How To Reach Mcleod Ganj

With the residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a huge Tibetan population, McLeod Ganj is popularly known as ‘Little Lhasa’. It is a popular tourist destination and is therefore well connected to most other major cities in the region.

How to reach McLeod Ganj? You can fly there or take a train. The nearest airport is located in Gaggal in Dharamsala and the nearest railway station is located in Pathankot. It is located at a distance of about 8 kilometres from Dharamsala and hence the best way to get to McLeod Ganj is to reach Dharamsala and take a bus or taxi from there.

The closest airport to McLeod Ganj is the Gaggal or Kangra Airport located in Gaggal, Dharamsala, about 20 km away. There are flights from the national capital, New Delhi, plying towards McLeod Ganj almost every day and regular flights from other major cities like Chandigarh, Kullu, Srinagar, Mumbai and Bengaluru with stops at Delhi. Flights from Delhi are the fastest and most convenient.

Visitors can take taxis from the airport and the prices can range from 1000 INR to about 2000 INR depending on the size of the vehicle and time of the year. There are a couple of routes from the airport and the journey might take somewhere around 45 minutes, regardless of the route.

The nearest broad gauge railway line is in Pathankot while the nearest narrow gauge line is in Kangra to the south of Dharamsala. There are regular trains to Pathankot from most major cities across India. Trains from Delhi take about 11 hours to reach Pathankot and are available almost every day. It would be wise to book the seats in advance. There are some trains that depart from Pathankot towards Kangra, which is located at about 35 km from McLeod Ganj. These narrow gauge trains take about 6 hours to complete the journey.

There are buses, local and state run, from Pathankot and Kangra, that will take you to Dharamsala and there are taxis that will take you to McLeod Ganj. Visitors can also take taxis from Pathankot and Kangra directly to McLeod Ganj.

McLeod Ganj is connected to most major cities via road. There are private and state transport buses from most cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla, Dharamsala, etc. There are a few buses from Delhi that reach McLeod Ganj directly and leave from the Kashmiri Gate ISBT. There are buses from other cities like Chandigarh, Shimla, Manali, etc. towards Dharamsala, there are taxis that ply from Dharamsala to McLeod Ganj that one can take on reaching Dharamsala. The Himachal Road Transport Corporation allows passengers to book tickets online.

Located at a distance of about 490 km from Delhi, one can even drive to McLeod Ganj and it usually takes about 11 hours. The journey is guaranteed to be a picturesque one.

Getting around in McLeod Ganj is easier if you are travelling with your vehicle, there are taxis that offer services locally otherwise.