Suggested routes for HP

zoltan

Hi all,

I'm now in the planning stages of my forthcoming journey and need some advice from those who have gone before.

I am arriving at the Indira Ghandi airport and need to get to Himachal Pradesh. Specifically, I'm going to be visiting Clementown (sp?); Shimla & Dharamsala.

Can anyone suggest the best /fastest /least hassle method of getting from Delhi to each of these three locations ?

Cheers
Zoltan

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puchoo

i Dont know which one you are touching base with first but ill go with the assumption that its Shimla...

easiest way, get your self to ISBT New Delhi and jump into one of the many hundreds of buses leaving for Shimla. There are a lot of private operators available.

You can also take a bus till Chandigarh and then from the same bus station in Chandigarh catch another one to Shimla. Its almost like a local service so again, getting one will not be an issue at all.

You could always pre-book the Volovo as well and then board it from Himachal Bhawan or ISBT.

Another option is the Train. Catch the Chandigarh Shatabdi in the morning. Leaves at 730 AM or so... get off at either Chandigarh or Kalka and then take a bus/taxi up...If you get off at Kalka there's always the option of taking the toy train up..but its a slow train and will take about 5 hours roughly.

The Bus will get you to Shimla in about 10 hours or so.

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Sidharth

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KABAARY

Clement Town is on a different route from Delhi vis-a-vis Shimla/Dharamsala - it's in the State of Uttarakhand on the outskirts of Dehradun. You can proceed directly from Dehradun to Shimla (or vice versa) for which you would take a bus to Chandigarh and then onwards to Shimla...but Dehradun to Shimla is nearly 300 kms - I suggest you break up the journey into two parts :

(i) Delhi -> Dehradun (Clement Town) -> Delhi : There is an excellent train (Shatabdi)which leaves Delhi early in the morning and reaches Dehradun in about 5 1/2 hours...also the Jan Shatabdi which leaves in the afternoon.

(ii) Delhi -> Shimla -> Dharamsala -> :
(a) Delhi to Shimla as in #1 above.
(b) Shimla to Dharamsala is 230 to 280 kms depending on the route taken - regular HPTDC buses are there.
(c) Dharamsala to Delhi : That's some distance (500 kms +)..there are flights between the two (Kangra airport) though if you are willing to consider that (MDLR is the latest to commence these flights).

Do you wish to do only Shimla and Dharamsala in HP ? Considering the distances between Shimla-Dharamsala-Delhi, breaking up the journey to visit other places also would be practical.

zoltan

Sorry, should have made the initial enquiry a little clearer.

I was hoping to visit Clement Town first, followed by Shimla and finally Dharamsala, before heading back down to New Delhi.

Appreciate the comments above too.

Cheers
Zoltan

KABAARY

In which case, my comments in post above still stand...

zoltan

Thanks for the updates Kabaary.

I have another query for you (or anyone else who cares to offer suggestions)...

I've decided to take trains/buses from Delhi => Clement Town => Shimla => Dharamsala.

However, on the return to Delhi, I would like to speed things up, hence I'll fly. I have done a google search and found Air Deccan & MDLR airlines ply the route Dharamsala => Delhi.

The rates listed by MDLR are rs.12,225 for a 1-way ticket. Deccan offer theirs for rs.3,574.

Is there any reason for such a huge difference in the airfares being charged by the companies ?

Cheers
Zoltan

shashank.aggarwal

AFAIK, MDLR promotes itself as a premium airline, and they are zonal to North India only..

Air Deccan, is a low cost carrier, and maybe due to sheer number has cost benefits on its side.

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puchoo

Zoltan i am slightly confused.....you said that you got a fare of 12,000 INR approximately one way.....i just did a search and got a fare for 2400 INR.....attaching a screenshot for you to take a look at...

Once the query was fed in the results had 2 options

1. Normal Fare - which is 12,000
2. Lowest Fare - Which was 2400

Maybe im doing something wrong...?

Attached Thumbnails

 

zoltan

Hi Puchoo,

I couldn't read your screen-dump (way too small), so I've attached the details from the web-site.

You are right, there are 2 fares on offer (I didn't see the cheapest one earlier).

[1Adult X (10000.00 + 2225.00) = 12225.00]
[1Adult X (3000.00 + 2225.00) = 5225.00]

I still can't figure out the difference between the two and, on the selection option, I entered "other" (Indian resident or other).

At this stage, I'm thinking of taking the train to Dehra Dun; bus/car to Shimla & then onto Dharamsala & finally, fly down to New Delhi.

Cheers
Zoltan

puchoo

I am attaching another screenshot, sorry for the last one. The cheapest i am getting is still 2555 not 5555 like you are but that could be because of a difference in dates..Im doing a one way search for 10th July.

The difference is that the more expensive fare is refundable while the other is not.

Secondly Cancellation is not an option in the cheaper one and re-scheduling is at 500 while in the more expensive one cancellation and rescheduling is only 100 INR.

Attached Thumbnails

 

frenchie

The bus from shimla to Dehra Dun is 300km? Does anyone know how long this usually takes? Are there lots of buses leaving everyday?

kullukid

8-9hrs

Dilliwala

There are direct buses from Dehradun to Shimla, it's not necessary to change at Chandigarh.


Zoltan,
Any particular reason you're going to Clement Town? It's not exactly a throbbing tourist spot.

There are also luxury buses from Delhi to Dehradun (daytime and overnight) which go to the ISBT, i.e. right past Clement Town. You can get off on the main highway and then take a 3-wheeler in.
If you take the train, you have to still take a bus or 3-wheeler to the edge of town (about 8-9 km). Not a problem, just that the bus is more convenient in this case. The cost is around 600-700 bucks. There are also semi-delux from Delhi ISBT.

KABAARY

It has supposedly the world's largest stupa in the Mindroling monastery, a Tibetan settlement and a 103 feet high statue of Buddha...perhaps, that's why but I'm only guessing.

Dilliwala

Ah yes, I've been there - the Shanti Stupa and the statue (only time I've been inside CT ). Worth a visit.
Didn't know it was the largest, I'd heard it was a replica of the one in Leh.