Tsuglagkhang Complex
A short walk
The temple itself, Namgyal Monastery, the Tibetan Museum and the Kalachakra Temple, all inside the same complex. Best visited early, before the tour groups arrive.
The walk
What's outside the door
McLeodganj rewards people who walk it rather than drive it. Everything below is reachable on foot from Kora House — most of it inside twenty minutes.
The Lingkhor · directly outside
A tree-lined circuit around the Tsuglagkhang complex, marked by prayer wheels and mani walls, walked daily by monks and residents from early morning onward. No technical difficulty, and the single best way to feel the town's rhythm before the market opens.
HOVER TO TURN · CLOCKWISE
The circuit runs clockwise from the temple gate and comes back to it. The five stops are below, in the order you walk them.
20–30 minutes at an unhurried paceMostly shadedPrayer wheels along the wallMani stonesLangurs in winterGood for birds
Along the way
Five stops, in the order you walk them.
Gerd Eichmann · CC BY 4.0The wheel wall at the temple end of the circuit.
Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0A stupa standing on the circuit.
Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0The shaded, pine-lined stretch.
Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0Mani stones along the wall on this stretch.
Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0Walkers completing the circuit.
These photographs were taken on this kora, but they show the path rather than each named landmark. The hosts' own pictures of their stretch will replace them.
And beyond it
Within a morning
McLeodganj main market
A walk down the hill
Tibetan and Indian street food, prayer-flag and singing-bowl shops, and most of the town's cafés. Far enough that you won't hear it at night; close enough that dinner is never a production.
Bhagsu falls & Bhagsunath temple
About 2 km from McLeodganj
A walk through a peaceful town, then steps to the top of the waterfall, with cafés along the way. The Shiva temple has a pool beside it where locals swim, and some shops sell Bhagsu cake.
Dharamkot
40 minutes to an hour on foot
A quieter hillside settlement up through the deodar, home to both Tushita and the Vipassana centre, and the way to the Triund trailhead.
Triund
9 km · 1,105 m ascent · about 3 hours up
The most popular trek here, climbing to base camp for the whole Dhauladhar range and the Kangra valley. Average difficulty, two stops for snacks on the way, and wildflowers in spring and summer. Some people camp on the ridge; a guide isn't necessary unless you need help carrying gear.
None of this needs a car and a plan. Most of it just needs a good pair of shoes and a morning free.
The rest of it is in the guidebook — where to eat, where to volunteer, and how to register for a teaching.
Walking times and temple opening hours shift with the season — ask at the house before you set out.