Best way to get from Leh to Dharamshala?

The options to get from Leh to Dharamshala seem to be:

1) bus or jeep to manali (2 days if all goes well); then bus or jeep to Dharashala (long overnight, nearly two days again) nearly 4 days total traveling time.

2) fly from Leh to one of:
a) Srinigar
b) Jammu
c) Chandigarh
and then bus/taxi/jeep to Dharamshala

3) fly from Leh to Delhi then fly Delhi to Gaggal, then taxi/bus to Dharamshala.

Which is the best way? #3 is probably the quickest and most expensive; if the bus rides from either of the other places aren't too long, those might be good too. Anyone have an opinion?

hi,

you forgot :

bus or jeep to Sringar, then bus or Jeep to Dharmasala.

Flying to Chandigarh or Jammu would be the closest to Dharmasala if these are options from Leh.

But if you don't spend alot of mone on flights, anything to do with India (especially Leh) takes many days of travel.

Supposedly it is better to take the bus UP to Leh to begin with rather than fly, to get used to the altitude. it is also supposedly one of the most scenic rides around!!!

A shared jeep from Leh to Manali takes about 18-20 hours, one long day and costs Rs1000, maybe cheaper. Speak to the jeep drivers that hang around the bus station in Leh (the jeeps with Himachal Pradesh number plates). The bus from Manali to Dharamsala takes 10 hours and costs Rs250, for luxury bus, and the buses either go overnight or leave first thing in the morning. I haven't travelled this way but two years ago I travelled in the opposite direction (Dharamsala-Manali-Leh).

Is it safe to fly from Leh to Jammu, then on to by bus Dharamsala? I am an American woman traveling alone and concerned about terrorists. Maybe OBL is hiding up there. Any Americans out there who have recently ( past 2 months) gone this route?

yes OBL is in Kashmir... but he's in the one place where people won't be looking for him.... LEH!

Going by bus Srinagar-Leh was easiest on the body ( well, the brain anyway - the bum was another story compared to busing from Manali or even the plane.

The nightly stop in Kargil would be one of two reasons for this, Kargil being ideally located for altitude acclimatization ( at the same air pressure as in commercail airliners = around 2400 meters) plus the fact that the passes on the Kashmiri side are a lot lower.

Many physiological changes seem to take place at around 3000 meters. This is the altitude limit where all airplanes are required to carry oxygen , this is also the safe evacuation level for people suffering from altitude sickness (meaning there are no totally safe options in Ladakh ; there are few places lower than Leh around 3500).

Count on being tired and awed when you arrive, whatever way you have arrived. This is a good moment to listen to your body, rest and enjoy the buttered tea. Spending some time here will make more enjoyable (and safer) to hit the higher altitudes later.