Dalhousie is a small hill station in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, set on five hills at elevations between 1,525 and 2,036 metres. The British established it in the 1850s as a summer retreat, and the name commemorates Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India. It still has the feel of a colonial hill station: old churches, steep lanes, and views across the Ravi River valley to the snow-covered Dhauladhar range.
Subhash Chandra Bose spent time here recovering from illness in 1937, and the town has a modest museum in his honour. The nearby Kalatope Wildlife Sanctuary, eleven kilometres away, protects mixed forests of oak, rhododendron, and pine, and is accessible on foot. Panchpulla, three kilometres from town, is a pleasant waterfall spot with a memorial to a soldier who died fighting bandits. For more serious trekking, Dalhousie is a starting point for routes into the Chamba Valley and toward Khajjiar, sometimes called the "mini Switzerland of India" for its meadow and lake set among cedars.
Getting here is easiest from Pathankot, about 80 kilometres away by road — the nearest railway station. From there, a bus or shared taxi winds up through the mountains. Alternatively, you can fly to Gaggal airport near Kangra and continue by road. Dalhousie is at its best in the summer months when it is a relief from the plains, and in autumn when the hills turn colour; winters bring cold and occasional snow.