Note - His Holiness the Dalai Lama lives in McLeod Ganj. His Holiness the Karmapa now also lives in the area in nearby Sidbhari. McLeod Ganj is 20 mins drive up the hill above Dharamsala township and Tushita is a further 10 mins drive up above McLeod Ganj.

GENERAL ADVICE

Be careful in India, watch your bags and always carry your money belt and passport on your body, inside your clothes preferably. Especially be watchful in airports and train stations. But also relax and enjoy - it's a bit of culture shock at first coming to India, but once you get used to it, it's quite amazing.

If you fly into Delhi, after you collect your luggage and pass through Customs, while you are still walking inside the terminal building you will come to a Pre Paid Taxi booth. There are also other taxi booths next to it, but go to the one clearly labelled "Pre Paid Taxis". There you tell them where you want to go, and pay for the taxi at that counter and they direct you to your taxi and you get dropped at your destination (don't pay the driver any more money when you reach your destination even if they ask!) That is usually the cheapest way to get a taxi. Beware of all the other private more expensive taxi guys, who will try to lure you away to their counters which will be considerably more expensive than the Pre-Paid one. Even when you have your Pre-Paid ticket in your hand and are walking to the taxi, the other taxi sharks will sometimes still hassle you, so walk resolutely to the Pre-Paid taxi booth or people outside the terminal!

If you plan to catch a train from Delhi to Patankot (the nearest stop to Dharamsala), there is now a booth at Delhi Airport just after you get your bags and pass Customs, where you can buy tickets. It's a good idea to buy your ticket there if you know what day you want to travel, as they do it instantly and usually there are no queues. If you buy one at the Train Station, it can take several hours of waiting.

GETTING TO DHARAMSALA

You can travel from Delhi to Dharamsala 3 ways - bus, train or taxi.

Train
There are a number of trains from Delhi to Dharamsala, but the one most people catch is the overnight train called the Jammu Mail which leaves OLD DELHI Railway station (NOT New Delhi Station) at 9.10 p.m. each night and you get off at Patankot Station usually arriving around 7.30 a.m. Patankot is quite a big station and the train stops there about 15 minutes. If you are worried about missing it, just ask the man on the train who gives out the blankets etc, to tell you when the station is coming up. Usually there are people awake in the carriage who will also help you get out at the right place. It's not difficult!

There are other night trains, e.g. the Shalimar Express which leaves New Delhi at 4 pm. And the Malwa Express which is a day train leaving New Delhi in the morning and arrives at Patankot in the evening.

To buy the ticket for any of the trains, go to the NEW Delhi Railway Station (opens about 8.00 a.m. and closes around 4.00 p.m.) When you walk into New Delhi Station, veer to the left side of the main arrivals and departure board and go up the stairs to the first floor to the TOURIST BOOKING OFFICE. When you reach the top of the stairs on the first floor, that office is straight in front of you with the door slightly to the right of you (has glass windows looking from the top of the stairs into the Booking Office).

You can pay two ways (need your passport for both)
- 1. With $US or Sterling and you get any change back in Indian rupees.
2. With Indian rupees but you have to show a legal encashment certificate (i.e. official receipt of having cashed foreign money in India)
Buy a ticket to Patankot which is the nearest train station to Dharamsala.

Costs: 2 Tier Air Conditioned Carriage - 830 rupees
Provides: Bed/seat with clean sheet, pillow and blanket given out after the train departs. Generally middle class Indians and foreigners travel this class so it is a bit safer from bag thieves and the carriage doors are locked at night so people don't wander through the carriages.

2nd Class Sleeper - Approx 200 - 300 rupees.
Provides: Wooden seat to sit/sleep on, no sheets, pillows or blankets. Keep an eye on your bags.

Warning - In Delhi when you catch a taxi to the station, allow plenty of time as the traffic can be very bad on the last part of the journey through Old Delhi streets.

When you reach Patankot, you either catch a local bus from the station (approximately 50 rupees and takes between 4-5 hours) or find some other westerners who also came on the train and share a taxi vehicle up to McLeod Ganj (approximately Rs 800 for the vehicle more if you have a bigger 4 wheel drive one) so shared between four people say, is not so expensive). There is a taxi stand at the train station, and they know all foreigners on the train are going to Dharamsala! The journey by taxi takes about two and a half hours and drives through incredibly beautiful scenery.

At McLeod Ganj, get another taxi up to Tushita (all the taxi drivers know Tushita) which is Rs 50. If you get an ordinary Maurti van taxi from Patankot, they will take you right to Tushita, but the bigger 4 wheel drive Tata Tsumo vehicles are a bit big for the road up here, so they can refuse to take you up the hill, in which case just get an ordinary McLeod Ganj taxi up here.

