Gaggal Airport to McLeodganj taxi

About this drive

McLeodganj sits about 600 metres above lower Dharamshala, at the top of a road full of hairpins. It is home to the Dalai Lama, and its narrow bazaar has some of the trickiest traffic in Himachal. Getting there takes a driver who does it every day.

We take you to your hotel door wherever the road allows. Where it does not (some guesthouses near Bhagsu and Jogiwara Road are on foot paths), the driver helps carry bags to the nearest point.

The road

Gaggal to Dharamshala, then either the Cantonment road via Forsyth Ganj and St John's church, or the steeper direct road via Kotwali Bazaar and the Tibetan Children's Village.

Worth a stop on the way

• St John in the Wilderness: A stone church from 1852 in the deodars, right on the Forsyth Ganj road.
• Dal Lake (Dharamshala): Small lake near Naddi, worth five minutes if you are going that way.

Season and road conditions

Open all year. After snowfall (rare, usually January–February) the upper road can be icy in the morning.

Local tip: Tell us your hotel name before landing. Parts of McLeodganj are one-way, and the driver will pick the right approach.