The Triund trek
The ridge walk everyone comes to Dharamkot for: about six kilometres up from the Gallu trailhead, with the Dhauladhar on one side and the Kangra valley on the other.
- Distance
- About 6 km each way from Gallu Devi; roughly 9 km if you walk up from the village
- Effort
- Easy to moderate, no trekking experience needed
- Best time
- March to June, and September to November
Triund is a grassy ridge at roughly 2,850 metres, and it is the reason a good number of our guests are here. The trail starts at Gallu Devi temple above the village, climbs through oak and rhododendron forest, passes a string of tea stalls, and finishes with a steep zigzag section the local guides call the twenty-two curves. From the top the Dhauladhar stands directly north and the whole Kangra valley falls away south.
Most people take three to four hours up at a steady pace, or four to six if they stop properly, and three to four back down. You can be up and back in a day comfortably if you leave early. It is a walk rather than a climb (the trail is well marked and busy enough that you will not be alone), but it is a thousand metres of ascent from the trailhead, so it deserves water, sun cover and honest shoes.
If you would rather skip the first stretch, the road reaches Gallu Devi and a taxi can drop you there, which takes about two kilometres and a fair bit of climbing off the day.
Check it yourself
While you're here
Gallu Devi temple
A small ridge temple among the cedars, the Triund trailhead, and the best short sunset walk from the village.
Bhagsu waterfall and temple
A twenty-metre fall behind the old Bhagsunag temple, with the café terraces of Upper Bhagsu stacked above it.
Yoga and meditation
Three of the best-known centres in the Indian Himalaya are within a ten-minute walk. All three need booking well ahead, and two of them close for the winter.