How To Reach Himachal Pradesh

Having been the seat of many independent rulers and an important administrative establishment of the British rule, Himachal Pradesh has excellent transport infrastructure and services. Although it is a predominantly hilly region, the roadways are well-maintained, there a couple of important railway lines that connect the hilly state with other major cities and the state has three domestic airports, making travel to Himachal Pradesh quite easy. To know how to reach Himachal Pradesh, read on.

Himachal has three domestic airports namely, the Kullu-Manali Airport, the Kangra Airport and the Shimla Airport. The Shimla Airport has one flight to Delhi every day, from where it is easy to find connecting flights to other major cities in India. The Shimla Airport serves as the gateway to the rest of the southern regions in the state.

The Kangra Airport, located in the north-western parts of the state has a couple of flights that operate between Delhi and the Kangra Airport. Located close to Dharamsala, the Kangra Airport is sometimes also referred to as the Dharamsala Airport. This Airport serves as the gateway to the important north-western regions in the state like Dalhousie and Dharamsala.

The Kullu-Manali Airport is another important terminal as it serves as the gateway to the northern regions of the state like Kaza, the Spiti Valley and so on. The airport has flights plying between here and Delhi. There are taxi services from all these airports that will take your destinations or hotels. There are also bus services that operate from nearby bus terminals and taxis can be used to reach the bus terminals. There are also car hiring services near the airports.

Himachal Pradesh has limited railway networks given the tough terrain. The Kalka Railway Station in Kalka is considered the major rail connection in the state, but there are a couple of other stations that can be used to get to Himachal Pradesh. The Kangra station and the Joginder Nagar stations fall on the same line that starts at Pathankot Junction in the state of Punjab.

There are trains to Kalka from several major cities in the country. For instance, the Kalka Mail which is considered as the oldest train in India runs from Howrah in West Bengal to Delhi and then to Kalka. The British are said have created the line for the officers traveling from Kolkata to their summer capital in India, Shimla. The Kalka line extends up to Shimla with a narrow gauge toy-train; it is one of the major attractions for tourists. The ride is a lot of fun as the line bends and cuts across the hilly terrain.

There are several proposals for new lines in the state to increase commercial use. There are taxi services that operate from Kalka that will take you to your destination.

The roadways in Himachal Pradesh are one of the best you will find in any mountainous terrain. There are a total of 9 National Highways and about 19 State Highways that cover all the major districts in the states connecting them also to places like Delhi, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Leh-Ladakh, et al. There are about 45 major district roads that allow for travel to even the remotest of places in the state. The state is known for its curvy, adventurous roads. A ride to Himachal is every biker's wish.

Bus and taxi services are available throughout the state and the government transport services are pretty cheap. The Himachal Pradesh State Transport Corporation provides a range of services to almost all parts of the state, with ordinary and air-conditioned buses running every day to major cities and famous destinations in the state. There are buses that ply to Delhi, Chandigarh and so on. There are car rentals and taxi services to all the major destinations available throughout the state. Of all the modes, traveling by road is deemed as the most fun and eventful.