Instructions for getting to Dharamsala from New Delhi
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!