Transportation

Public Transport

Please note that it is not possible to travel long-distance round trip to Abhayagiri by public transportation in one day; it requires at least two days if coming from more than one and a half hours away. If you are staying at Abhayagiri overnight or in a hotel or friend’s home near the monastery, you can use the following information to travel here by public transport (for return information, simply reverse the directions).

Please call all providers (listed at the end of this document) to double-check schedules as they can change frequently. Public transportation to the monastery is difficult at best and renting a car or taking a taxi from Ukiah may be much easier.

Additionally, if you’re hoping to come to the monastery for a large event and would like to carpool, please feel free to utilize the Upāsikā Yahoo group as a means of contacting others who plan to attend. However, as there are unlikely to be many rides available on regular days, we ask that you use this option only for special events so as not to overwhelm those on the email list.

From the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to San Francisco via the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train

After arriving in the San Francisco Airport, please proceed to the International Terminal where the airport BART station is located (a shuttle will take you from your terminal to the International Terminal). You will need to buy a ticket for the BART (coins and bills accepted) and decide on an arrival station in San Francisco. The trip to San Francisco is approximately half an hour from the San Francisco Airport to San Francisco. The BART train leaves every 10-15 minutes from the SFO station. Please leave enough time from your airplane arrival to get to one of the buses (listed below) as well as to account for airplane delays and baggage pick up. For more information about BART, visit www.bart.gov.

Taking the Greyhound Bus from San Francisco to Ukiah (the only non-transfer route from San Francsico to Ukiah)

The once-a-day Greyhound Bus departs for Ukiah at 3:30 pm, leaving from the San Francisco Transbay Temporary Terminal at 250 Main Street.

If you are using the BART train to get to the Transbay Temporary Terminal:

  • Take the BART train to the to the Embarcadero Station in San Francisco.
  • The Embarcadero station is on the corner of Main Street and Market Street.
  • Head south on Main Street walking three blocks.
  • The Transbay Temporary Terminal is on the corner of Main Street and Folsom Street.

The phone number of the S.F. Greyhound is (415) 495-1569. Tickets can be purchased at www.greyhound.com or at the station prior to departure. Please bear in mind that tickets can be sold out two hours or more before departure. The bus leaves the S.F. station for Ukiah at 3:30 pm.

The bus should arrive in Ukiah around 6:30 pm but can often be late. It arrives at the south end of Ukiah, at the entrance to the Ukiah Airport on South State Street.

Please see transportation from Ukiah/Redwood Valley to Abhayagiri below.

From the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) via the Sonoma County Airport Express and the Mendocino Transit Authority (MTA) Bus to Ukiah

From San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Santa Rosa, take the Sonoma County Airport Express (located outside the baggage claim area). You can call them at (800) 327-2024 or (707) 837-8700 or find information at www.airportexpressinc.com. To make the other bus connections to Abhayagiri the same day, you should depart on the Airport Express no later than 12:30 pm from SFO (which will require you to arrive by airplane around 11:30 am at the latest). Travel time is approximately 1½ hours from SFO to Santa Rosa. The Airport Express terminates at the Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa.

At the Sonoma County Airport, it is possible to catch the MTA 65 CC Rider bus at 3:05 PM to Ukiah. There is only one bus per day, so please call the MTA a day or two in advance to request a special pick up at the Santa Rosa Airport and please time your travel plans accordingly if you wish to take this bus. The MTA can be reached at (707)-462-1422. The MTA 65 CC Rider stops at the Pear Tree Shopping Center in Ukiah at 4:13 PM (please see below for directions from Ukiah to Abhayagiri).

After stopping in Ukiah, the MTA 65 CC Rider also stops at the Redwood Valley West Road exit at 4:43 pm (please see directions below from the West Road Exit in Redwood Valley to Abhayagiri).

One can also catch the Greyhound Bus in Santa Rosa by departing the Sonoma County Airport Express at the Days Inn Greyhound Station, located at 3345 S Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Tickets can be purchased at www.greyhound.com or by calling the Santa Rosa Greyhound at (707) 545-6495. The Greyhound bus leaves Santa Rosa for Ukiah at 5:25 pm.

Please see transportation from Ukiah/Redwood Valley to Abhayagiri below.

From San Francisco to Redwood Valley via the Golden Gate Transit (GGT) Bus #101 and the Mendocino Transit Authority (MTA) CC Rider 65

Every hour, the GGT 101 Bus leaves from San Francisco (from various stops) and ends in Santa Rosa. Find more information at www.goldengatetransit.org or call (415) 455-2000. On weekdays, the bus leaves every hour on the hour from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm, however in order to catch the MTA 65 CC Rider in Santa Rosa, you must take the 11:00 am bus (leaving S.F.) at the latest. On weekends, it leaves every hour from 11:33 am to 6:33 pm (from various stops) in San Francisco. The only GGT bus that connects with the MTA 65 CC Rider on the weekends is the 11:33 am bus. Please go to http://goldengatetransit.org/schedules/current/route_101.php and look up the weekend or the weekday northbound 101 bus to find a stop in San Francisco that suits you. The 11:33 am bus arrives at the 2nd Street Transit Mall in Santa Rosa at 2:04 pm.

One of the most convenient locations to get on the GGT 101 bus is on 7th Street between Market St. and McAllister St. Heading north from Market along 7th Street, the bus depot is on the right side (it may be confusing, but 7th street actually becomes Charles J Brenham Place on this one short block north or Market). The bus depot is next to “John’s Burgers” and close to “Donut World.” Also, the Civic Center/UN Plaza BART station is just one block southwest of this bus depot.

