Bir is a quaint town in the Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh known for its natural beauty, unique Tibetan culture and meditation studies. Covered in vast estates of tea gardens, Bir enjoys a population of a few thousand Indians, a Tibetan settlement and a slowly growing international settlement of adventure enthusiasts and philosophy students. It lies 50 kilometers southeast to Dharamshala, McLeod Ganj- a four hour car ride away.
Billing, a valley 14 kms north of Bir, (known as the Bir-Billing area) is famous internationally for its world-class facilities for adventure sports such as paragliding, hand-gliding, trekking and camping.
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How to reach Bir-Billing
Traveling to Bir can involve four options: planes, trains, buses or taxis.
Planes: The closest airport to Bir is the Dharamshala airport, which itself is 35–40 kilometers away from Dharamshala. There are flights connecting Delhi to Dharamshala airport from where you can make your onward journey by bus or taxi.
Trains: Take a train to Pathankot/Chakki Bank (both in Punjab) from Delhi or wherever you are currently (direct or connecting) and from there take a taxi (5 hours) or bus (8 hours) to Bir. You can also take a toy train from Pathankot (after reaching there by train), which leaves one hour after the train to Pathankot arrives in the morning. It takes about 8 hours, is really slow, but offers stunning views of the Himalayas.
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By Bus: Take a bus from Delhi to Baijnath (more frequent) or Bir Road from the Inter-State Bus Terminus. There are two overnight buses that leave for Baijnath from Delhi every evening. One you reach Baijnath early next morning, you can choose to travel the last leg of your journey (30 minutes) by bus or taxi. Local buses leave every half an hour for Bir from Baijnath.
By Taxi: Taxi is the easiest and the fastest way of getting to Bir, but also the most expensive.
Pathankot to Bir: 4–5 hours (INR 1700–200)
Baijnath to Bir: 30 minutes (INR 250)
Dharamshala to Bir: 2–3 hours (INR 1200–1400)
Where to stay in Bir
Bir has a lot of options of budget hotels and guesthouses, including rentals by the famous Dharmalaya institute and Himachal tourism hotels in mainly the following areas of Bir: a) Upper Bir, b) Tibetan Colony, c)Chowgan and d)Ghornala. You can get a detailed list of a curated set of accommodation options in Bir here: Bir Beds. You can easily get a comfortable, basic, clean room in Bir-Billing for less than 1000 rupees a night.
Paragliding in Bir-Billing
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Bir has the world’s second best paragliding launch site in the world (after Lake Como, Italy), and the best for paragliding in India, at Billing, a valley 14 kms north to Bir. Every year over 100 professional pilots come to Bir to enjoy the infrastructure the Himachal Pradesh tourism ministry has put in place. In fact, this year in October, the Paragliding World Cup is taking place at Bir!(24–31 October) Lessons and supervised flights are also available for beginners. The tea plantations and stunning views of the Dhauladhaar range of the Himalayas make for a perfect launch site for Billing paragliding.
Launch Site: A ridge in Billing (2400 meters)
Landing Site: Western fields of Chowgan
Flying Season: March to mid-June, mid-September to March
Prices: Range from company to company, offering adventure sport options
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Other things to do in Bir-Billing
Visit Dharmalaya: The internationally known charitable organization, Dharmalaya, has its very renowned school in Bir that promoted education and empowerment for compassionate living with a focus of sustainable village development. The offer periodic classes and seminars on philosophy, meditation, health, ecology and organic gardening.
Bir tea factory: A Bir co-operative, it offers eco-tours for those interested in learning about the process and nuances of tea productions. Added bonus is a great tour of gorgeous and fragrant tea plantations!
Chokling Monastery: Located in Chowgan, this gorgeous monastery with an impressive stupa at its gate, regularly open seminars on Buddhist discourse for the public.
Take a stroll at one of the previously privately owned tea gardens of Chowgan.
Bir was meant to be discovered and explored on foot- slowly and carefully. Choose to trek, hike or walk through several forest trails to any of these places mentioned above on foot, and enjoy the view and weather of one of the best places to visit in Himachal Pradesh.
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