road conditions from delhi to dharamsala

singh

hi! Have been contemplating going to dharamsala. I know that road till chandigarh is great. what about after that? have a severe back problem so dont want to complicate it. can handle a few bumps here and there but long stretches of bad roads would kill my back...

Dilliwala

It's a good road. You shud not have any problems.
U want to go via Nangal/Una or Bilaspur/Mandi? The first is shorter, the second will ensure use of only NH's.

singh

am traveling with kids so i guess NH would be better since there'd be places to take a break and all...how long is the total drive? and thanks for the help

Dilliwala

Oh, I wudn't bother going the long way for that reason, that wud be worthwhile for scenic reasons - I hear it's great around Palampur. There are plenty of places to stop on the shorter route also. From Chandigarh to Rupnagar(Ropar) and Kiratpur, it's the same NH21 anyway. From Kiratpur, the road goes to Anandpur Sahib, Nangal, Una, Amb, Chintpurni, Dehra Gopipur, Kangra, Dharmsala - all SH and in good condition. Just follow the signs afer Una.
This route involves approx 12 hours of just driving from Delhi, then add your breaks. It's a long trip to do in one day with kids, espesh if you're driving yourself/alone. U might want to consider a night-halt on the way.

anandi

why dont you take the train to Patankot, if it's a sleeper you can lie down... then a car ride to d'sala is just a few hrs from there.

smo

Going upto Pathankot by train is a good idea. From there you can take Kangara Valley train to Kangra and Dharamsala is 20 KM from there. You can enjoy this train journey.

On return you can come by road.

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singh

I think we will stop at mandi for the night...

Dilliwala

That's a good option. If u don't have accommodation yet, then I'd like to suggest u book in advance, since it is high season. I've never stayed in Mandi so can't tell u much, but HP Tourism is usually a good option - their rates at Mandi are also not unreasonable.
See both links:
http://hptdc.nic.in/cir0202.htm#hmand
http://hptdc.gov.in/custsw/viewuser8_hot.asp?dest=040

Happy hols.

rishabh6296

one of my friends came back from dharamshala 2 days back and he said that road conditions are good and hotels are easily available,the crowd is predominantly western.

singh

thanks for the link! am chking it out now.

thanks a ton rishabh. that puts my anxieties aside coz i was looking forward to someone's recent experience. U know how roads are around here! cant be sure of the condition over a long period of time!

I am looking for info on this govt guest house we had stayed in mandi while going to manali as kids. this was at hill top and was very comfy and secluded....lets see if i find something.

Another thing- i was planning to go to chonor house (norbulingka) Is it at a lower height than mcleodganj? do u know of any nice comfy places there?

singh

if we take the una route where does the actual climb start?night halt before that would make sense

Dilliwala

Hi singh,

The govt guest house at Mandi may now be the Hotel Mandav run by HPTDC. All the Tourist guest houses from the 70s/80s have been taken over by HPTDC. Did u see the foto on the Mandav's page? Ring any bells? The text says:
"THE MANDAV MANDI:... Hotel Mandav is located off the national highway, with proximity to the town's centre and near to the bus station. This overlooks the quite waters of Beas river and the rooms overlooks the Mandi town, its old temples and the wide concourse. Tarna Hill which rises above the town, faces the hotel".
Does this sound like it might be the same place? The only other categories of govt guest house I can think of is PWD, SEB or the Circuit House.
Chonor House is at Mcleodganj, less than 100m from the DL's palace! Bookings are not easily given out, u cud try at their office though. HPTDC has 5 hotels in both places put together, all reasonably comfy. Try to stay a little away from the bazar though, it does get crowded.
See this link:http://hptdc.nic.in/cir0302.htm#hdhau

If u go via Una, the climb starts between Amb and Chintpurni.

dzibead

Chonor House is right smack in McLeod Ganj, right off Temple Road, near the Tsuglakhang (Main Temple). It's a very, very nice place to stay. Not cheap, though, but worth it if your budget allows. Have you seen the Norbulingka Institute website? www.norbulingka.org It includes a very detailed section on Chonor House. http://www.norbulingka.org/visitors/...t_visitors.htm

There's also a nice guest house at the Norbulingka Institute itself, which is about 20 minutes outside McLeod Gang, in Sidhpur.

Pema Thang Guest House is nice, too. http://www.pemathang.net/

singh

thanks a ton for the detailed info! hopefully now we can plan everything out soon!

himadventures

anandi !
Is very correct-take train for Pathankot and get hired jeep for Dharmshala. Spend few extra on a good SUV this will reduce jerks.

DO NOT TRAVEL BY ROAD: My suggestion is avoid traveling by road-this IS jerky...and not a good road for Dharamshala with a bad back. I am frequent...and had drived many types of vehicles here...TATA SAFARI was best but as i said....it is jerky and HOT too.

I am sure PATHANKOT option is best for you.