Dharamsala- India

Travel Tips:

Want an Easy Trip in India? Start in Dharamsala!

Everything about Dharamsala is easy. Eating, finding your way around, safety, cleanliness, lack of hassle, getting online.

In fact, it’s not any more difficult or much different from visiting Thailand, Malaysia, Bali or Nepal. Actually, I found it considerably easier than either Nepal or Myanmar, much to my surprise.

When I devised my Sneaky Plan for an Easy Trip to India, I certainly could not have picked a better place to start my easy adventures. Aside from my ridiculously trouble-laden first 24 hours at Delhi Airport, so far my sneaky plan is working better than could be imagined.

Dharamsala is so easy that I can’t even really consider myself to be in the real India. I feel like I’m in a little ‘pseudo-India bubble’ and that my real India travels will begin when I take my first bus journey out of here into ‘the rest of’ India… just out there beyond the edges of town.

Before I jump into a dozen reasons why Dharamsala is so easy for travelers,

here’s a quick introduction to the town:

colorful, densely packed houses, shops & hotels of Dharamsala

Dharamsala is a small mountain town in the Indian Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh. It’s situated in far NW India, about 10 hours overland from Delhi or a one hour flight.

beautiful Tibetan temple in the center of Dharamsala

Dharamsala is world famous as the base of the Tibetan government in exile and home of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s secular and spiritual leader. HH the Dalai Lama escaped from Chinese oppression in Tibet in 1959 by walking over the Himalayan mountains to India. He established his new home and government in Dharamsala.

Since then many Tibetan organizations and institutes have been established to preserve all aspects of Tibetan life and culture. There are Tibetan schools for children, a Tibetan medical institute, cultural arts centers, Tibet Institute of Performing Arts, various organizations to help Tibetan refugees and torture victims, and many other charity groups.

Mainly because of the large Tibetan community and cultural/religious center, Dharamsala has also become a major tourist destination for western travelers interested in Tibet, Buddhism, meditation and yoga. To be more exact, it’s Upper Dharamsala, known as McCleod Ganj, that is the center of Tibetan activities.

Being situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, McCleod Ganj also offers stunning views, clear mountain air, pristine nature and mountain trekking.

Dharamsala is a super easy travel destination primarily because of its mountain location, its small size and its large Tibetan community. Specifically…

Why Dharamsala is so easy:

main square of Dharamsala

1. Dharamsala is a very small town

As a consequence, it would be very hard for anyone to become overwhelmed – by anything – in Dharamsala. It’s so small that there’s no chance of feeling swallow up in a huge, sprawling city or masses of crowds. There aren’t any crowds. And no sprawl. Just a small compact mountain town.

You can easily walk to all corners of McCleod Ganj within 10 minutes of the central ‘square’ on roads which radiate out from there.

Even when the town is ‘crowded’, like it often becomes on weekends, Dharamsala still has nothing close to a mass of people. It just becomes a slightly bustling little hill town.

You can’t really get lost or lose your way either.

typical street scene in Dharamsala with Tibetans, Indians & westerners

2. The population is a mix of Tibetans, Indians and travelers – not really India

Dharamsala seems to have a considerably higher population of Tibetans than Indians. And since Dharamsala is the seat of the Tibetan government in exile, the home of Dalai Lama and has one of their most important temples, the Tibetan residents tend to be rather pious and peaceful. Well, maybe they tend to be that way anyhow, but certainly in Dharamsala.

This makes for a very peaceful, calm, safe atmosphere.

waterfall near Bangsu – Dharamsala

3. Cleaner than typical India

As I mentioned above, Dharamsala is located in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Amazingly, the entire state has banned plastic bags. Think about that for a minute…

Can you imagine an entire state in your own country banning plastic bags entirely? California, for instance? In this regard, Himachal is way ahead of all our own ‘modern’ nations!

In addition, several local groups advocate and help keep the environment clean. There’s ‘Keep Upper Dharamsala Clean’ for one. And at the waterfalls near Bhangsu the local shop keepers have joined together to keep that area clean by posting signs and placing many large trash cans, which they empty regularly.

At Triund, a major mountain day hike from Dharamsala, there’s another eco group that installs huge recycle bags, which they bring down regularly from the mountain. Triund tea stall owners and Forest Department also clean the area every two weeks.

All this means that Dharamsala is surprisingly clean and free from litter and pollution.

In addition, Tibetans tend to be extremely clean and sanitary. If you stay at one of the many Tibetan run home-stays or hotels in town, you can be sure of super clean accommodation. At the Tibetan restaurants you generally don’t have to worry about lack of sanitation in the kitchens.

forested mountains surrounding Dharamsala

4. Clean mountain air

Distinctly different from the hazy, overwhelmingly polluted air of the vast Indian plains, the air in Dharamsala is exceedingly clear, crisp and clean. It smells fresh…because it is!

