbulingka is a Tibetan cultural institute with art workshops and a doll museum. It opens 9 am to 5 pm every day, but admission is closed on Losar and the workshops can be shut on second Saturdays and Sundays and national holidays. Give it half a day.

Kangra Fort and Masroor rock-cut temples: a long day by taxi

The rock-cut temples at Masroor. Photo: Dhruvaeng, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Kangra Fort is about 20 km from Dharamshala and protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Masroor rock-cut temples are more than 40 km away, 1.5 to 2 hours’ drive. Ask for fees and hours at each gate. The usual loop of Chamunda Devi temple, Palampur, the fort and Masroor is 6 to 7 hours of driving, so we’d pick one stop.

Tea estate tours and Bir Billing

The tea estate at Dharamshala runs guided factory tours of about 60 minutes between 11 am and 4 pm every day except Sunday, booked in advance.

Events near Dharamkot: film festival, Losar and match days

The cricket stadium at Dharamshala in May 2019. Photo: BibhasCD, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Dharamshala International Film Festival runs from 29 October to 1 November 2026 at the Tibetan Children’s Village in Upper Dharamshala. Losar, the Tibetan New Year, falls on 7 February 2027, though astrologers set the date, so confirm it locally. Tibetan Uprising Day, 10 March, brings marches in Dharamshala.

IPL games at the Dharamshala stadium fell on 11, 14, 17 and 26 May in 2026, and rooms and taxis get scarce on match days. Hotels were 80 to 90 percent full over the long weekend in early October 2026, so book ahead.

Dharamkot for a long stay: before work, after work and weekends

Mornings suit the courses and the Kora: Tushita’s sit is at 9 am, the library’s philosophy class starts at 9:00, and a late start to the working day makes room for either. The Tibet Museum, the library and Norbulingka all close at 5 pm, so after work you are left with the Bhagsu waterfall, 30 minutes beyond the temple.

Keep for the weekend what takes time: the Naddi walk, the Gallu waterfall, then Norbulingka, with Triund last. The museum and Norbulingka are open on Sundays; the library is not.

What to skip in Dharamkot, and how to spend one day

We’d skip Dal Lake unless you are already at Naddi in a wet month, a Triund start after 11 am, and the Kangra loop on a short stay.

With one weekday, go to the 9 am sit at Tushita, walk down to Bhagsu for the temple and waterfall at midday, and climb back by the main lane to Gallu Devi in the afternoon. If the Dalai Lama’s temple is the reason you came, take a taxi down early, walk the Kora, and see the museum before its 1 pm break.

Come in March to early June or October to November. Wait if you want Tushita in December or January, Vipassana before March 2027, or Triund in snow.

Frequently asked questions about things to do in Dharamkot