MCLEODGANJ & TRIUND PACKING GUIDE 2020
Hope you are geared up for the fun-filled trip to McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh. ”Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations” finds its true meaning here as it takes close to about 12hrs to get here. McLeod Ganj also is known as Little Lhasa owing to it’s large Tibetan population, is a suburb of Dharamsala in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. A lot of people come to McLeod Ganj to study Tibetan Buddhism, culture, crafts, etc. The town is also known for Tibetan handicrafts, thangkas, Tibetan carpets, garments, and other souvenirs. McLeod Ganj is a backpacker’s heaven and you’ll find quite a lot of unique cafes to be tried out. You will also find the town to be influenced by Israeli culture, as it’s one of their preferred holiday destinations
Medicines:
Medicines for a headache, fever, stomach ache, cold, cough syrup and motion sickness may be required by you too.
Also carry any other medicines, specific to your health conditions.
Make sure you consult your family doctor before taking this trip, in case you have the slightest doubt about your fitness & health.
Clothes:
It’s best to wear layers as temperatures can change rapidly in terrains such as these. Hence wear layers, as it’s convenient to add/subtract layers as and when needed.
Also carry a sweater, gloves, cap (protect head and ears from cold winds), thermals and a winter jacket.
- Trekking shoes (recommended for trek) or Shoes with good grip .
- Comfortable lowers for trek (jeans not advisable)
Comfortable lowers will make your journey a lot better.
Woolen socks will keep your feet warm.
Weather is unpredictable in the hills, and nights can get unusually cold, hence it’s always best to be prepared
Gadgets:
Spare camera batteries: Carry at least one spare set of batteries required by your camera since.
Battery power bank: If you are an avid smartphone user and planning to log your route on your favorite GPS App, then make sure you are carrying a power bank with at least 10000 mAH capacity to keep your mobile phone running throughout the day.
Enough memory cards to last you the entire trip: Carry enough memory cards to cover your entire duration. If needed, borrow from friends but don’t depend on laptop HDDs or worse still, virus infested cyber café computers to copy and save your photographs!
Miscellaneous:
Torch (must carry for the trek, as there’s no electricity at the campsite at Triund)
Umbrella or a Rain Poncho(Poncho recommended for the trek)
Eye Mask, Neck Pillow, Light Blanket, Ear Plugs for the bus journey.
Book to Read/Board Games/Uno/Playing Cards
For Triund: Tissue Paper for campsite & a Hand towel. Do carry a plastic bag, to carry your soiled clothes.
Body Care:
Lip Balm: Dry and cold weather will make your lips dry so make sure to carry a lip balm, glycerin or Vaseline.
Sunscreen lotion: UV rays at high altitude can be quite damaging to the skin, even during the slightest of winter, so don’t forget to carry a good quality sunscreen lotion with a rating of SPF30 or higher. One can apply it a couple of hours before going out under the sun.
UV sunglasses
Caps
Wet Wipes
Hand Sanitizer
Eatables & Drinks:
Chocolates, biscuits, dry fruits and nuts: Carrying a couple of chocolates, a pack of biscuits along with dry fruits such as almonds, raisins and cashews is a good idea
Dry fruits provide instant energy and easy snack and don’t take up too much space.
Tip: Carry an Insulated Tiffin especially if you’re on medication so that you can have something packed for during the journey from the previous night’s place of stay.
Bags:
One big rucksack for clothes. A small one for medicines, tuck and other valuables and gadgets and other personal and body care essentials etc. Waist bags can be very useful and handy. (You could find all these at a reasonable price at a Decathlon Store nearby)
ID Cards : Mandatory to carry a Government approved photo ID Address Proof (i.e. Aadhar/Passport/Voter’s ID/DL and not PAN CARD)
tap to check the useful information
From Boarding from Delhi or elsewhere, please be critical to following these as communicated to you by Tripver or by your Trip Captain, as it is the most common and troublesome issue for the Trip Captain. More so since it’s not fair to those who make it on time. Be nice to your Captain and, he/she will reciprocate to maybe even go overboard the itinerary to cover an additional place or two.
You are responsible for your own and the safety of your belongings at all times. Although considered to be generally safe, it’s advisable not to be roaming alone outside hotel/campsite premises, post-sunset.
Food: Expect reasonably simple food at the places you’re visiting considering their remoteness.
Money: Withdraw money before your journey, there will be very limited ATM’s available at Mcleodganj and usually the cash is also limited at the ATM’s
Washrooms: During the journey availability and cleanliness may be an issue and although our drivers and Trip Captain’s try to make the stops as per pre-searched or in some cases the best possible judgment, these are some constraints while traveling offbeat.
Your check in at the hotel will begin as per the hotel check in time i.e around 0200 PM. You may leave your bags at the hotel and head out to explore Bhagsu Nag.
Triund is a very popular trekking spot and is considered to be the crown jewel of Dharamshala. Situated in the lap of Dhauladhar mountains, it has the perfect view of the Dhauladhar ranges on one side and Kangra valley on the other. Please be sensitive to the fact that water is extremely scarce here and it may be more expensive to buy atop due to freight charges borne by the locals. Hence, it’s not a bad idea to carry a bottle or two spare for at-least during the trek, as it may not be very easy/convinient to carry too much of it either.
The vistas from an altitude of about 2850mts above sea level will leave you spellbound especially if you’re lucky enough to have a clear sky to witness a star studded night and a splendid sunrise. All your fatigue will disappear, and a sense of calm and accomplishment will prevail once you complete the trek. There will be a common pit style natural toilet tent at the campsite, however there are hardly any, enroute. Expect a hardcore camping experience, modest meals, pre-pitched tents & bedding at the campsite.
Let’s keep our hills clean!
Travelers found or observed using offensive language or behavior with other travelers or any person connected to delivering the Tripver experience, under extreme cases may be terminated from the trip by the Trek Leader and blacklisted from subsequent community trips.
For those trekking to Triund, it’s approximately an 8km hike (each way). Trek route to Triund is rocky and is mostly uphill, one gets a lot of Sun whole on the trek, so an early start on the day of the trek and a healthy breakfast before starting out are advisable. The trek is fairly challenging for the first five kilometers but the last one kilometer is quite a toil. The last kilometer is popularly known as the “22 curves” as it has 22 tiring steep uphill curves before you finally reach Triund.
There is hardly any connectivity at Triund, so make sure you inform your friends/family about the same beforehand and ensure that a Trip Captain/trek guide is along-with you else you will not be able to find the campsite. Although you will find small stalls en route, it’s always best to carry a bottle of water(preferably not plastic- so one can refill and be plastic neutral), some dry fruits and pack of biscuits & glucose along with.
Excess luggage, before departing for the trek may be kept at the hotel at no extra charge.
This is a journey of your lifetime, it’s our advice that you enjoy this trip not as a tourist but as a traveler.
Hope this helps! Sit back relax and get ready for a memorable trip and a tryst with nature.
