Baijnath and Paprola sit at the heart of one of the most activity-rich corners of Himachal Pradesh — yet they remain far less visited than places like Shimla, Manali or even Dharamsala. That is, in many ways, their greatest gift to the traveller who discovers them.

Within 15 km of these twin towns you have a 13th century Shiva temple, a UNESCO tentative-listed narrow gauge railway, the paragliding capital of Asia, rolling tea gardens, Himalayan trekking trails, Buddhist monasteries, Tibetan cafes and some of the finest mountain scenery in the Dhauladhar range.

Here are the 10 best things to do — chosen and described by people who live here, not just pass through.

1. Visit the Baijnath Temple at Dawn

Location: Baijnath town centre | Time needed: 1–3 hours | Cost: Free

No list of things to do near Baijnath starts anywhere other than the temple. But the specific recommendation here is not just to visit — it is to visit at dawn.

Arriving before 6 AM for the morning aarti is an experience that completely transforms your understanding of this place. The sky lightens over the Dhauladhar peaks, temple bells begin to ring, lamps are lit in the sanctum, and local devotees gather for the first ritual of the day. The combination of ancient stone, mountain air, incense and the sound of Sanskrit mantras in the early morning quiet is something that is very difficult to describe to someone who has not experienced it.

The temple dates to 1204 AD and is dedicated to Shiva as Vaidyanath, the divine healer. The stone carvings on the exterior walls are extraordinary — allow time to walk slowly around the outside of the temple and look at them properly.

Darshan timings: 6:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM – 8:00 PM. Entry is free.

2. Ride the Kangra Valley Toy Train

Location: Paprola Railway Station | Time needed: Half day to full day | Cost: ₹50–100

The narrow gauge Kangra Valley Railway is one of India’s great railway journeys — and Paprola is right on the line.

Built in 1929, this UNESCO tentative world heritage railway runs 164 km from Pathankot to Jogindernagar, crossing 971 bridges and traversing some of the most beautiful valley scenery in the Western Himalayas. At its unhurried pace, the toy train offers a window onto the Kangra Valley — its rice terraces, its rivers, its mountain villages, its views of the snow-capped Dhauladhar — that no road journey can replicate.

Even if you are not using the train for long-distance travel, a short journey from Paprola to a nearby station and back is worth the time. Sitting at the window as the narrow gauge engine pulls you through the valley with the mountains rising ahead is a genuinely magical experience.

Paprola station itself is charming — the kind of small Himalayan railway station that feels largely unchanged from decades past. The sight and sound of the train arriving and departing is a daily spectacle that locals never quite tire of.

3. Go Paragliding at Bir Billing

Location: Bir (14 km from Paprola) | Time needed: Full day | Cost: ₹2,500–₹3,500 for tandem flight

Bir Billing is the paragliding capital of Asia and one of the top paragliding destinations in the world. It hosted the Paragliding World Cup in 2015 and regularly attracts elite pilots from across the globe. And it is just 14 km from Paprola.

You do not need any experience to fly here — tandem paragliding with a certified instructor is available and is exactly as incredible as it sounds. You are driven by jeep up to Billing (the takeoff site at 2,400m), strapped in with your pilot and then you run off the edge of a Himalayan meadow and into the sky.

The flight brings you soaring over the valley — the Dhauladhar peaks above you, the patchwork valley floor far below, the wind the only sound — before landing back in Bir village some 15–30 minutes later. It is one of those experiences that rearranges something inside you.

Best season: March–June and September–November. Avoid monsoon months.

For the full guide, read our Bir Billing Paragliding Complete Guide.

4. Trek the Dhauladhar Foothills

Location: Trails accessible from Baijnath town | Time needed: 2 hours to full day | Cost: Free

The Dhauladhar range rises directly above Baijnath and Paprola, and its lower slopes offer some excellent walking and trekking opportunities that are almost entirely unvisited by tourists.

The forest trails through the oak and rhododendron woodland above the town give you a completely different perspective — looking down on the temple and the valley, with the higher peaks of the Dhauladhar rising behind you. In spring these forests are carpeted with wildflowers. In autumn the foliage turns gold and amber.

For more serious trekkers, the Dhauladhar offers challenging high-altitude routes including the legendary Indrahar Pass (4,300m), which connects Kangra to the Chamba valley on the other side of the range. This is a multi-day trek requiring preparation and ideally a guide.

For those wanting something less demanding, even a two-hour walk up the lower slopes above town rewards you with mountain views and the particular pleasure of moving through a Himalayan forest.

5. Watch Sheep Graze on the Dhauladhar Slopes

Location: Fields and slopes above Baijnath | Time needed: Flexible | Cost: Free

This one might surprise you on a list of tourist activities — but anyone who has stayed in this area will understand immediately.

The Gaddi community, Himachal Pradesh’s nomadic shepherd people, have grazed their flocks on the Dhauladhar slopes for centuries. In and around Baijnath, sheep are a constant presence — moving across the mountain pastures above town, grazing in the fields below the temple, making their seasonal migrations between the high alpine meadows in summer and the valley floors in winter.

There is something deeply peaceful and visually extraordinary about watching a flock of sheep move across a hillside with the snow-covered Dhauladhar peaks directly behind them. In golden hour light — the hour after sunrise or before sunset — it is among the most cinematic natural scenes in this entire region.

If you stay in a local homestay and rise early, you may be treated to exactly this scene from your window before you have even had your morning tea.

6. Day Trip to Palampur Tea Gardens

Location: Palampur (15 km from Baijnath) | Time needed: Half day | Cost: Low

Palampur is the tea garden capital of the Kangra Valley and one of the most pleasant half-day excursions from Baijnath.

