Taste 20+ Kangra Tea Flavours at The Lodge at Wah

traditional architecture

tea estate tour

Curated & Hosted By

The Lodge at Wah, Palampur

Location

Himachal Pradesh

India

Duration

4 Days/3 Nights

Price Starts At

$804 Per Room

About The Journey

Set among the tea gardens of Himachal Pradesh's Kangra Valley, The Lodge at Wah began as a family home and remains strongly connected to the landscape that surrounds it. Built from locally sourced mud, wood and stone by regional craftsmen, the lodge reflects a considered way of living with nature rather than apart from it. Staying here offers an opportunity to experience Kangra beyond its mountain views – to understand its tea, food, craftsmanship, stories and the people who have shaped life in the valley.

The experiences that follow open up this world through encounters with the surroundings and its traditions, from exploring the tea gardens and discovering local flavours to meeting artisans and learning the stories that give the valley its character. Each is an invitation to experience Himachal Pradesh at a gentler pace, guided by people who are local to this region.

We look forward to welcoming you to Wah and sharing the flavours and stories that make the Kangra Valley so special.

CURATED & HOSTED BY

The Lodge at Wah, Palampur

Himachal Pradesh, India

The Lodge at Wah, Palampur gallery image 2

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STANDARD PRICE

$804

Per Room

3 Nights / 4 Days, Double occupancy

STARLIFE MEMBER PRICE

$699

Per Room

Save $105 | Members Only

Pricing is based on double occupancy and does not include taxes. Rates may vary for higher room categories, seasonal travel periods, and special requests. Group booking benefits and solo traveller discounts are available.

9 EXPERIENCES | ALL INCLUSIVE

The moments that make

this journey

STAR PARTNER

Himachal Pradesh, India

Sleep in a House of Reclaimed Wood

Traditional Architecture

The Lodge at Wah, Palampur

The Lodge at Wah grew out of Deepak Prakash's idea of a family house on the tea estate his family has run since 1953, and it was built the way the valley has always built: walls of mud dug from the ground it stands on, with stone, slate and timber. The wood carries a history of its own — much of the cedar and pine was salvaged from a Palampur courthouse as it was pulled down, so the bannisters were once witness stands and some of the doors and windows sat in a working court. The estate around it has grown tea without pesticide for over a decade. Ask where a beam or a door came from; most have a second life behind them.

STAR PARTNER

Himachal Pradesh, India

Walk the Tea From Leaf to Cup

Tea Estate Tour

The Lodge at Wah, Palampur

The estate is named Wah after a town near Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan — the birthplace of a pre-Partition owner who named it for home; it has nothing to do with the Hindi word. It was planted in 1857, as Kangra tea climbed: by the 1880s it was sold in Kabul and across Central Asia, and it took gold and silver at London and Amsterdam in 1886 and 1895. Then the 1905 earthquake flattened the factories, the British sold up and left, and families like the Prakashes eventually took the gardens on. You walk the estate to the factory and museum and taste twenty-odd teas — the green with its woody aroma and pale cup. Ask why Kangra tea nearly vanished; the answer is 1905.

STAR PARTNER

Himachal Pradesh, India

Watch the Sunset from the Sundowner Deck

Sunset Views

The Lodge at Wah, Palampur

As dusk settles over the valley, the lodge's third floor becomes the place to be, a walk-up deck built specifically for watching the sun go down. Homemade cookies and tea cake accompany a final cup of tea as the sky shifts color over the surrounding hills, a genuinely peaceful close to the afternoon's estate walk. There's no rush to this hour, just the simple pleasure of good company, good tea, and a view that changes by the minute. Weather permitting, this becomes one of the day's most memorable moments, understated but deeply relaxing. It's a fitting reflection of the lodge's overall philosophy, finding beauty in quiet, unforced moments rather than elaborate spectacle. Guests often linger here well past sunset, reluctant to move on to dinner. For anyone seeking a genuine slow-travel experience in the Kangra Valley, this sundowner captures exactly that spirit, simple ingredients, stunning setting, and time enough to actually notice it.

