Mandi to Rekong Peo?

Hi there fabulous India Mike People!
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but just wondering if there are any direct buses from Mandi to Rekong Peo or is it best to go to Shimla? I was hoping to go to Dharamsala (and surrounds) and then check out the Kinnaur Valley. Now on a map, the most obvious route seems to be Dharamsala to Mandi then across to Rekong Peo but none of the guidebooks (except a 2003 Rough Guide) mention a bus going this way!
Thanks in advance!

Yes, there is one direct night-bus...
http://himachal.gov.in/hrtc/rmap.asp?link=3010027

AndreasW

I took a daytime bus from Rekong Peo to Mandi last year, so I presume there is one in the opposite direction too.

However, it left very early in the morning (about 4.30, I think) and was a long, gruelling journey, the bus winding its way up and down narrow roads and making several long stops in grubby, unappealing little places. It ended up taking 14 hours and left me feeling very ill.

I took the day bus (linked by Andreas) leaving at 15:30 (approx) from Mandi which reached Rekong Peo at 2:00 AM

Otherwise, one can change at Rampur, rather than Shimla. More choice.

Thanks for all the replies and espesh thanks for the link! At least I know that there are options so guess will just have to decide what is going to work best once I get there!

I wud also suggest doing this in 2 stages, it'll be a long, slow haul thru the back of beyond going direct. Since u don't mention wanting to stop/stay in Mandi, I presume u just want to get from Dharmsala to Pio. In that case I strongly advise going to Shimla and staying overnight, and taking a bus to Pio the next day.