LOCATION & DIRECTIONS

Tushita is beautifully located on a forested mountain slope at an altitude of 2100m (7000ft) in the foot-hills of the Himalayas. To get to Tushita you first need to go to Dharamsala (elevation 1219m, and a 12 hour bus ride north of Delhi), from there it is a 20min drive up the hill to McLeod Ganj (elevation 1770m) and a further 10min taxi or rickshaw ride up to Tushita (near the village of Dharamkot).

Please note: Even though Dharamsala is often taken to be synonymous with the home of His Holiness the Dalai and the Tibetan Government in exile, the actual Tibetan settlement is in McLeod Ganj.

GETTING TO DHARAMSALA FROM  DELHI

You can travel from Delhi to Dharamsala 4 ways - train, bus, taxi or flying. 

Train 

There are a number of trains from Delhi to Pathankot or Chakki Bank, the two nearest stations to Dharamsala (on the main line to Jammu Tawi). The most popular ones are: 

- An overnight train called the Jammu Mail which leaves OLD DELHI Railway station (NOT New Delhi Station) at 9.15pm each night and you get off at Pathankot Station usually arriving around 7.30am.  

- A day train called the Malwa Express which leaves NEW DELHI at 8am and arrives at Chakki Bank Station around 4.10pm.

Pathankot is quite a big station and the train stops there about 15 minutes. If you are worried about missing it, just ask the man on the train, who gives out the blankets etc, to tell you when the station is coming up. Usually there are people awake in the carriage who will also help you get out at the right place. It's not difficult!

Chakki Bank is a smaller station just a few minutes before Pathankot station. The train stops quite briefly here, so be ready to get off the train. The train guys or people in your carriage are usually very helpful in telling you when to get ready.

There is a very convenient and easy way to buy a ticket for any train in India. Go to the NEW Delhi Railway Station, on the first floor you will find the INTERNATIONAL TOURSIT BUREAU (7.30am-5pm Mon-Sat, 8-2pm Sun). If a train seems full, make sure to ask for the "tourists quota". This way you often will be able to get a ticket even for a train leaving on the same night. 

You can pay two ways (you need your passport and a valid visa for both):
- with $US or Sterling (you get change back in Indian rupees)
- with Indian Rupees, but you have to show a legal encashment certificate (eg. money exchange receipt or an ATM slip)

Costs:
- 2nd Class Sleeper - Approx 200 - 300 rupees.
Provides: Wooden seat to sit/sleep on, no sheets, pillows or blankets. Bring your sleeping bag and keep an eye on your bags.

- 2 Tier Air Conditioned Carriage - Approx 900 rupees
Provides: Bed/seat with clean sheet, pillow and blanket given out after the train departs. Generally middle class Indians and foreigners travel this class so it is a bit safer from bag thieves and the carriage doors are locked at night so people don't wander through the carriages.

When you reach Pathankot/Chakki Bank, you can catch a local bus from the bus station (approximately 80 Rupees and takes around 4 hours). Some buses take you all the way up to McLeod Ganj, but most of them stop in Dharamsala, from where you have to take another bus or shared jeep to McLeod Ganj (7 rupees). 

Alternatively you can find some other Westerners, who also came on the train, and share a taxi vehicle up to McLeod Ganj (approximately 1,200 rupees). There is a taxi stand at both Pathankot and Chakki Bank stations, and they know all foreigners on the train are going to Dharamsala! The journey by taxi takes about two and a half hours and drives through incredibly beautiful scenery.

At McLeod Ganj, you may need to get another taxi up to Tushita (all the taxi drivers know Tushita) which is 60 Rupees. 

For information and train bookings also see the Indian Railway website: www.indianrailways.gov.in 

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Buses

There are several different operators travelling from Delhi to McLeod Ganj nighty. All their buses are AC Luxery buses and some are Sleeper buses. They leave either from close to Paraganj or Majnukatilla (the Tibetan area), departing Delhi in the afternoon/early evening and arriving at McLeod Ganj in the early morning. The overnight bus trip is around 12 hours. All the buses stop two or three times during the night for toilet & snacks.  It’s a good idea to take your own drinking water on the bus.

Bus tickets cost from 400 to 800 rupees, depending on the season and the type of bus. For more information and booking please visit one of the many travel agencies in Paharganj or Connaught Place.

Taxi

If you go to any of the travel agents or taxi booths in Delhi itself, you can find out about getting a taxi from Delhi to Dharamsala. For an Ambassador taxi it will be around 5,000 rupees for the approx. 12 hour trip to McLeod Ganj. 

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Flying

The closest airport is Gaggal Airport, which is about an one hour drive away from McLeod Ganj. Air Deccan operates a daily flight between Delhi-Gaggal (search for Dharamsala) and Gaggal-Delhi. Please be aware that this is a new airline connection, so please do not rely on it yet for connecting overseas flights from Delhi (but rather take the bus or train)! 

The Air Deccan plane leaves Delhi at 10.30am arriving in Gaggal at 12.45pm. In the other direction it departs Gaggal at 13.00pm arriving in Delhi 14.55pm. The cost depends on how early you book and works on first come first serve bases. Indians and foreigners pay the same price, from 1400 up to 9000Rs. The big drawback is that you can just book a flight inside of India and not from overseas.

You can book a ticket via Rajeev Patial, Dhauladhar Travels, Temple Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala. 
Phone: 91 1892 221158 or 221946     Fax: 91 1892 221246   Email: dhauladhar@hotmail.com
They can arrange for the ticket to be at Delhi Airport for you to collect when you catch the flight.

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MAY ALL BEINGS BE HAPPY!