Amritsar to Manali via Dharamshala

221B Baker Street

Well,my friends and I are going for a trek in Kullu which is in the last week of May...but then this time we decided to deviate a little from the normal Mumbai-Delhi-Manali route and have booked a train to Amritsar instead...so we will be arriving in Amritsar on 21st May morning...After spending the day in and around Amritsar,we are contemplating of 3 options...either go to Manali via Dharamshala(preferably staying in Dharamshala for the day and leaving at night) or go via Chandigarh or the least preferred...go directly to manali...I m interested in knowing the following...
1)whether going to Dharamshala is feasible???
2)if yes,then which is the best and the most comfortable way to reach Dharamshala from Amritsar???
3)Travel options from Dharamshala to Manali???
4)Is online/advance booking possible???
5)Estimated time of travelling???
6)and an estimated cost of the whole trip...

I m sorry of starting a thread which is pretty similar to some of the earlier threads but i couldnt get answers to my specific requirements there...Thanks for your time...

Aishah

You can do all this by bus - not that comfortable I might add but possible. Daily buses go from Amritsar to Dharamsala - I think approx 5 and a half hours journey. The worst journey is Dharamsala to Manali which is an overnight one. Long and tedious but you get there. There may be one during the day in which case more interesting for scenery. You can check this bus out in Dharamsala. There is no need to pre-book anything. Do it from where you are at the time. The cost is not high - can't remember how much bus to Manali was but it wasn't huge. As to the cost of your trip - it will depend where you stay. In all the places you have mentioned there are cheap budget hotels - you should go up to McLeod Ganj when you reach Dharamsala - it is cooler and interesting with Tibetan 'stuff' (Dalai Llama is there).

kullukid

You can also go by train from Amritsar to Pathankot 3hrs then bus from Pathankot to Dharamsala 3hrs or toy train from Pthankot to Kangra 5-6 hrs then short bus ride from Kangra to Dharamsala.
There are buses from Dharamsala to Manali all day long around 7-8hrs or you can break this up with a quick stop in Mandi, well worth an hour or 2 here. If you go for the Chandigarh route consider staying overnight at Kasauli a beautiful peaceful place above Chandigarh. KK

221B Baker Street

Thanks alot...u guys were really helpful...but if someone can tell me the estimated cost of the whole trip(excl any stay)???and how much would a taxi cost me if hired from Dharamshala to manali???unfortunately,we are 9 of us...having a haversack each...so would we have to take two taxis or a qualis with a huge carrier be fine???Thanks once again...

221B Baker Street

And is it possible to cover Jallianwala Baug,Golden Temple,Wagah Border in a day and leave for Dharamshala at night???I m reaching Amritsar at 6 in the morning by Golden Temple Mail...i know its like 'touch and go' visits but an accomodation for 9 people would increase our budget considerably...

kullukid

You can all stay at the Golden Temple for a small donation. KK

shere

Yes you can easily do the Amritsar circuit in one day. If you intend hiring a car to do the Amritsar circuit then take the same car at night to Dharamshala then please resist from doing this. The driver will be tired and you will be putting your lives at risk. If your budget is a problem then use one of the serai at the Golden Temple (they provide free accomodation)and then move onto Dharamshala the next day.

Also when hiring a car check the tread of the tyres and make sure the car has a good spare, jack etc. Some of the tread I have seen on hire cars is non existant.

221B Baker Street

Thanks alot...Shere...I really appreciate your concerns...but as far as possible,we dont want to spend the night in Amritsar as we have to report at our base camp on 23rd...so spending a night in Amritsar would force us to by-pass Dharamshala...Isnt there a good delux bus between Amritsar and Dharamshala which would leave Amritsar at night(on 20th)and reach Dharamshala in the morning???i would really appreciate if any one can give me details of this...as well as the onward journey...Thanks once again...

shere

You can check HRTC bus timetables at :

http://himachal.nic.in/hrtc/route.asp

Might be worth googling to see if Punjab Roadways has a similar site to check what your Amritsar - Dharamsala options are.

sirensongs

Well, 221B, I do not have your answer, but just had to admire your avatar. I am a big fan of The Great Detective, Arthur Conan Doyle, and also of Jeremy Brett.

__________________
"Why do people go to India to find themselves? India is where you go to lose yourself."
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rishabh6296

The cost depends on how long do u intend to stay and what all u wud like to do,also it would depend on the kind of accomodation and food u r looking for,if u give me all these info i can tell u the tentative cost for the trip.
Rishabh

221B Baker Street

We are arriving in Amritsar on 21st Of May...and this is what we are thinking....we(9 of us!!!) want to visit Jallianwala Baug,Golden temple and Wagah Border(the evening parade!!!)We might just hire a taxi as soon as we arrive in Amritsar...and keep it for the day...so no need for a room as such...then we would preferably not want to stay in Amritsar at night and rather leave for Dharamashala...And after reaching Dharamshala in the morning...may be spend the day there(I dont know any interesting place there except Dalai Lama's Residence and Mcleodganj...??)and again Leave Dharamshala in the evening for Manali...What we are thinking is that by not lodging anywhere at night we are not only saving the cost but also visiting one more place!!!I know its gonna be tiring but we have a couple of days rest at our Base camp in Manali to rejuvinate...Thanks to Shere out here...i could find a bus leaving Dharamshala at 9 pm for Manali...but the bus is 'Ordinary'...which is synonimous to 'Bone Shattering'...Moreover,we have not found a good bus from Amritsar to Dharamshala as yet...suitable to our timings...so can any one can suggest me a better travel plan???or/and the relevant costs???Thanks...

the opoponax

I'm thinking about doing this exact same route in reverse, on my way back from Manali (actually Leh, but you get the picture). but i hate long bus rides as it is, let alone the crazy bone rattling ones i've heard about. how long is the ride between Manali and Dharamsala in terms of hours? is there a nice little village or somesuch to break the journey?

kullukid

It's around 8hrs, Mandi is a good place to break the journey with over 100 Hindu Temples to look at. In fact consider spending a night there the Raj Mahal is a nice place to Stay it belongs to the Royal family of Mandi.
I wouldn,t worry about the journey from Manali to Dharamsala, it's the one from Leh that's the "bonerattler" look:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/kulluk...=RRxqP8gufM 4
Here's some photo's of Ladakh:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/kulluk...ey=DO7JeAzphTw

the opoponax

i know! i figure if i'm going to put myself through the 30 hour nightmare that is the Manali-Leh bus ride, i might as well make the rest of them easy.