Dharamshala Bir Billing Palampur Tour

Delhi to Dharamshala. The vehicle starts early and covers Haryana and Punjab on the highway, with a lunch stop before Pathankot. The last hour climbs from Kangra into Dharamshala, about 10 to 11 hours after leaving Delhi. Check in and spend the evening in McLeod Ganj at your own pace.

Dharamshala sightseeing. The Tsuglagkhang complex comes first, with the Dalai Lama's temple, the Namgyal monastery and the Tibet Museum in one compound. Bhagsu Nag temple and the Bhagsu waterfall follow, then a drive down to the HPCA cricket stadium in lower Dharamshala and St John in the Wilderness church on the way back. Late afternoon is free for the Tibetan shops and cafes on Temple Road. Overnight in Dharamshala.

Dharamshala to Bir Billing. A 2-hour drive east through Palampur brings you to Bir, the landing site for the Billing paragliders and home to a cluster of Tibetan monasteries at Chowgan. Walk the landing field first, where gliders come in through the afternoon and the tea stalls fill up before sunset.

The tandem flight itself starts at Billing, 14 km further up a hairpin road at about 2,400 m. Flights are booked with the licensed operators at Bir and paid directly; the vehicle takes you to the take-off and you glide back down to the landing field in 15 to 30 minutes depending on conditions. Flights run in the October to November and March to June seasons and are called off in rain or strong wind. Non-flyers can walk to Gunehar waterfall or visit the monasteries at Chowgan while they wait. Drive back to Dharamshala for the night.

Dharamshala to Palampur. A 1.5-hour drive brings you to Palampur, the centre of the Kangra tea belt. The morning goes to the tea gardens and a factory visit, and to Baijnath, 16 km on, where the 13th-century stone Shiva temple stands above the Binwa river. Neugal Khad, a stream bed with a cafe and a wide view of the Dhauladhar, and the Andretta artists' village with its pottery are the other stops. If the Day 3 flight was cancelled by weather, Bir is only 30 km from Palampur and a second attempt can be fitted in here. Overnight in Palampur.

Palampur to Delhi. Leave after breakfast and join the highway at Pathankot via Kangra. With one lunch stop in Punjab, the vehicle reaches Delhi in the evening, around 10 to 11 hours after departure, and the tour ends at your drop point.