Dharamsala lies along a spur of the Dhauladhar range, an outer emissary of the Himalayas, in Himachal Pradesh state. The peaks of the Dhauladars are about 5,200 meters above sea level, and are snow-clad for much of the year. Below the town stretches the picturesque Kangra Valley, while on the surrounding hills grow forests of pines and deodars. Brown bears, barking deers, leopards and monkeys roam the upper woodlands.

Dharamsala has the second highest rainfall in India; most of this falls during the July-September monsoon. The region is among the least urbanised in India - and the least industrialised. The economy depends largely on agriculture, with tea, rice, wheat and barley being the major crops. Click here for a regional map.