[breezydrive]

Originally Posted by RabidBull

So its decided. Chd - Ropar - Kiratpur - Nangal - Una - Amb - Chintpurni - Dehra - Kangra would be my route of choice.

Originally Posted by anantnehru

Hi guys, planning to drive to D'shala 1st November this year - am not sure of the route, since theyre quite a few options here but more importantly, from quite some time ago.

I plan to leave say about 5 in the morning, want to avoid driving in the hills after sun down, but I'm not sure of the route - wouldnt mind a scenic route, but willing to sacrifice scenery for roads and/or less driving time.

Can anyone help me out here?


Much appreciated!

The route given in the first quoted post is the best route. Start at 04:30 and stop for breakfast only after Ambala, that way you'll cover the miles quickly.

[anantnehru]

Originally Posted by breezydrive

The route given in the first quoted post is the best route. Start at 04:30 and stop for breakfast only after Ambala, that way you'll cover the miles quickly.

Thanks! I normally dont stop when I'm driving, but shall keep that in mind. Also, I've earmarked about 10hrs for the total drive - is that realistic? I have no idea about the state of the roads, since Chandigarh is the only drive I've down up-north recently.

My basis is that the Volvo buses take about 12hrs so I should be at least 2hrs quicker.

[rajcs]

Originally Posted by anantnehru

Thanks! I normally dont stop when I'm driving, but shall keep that in mind. Also, I've earmarked about 10hrs for the total drive - is that realistic? I have no idea about the state of the roads, since Chandigarh is the only drive I've down up-north recently.

My basis is that the Volvo buses take about 12hrs so I should be at least 2hrs quicker.

I did the return leg from Dharamshala to Delhi T1 airport last year in less than 11 hrs (7 am to 5.45 pm) with at least an hour of stop in between for break fast / lunch. So you can comfortably cover the distance in 10 hrs.

You can bypass Chandigarh altogether by going past Amabala towards Rajpura and turning to Banur at Shambhu barrier. Continue straight through Kharar to Rupnagar and Kiratpur. The roads are good and traffic much less than Ambala - Chandigarh. A few pix of the route as of last year are here : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post2540670 and at post #25 of this thread.

[c_trivedi]

Hello!
Has anybody driven to Dharamshala from Delhi recently? I am planning a trip around mid-April (i.e. next month) and my main concern is driving on good roads, so I can really use some guidance.

On Google Maps, I can see a few routes, couple of which are:

Delhi > Ambala > Ludhiana > Phagwara > Hoshiarpur > Kangra > Dharamshala

Delhi > Ambala > Chandigarh (by-pass) > Rupnagar > Anandpur Sahib > Una > Amb > Garli > Kangra > Dharamshala

So, does anyone know which is the better one in terms of road conditions? Essentially, the difference between the 2 routes comes down to: how to reach Kangra from Ambala. Since I've never driven in that area, I have no idea which is a better route!
(I drove to Kasauli from Delhi last December but that was a straightforward route, in which I exited NH1 after Ambala.)

Thanks in advance; hoping to get some expert opinion(s).

[guptavis]

Originally Posted by c_trivedi

On Google Maps, I can see a few routes, couple of which are:

Delhi > Ambala > Ludhiana > Phagwara > Hoshiarpur > Kangra > Dharamshala

Delhi > Ambala > Chandigarh (by-pass) > Rupnagar > Anandpur Sahib > Una > Amb > Garli > Kangra > Dharamshala

So, does anyone know which is the better one in terms of road conditions?

The second route is hilly starting from anandpur sahib and is quite pleasant to drive on. i had gone through the second route a few years ago and it is a decent road considering the hilly terrain.

The first one is longer but because it has lesser hills it would take about the same time.

Personally, i would choose the second route because it is a better drive.
dont have any idea on the present condition of either road, but both should be okay.

[c_trivedi]

Thanks for your response, guptavis. I think I'll take your advise and go with the second route. Driving on hills is always more fun than the plains. Just need to do some more research into the road conditions.

[karmachakra]

Hi C_trivedi,

Another route which I had taken is as follows. Go past Ambala until the Punjab Border. Just where the punjab border starts (SHAMBHU border), there is a road on the right hand side. take that road and keep driving straight. This will take you to past Mohali outskirts and onto the road near Ropar near the flyover. If you go straight, it would take you towards Anadpur Sahib via Ropar. I took a right and drove through via Hosihairpur (Turn right from Balachaur towards Garhshankar - Mahilpur - Hoshiarpur.)

