Barot to Dalhousie
7 days
The Himalaya doesn’t start at Spiti. The ranges above Mandi, Kangra and Chamba have their own mix of river valleys, Tibetan monasteries, old hill stations and meadows, and they link into a clean loop.
Seven days lets each place breathe: a rest day in Barot, a morning in the air above Bir, and a proper day in McLeodganj. Six works if you skip the Barot day; eight adds Chamba. Travelling from Delhi adds roughly a day at the start.
Chandigarh/Delhi → Barot
A long first day by Bilaspur and Mandi, then off the highway at Ghatasani for the last stretch up to Barot. It looks short on the map and is slow on the road. From Delhi the day is much longer, so we usually break the journey with a night on the way.
Barot
A day to slow down. The Shanan power house, built by the British in 1932, feeds the emerald reservoirs on the Uhl; the river and the Lamba Dugh stream are known for trout, with fishing permits from the Barot office. Walk the villages of the Chuhar valley, or go higher to Rajgundha for pine forest and open ridges.
Barot → Bir
Across to Bir on the road that links the two valleys, about three hours. Bir is a Tibetan settlement as much as a paragliding village. Chokling Monastery is a short walk from the village, and Sherabling Monastery a few kilometres out.
Bir → Dharamshala
Billing is the take-off, Bir the landing field; in good weather this is the morning for it. Then down the valley past Baijnath's old Shiva temple to Dharamshala, with the Dhauladhar range filling the horizon.
Dharamshala and McLeodganj
McLeodganj is the Dalai Lama's home in exile: the Tsuglagkhang complex and Namgyal Monastery, Bhagsu waterfall, the Tibetan craft work at Norbulingka. If the group wants a hike, Triund is the classic day walk up into the range.
Dharamshala → Khajjiar → Dalhousie
Over to Chamba district: Khajjiar's lake in a green bowl of meadow ringed by deodar, then on to Dalhousie, an old hill station with colonial churches and quiet walks along its ridges.
Dalhousie → Chandigarh/Delhi
A morning at Kalatop sanctuary or Dainkund Peak before the long drive home to whichever city you started from. With an extra day, Chamba's old temples and miniature-painting museum are worth the detour.