There are several options for traveling to the mission:
Government Bus
Government or “Roadways” buses leave from Anand Vihar bus stand every night and morning between 7 and 11. There are generally around 6-8 buses each day and their terminating station is Tanakpur (pronounced ‘tun-uk-pour’). Buses are generally fairly crowded but will get you here eventually. A ticket to Banbasa costs between 350/- and 700/- depending on the bus. Just ask to be let off at Strong Farm, or get off in Banbasa and catch a cycle rickshaw for Rs20/- per person to the Strong Farm Office. Strong Farm is exactly 1 km before Banbasa, with a big green and yellow sign on the left side of the road saying “The Good Shepherd Agricultural Mission” it’s pretty hard to miss.
Train
Train can be a very comfortable way to get here – and is considered by many as the best method as it is also quite cheap. There are no trains that take you to Banbasa direct from Delhi (though they have started laying the tracks for it). Several air conditioned sleeper trains (ie train with a bed) leave Delhi (DLI or NDLS Stations) each day which can take you to either Bareilly (BE) or Rudrapur City (RUPC). From here you will need to catch a bus/taxi or hire a car. A taxi from either station to us will cost approximately Rs3500. Train tickets are around Rs800/- to 2000/- and can be booked online or at a train station (you almost always have to book in advance). Trains are clean and comfortable, they have bathrooms and people come through often selling chai, coffee, snacks etc… We recommend people travel by “AC3 class” (which stands for “Air conditioned 3 tier”) or better. Each person is allocated a bed/seat and many trains provide clean sheets/blankets/pillows for free.
Private Taxi
Private taxi’s can be organized to bring you to the mission from just about anywhere in India. Generally private taxi’s are a little expensive but simplest. On average they charge about Rs1800-2200/- per day plus fuel, tolls, drivers food/accommodation. A trip from Delhi to the mission would be around Rs12,000/- you are also expected to feed the driver during the journey. Booking from Delhi can be a lot more expensive, some taxi companies charge as much as 25,000/- for a drop off to Banbasa. Whether you book the taxi from here or from Delhi you are expected to pay for the return trip for the vehicle too (included in price mentioned above). This is a much more comfortable way to travel but it is also more expensive. We can assist in organizing a booking if needed as one of our staff members operates a private taxi (so you are indirectly helping support our organization by supporting them) or you can go to the various Inter-State Taxi Stands around Delhi/major cities (there is even one in the Delhi airport). Sometimes we can arrange to send in one of our staff to accompany you on the journey back.
By Flight then Taxi
A few times each week flights arrive in Pantnagar Airport, just near Rudrapur. Flights are between 4,000/- and 10,000/-. Flying into Pantnagar from Delhi will significantly reduce travel times, however you will still have to arrange a taxi from the airport to the mission (expect costs for the taxi to be somewhere around 3500/-).