As a result, there are no respiratory health problems. No headaches, clogged up sinuses or watery eyes. Just pure, clear mountain air.

monk walking in Dharamsala

5. Safe

Perhaps it’s the large peaceful Tibetan community, the nature of the local Indian residents, or simply its low population that renders Dharamsala fairly crime free. Thefts and rapes do happen apparently, but on a very small scale.

There’s no sense of danger or threat. On the contrary, the town and surrounding region feel distinctly safe.

I was advised by a western woman living there that it’s not safe for women on the streets after 9 pm, but daytime and early evenings are fine.

6. People speak English

Because Dharmasala is such a popular tourist destination, and partly because many Tibetan NGOs & charities work with western countries, just about everyone in Dharamsala speaks English. Shop owners, restaurant staff, taxi & tuk tuk drivers, street stall and fruit vendors all speak English quite well.

Naturally, that makes communicating quite easy, especially if English is your first language.

weekend Indian tourists in Dharamsala

7. People don’t stare at westerners

The residents of Dharmasala are so accustomed to western visitors that they never blink an eye at you. None of that famous Indian staring confronting you in that town…

Almost. On weekends, Indians from Punjab state down on the plains love heading up to Dharmsala for fun weekend breaks, to enjoy the cooler air and Tibetan food & culture. Those weekend visitors are often astounded to see westerners walking around town and will often stare and ask to take your photo with them. However, they’re a fairly small number of people, so it’s not too intrusive or annoying. It’s more a novelty, really.

chicken momos – Tibetan dumplings

8. Lots of great restaurants, bakeries & coffee shops – easy to eat & variety & meat dishes

You certainly never have to worry about eating the same food over & over again or being deprived of meat dishes in Dharamsala!

Several excellent Tibetan restaurants serve a variety of tasty Tibetan dishes, many of them made with chicken or mutton. At least a dozen great bakeries offer delicious breads, cakes, pies, cookies and other baked goods.

A few Indian restaurants offer Indian thalis and other common dishes. Hotels & guest houses serve western breakfasts, pizzas, pastas, fresh fruit juices & shakes.

Most places are quite sanitary, so you dont’ have to worry much about getting sick from bad food or drinks.

9. Water refills at certain guest houses, restaurants & other places

As part of the region’s conservation and ecology efforts, several guest houses, hotels and institutes offer water refills of either filtered water or mineral water, for 5-10 rp. That really saves costs on buying water as well as reducing plastic bottle usage.

10. Hot showers at budget guest houses & home stays

In SE Asia it’s really quite rare to find hot showers at budget accommodation options. I’ve only come across them in a few cooler climate (usually mountain) places in all my years of travels. The lack of hot showers is one thing, I must admit, that I find disappointing about budget travel.

So it’s a wonderful treat to have hot showers in Dharamsala.

my hiking pals to Triund – from Sweden, Japan & France

11. Lots of other travelers

One long-time traveler in India recently told me that in most of India the population is so high, so dense, that the number of foreign visitors in any given place is a really tiny fraction of the population. So outside of a few very popular tourist spots, wherever you go in India you’ll see very few other westerners.

Dharamsala is one of those few destinations in India that has a large proportion of western travelers. That makes it easy to strike up friendships, exchange travel tales, perhaps find a temporary travel companion and generally feel un-vulnerable / safe .

12. Wifi and internet shops are everywhere

Just about every cafe, restaurant, hotel and guest house in Dharamsala has wifi. How well it works at any given time is another story, though, truth be told. It seems to generally be intermittent. Sometimes fast, sometimes crawling like molasses, sometimes just not working at all.

However, there are also several internet shops and their connections generally seem to be fast & steady.

Another connection option is a usb modem with AirTel internet sim. That’s what I use most times.

Dharamsala rests in the foothills of these high Himalayan peaks

13. Weather is cool to cold

A requirement of being in India is to always cover up the body: wear long pants or skirts and, for women often cover the head, neck and shoulders. Dressing that way is much more comfortable in cool or cold weather, which you’ll find in Dharamsala.

Summary:

And there you have it! Easy Dharmsala. If you’re nervous about visiting India for any reason, I highly recommend beginning your trip to India there.

There are daily morning flights from Delhi to Gaggal Airport, which is a 30-45 minute taxi ride from town. If you’re flying into Delhi from any international destination, you can simply stay overnight at Delhi airport, or nearby, then fly out to Dharamsala the following morning, without ever setting foot in chaotic Delhi city.

Dharamsala can literally be your very first destination in India. That’s exactly what I did, and very glad of it, too.

QUESTIONS:

If you’ve been to Dharamsala, do you agree with me?

Do you know any other easy destinations in India?

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You might also enjoy:

Photo Gallery: Dharamsala

Learn About Tibet & Tibet Culture in Dharamsala

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