McLeodGanj Triund Trek

McLeodGanj Triund Trek

The McLeodGanj Triund Trek is that road-trip-that-sounds-simple-on-paper-and-turns-out-more-than-you-expected,-in-the-best-way. Two nights, three days, a Himalayan ridge at 2,850 metres, and a base town that has enough personality to keep you engaged before and after the climb. Lazymonkadventure runs this as a small-group, guided trek, and part of why it works so well as a weekend get-away on its own is that it’s not trying to be anything more than what it is. You arrive at McLeodGanj, spend a day in the town, trek up to Triund, spend a night on the ridge, and then you leave. Clean, direct, properly rewarding.

McLeodGanj is the starting point for the McLeodGanj Triund trek, but it’s worth pre-empting the trek by saying that the town itself is fascinating enough to warrant its own attention before you head up the trail. Set at around 1,457 metres on a spur of the Dhauladhar range, overlooking the Kangra Valley, McLeodGanj has been the home of the government-in-exile since 1960, and the 14th Dalai Lama has lived and worked here ever since. That legacy is threaded through every aspect of the place, from the prayer flags on the trees to Namgyal Monastery just a walk from the main market, the monks in maroon robes strolling the lanes, Tibetan restaurants serving butter tea and thukpa alongside the regular Himachali dhabas. It’s a layered town. It’s a pilgrimage site, a political outpost and a long-established stop for travelers. You don’t need to know the background to appreciate being there, but the more you know, the more you’ll see.

The first full day of the McLeodGanj Triund Trek is spent in McLeodGanj itself , and it’s worth the full day. Namgyal Monastery is the obvious place to start: the personal monastery of the Dalai Lama, with its active prayer hall and the kora walking circuit that goes around the complex and can be completed in 40 minutes at a leisurely pace. The Tsuglagkhang Complex beside it contains the main temple and the Tibet Museum, which takes an hour inside for anyone who wants the context for why McLeodGanj is the sort of place it is. After the monastery, the next step is obvious, the trail down to Bhagsu Nag , through the Bhagsu village, past the ancient temple tank and up the stream path to the waterfall. The gorge section near the falls is narrow and cool even in summer, and the walk gets you moving without much actual climbing. That matters, because Day 2 is the long one.

Day 2 The Climb to Triund, the most iconic day of the McLeodGanj Triund Trek, the one most people are thinking about when they book. The trailhead is in Dharamkot, a 20-minute walk or quick auto ride from the McLeodGanj market. From there it is about 9km of climb with about 900 metres of elevation gain. While the trail is graded as easy to moderate, with steep sections especially in the upper half, there is nothing that requires any technical mountaineering skill or significant prior experience in altitude. Most reasonably fit people can finish without a problem, although the common mistake is underestimating the sun exposure on the upper half and the pace needed to still feel good when you get there.

The lower part of the McLeodGanj Triund Trek trail runs through an exquisite mixed forest of oak, deodar cedar and rhododendron. The tree cover gives shade and the trail is well marked, it’s one of the more popular treks in the state and there are tea stalls along the way too. The Magic View Cafe, a little more than half-way up, is a true landmark: the name is not hyperbole and it’s a good spot for a 15-minute break/replenishment. As you pass the cafe the trail thins out and becomes steeper, and you start seeing the views open to the north towards the Dhauladhar as you climb higher. At the point where you reach the 22 curves, a series of steep rocky switchbacks approaching the summit, the Kangra Valley is behind you and the ridge is close enough to spur you on.

Triund ridge at 2,850 meters is the payoff. The Dhauladhar wall rises almost in a straight line from the northern edge of the ridge, and the peaks of 4,000 to 5,200 meters are close enough to fill up the entire northern horizon. There’s a small tea shop, a marked campsite area and no real infrastructure, which is just perfect. You set up tents, eat, and then the evening happens around you. The Kangra Valley stretches away in the distance, the light changing on the peaks, and the stars from 2,850 meters with no light pollution constitute a proper reward for the climbing work done earlier in the day. The stay at Triund is the part of the McLeodGanj Triund Trek that people talk about first when discussing it after the fact.

Day 3 is the descent – a 2.5-3-hour hike back down to Dharamkot – and then the rest of the morning in McLeodGanj before people go their separate ways. The descent is tougher on the knees than the ascent and should not be rushed, though it’s a good couple of hours with the valley opening up as one descends through the trees. Back in McLeodGanj, there’s time for a proper lunch, a last walk, some last shopping in the Tibetan market, and a long sit in a cafe that the urgency of getting ready for the climb the day before precluded. The trek itself takes three days, and it doesn’t feel like a short trek. Altitude, depth of culture in McLeodGanj, and staying on a ridge at night all contribute to making it longer than it is. Lazymonkadventure has kept the group sizes small and the support close on this trek — which matters on a route where weather changes quickly and the terrain above the treeline has no shelter.