
Trekking in Dharamsala
A beautiful refreshing day hike to Triund through Rhododendron forests can be done on horseback. Panoramic views of Bhagsu village, Mcleodganj, Dharamsala valley and distant views of Shivalik hills and plains of Kangra valley are a bonus, of course. Triund is a lush pasture at a 2,900-metre elevation. This is the base camp and acclimatization point for trekkers climbing the Inderahara point on Mt Dhauladhar. Dharamsala is a point of origin for a number of trekking expeditions that lead trekkers across Dhauladhar into the upper Ravi Valley and Chamba district. Midway one can cross through forests of deodar, pine, oak and rhododendron, and pass streams and rivers and wind along vertiginous cliff tracks, and also the occasional lake waterfall and glacier. A 2-km trek took me to Bhagsu, and then a further three-km walk led to Dharamkot. The chicken sizzlers with apple pie at a roadside café helped me make this expedition worth remembering. If one wishes to go on a longer walk then an eight-km trek will take one to Triund. The snowline of Ilaqa Got is just a five-km walk from there.Another trek took me from Mcleodganj to Bhagasunath falls. Almost three km trek through almost no road and risky terrain, a slip might see one end up with a crepe bandaged leg and even fatal. But reaching the Bhagsunath falls was bliss. With water gushing down in deep whirls and rumbling sounds across the sky, there’s absolute peace here. In case of a weak heart, one can opt for a riverside plain trek, that has no altitude climb.