The Dhauladhar is a young, steep range. It rises from about 900 m at Kangra to over 4,500 m in roughly twenty horizontal kilometres, which is why the views are what they are — and why the weather turns as fast as it does. This page sets out how we run trips in it, and what we need from you.
How we grade a trek
Every trek on this site carries one of five grades. They are not marketing words.
- Easy — a well-trodden trail, one long day or an overnight, no technical ground. Triund is the type example. Suitable for a reasonably active beginner.
- Easy to Moderate — longer days or a rougher path, still no technical ground. You should be walking regularly beforehand.
- Moderate — multi-day, sustained ascent, camping at altitude, some loose or exposed sections.
- Moderate to Difficult — long days on rough ground, a high camp, weather exposure and a real chance of snow on the route.
- Difficult — high passes, scree, boulder fields, snow crossings and altitudes above 4,000 m. Indrahar Pass at 4,342 m is in this bracket. Previous multi-day trekking experience is expected, not optional.
If you are unsure which bracket you are in, call us and describe your last long walk honestly. Putting someone on the wrong trek helps nobody.
Altitude
Altitude sickness is the risk people underestimate most, and it is not related to fitness — strong young walkers get it as readily as anyone. It can begin above roughly 2,500 m, and several of our routes camp above that.
How we manage it: sensible daily height gain, a schedule with slack in it rather than a forced march, and guides who watch the group rather than the clock. Headache, nausea, unusual breathlessness at rest, dizziness or poor coordination all mean you tell your guide immediately. The only reliable treatment is to go down, and if your guide says down, the group goes down. Nobody is left alone on a mountain.
Arriving in Dharamshala a day early and sleeping a night at McLeod Ganj or Dharamkot before a high trek is the single cheapest safety measure available to you.
Weather, and turning back
We run treks in the seasons listed on each trek’s page for good reason. Outside them, passes hold snow, streams run high with snowmelt, and the monsoon between July and September brings landslides, leeches and washed-out approach roads.
Your guide can shorten a day, change the route or turn the group around at any point on safety grounds, and that decision is not open to negotiation. It is worth knowing this before you book: the summit is optional, coming back is not.
Guides and group size
Every trek runs with a local lead guide who knows that specific route and the villages along it. Larger groups and the harder routes carry additional support staff so nobody in the group is ever unaccompanied. Guides carry a first-aid kit and know the descent routes and the nearest road heads.
Equipment
We supply tents, sleeping arrangements, cooking equipment and the group safety kit on camping treks. You bring personal gear — broken-in boots above all, plus layers, a windproof and waterproof outer, sun protection, a head torch and a water bottle. Each trek’s page lists what to pack, and our Dhauladhar packing list goes through it properly. If you are missing something, we rent boots, jackets, sleeping bags and packs — see trek gear rentals — rather than let you start a route underdressed.
Food and water
Trek meals are cooked fresh by our own crew, vegetarian by default, with dietary requirements handled if you tell us at the time of booking. Drinking water comes from streams above habitation and is boiled or treated. Do not drink untreated water lower down the valley, and carry your own bottle rather than buying plastic on the trail.
Before you book: medical
Tell us at the time of booking about heart or lung conditions, high or low blood pressure, diabetes, epilepsy, recent surgery, a current injury, pregnancy, severe allergies, or any regular medication. This is confidential, it is seen only by the people running your trip, and it changes what we can plan around. If a condition means a particular route is a bad idea, we will say so and suggest another.
Bring your own medication in sufficient quantity, in your own daypack, and tell your guide where it is and what it is for.
If something goes wrong
Guides carry a first-aid kit and are trained to stabilise and evacuate. Most incidents are managed by walking or carrying someone down to a road head. Mobile coverage on these routes is patchy to non-existent, so evacuation from a high camp takes hours, not minutes — that is the honest picture. The nearest full hospital facilities are at Dharamshala and Kangra.
Helicopter evacuation is possible in the Kangra region but is weather-dependent and expensive. We strongly recommend travel insurance that covers trekking to the altitude of your route and includes emergency evacuation. We do not provide insurance.
Paragliding
Tandem flights at Bir Billing and Indru Nag are flown by licensed pilots on certified equipment, with a helmet and harness provided and briefed before takeoff. Flying depends entirely on conditions: pilots cancel rather than fly in poor weather, and winter fog or rain between November and February grounds flights regularly. If you are flying on a fixed schedule, build a spare day into it, and book refundable onward travel.
Tell us in advance about back or neck problems, heart conditions, recent surgery or pregnancy, and about flying with children so we can put you with the right pilot.
Rentals on mountain roads
Himachali mountain roads are narrow, blind-cornered and shared with buses that will not give way. Helmets are included with every two-wheeler and we expect you to wear one. Ride within your experience, do not ride these roads at night if you can avoid it, do not ride after drinking, and check the weather before committing to a long route. A valid licence for the class of vehicle is required — this is a safety rule as much as a legal one.
What we ask of you
- Be honest about your fitness and your medical history.
- Break your boots in before you arrive.
- Listen to your guide, especially when the answer is no.
- Say something early if you feel unwell — small problems high up become large ones quickly.
- Carry travel insurance.
- Carry your rubbish out.
Talk to us
If you have a question about whether a route is right for you, ask before you book, not after. We would rather talk you into an easier trek than out of a bad experience.
+91 88845 91875 · dharamshalatours.in@gmail.com · 7am–9pm daily