STAR PARTNER

Himachal Pradesh, India

Gather Fireside for Stories and Soup

Bonfire

The Lodge at Wah, Palampur

As evening deepens, guests gather around the common campfire with the lodge's hosts and fellow travelers, weather permitting. Warm soup and seasonal appetisers are passed around as conversation flows freely, stories about the valley, the estate, and the day's experiences shared in a genuinely communal setting. It's an easy, informal hour, the kind of gathering that turns strangers into familiar faces by the time dinner is served. That meal follows shortly after, a wholesome dinner offered either indoors or under the open sky depending on the weather, closing out a full first day. The campfire itself becomes a recurring ritual across your stay, but this first evening carries particular weight, your introduction to the hosts and the rhythm of life at the lodge. There's something genuinely grounding about firelight, soup, and unhurried conversation after a day spent among tea gardens, a fitting end to Day One's blend of settling in and quiet discovery.

STAR PARTNER

Himachal Pradesh, India

Savor an Alfresco Breakfast in the Mountains

Al Fresco Dining

The Lodge at Wah, Palampur

Morning at the lodge begins gently, birdsong and fresh mountain air setting the pace before anything else happens. Rather than rushing into the day, you're invited to ease in slowly, settling into an indulgent alfresco breakfast served outdoors, thoughtfully prepared to match the unhurried mood of the morning. The setting itself does much of the work here, open air, valley views, and the kind of quiet that makes even a simple meal feel special. It's a deliberate contrast to the more active hours that follow later in the day, a chance to properly wake up before the jeep safari begins. Guests often linger over this breakfast, in no hurry to move on, savoring the mountain air as much as the food itself. For a retreat built around sustainability and connection to place, starting the day outdoors feels entirely fitting, a small ritual that reinforces the lodge's broader philosophy before the more adventurous portion of Day Two gets underway.

STAR PARTNER

Himachal Pradesh, India

Ride into the Hills on a 4WD Jeep Safari

Jeep Safari

The Lodge at Wah, Palampur

Later in the morning, a 4WD jeep safari carries you through charming villages, lush green hills, and shadowed valleys surrounding Palampur. The route is designed for genuine exploration rather than a fixed sightseeing loop, winding through terrain that showcases the region's varied landscape, from cultivated fields to quieter, forested stretches. Along the way, the jeep pauses for tea and snacks against stunning views of the Dhauladhar mountains, their peaks rising sharply above the valley floor. It's a well-balanced excursion, part adventure, part nature immersion, part simple tranquility, priced at Rs 10,000 per couple and well suited to guests wanting a more active complement to the lodge's slower rhythms. The safari also includes a picnic set up at the edge of a cliff, adding a genuinely memorable pause partway through the drive. By the time you return, you'll have seen a side of the Kangra Valley that most visitors never reach, remote, dramatic, and quietly spectacular.

STAR PARTNER

Himachal Pradesh, India

Begin the Day with Yoga and Meditation

Meditation Yoga

The Lodge at Wah, Palampur

Day opens with a calming yoga or meditation session, offering a deliberate contrast to the previous day's more active jeep safari. Set against the quiet of the valley, this session invites a slower, more inward start to the morning, breathing and gentle movement replacing adventure for these first hours. It's an accessible practice, suited to guests regardless of prior experience, designed simply to ground you before the day's other activities begin. Afterward, a relaxed alfresco breakfast follows, continuing the morning's unhurried tone outdoors amid the same fresh mountain air that's defined breakfasts throughout your stay. Together, the meditation and breakfast offer a genuinely restorative start, particularly welcome on this, your final full day at the lodge. For guests seeking more than just scenery from their time in the Kangra Valley, this morning session offers a meaningful, personal complement to the retreat's broader focus on slow, intentional living.

STAR PARTNER

Himachal Pradesh, India

Learn the Feast Only Botis Cook

Local Food Cooking Class

The Lodge at Wah, Palampur

The dish the chef shows you belongs to dham, the festival meal of the Kangra valley, and there is a rule about it worth knowing: a true dham is cooked only by botis, a caste of Brahmin cooks who inherit the work and start the night before. It is eaten the old way — seated on the floor, off pattal, plates stitched from leaves — course by course: madra of chickpeas simmered in yoghurt, mash dal under a sweet-and-sour khatta, sweet rice to finish. The demo is a window onto that rather than the full feast, but the flavours are the real Kangri ones. Ask what makes a dham a dham; the answer is the botis, not the recipe.

STAR PARTNER

Himachal Pradesh, India

Picnic Where the Snowmelt Runs

Picnic

The Lodge at Wah, Palampur

Palampur takes its name from pulum, a local word for plenty of water, and the water is the point of the place: the snow on the Dhauladhar melts into a web of streams — the Neugal the best known — that run down through the pine and made this good tea country in the first place. The ridge picnic at Kandbari sits in that landscape, pine forest on one side and a rivulet on the other, the white range filling the skyline behind. You take tea and snacks on the grass with nowhere in particular to be. Come in the late afternoon, when the Dhauladhar catches the last of the sun.