The Kangra tea estates — the highest elevation tea-growing region in the world — produce a light, delicate green tea that is quite different from the robust Assam or Darjeeling varieties most Indians are familiar with. Walking through the neat rows of tea bushes with the Dhauladhar looming behind them is a genuinely lovely experience.

The most famous viewpoint in Palampur is Neugal Khad — a gorge where the Neugal river cuts dramatically through the hillside. The cafe at the viewpoint has been a beloved institution for decades. Sitting there with a cup of local Kangra tea and the mountains in front of you is one of those simple pleasures that stays in the memory.

Palampur is 15 km from Baijnath on good road — a 30-minute drive or taxi ride. A half day is sufficient, though the town rewards a full day if your pace is leisurely.

7. Explore Bir Village and Its Buddhist Monasteries

Location: Bir (14 km from Paprola) | Time needed: 2–4 hours | Cost: Free

Most visitors know Bir for paragliding. But the village itself — and particularly its Tibetan colony and Buddhist monasteries — is worth exploring independently of any flight.

The Tibetan community in Bir was established after 1959 and has created a unique cultural enclave in the middle of the Kangra Valley. The Chokling Monastery and Palpung Sherabling Monastery are both significant and beautiful. The streets of the Tibetan colony have a distinctive atmosphere — mani walls, prayer flags, butter lamp shops, the sound of monks chanting — that is quite unlike anything else in the region.

The cafe culture in Bir has grown around the paragliding community and offers some of the best coffee and food in the entire Kangra Valley. Thukpa, Tibetan butter tea, momos and apple pie coexist happily on menus that serve pilots from across the world alongside local Himachali families.

Bir is easy to combine with a paragliding trip but is equally worth visiting for its own character on a separate day.

8. Photograph at Sunrise and Sunset

Location: Various spots around Baijnath and Paprola | Time needed: 1 hour | Cost: Free

The Dhauladhar range, facing south and rising steeply above the valley, catches the first and last light of day in a way that is consistently spectacular. The golden hour in Baijnath — whether the warm pink light on fresh snow in winter, the soft glow on spring wildflowers or the dramatic cloud formations of the monsoon season — provides photography opportunities that are genuinely world-class.

Key photography spots in the area:

• Above the Baijnath Temple at sunrise — the spire against the glowing peaks
• Paprola station at the arrival of the morning toy train
• The fields above town where sheep graze in early morning light
• Neugal Khad in Palampur at sunset
• Billing meadow (at Bir Billing) — an alpine meadow at 2,400m with 360-degree mountain views

You do not need expensive equipment. The light and the landscape do the work. What you need is the willingness to set your alarm and be in the right place at the right time.

9. Eat a Proper Himachali Meal

Location: Local dhabas in Baijnath town | Time needed: 1 hour | Cost: ₹100–300 per person

Himachali cuisine is one of the great unsung food traditions of India. It is hearty, warming, deeply flavoured and almost entirely unrepresented in Indian restaurants outside the state.

Eating a proper Himachali meal in Baijnath — not a tourist-facing menu, but the real food that local families eat — should be considered a non-negotiable part of any visit to this area.

Things to specifically seek out:

Siddu: Steamed stuffed bread made from wheat flour, typically filled with poppy seeds, ground walnuts or lentils. Eaten with ghee and accompanied by a lentil soup. It is warming, sustaining and quite unlike anything else in Indian cuisine.

Madra: A slow-cooked curry of chickpeas or kidney beans in a yoghurt-based gravy, flavoured with cloves, cardamom and bay leaves. Rich and complex in flavour.

Dham: The traditional Himachali festive meal — a full spread of rice, dal, rajma, boor ki kari and meethe chawal. Sometimes available at local restaurants, always available at community feasts during festivals.

The best approach is simply to walk into the dhaba with the most local clientele — truck drivers, farmers, shopkeepers — and order what they are having. The food will be inexpensive, fresh and authentic.

10. Attend the Morning Aarti at the River Binwa

Location: Riverside behind Baijnath Temple | Time needed: 30 minutes | Cost: Free

This final recommendation is the one that most visitors miss — and the one that most locals consider the quiet heart of daily life in Baijnath.

The Binwa river runs directly behind the temple. In the early morning, local devotees gather at the riverside ghats for prayers and ritual bathing — a practice that has continued here for centuries. The combination of the clear glacial river, the mountain peaks catching the first light, the sound of morning prayers from the temple and the smell of incense and marigold offerings creates an atmosphere of profound peace.

This is not a spectacle put on for tourists. It is simply daily Himalayan life — the ordinary sacred — and being present for it, quietly and respectfully, is one of the most genuine travel experiences this region offers.

Arrive before 6:30 AM and simply find a spot on the riverbank to sit and observe. No special permission is needed. No entry fee. Just the river, the mountains and the morning.

Planning Your Visit

All ten of these experiences are accessible from a base in Baijnath or Paprola. You do not need a car for most of them — the temple, river, railway station and local walks are all on foot, while taxis and buses handle the slightly further destinations like Bir and Palampur easily.

A minimum of two nights gives you time to experience the area properly. Three nights is better. Those who stay longer almost always say they should have planned for more time.

For accommodation near Baijnath temple, browse our Stay Directory. For transport options to and within the area, read our Complete Transport Guide.

Follow @LifeAtDhauladhar on Instagram for daily reels and photos showing exactly what life looks and feels like in this corner of the Dhauladhar — the experiences on this list and the hundred smaller ones that no guide can fully capture.