Best time to visit : Mid-September to June
McLeodganj is a beautiful and popular suburb of Dharamsala, situated in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. This lovely tourist destination has an elevation of almost 6,831 feet from sea-level. Majority of the population here includes Tibetan refugees and members of the Tibetan government (in exile). Tourists from all over India love this bustling suburb with its pretty handicraft shops, Tibetan-style restaurants and affordable hotel accommodations. Buddhist followers love the township for its numerous attractive tourist places such as temples, monasteries and ancient statues of Lord Buddha. Scholastic visitors are also enthralled by the Tibetan institute of performing Arts, the Norbulingka Institute and the Library of Tibetan Archives among others.
Facts
Mcleodganj is also pet-named as ‘Little Lhasa’ by the Tibetan population residing here. Tourists are often surprised to find that this sleepy township inclines more towards Tibetan culture than Indian culture. His Holiness Dalai Lama is also one of the famed residents of Mcleodganj since the year 1960.
Tourists can relish variety of multi-cuisine dishes. Top favourite foods varieties available here are pizzas, delicious Tibetan momos and ‘tingmos’. There are many vegetarian and non-vegetarian restaurants offering good exotic Indian, Japanese and Indian cuisines. Alcohol is expensive and can be bought only at select places. Visitors can look-out for trendy restaurants such as Moonspeak Espresso, PemaThag Pizzeria or SnowLion Restaurant.
‘Shop till you drop’ can be applied wholeheartedly while shopping at the streets of this seemingly sleepy township. Majority of the popular markets can be traced to Jogibara Road and Bhagsu Road. Fascinating artefacts, realistic statues, spiritual thagkas, Tibetan mats, embroidered intrinsic carpets, handmade items, divine metallic prayer wheels, etc. are some of the attractive products in the markets. There are several stores selling handicraft items all over Mcleodganj.
Nearby Places:
- Dharamsala: Situated at a distance of about 5 km. from Mcleodganj, Dharamsala is a very popular hill station with natural green surroundings and unspoiled streams for nature-lovers. Some famed spots include Kotwali Bazaar, Kangra Art Museum and Kaleshwar Mahadev Temple.
- Dalhousie: Dalhousie is a famous hill station located at a distance of about 120 km. from Mcleodganj. With beautiful lush green woods, fertile valleys and hilly terrains attracts tourists from all over the globe. Sathdhara Falls and Kynance building are two must visit tourist spots here.
- Kullu: This chilly hill-spot located at about 220 km. from Mcleodganj. Situated on the banks of River Beas, Kullu attracts numerous tourists to its famous attractions which include Ragunath Temple, Manikaran Gurudwara, etc and allows an opportunity for numerous adventure sports like skiing, rock climbing, para gliding etc.