DAY-BY-DAY

Your

Itinerary

DAY

WHERE YOU WILL BE

Wah Tea Estate & Palampur Valley

Morning

Afternoon

‣

Arrive and settle into your room, where mud, wood and stone create a warm, understated retreat.

‣

Walk through the historic 526-acre Wah Tea Estate and discover the journey of Kangra tea from leaf to cup.

‣

Visit the tea factory and museum before sitting down to a guided tasting of more than 20 tea flavours.

Evening

‣

Watch the sun go down over the valley from the third-floor terrace, with homemade cookies, tea cake and a cup of tea.

‣

Later, gather around the campfire with your hosts and fellow guests for warm soup, seasonal appetisers and stories.

‣

Enjoy a wholesome dinner indoors or beneath the open sky.

DON'T MISS

Relish tea tasting at Wah Tea Estate, where more than 20 flavours offer a closer look at the craft of Kangra tea.

DAY

WHERE YOU WILL BE

Palampur Valley and Dhauladhar Foothills

Morning

‣

Begin slowly with an alfresco breakfast, served outdoors amid the sounds of the valley.

‣

Enjoy the fresh mountain air before setting out for the day's exploration.

Afternoon

‣

Travel by 4WD through the villages and green hills of the Palampur Valley.

‣

Follow roads into quieter valleys and stop along the way for tea and snacks.

‣

Pause at a scenic viewpoint overlooking the Dhauladhar mountains before continuing your journey.

Evening

‣

Return to the property for an evening around the shared campfire.

‣

Meet fellow guests, share stories over soup and appetisers, and relish dinner indoors or under the stars.

DON'T MISS

Enjoy the mountain tea stop during your 4WD journey, a simple pause with wide views of the Dhauladhars.

DAY

WHERE YOU WILL BE

Wah Tea Estate and Kandbari

Morning

‣

Start the morning with a gentle yoga or meditation session.

‣

Follow it with another leisurely alfresco breakfast, giving you time to enjoy the charm of the estate.

Afternoon

‣

Join the chef for a live demonstration of a local dish and learn about the flavours and techniques behind it.

‣

Later, head to Kandbari for a relaxed ridge picnic among pine trees, beside a mountain rivulet.

‣

Settle in with tea, coffee and snacks while enjoying the surrounding mountain landscape.

Evening

‣

Return for your final evening around the campfire with your hosts and fellow guests.

‣

Enjoy warm soup, seasonal appetisers and a relaxed farewell dinner, served indoors or beneath the open sky.

DON'T MISS

Savour the Kandbari ridge picnic – tea, pine forests, a mountain stream and views of the surrounding landscape make this a fitting final afternoon in Palampur.

DAY

WHERE YOU WILL BE

The Lodge at Wah, Palampur

Morning

‣

Savour your last breakfast with breathtaking views, as you say goodbye to the Palampur Valley.

Afternoon

Evening

Starting Package Price

STANDARD PRICE

$804

Per Room

3 Nights / 4 Days, Double occupancy

EXCLUSIVE STARLIFE MEMBER PRICE

$699

Per Room

Save $105 | Members Only

Inclusions

✓

Daily breakfast and dinner.

✓

Guided walk through the Wah Tea Estate.

✓

Guided tea factory and tea museum visit.

✓

Tea tasting featuring 20+ Kangra tea flavours.

✓

Sundowner experience on the deck, including homemade cookies and tea cake (weather permitting).

✓

Evening campfire with warm soup and seasonal appetisers (weather permitting).

✓

Alfresco breakfast experience.

✓

Morning yoga or meditation session.

✓

Live local cooking demonstration.

✓

Scenic ridge picnic at Kandbari with tea, coffee and snacks (weather and guest interest permitting).

✓

Transport for the Kandbari picnic.

✓

Storytellers, guides and drivers where required for the included experiences.

✓

Early check-in or late check-out preference, subject to availability.

Exclusions

Lunches and beverages not specifically mentioned in the itinerary.

Airport transfers.

Mountain-top 4WD jeep safari.

Extra mattress.

Additional excursions and experiences not mentioned in the itinerary.

Personal expenses and services not specifically mentioned above.

Experiences or activities subject to weather conditions where an alternative is not available.

Ready to experience

The Lodge at Wah, Palampur?

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$804

Per Room

Starlife Rate $699