Fun activities for an exciting time in Palampur

The hill station of Palampur in Himachal Pradesh is very uniquely situated amidst the snow covered mountains and green plains of the Dhauladhar ranges. This diverse landscape enables a lot of fun activities for travellers of varied tastes and ages. The landscape is also covered by tall pine forests and flowing streams and rivers. This has resulted in many scenic spots where you can picnic with your family, or take long, relaxed walks, while enjoying the beauty of this place. Moreover, tea cultivation has been practiced along the mountain slopes for ages, making this place the tea capital of northern India, and a place to enjoy the beautiful, sprawling tea gardens.


The first thing you will experience in Palampur is the beauty and serenity of nature all around you, along with the unique colonial architecture. It is one of the best places for professional photography. The first place on your itinerary should be the lush green tea gardens, where you can enjoy tea picking and tasting. Next, the Palampur Cooperative Tea Factory which is 1.5 km south of the bus station on the Kangra road, is a place you can visit to learn how tea is processed. The factory produces around 300,000 kg of green and black tea per year.

Those who love to enjoy nature, can take bicycling tours all around the valley, and long drives through the rough mountain terrain, or enjoy peaceful, scenic rides on the local train. If you are an adventure enthusiast, you will be delighted by the trekking opportunities that Palampur has to offer. Popular trekking routes in Palampur include Palampur to Holi, and Palampur to Dharamshala. The more serious lover of adventure sports, would definitely enjoy Paragliding, which this place is hugely famous for.

The twin villages of Bir and Billing have earned international renown for aero sports like paragliding and hang gliding, and draw tourists from all over the world. Fishing and angling in and around Palampur, is another sport you can indulge in, because of the rivers and streams flowing through this region. Some of the popular places for angling include Dehra Gopipur, Naduan and Pong Dam. Mahaseer is one variety of fish you can catch here, besides trout fishing, which is carried out only during specific season.

Picnicking along the banks of rivers is a popular activity here, due to the scenic spots all around. Neugal Khad, which is just a 5 minutes drive from Palampur, is a very beautiful picnic spot. Neugal Khad is a gorge which is more than 100 feet deep. The area around Bundla stream in Palampur is also another favourable picnic spot. Saurabh Van Vihar, is a beautiful park, which was opened in memory of Kargil Martyr Captain Saurabh Kalia. You can enjoy long relaxed walks here among the lush greenery and picturesque view of the mountains. This park has water bodies, picnic sheds, children’s play area, an open air theatre and more.

The Pong Dam is a good place for watching migratory birds. Palampur is also famous for its monasteries & temples. The Tashi Jong monastery is a place of religious significance for Buddhists and is also home to many Tibetan refugees. The complex has a college for freshers and a Tibetan restaurant besides the main shrine.

The Shiva Temple has a splendid architectural design which resembles that of the Jagannath temple in Puri, and is one of the most beautifully built temples in the Kangra Valley. To rejuvenate yourself, you can practice Yogasanas, Pranayama, Sat Kriyas ( body purification techniques) etc. at the yoga and meditation centres in Palampur. A visit to any place is incomplete without carrying back home some of the unique artifacts of that place.

In Palampur, you can shop for Tibetan handicrafts, Thangka paintings, carpets, woolens as well as some Kangra tea. Palampur has something to offer to travellers of all ages. So you can be assured you will never find an idle moment during your stay at Palampur, while you experience a place that is truly unique and relaxing, while being exciting at the same time.