1 Month 200-Hour Somatic Therapy Teacher Training Course in Himachal Pradesh

Arrival by bus

From Delhi, Bir is about 12 to 14 hours by bus. From the Interstate Bus Terminal (ISBT), take a bus to Baijnath. There are two overnight buses from Delhi to Baijnath, both of which depart mid-evening and arrive early the following morning. From Pathankot and Chakki Bank, board any bus heading for Dharamshala, Kangra, Palampur, Baijnath, Mandi, Manali, or Shimla. For Dharamshala and Baijnath, refer to the following directions: from Dharamshala, Bir is about four or five hours by bus, depending on the timing of buses and the number of connections.

There are three ways to travel from Dharamshala to Bir by bus. There are two daily direct buses to Bir Road and Upper Bir leaving at 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. from the bus station in (lower) Dharamshala (about four hours). Alternatively, you can take a direct bus from Dharamshala to Baijnath where you can continue onward to Bir either by local bus or by taxi.

If the timing of direct buses to Bir or Baijnath will not work for you, the last resort options are these: either take a bus to Palampur and change there for any other bus onward to Baijnath or further east, or just hop on any bus heading east from Dharamshala, including those to Jogindernagar, Mandi, Manali, or Shimla, and ask the driver or conductor to drop you off at Bir Road. If you get to Chauntra or Jogindernagar, you’ve gone too far). This can take from three to five hours.

If your bus stops at Baijnath, you'll have the option of traveling the last leg to Bir (20 to 30 minutes) either by bus or by taxi (about INR 250). If you choose to go by bus, there are two options. You can take one of the direct buses from Baijnath to Bir (which leaves about every half hour or so and go all the way to Upper Bir) or any bus heading east from Baijnath (such as Jogindernagar, Mandi, Manali, or Shimla) and ask the driver or conductor to drop you off at Bir Road.

Arrival by train

Take a train to Pathankot and take a bus or taxi onward to Bir. The most common way to travel to Bir is by train from Delhi (or wherever your origin may be) to Pathankot or Chakki Bank (two neighboring train stations in Punjab, either of which is fine) and then make the rest of the journey to Bir by bus (six to eight hours) or taxi (four to five hours). Take a train to Pathankot and onward to Bir. It is also possible to go almost all the way to Bir by train if you have considerable patience and profound love for trains.

There is a charming little toy train that leaves every morning from Pathankot to Ahju, just three kilometers from Bir (below the Bir Road intersection). Most overnight trains from Delhi (when running on time) reach Pathankot approximately an hour before the toy train leaves, so the connection is doable unless your train from Delhi is quite late (which, of course, is always a possibility, though less likely on Rajdhani and Shatabdi express trains).

Arrival by taxi

Taxi is the fastest and most convenient way of getting to Bir from Pathankot or Dharamshala, but it is also by far the most expensive and the least eco-friendly. So if you come by car, please consider sharing the ride with others.

• Taxi from Pathankot to Bir: four to five hours, 1,700 to 2,000 INR
• Taxi from Dharamshala to Bir: two hours, 1,000 to 1,400 INR
• Taxi from Baijnath to Bir: 20 minutes, 250 INR
• Taxi from Bir Road (the closest stop for most long-distance buses) to Chowgan (including the Tibetan Colony or Deer Park): five minutes, 60 to 70 INR
• Taxi from Bir Road to Upper Bir: 10 minutes, 90 to 100 INR