Dharamsala was one of the first places that I really fell in love when I first started backpacking.

It's best known for being the home of the Tibetan government in exile and the residence of the he Dalai Lama. This in itself draws thousands of pilgrims from all over the world each year to this beautiful town built on the side of the Dahuladhar mountains in the Himalayas.

Each year hundreds of Tibetan refugees who have braved a dangerous journey across the Himalays from Chinese occupied Tibet make it here to safety, escaping oppression from there homeland and coming to see there spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

The town is made up of both Indians and Tibetans but it remains predominantly Buddhist.

The scenary is absolutely breathtaking with a view down a narrow valley you can see what seems like hundreds of kilometres on a clear day.

It's a good place to oragnise treks fruther into the mountains but for me the appeal lies with the many charming resturants and cafes serving everything from Tibetan to Pizza.

There are also plenty of meditation (zen and vipassana) and yoga courses as well as Tibetan language, martial arts and cooking classes.

It's another one of those places that just has that certain 'something' and may keep you longer than anticipated.