Picture Courtesy: Preeti Anathal (Instagram: @preetianthal)
Mcleodganj (Upper Dharamsala) is a small scenic town perched on the ridge of the snowcapped Dhauladhar range of Indian Himalayas. The town has a cultural significance as it is the home to HH Dalai Lama and is also called ‘Little Lhasa’ because of strong Tibetan community.
Living
You can find good private rooms on airbnb at $15-$20/day and other private accommodations at around $150–$200 for a month.
Internet
I am currently working from Mcleodganj and here’s a screenshot of my internet speed.
There is good 4G coverage and wi-fi connectivity. Internet in India is pretty cheap and you can get a GB of cellular 4G data in less than a few cents. Almost all cellular operators have a good connectivity in the town. With Dharamsala chosen to be one of the 100 smart-cities in India, things are going to get only better from here.
Co-Working Scene
Mcleodganj is fairly touristy and has many cafes offering free wi-fi that you can work from. We are organising the first digital nomad retreat in India, Remote Explorers, here in order to grow the co-working scene here and introduce this amazing place to digital nomads. There is a community space called ‘Ghoomakad’ just outside Dharamshala in a scenic village called Rakkar. We are also taking over the management of ‘Ghoomakad’ starting October this year. We plan to upgrade its infrastructure substantially to make it a coworking/coliving place for digital nomads and location independent professionals around the world.
Explore
There are many trekking routes around this area. Trek to Triund is quite popular for its scenic beauty and is 3–4 hours of hike one way. You can do paragliding and have a bird’s eye view of the majestic Himalayas from Bir Billing, venue for 2016 paragliding world cup, which is hardly 40kms away.
Culture
The fusion of Tibetan and Indian culture makes this place very unique. There are a few monasteries. It is a flourishing center of Tibetan and Buddhist tradition, culture, lifestyle, naturopathy, yoga, reiki, meditation, healing, food and language. The local market offers Tibetan artifacts, carpets, thangkas, garments and other handicrafts.
You can also visit different museums and art galleries which include Museum of Kangra art, Norbulingka institute, Tibetan museum etc.
Guest post by Prashant Abhishek, founder of Remote Explorers. They are organising a Digital Nomad retreat in the Indian Himalayas next month.
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