Buses

All the buses stop two or three times during the night for tea and food and toilet stops. The Government bus usually gives out free bottles of drinking water, but it’s a good idea to take your own drinking water on the other buses. The Gov bus has two drivers on the journey - a plains driver and a hill driver. Potala Tours in Majnukatila sells bus tickets to MG (350 rupees) - 394 6262; Ways Travel in Majnukatila also sells bus tickets to MG - 391 3254

Government Semi Deluxe Bus
For information phone the ISBT bus station -
General Inquiries - 296 8836
Himachal Roadways 296 6725
1. This bus leaves from the ISBT depot at 8 p.m. each night from Bay 6, which is downstairs at the ISBT. The bus arrives in Dharamsala around 8 - 8.30 a.m. The ISBT depot is north of Connaught Place between the Old Delhi Railway station and Majnukatila settlement (Tibetan settlement). Ask for the "Government Semi Deluxe Bus". This bus goes to Dharamsala only so you need to get a taxi from there to Tushita (the bus guys usually let you off in the main street of Dharamsala, rather than going right to the bus depot which is then a steep walk back up the hill to the main road to get a taxi! There’s a taxi stand just up the road from where you get out of the bus, and there are coollies waiting to help with your bags if necessary. The taxi will cost approx 130 - 150 rupees)
Cost: 350 rupees
You need to go to the ISBT and book your ticket prior to travel. Find Booking Window No 40 [to the far end of booking windows], which is the Himachal Roadways Booking Office. A tip! If you ask for a seat on the left hand side of the bus, you will not be so disturbed by the lights of the oncoming traffic during the journey. Seats 7 & 8 are okay!

You can also leave your luggage at the ISBT if you go to book a ticket and want to wander around Delhi for the day before catching the bus (or you can leave your luggage for several days there). There’s a counter where you can book you luggage in, but it must be in sealed bags or boxes. The charge is quite reasonable, and I think they call the counter the "Cloakroom counter" (or something similar!). I have left 5-6 pieces of luggage there for a day and it was perfectly fine when I collected it prior to catching the bus.

Potala bus
They have two deluxe busses which leave each evening from Majnukatila (Tibetan settlement on north side of Delhi) around 6 p.m. and 7 p.m [Please check these times!] and arrives in McLeod Ganj around 6 - 7 a.m. You can book a ticket at most Travel Agencies in Majnukatila. Cost - Approx. 350 rupees

Taxi

If you go to any of the travel agents or taxi booths in Delhi itself, you can find out about getting a taxi from Delhi to Dharamsala. For an Ambassador taxi it will be around 5,000 approximately and takes approx 11-12 hours.

WHERE TO STAY IN DELHI
(Also look up Lonely Planet Guide)

If phoning these hotels from outside of India, the country code and area code are - 91-11 followed by the number.

There are two areas in Delhi where most backpacking travellers stay on their way to Dharamsala - Paharganj and Majnukatila (marj-noo-ka-tilla).

Majnukatila
Majnukatila is a Tibetan Settlement on the north side of the city. Here there are lots small hotels and guesthouses all close and within walking distance of each other. And Tibetans are always friendly, helpful and generally trustworthy, so if you need help just ask.

You could try either of these Guesthouses:
Gomang House, 14-A New Tibetan Camp,
Majnukatila, phone 2932537.
Wongden House, 15-A New Tibetan Camp,
Phone 391 0953 or Fax 3945962
Air conditioned delux room is Rs 650, and delux
room 450, and delux double room 350. They also sell tickets for the 7 pm bus to MG.

You can easily get cheaper rooms in Majnukatila if required. It takes about an hour by taxi from the International Airport to Majnukatila, although if you arrive in the middle of the night, it might take less time.

Paharganj
Paharganj is near New Delhi Railway Station and Connaught Place. Definitely more "convenient" if you want to do shopping and official stuff like plane tickets, visa stuff etc. There are literally hundreds of little and big hotels and guesthouses along this strip of road, lots of eating places and cheap shops. Be careful of yourself, bags and valuables when staying here. Because so many travellers hang around this area, it's a good place for thieves also!

There are many, many hotels in Paharganj, with a range of prices from very cheap to middle priced. Here are two that we know of which are okay -
Anoop Hotel, 1566 Main Bazar, Paharganj, New Delhi.
Phone 352 1451 or 352 1467. Fax 91-11-753 2942
Email: sent@ndf.vsnl.net.in
(This hotel has quite a good restaurant on their rooftop)
Cost: Single rooms around 180-260 approximately. Not sure of double room prices.
Major’s Den, 2314 Lakshmi Narain Street,
(Behind Imperial Cinema) Pahaganj
Phone 362 9599, 351 4163, 353 9010
They say they will have email very soon.
Cost: Single rooms 250 and upwards
Double & triple rooms 350 and upwards
They have tea, coffee and food room service available. Our experience is that the people running this hotel are very nice and helpful, especially Major Den himself. It feels like a safe and honest place, and they say a lot of their clientele are women. The hotel is also set slightly back from the main bazaar, so is a bit quieter than most of the other hotels.

Good luck and welcome to India!