Trekking in KANGRA VALLEY, Queen of the Hills.

Kangra valley is one of Himachal's beautiful valleys. Its rolls down the southern edge of magnificent Dhauladhar range in gentle slopes covered with forests of pine, orchards, green tea gardens and terraced fields. The Dhauladhars - the "White ranges" rise upto 14000 ft. providing a dramatic backdrop to the hill resort of Dharamshala. This is the principal township of Kangra covering a wide area in the form of town settlement. Lower Dharamshala (1380 m) is a busy commercial centre, while upper Dharamshala (1700 m) with the suburbs of Mcleodganj and Forsythganj, retains the British flavour more or less colonial lifestyle. The charming stone church of St. John in the Wilderness, with its beautiful stained glass windows is situated here and this churchyard is the final resting place of Lord Elgin, a British Viceroy of India who was buried here in 1863, as he chose to remain in the town he loved. Up in McLeodganj is a charming Tibetan settlement with bustling Bazars that sell carpets, handicrafts and delicious Tibetan food. A giant prayer wheel ornaments main street and in the monastery, a screne statue of the Lord Buddha presides over the gentle chanting of the monks. His Holiness, the Dalai Lama resides in McLeodganj, which is now a major centre for Tibetan Government-in-exile and Tibetan culture. It has a school for Tibetan studies with rare manuscripts and ancient texts, Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts and a handicrafts centre. Dharamshala has everything for a perfect holiday. Winter in the Kangra valley is enchanting. The snow line remains close enough at all times and during winter months, the northern part is swaddled allowing the magic of Kangra to take on yet another hue., Numerous ancient temples like Jawalamukhi, Bajreshwari, Chamunda and Baijnath lie on the plains below Dhauladhar.