Delhi - Ambala- Shambhu Border- Banur Kharar Ropar Balachaur Hoshiarpur Gagret-Bharwain-Dharamshala.

Must have food at Hoshaiprian da dhabha and DS dhaba. Amazing Food.

Thanks

[Irish]

Originally Posted by karmachakra

Hi C_trivedi,


Delhi - Ambala- Shambhu Border- Banur Kharar Ropar Balachaur Hoshiarpur Gagret-Bharwain-Dharamshala.

Why to go via Hoshiarpur? There is a shortcut:

Delhi - Ambala- Shambhu Border- Banur Kharar Ropar - UNA - Gagret-Bharwain-Dharamshala.


Cheers!
Irish

[wanderernomad]

Want still better route, check out the GDs travelogue from Gurgaon to Palampur. It has the latest route information and the roads status.

[Irish]

Originally Posted by Irish

Delhi - Ambala- Shambhu Border- Banur Kharar Ropar - UNA - Gagret-Bharwain-Dharamshala.

I have done this route last month and roads are in good condition except for the Una town. Some road work was currently going on so expect diversions within the city. Otherwise this route is highly recommended.

Cheers!
Irish

[wanderernomad]

Originally Posted by Irish

I have done this route last month and roads are in good condition except for the Una town. Some road work was currently going on so expect diversions within the city. Otherwise this route is highly recommended.

Cheers!
Irish

You can avoid Una-Amb-Mubarakpur bad stretch. Turn left after crossing Una towards Ghaluwal and from there turn right towards Gagret.

[anantnehru]

Originally Posted by c_trivedi

Hello!
Has anybody driven to Dharamshala from Delhi recently? I am planning a trip around mid-April (i.e. next month) and my main concern is driving on good roads, so I can really use some guidance.

On Google Maps, I can see a few routes, couple of which are:

Delhi > Ambala > Ludhiana > Phagwara > Hoshiarpur > Kangra > Dharamshala

Delhi > Ambala > Chandigarh (by-pass) > Rupnagar > Anandpur Sahib > Una > Amb > Garli > Kangra > Dharamshala


Thanks in advance; hoping to get some expert opinion(s).

Hi,

I drove to Dharamshala November last year but did it in about 7hours or so, by leaving Delhi by 530am and just one 15 - 20 minute stop at the McDonalds before Chandigarh - where one of the guys is from Dharamshala, so he gave me pretty accurate directions.

I went through Chandigarh -Ropar (Rupnagar?) - Bhakra Nangal Dam route; the roads went pretty good. Except for one stretch where they were making the road so that might have changed by now.
EDIT: Yup, Una it was. Wasnt all that bad, but compared to the surface you drive on through the trip; its rather annoying.


Toll roads throughout, and I was very impressed with the surface of the road I was driving on - even in Kangra. Hope this helps!

[c_trivedi]

Thanks for all your responses, guys. I think I've got a good hang of the various routes; it's just a matter of organising the trip now.
Need some suggestions on another thing - I'll be driving my Ikon 1.6 Nxt (Petrol) which has done around 85k km now. It hasn't given any problem in any road trips so far; but most of my trips have been in autumn/winter. Since this time I'll be driving in summer probably with the a/c on most of the time, are there any checks that you think I should get done before hitting the road, esp. keeping in mind that car engines tend to overheat during summers? I just got the car serviced last month, including change of oil and oil filter, and they okay'ed the coolant level as well. Anything else anybody can think of?

[c_trivedi]

Okay, so I finally drove to Mcleod Ganj and back last week. Pretty exciting road trip. I took the route through Ropar - Anandpur Sahib - Una - Kangra and yes, the roads around Una were not good.
If anybody is planning on going in the near future, please know that apart from Una, the stretch from Amb to Kangra is also not in great condition. In fact, as the hills start, the roads are battered for almost 50% of the way (except for a surprisingly smooth surface in between). From Kangra onwards, the road is pretty good.
Overall, I was very impressed with the road conditions in Punjab, however not so happy with the same in HP. But once you reach Mcllo's (which is the place's nickname as I found it out this time) you'll realize the whole drive is so much worth it!
Thanks again to all for providing route directions.

Cheers.

[rajneeesh]

C Trivedi,

Could you jot down thr route with the distances. I am planning a trip in the next 2 weeks. I would also appreciate if you can indicate the good places to stop for food on the way as per your experience.