Palampur sits at around 1,200 m in the Kangra Valley, about 24 km from McLeodganj along a zigzag mountain road that runs through the Dhauladhar foothills. It is best known as the tea capital of north India: the slopes around town are carpeted in tea gardens first planted in the 19th century, and the cool, well-watered climate that suits the bushes also makes the place a pleasant escape from the heat of the plains.
The name is said to come from the local word pulum, meaning lots of water, and streams do run through the town in every direction. Between the tea estates and the pine and deodar woods, the air carries a resinous, green smell that makes Palampur an easy place to slow down for a day. The Dhauladhar range rises sharply to the north, close enough that the snow line feels within reach.
Most visitors come to walk. The cycle ride or drive in from McLeodganj is itself part of the appeal, threading past terraced gardens with the peaks always in view. Around town you can wander the tea estates, follow the Neugal Khad gorge where the river runs wide and shallow below the mountains, or visit the small temples and colonial-era buildings that the British left behind when they made this a hill retreat.
Palampur works well as a base for short treks into the Dhauladhar and as a quiet counterpoint to busier Dharamshala and McLeodganj. Bring a light layer even in summer; once the sun drops behind the range, the valley cools quickly.