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Dharamshala Does Srinagar

Once we started, it was a straightforward step to reach Pathankot; catching our third member on the way.

The city of Pathankot was beginning to wake up when we reached the outskirts. We took the Mamun detour to connect with the Srinagar – Kanyakumari Highway and entered the J&K state at about 9:30 am. Our first stop was in Lakhanpur for a light breakfast.

Pathankot To Srinagar

Generally, everyone follows the Samba Mansar Udhampur route. We made a right turn from Dyala Chak (approximately 35 kilometers from Lakhanpur) to a junction road to connect to Dhar – Udhampur Road.

The only plus point on this link road is less traffic. Once on the Dhar – Udhampur road, it was easy to cross because the road conditions were very good. We stopped in Udhampur for a tea break at 11:30 am, before getting into a huge traffic jam in the Udhampur area and on the National Highway.

It took more than 3 hours to travel the next 26 kilometers to the Chenani tunnel to reach the other side.

After crossing the Chenani Nashri tunnel, traffic slowed a little, but road conditions were still bad.

We had skipped a proper breakfast to delve into Mansa Ram’s famous Rajma Chawal at Peerah Mod. They only serve one dish – mixed Rajmah-Chawal (red beans and Basmati rice) with anardana chutney and almost a large equivalent of desi Ghee.

With a full stomach and after an hour’s break, we were ready to face Ramban’s notorious stretch to Banihal. Surprisingly, however, we face no traffic jam. Slowly, we continued our journey and stopped for a while at Toofani Nallah, before the Jawahar Tunnel, for a cup of tea. It was almost dark by the time we reached Qazigund.

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Arrive Srinagar

We arrived in Srinagar around 20h.

We are looking for some budget property around Boulevard Road. After some negotiations, we got Guest House accommodations within walking distance of Dal Lake.

We opted for a light dinner at a nearby Punjabi Dhaba. With all the excitement of crossing our first pass and reaching the highlands tomorrow, we decided to end the day as we would leave early tomorrow morning.

Overall, the day went well except the traffic jam in Udhampur. A few more details about the route Dharamshala to Srinagar are mentioned below. Or you can jump straight to Srinagar and Lamayuru – to the high pass to continue reading the next part of this travel journal.

Distance Dharamshala to Srinagar

The total distance between Dharamshala and Srinagar is approximately 415 kilometers. This journey will take between 10 and 12 hours, depending on speed and breaks.

Dharamshala to Srinagar Bus

No direct bus available between Dharamshala and Srinagar. You will have to interrupt your journey in several parts. From Dharamshala, you will first board a bus to Pathankot, which is easily available throughout the day. From Pathankot, you will have to board another bus to Srinagar. If you couldn’t find a Pathankot direct to Srinagar Bus, you would have to make Pathankot to Jammu and Jammu to Srinagar.

Flight Dharamshala to Srinagar

No direct flights available between Dharamshala and Srinagar. The only way to make this trip by plane is to first take a flight from Kangra to Delhi and then Delhi to Srinagar.

Train from Dharamshala to Srinagar

There is no direct train between Dharamshala and Srinagar.

Srinagar Does Dharamshala

All the details I provided above apply to make the trip upside down; which is traveling from Srinagar to Dharamshala. The road distance from Srinagar to Dharamshala is approximately 415 kilometers, depending on the route you take. There are no direct buses from Srinagar to Dharamshala either.

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