Triund – The Foothills of Dhauladhar

Mountains & Hills are what fascinate me and my wife. Whenever the city life becomes overbearing we happen to excuse ourselves to the hills. Yesterday we covered most of Mcleodganj on foot. Today we shall be going to the famous Triund trail through Dharamkot and Galu Devi Temple. Triund is a ridge that overlooks the Dhauladhars. The ridge elevation is between 2,810 and 2,875 metres. It is a one-day trek 10 kilometres (one way) from Mcleodganj bus stand and under 6 kilometres (one way) from Galu temple near Dharamkot.

Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts

The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) was founded by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14^th Dalai Lama on reaching Mcleodganj in exile from Tibet in August 1959. It was then called Tibetan Music, Dance and Drama Society, which was one of the first institutes set up by the Dalai Lama. It is a vibrant and creative institute located on Dharamkot Road, Mcleodganj at a distance of about 850 metres from the main square. It is the premiere exile institute entrusted with the responsibility of preserving and promoting Tibet’s unique tradition of performing arts.

Dharamkot

Uphill from Mcleodganj, the scenic views get wider with rising elevation. Western lifestyle has an influence on the lifestyle of the small village of Dharamkot as it is home to many foreigners. In fact this village is also the base for a trek to Triund. Triund is a scenic pasture land higher up in the mountain range of Dhauladhar.

Galu Temple

Galu temple is situated at an altitude of 2,100 metres above sea level. From this height, you can get panoramic views of the lush Kangra Valley. This ancient Hindu temple with scenic views serves as a base camp for the Triund trek. Motorable road ends at Galu temple from where you need to start walking. Although majority of people hire a cab till Galu temple, we chose to walk all the way from our nest hotel. If you start the trek from Galu temple, everything becomes easier. In fact, this starting point is the best choice for people who want to come back from Triund on the same day. 

Triund Trail

Triund trail is rocky and cut in steps at some places. From Galu temple the trail starts as a gentle ascend till Magic View cafe. After the cafe, the ascent is steeper, finally cumulating in a steep final 2.5 kilometre stretch through a forest of Deodars and Rhododendron. This final stretch through the woods is known as 22-curves, because of the 22 switchbacks that one has to walk through to get to Triund.

Best View Cafe

A little more than 2.5 km from Galu Temple on the Triund trail at an altitude of 2500 metres, comes Magic View Cafe. It is a nonchalant but iconic chai shack serving trekkers since 1984. It is a popular stopover just midway on the trek to Triund camp site, and so, crowded as well. So, we decided to move somewhat 100 meters ahead and sat at Best View Cafe, a somewhat new kid in the block.

Since we walked all the way so we reached Best View cafe around 3 pm. As we did not plan to camp we sat there enjoying our sips of hot coffee and slurping on to Maggi, appreciating the majestic beauty of the Dhauladhar range up close. After spending an hour or so up there we started on our way back. Had we went further, the sun would have set by the time we would have reached atop and we would not have been able to return.

An advice to all friends. If you are not planning to camp overnight at the top make sure you come back latest by 3.30 to 4 pm at Best View Cafe from the top since unlike the plains the sun sets abruptly on hills and it gets dark all of a sudden and so does the temperature drops and you may be caught in a dilemma unable to go either up or down.