Mcleodganj local site seeing package with Guide

Mcleodganj is the administrative headquarters of the Tibetan Government in exile in India. Mcleodganj a real cross section of Tibet is a well known learning centre of Tibetan culture and Buddhist dharmas and rituals. It has been nick named as the little Lhasa.

Mcleodganj City Local Sight Seeing Tour 

Mcleodganj Local Site Seeing Tour - Highlights (Customizable according to Interests)

• Cost only Rs 900/- or US$ 13 Per Person ( Min, 2 Pax),
• Group Price (4-5 Pax) - Rs 600/- or US$ 12 Per Person.
• Tour Starts at 9:00 AM Sharp & Concludes at 05:00 PM ( 8 Hours)
• Pick up & Drop from your Hotel. Or Start from Bus Stand/Mcllo Hotel Restaurant - Mcleodganj
• Guided Tour ( English Speaking Licensed Guide)
• Cover All Major Mcleodganj City Attractions
• Lunch at a good Restaurant - Ethenic Himachali Or Tibetan Food ( One Thali pe pax)
• Social Bonding with Tibetan Childerns in School
• Car Included for Bhagsu Nag, Dal Lake, Naddi and Other Distant Attractions
• Assistance in Tibetan Soveneirs , Books, & Other Shopping ( Guidance for Authentic Shops in Mcleodganj at Best Prices) 

Mcleodganj City Local Guided Tour Plan & Itinerary

Points to be Covered :-

TSECHOKLING GOMPA ( At Bus Stand)

At the base of a long flight of steps below the bus stand, this peaceful gompa was built in 1987 to replace the original Dip Tse Chokling Gompa in Tibet, destroyed in the Cultural Revolution. Home to a small order of Gelukpa monks, the prayer hall enshrines a statue of Sakyamuni in a magnificent jewelled headdress.

Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts Mcleodganj ( 15 minutes)

Located about a 15 minute walk from the center of McLeod Ganj, the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) was the first institute created in exile.  It exists to preserve and perform the colorful Tibetan culture of music, dance and theatre.  TIPA is a school as well as a center of performing arts.  At the school, a mix of modern and traditional Tibetan education is provided to Tibetan children who are also trained in their traditional music, dance and theatre.TIPA also trains individuals who are sent to Tibetan settlements and schools throughout India and Nepal to teach music and perfoming arts.   Performers from TIPA have also entertained all over the world.

Every April TIPA holds an annual Folk Opera Festival.  It is an exciting time of year and many folk operas, dance performances, plays and concerts are presented.  At other occasions TIPA also holds performances, for example during Losar, for visiting dignitaries and other important dates.

Dalai Lama Reception Center

The Reception Center in Dharamsala was opened in 1990 in response to the increasing number of new refugees escaping from Tibet to come to India to live in exile.  It is located near the center of McLeod Ganj and is always bustling with much activity.After crossing through Nepal, refugees make their way to Dharamsala via Dehli where their first stop upon arriving is the Reception Center.  Every day dozens of refugees flood the Reception Center and are given medical care, food and lodging.  After spending a few weeks at the center they are directed onward to a Tibetan Settlement, often in South India.

In addition to assisting new arrivals from Tibet, the Reception Center helps fresh refugees in their search for employment or to enroll in school or monastaries.  The center also provides training and financial assistance to help refugees start their own small businesses.

Tibetan Children’s Village ( 2 Kms)

The Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) program includes 15 schools that are spread throughout different parts of India.  In Dharamsala, the TCV programs educate approximately ten thousand children.  Three thousand of these children are also raised and looked after as many of  are orphans or newly arrived refugees from Tibet.

There are two TCV schools in the Dharamsala area.  The main school, known as upper TCV, is situated on 43 acres about two kilometers away from McLeod Ganj.  Here there are thirty eight homes, four hostels, a baby room, modern school building, sports grounds and a handicraft center all serving about three thousand children from infancy to age 18.  Lower TCV has about one thousand children.

TIBETAN MEDICAL & ASTROLOGICAL INSTITUTE (MEN-TSEE-KHANG)

Established to preserve the ancient arts of amchi (traditionalTibetan medicine) and astrology, the Men-Tsee Khang is a five-minute walk below the Secretariat. There’s a library andtraining college, and if you know the exact time you were born, you can have a whole life horoscope prepared in English forUS$45.

St. John's Church ( 3 Kms - By Car)

St. John's Church is one of the major attractions, which is a testimony of the bygone British Era. Constructed in 1852, this historic church built in Gothic style is famous for its tapering high windows and a bell in the compund.

Bhagsunag Temple and Waterfall ( 2 Kms - By Car upto temple, walk to Waterfall- 1km)

About 2km east of McLeod Ganj, Bhagsu (Bhagsunag) is developing into a busy summer resort. There’s a popular traveller centre at the back of the village, but things are definitely moving upmarket. has a cold spring with baths, a small Shiva temple built by the raja of Kangra in the 16th century, and a gaudy new temple with stairways passing through the open mouths of a cement crocodile and lion

Bhagsunag Waterfall is at its pristine glory during monsoon. The view of unsullied water gushing out of the waterfall and the mist emanating from the fall about 20 feet is indeed a delightfull experience.It is a marvelous location to live with nature enjoying the Himalayan serene nature and rejuvenating soft but cool breeze.

Sidhibari & Tapovan ( 15 Kms)

About 6km from Dharamsala, the little village of Sidhibari is the adopted home of Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Karmapa of Tibetan Buddhism, who fled to India in 2000.Although his official seat is Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, the teenaged leader of the Kagyu (Black Hat) sect has been banned from taking up his seat for fear this would upset the Chinese government. The temporary seat of the Karmapa is the large Gyuto Tantric Gompa (%01892-236637) in Sidhibari. Public audiences take place here on Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm; foreign visitors are welcome but security is tight and bags, phones and cameras are not allowed inside the auditorium. Nearby is the Tapovan Ashram, a popular spiritual retreat for devotees of

Rama, with a colourful Ram Mandir, a giant black Shiva lingam and a 6m-high statue of Hanuman. Regular local buses run from Dharamsala to Sidhibari. Tapovan is a 2km walk south along a quiet country road.

Norbulingka Institute ( 6 Kms by Car)

About 6km from Dharamsala, the wonderful Norbulingka Institute  was established in 1988 to teach and preserve traditional Tibetan art forms, including woodcarving, statue-making,thangka painting and embroidery. The centre produces expensive but exquisite souvenirs, including embroidered clothes, cushions and wall hangings, and sales benefit refugee artits. Also here are delightful Japanese-influenced gardens and a central Buddhist temple with a 4mhigh gilded statue of Sakyamuni. Next to the shop is the Losel Doll Museum with quaint puppet dioramas of Tibetan life.

More Information About Mcleodganj

Reaching Mcleodganj by Air

The nearest airport to Mcleodganj is  (IATA code DHM) is at Kangra about 50 km (31 mi) south of Mcleodganj and 20 km (6.2 mi) south of Dharamshala town. The airport has more than a kilometre long runway. Indian Airlines and some private airlines have regular flights to the airport.

Chandigarh airport is the nearest large airport located at 100 kms away and offers a scenic drive.