Deer Park Institute is located in Bir Colony, Chowgan Village, in the Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh. Bir lies roughly midway between Dharamsala and Mandi, about 80km from both, 16 km from Joginder Nagar and 19 km from Baijnath. When travelling by taxi or bus, ask for ‘Bir Tibetan Colony’ – otherwise you may end up in Upper Bir, the Indian village 2km north of here. For detailed directions, see the map above.

ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Do check the latest information before you travel. (Last updated July 2022)

Travel times and fares given below are approximate. Taxi fares are for a small car (Alto); for a bigger car (eg.Innova) add approx. 50%. Fares are rising rapidly, so may be higher than those quoted below.

If you are a foreign national, you will need to go first to Dharamsala to obtain a Protected Area Permit before visiting Bir – please see this link for more details: http://deerpark.in/practical-information/permit-for-foreign-nationals/

From outside India

Most international flights arrive in New Delhi. For Mumbai (Bombay) arrivals, transit to Delhi by domestic flight or train, or take a train direct to Pathankot/ Pathankot Cantt previously known as Chakki Bank, then follow the directions below.

From Delhi to Bir

1. Bus

Volvo AC buses run overnight from Kashmir Gate ISBT and most pick up from Majnu-Ka-Tilla in north Delhi to Bir Tibetan Colony where Deer Park is located. 

 Buses plying this route include Volvo deluxe, semi-deluxe and ordinary.

Buses are operated by Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) or private contractors. Tickets can be booked online at www.hrtc.gov.in, through travel agents or www.redbus.in or in person at the Delhi Kashmir Gate bus station (go to the Himachal Road Transport counter), or at the HRTC counter at Mandi House near Connaught Place or at the Tibetan Colony at Majnu-Ka-Tilla.

The overnight journey takes approximately 11-13 hours, arriving in the early morning.

If you plan to visit Mcleod Ganj/Dharamsala before heading on to Bir, there is a wide range of overnight buses from Delhi. The private buses mostly leave from near Paharganj Main Bazaar, the popular budget accommodation area near New Delhi Railway Station, and pick up in Majnu-ka-tilla; tickets can be booked through travel agents in both these places or through many bus booking websites. There are also government-run bus services leaving from Kashmiri Gate ISBT, which you can book online at www.hrtc.gov.in. Note that some buses drop you in Lower Dharamsala, from where you will have to get a taxi to Mcleod Ganj. For getting from Dharamsala to Bir, see the section below.

2. Train

The nearest major rail stations are at Pathankot, about 140km from Bir. From there Bir is about 4 hours by taxi (approx Rs.3500 – contact info@deerpark.in if you need help with booking taxis). There are no direct buses from Pathankot to Bir, but local buses bound for Mandi or Manali can drop you off at Bir Road turning, from where you can take a taxi to Bir Tibetan Colony for around Rs.200. The local bus may take 6-8 hours, depending on how often it stops along the way.

There are a number of trains on the main line from Delhi to Jammu which stop at either Pathankot or Pathankot Cant (formerly Chakki Bank) – these two stations are just a few kilometres apart – see www.erail.in, www.cleartrip.com/trains or www.indianrail.gov.in for the latest timetables and fares. Note that at Pathankot Cant most trains only stop for a few minutes, so you need to be ready to get off. At Pathankot, which is a bigger station, they stop for 10-20 minutes.

Most trains go overnight, arriving early in the morning at Pathankot.

3. Taxi:

Going rates from Bir to Delhi at the time of writing were around Rs. 10,000 for a small car (Alto) or Rs.12000 for a bigger car (Innova).  Please contact info@deerpark.in if you need assistance in booking a taxi. The journey may take around 10-13 hours, depending on traffic.

 4. Air:

Air India and Spice Jet operate daily flights from Delhi to Dharamsala. The airport is actually located at Gaggal, a small town about 15km below Dharamsala and close to Kangra, about 90 minutes drive from Bir. Bear in mind that this is a very small airport and flights may be delayed or cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. These flights can be booked on most flight booking websites. A taxi from Gaggal to Bir is around Rs 2000. 

From McLeod Ganj / Dharamsala to Bir

Taxis take about 2 hours. Fares are subject to frequent revision – check with Mcleod/Dharamsala Taxi Union for the latest – may cost around Rs 2000.

There is also a direct local bus to Bir from Dharamsala at around 1-2pm every day, operated by Anurag Travels (3-4 hours). It returns from Bir Colony to Dharamsala at 7:45am. Please confirm the times at the bus stand because this information is subject to change. Otherwise, change at Palampur and/or Baijnath. From Baijnath there are frequent local buses to Upper Bir – they will drop you at Chowgan crossroads, from where it is a 1km walk to Bir Colony, where Deer Park is located. Local buses bound for Jogindernagar or Mandi/Kullu can also drop you at Bir Road junction, from where you can get a taxi (Rs.200).

From Elsewhere in India

Transit via Delhi or Pathankot, then follow the instructions above.

Moving on from Bir

Basically, follow the above instructions in reverse! Bear in mind that buses and taxis can usually be booked at short notice, but trains need to be booked well in advance. 

We look forward to seeing you at Deer Park – please feel free to contact us if you need any further information or assistance!