India · Private & tailor-made
Himalayan Wellness in Dharamshala
Ten days in the Himalayan foothills around Dharamshala — Tibetan Buddhist culture, yoga and quiet, the tea gardens of Kangra and the heritage village of Pragpur.
Private & tailor-made — price on enquiry, shaped around your group and dates. Land only, excludes flights.
The journey
A slower kind of trip — the Himalayan hill town of Dharamshala, home to the exiled Tibetan community and the Dalai Lama, with yoga, monastery walks, Tibetan art and the tea gardens of the Kangra valley.
Dharamshala — ‘Little Lhasa’ — is the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile, and the trip is built around its calm: guided monastery walks and a meditation session with a Buddhist practitioner, a hands-on thangka painting workshop at the Norbulingka Institute, and Tibetan food and reflection.
Between the culture there's space to breathe — sunrise yoga looking out at the mountains, spa and Ayurvedic therapies, gentle nature walks, and a wander through the Kangra tea estates and the old hill fort. It ends in Pragpur, India's first heritage village, before the return to Delhi. Private and unhurried throughout.
Where you'll go
Trip highlights
What stays with you
Monastery walks and a meditation session with a Buddhist practitioner.
A thangka painting workshop at the Norbulingka Institute.
Sunrise yoga and Ayurvedic spa therapies in the foothills.
The Kangra tea estates and the heritage village of Pragpur.
Day by day
Your itinerary
Arrive in Delhi
Met at Delhi airport and taken to your hotel, with a welcome briefing and time to rest after the flight.
Up to Dharamshala
A short flight to Kangra (Gaggal) airport and up into the hills to Dharamshala, the seat of the Tibetan community in exile. In the afternoon, visit the Tsuglagkhang complex — the Dalai Lama's temple — to learn about Tibetan Buddhist life, before settling in for dinner.
Tibetan heritage
A guided monastery walk and a meditation session led by a Buddhist practitioner, then the Norbulingka Institute, which keeps Tibetan arts alive, and a hands-on thangka painting workshop. A lunch of momos and thukpa rounds out a day inside Tibetan culture.
A wellness day
A gentle day: sunrise yoga looking out over the mountains, spa and Ayurvedic therapies through the day, and a tasting of the local Himalayan herbal teas.
Village life
A guided walk through the Himalayan villages nearby, a home-cooked lunch with a local family, and, as the evening draws in, stories around the fire.
The mountains at your pace
An easy nature walk through forest and countryside, a stroll through the tea gardens, and a scenic mountain drive, with the afternoon simply to rest and take in the quiet.
The Kangra valley
A day in the Kangra valley: a working tea estate to see how the region's tea is grown and made, the ancient hill fort of Kangra, lunch at a local café and time among the artisan shops, finishing with a sunset picnic over the valley.
The heritage village of Pragpur
On to Pragpur, India's first officially declared heritage village, with its cobbled square and old colonial-era houses. Stay in a restored heritage property and spend a slow afternoon wandering the lanes.
Return to Delhi
A flight back to Delhi, some time for a little curated shopping, and a farewell dinner of contemporary Indian cooking.
Departure
After breakfast, a private transfer to the airport for your flight home.
Where you'll stay
Your hotels
You stay in boutique and heritage properties in Delhi, a comfortable resort in the Dharamshala hills, and a restored heritage haveli in Pragpur. The source doesn't tie the trip to specific hotels, so we confirm the exact properties when we tailor it to your dates.
What's included
- All accommodation as listed (9 nights)
- The internal flights Delhi–Kangra–Delhi
- Private, English-speaking guiding and a private car and driver throughout
- Yoga and meditation sessions, the monastery walks, the Norbulingka visit and thangka workshop, and the tea-estate and village experiences
- Spa and Ayurvedic therapies as scheduled in the programme
- Daily breakfast, and other meals as specified when we tailor the trip
- 24-hour in-country support and ATOL financial protection
Not included
- International flights to and from India
- India e-visa and any vaccinations
- Travel insurance (required — with medical and repatriation cover)
- Additional spa treatments beyond those scheduled
- Meals not specified, tips, and anything of a personal nature
Good to know
Before you go
When to travel
March to May and October to November are the clearest, mildest windows in the foothills; winters are cold and the monsoon (July–September) brings heavy rain.
Who it suits
Couples, solo travellers and families with older children who'll enjoy a calmer culture-and-wellness pace rather than a packed sightseeing trip.
Pace and fitness
Gentle throughout — easy walks and plenty of rest. The altitude is modest, with Dharamshala sitting around 1,500–1,800m.
Health and water
Drink bottled or filtered water; the hills are cool, so pack layers. Check vaccinations with a travel clinic well ahead.
Money
The currency is the Indian rupee. Cards work in the hotels; carry cash for the villages and smaller shops.
Making it yours
Private and unhurried — we can add more spa and yoga, extend to Amritsar and the Golden Temple, or combine it with time on the plains. Just ask.
Make it yours
Ready to start planning?
This is a starting point, not a fixed package. Tell us who's travelling, your dates and roughly what you have in mind, and we'll tailor it — the pace, the comfort level and any extensions — and send you a detailed quote.
Travelling well
The STC way
We work with trusted local partners in the Himalayan foothills, and it shows in the detail: monastery and meditation sessions arranged with real practitioners, tea-estate and village visits that support the communities you meet, and a genuinely unhurried pace. It's the same groundwork behind our sister company, STC Expeditions, which has run trips in India for years.
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