By Air
You can fly from Delhi to Gaggal, a town near to McLeod Ganj. There are two daily flights — Air India and SpiceJet.
Air India flight AI9813 departs Delhi at 9:45am and arrives at Gaggal airport at 11:15am. Flight AI9814 departs Gaggal at 11:35am, arriving in Delhi at 13:05pm. Check flight status at AirIndia.com
SpiceJet flight SG2382 takes off from Delhi at 5:55am and lands at Gaggal Airport at 7:30am. Flight SG2384 leaves Gaggal for Delhi at 7:50am.
From Gaggal Airport it is about 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) to McLeod Ganj, and takes about 45 minutes by taxi.
By Train
There are more than ten trains running daily from Delhi to Pathankot and Chakki Bank, which is a smaller station near Pathankot.
Train tickets can be booked online at Indian railways website. Payments can be done through credit card (only Indian credit cards are accepted), and net banking in India.
A convenient place to buy your train ticket is the International Tourist Bureau in New Delhi Railway Station. You can also buy a ticket at the Railway Booking Counterat Indira Gandhi Airport between 8am and 8pm.
Search for all the trains and schedules at the Indian Railways website.
Once you reach Pathankot, there are three options to get to Mcleod Ganj: Taxi (easiest and quickest); bus (convenient but usually crowded); and the Kangra Toy Train (slow but spectacular, and ticket available at Pathankot station and usually available). The Toy Train leaves Pathankot at 9:05am and reaches Kangra at 1:45pm.
By Road
There are many buses from Delhi to McLeod Ganj every day, or take a taxi. Most of the buses leave from Majnu ka Tilla, the Tibetan camp, and many other points in Delhi. Make sure the bus is going to all the way to McLeod Ganj, as some buses have a last stop at Dharamshala, from where McLeod Ganj is another half hour bus ride, or take an easily-available taxi.
Most of the buses leave Majnu ka Tilla in the early evening around 6pm and arrives in McLeod Ganj early in the morning around 6am, after travelling for about 12 hours. There are two usual stops during the bus journey — for dinner and toilet around 10pm, and chai and toilet around 5am.
Delhi – McLeod Ganj bus ticket costs 650 Rs, or Rs 1,200 for Volvo A/C bus.
Dharamsala Guide
Altitude
Between 1,250 and 1,982 metres.
Maximum 38 degree celsius in June; minimum 0 degree C. in January.Annual Rainfall
Varies between 290 and 380cm. Monsoon season is July to September.Clothing
Woollen in winter and cotton or tropical in summer. An umbrella is essential during Dharamsala’s notorious monsoon season.Transport
There is an airport about eighteen kilometers from lower Dharamsala connecting to Delhi, Pathankot, Kullu, Shimla. Dharamsala can also be reached by an overnight or day bus from Delhi, which takes about twelve to fourteen hours.
A more comfortable alternative would be to take a twelve-hour train trip from Delhi to Pathankot and then a four-hour bus or three-hour taxi ride to Dharamsala. From there buses and taxis regularly shuttle people to McLeod Ganj.Accommodation
There are a number of hotels that offer board and lodging for different budgets. All the high and medium budget hotels have bathrooms attached to rooms with running hot and cold water. Low budget hotels have communal bathrooms with running cold water. In these hotels one can order for hot water in buckets. Many of the hotels offer a wide range of rooms with different rents.
Telephone numbers of Hotels & Guest Houses (Prefix +91-1892)
Amatsang House, Temple Rd
|
221189, 221181
|
Ashoka Guest House
|
221763
|
Ashoka Restaurant
|
221589
|
Annex Hotel |
221002/220814 |
Bhagsu Hotel
|
221091/2 21902
|
Chinar Lodge
|
221767
|
Chonor House
|
221077/221006/221468
|
Chuwar Guest House
|
225039
|
Clouds End Villa Cottages
|
222109/224904
|
Dhauladhar Hotel
|
224926
|
Exile House
|
221314
|
Glenmour Cottage
|
221010
|
Green Hotel & Restaurant
|
21200 Res 2 21121
|
Him Queen Hotel
|
221184 /221861
|
Himalaya Hotel
|
220523/220660
|
Himgiri Hotel
|
221898
|
Hotel Tibet
|
221587/221426 (GM-221425)
|
India House
|
221457/ 221144
|
International Guest House
|
221476
|
Kailash Hotel
|
221044
|
Kalsang Guest House
|
221709
|
Kareri Lodge
|
221132
|
Kashmir Cottage
|
224929
|
Khawachen Guest House
|
221052
|
Kokonor Hotel
|
221011
|
Kongpo Guest House
|
221086
|
Kunga Hotel
|
221180
|
Ladies Venture
|
221559 |
Lhagyal Cafe | 228713 |
Losel Ling Guest House | 221087 |
Losel Ling Samdup Khangsar | 221072 |
Megavan Resort | 221277 |
Mount View | 221382/ 221286/221992 |
Ngari Guest House | 221854 |
Natraj Hotel | 221575 |
Nishad Hotel | 22 1707 |
Om Hotel | 221313 |
Paljor Gakyil Guest House | 223143 |
Pema Thang Hotel | 221871 |
Pink House | 225193 |
Sahima Lodge | 221505 |
Seven Hills Guest House | 221580 |
Snow Lion Hotel | 221289 |
Spring Resort | 221248 |
Staff Mess, Gangkyi | 222582 |
Surya Hotel | 221418/ 2 21419 |
Takhyil House | 221332 |
Takten House | 221521 |
Tara Guest House | 221189, 221181 |
Tenwang Guest House | 221240 |
U-Pel House | 223301 |
Yatri Niwas | 223163/ 222460 |
Yellow Guest House | 221754 |
Bedi Tours & Travels
|
221235/221400/221359 |
Destination Travels
|
221299 |
Dharamsala Tours& Travel
|
223040/224015 |
Dhauladhar Travels
|
221158/221946 |
Himachal Tours & Travel
|
221273 /221323 |
Katoch Travels
|
221428/221628/221453 |
Potala Tours & Travels
|
221378 |
Rudrika Travels
|
221212, 221533 |
Sagar Tours & Travels
|
221929 |
Tibet Tours & Travels
|
221832/220383 |
Torism Information Center
|
221205/ 221235 |
V.J.Travels India (Bhagsu Road)
|
221145 |
Ways Tours & Travels
|
221355 |
Western Travels
|
221926/222357 |
Himalaya Tours & Travels |
221236/220714 |
Himalaya Fun ‘n’ Tours |
221002/220814 |