If there are no delays on the GGT 101 leaving at 11:30 am or before, it will get you to the once-a-day MTA 65 CC Rider departing from the 2nd Street Transit Mall in Santa Rosa at 2:50 pm. It stops at the Pear Tree Shopping Center in Ukiah at 4:13 PM and also stops at the Redwood Valley West Road exit at 4:43 pm. Most people who depart in Ukiah then call a taxi to take them to the monastery. Those who ask the MTA bus to stop in Redwood Valley either walk the remaining 7 miles to the monastery or hitch a ride. The MTA can be reached at (707) 462-1422. Again, there is only one MTA bus from Santa Rosa to Ukiah/Redwood Valley, so please time your travel plans accordingly if you wish to take this bus.

Update June 2018: The MTA 65 CC Rider now runs twice a day (except Sunday). Please check the GGT 101 and MTA 65 CC Rider pages to coordinate your travel.

Please see transportation from Ukiah/Redwood Valley to Abhayagiri below.

From the Oakland International Airport (OAK) to Ukiah via the Greyhound Bus

The same Greyhound bus that leaves from San Francisco passes through Oakland before heading north to Ukiah. After arriving at OAK (preferably before 2:00 pm), please follow these directions:

  • Take the AirBART shuttle to the Coliseum/Oakland Airport Station (BART). The AirBART leaves every 10-20 minutes from OAK. The AirBART takes 15 minutes to reach the Coliseum.
  • Enter the Coliseum/Oakland Airport BART Station, purchase a BART ticket and take the BART train to the 19th Street Oakland BART Station (this is a 12 minute ride). Exit onto the corner of Broadway and 19th Street. From there it will take approximately 10 minutes to walk to the Oakland Greyhound Station.
  • Head northeast on Broadway toward 20th St/Thomas L Berkeley Way, walking 450 feet.-Turn left onto 20th St/Thomas L Berkeley Way and walk .3 mile.
  • Turn right onto San Pablo Ave and walk 350 feet. The station will be on your left.

The Oakland Greyhound Station is located at:

2103 San Pablo Ave
Oakland, CA 94612-1308
Telephone: (510) 834-3213

Tickets can be purchased at www.greyhound.com or at the Oakland station just before departure. The telephone number of the Oakland Greyhound Station is (510) 834-3213. Please keep in mind that tickets can be sold out two hours or more before departure.

The Greyhound bus departs from the Oakland station at 4:00 pm and arrives in Ukiah around 6:30 pm (the Greyhound arrival is often late). The bus arrives at the south end of Ukiah at the entrance to the Ukiah Airport on South State Street.

Please see transportation from Ukiah/Redwood Valley to Abhayagiri below.

Amtrak

There is no direct train service running to Ukiah​. However, as of May 2015 Amtrak does have two scheduled stops in Ukiah by way of bus. Depending on where you are coming from, Amtrak’s time and cost are comparable to Greyhound. Please check on these trains/buses at www.amtrak.com.

Please see transportation from Ukiah/Redwood Valley to Abhayagiri below.

Transportation from Ukiah to Abhayagiri

The most convenient way to get from Ukiah to the monastery is to take a taxi. The taxi company in Ukiah that is willing to give monastery passengers a discount is Riley’s Cab Company: http://www.rileyscab.com/ (707) 468-1690. The cost in November, 2013 for a Riley’s taxicab from Ukiah to Abhayagiri was about $50 one-way. Please let them know that you are are asking for the flat rate offered to monastery passengers. In November, 2016, an Abhayagiri guest took an Uber from Ukiah to Abhayagiri for $32, but had to call a cab to return to Ukiah as there were no Ubers near the monastery.

We apologize, but due to the number of guests frequenting the monastery we do not coordinate rides or go to Ukiah/Redwood Valley to pick up or drop off guests.

Transportation from Redwood Valley to Abhayagiri

Much less convenient than a taxi from Ukiah, but less expensive, is to take an MTA bus to Redwood Valley and then walk or hitch the remaining 7 miles to the monastery, which is located at 16201 Tomki Road. If taking the Mendocino Transit Authority (MTA) 65 CC Rider from Santa Rosa, you can continue past Ukiah and exit the bus at the Redwood Valley West Road Exit Ramp at 4:43 pm (by request only). MTA also operates several buses daily from Ukiah to Redwood Valley. MTA Route 20 has 6 buses daily. Please check the current MTA route schedules at www.mendocinotransit.org or (800) 696-4682 or (707) 462-1422. It is highly recommended that you use the taxi service. It should be noted that the taxi service charge is roughly the same (about $50) whether riding from Ukiah or Redwood Valley to Abhayagiri.

We apologize, but due to the number of guests frequenting the monastery we do not coordinate rides or go to Ukiah/Redwood Valley to pick up or drop off guests.

Car Rental

Renting a car from either the San Francisco or Oakland Airport or from within either city can be the most convenient and economical way to travel, especially if you are planning on a short stay. Please look online for car rentals at either of these airports.

You can also rent a car in Ukiah. The two rental companies in Ukiah are Hertz and Enterprise. The Enterprise office is located at the Ukiah Airport and the Hertz office is located about 4 miles north of the city center. In the past, Hertz has offered pickups and drop-offs in Ukiah to get you to their office. Please see contact information below.

Transportation Phone Numbers and Web Sites

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
http://www.bart.gov/

Greyhound
http://www.greyhound.com/ or call (800) 231-2222

San Francisco Greyhound Office: (415) 495-1569
Oakland Greyhound Office: (510) 834-3213
Santa Rosa Greyhound Office: (707) 545-6495

Golden Gate Transit (GGT)
http://www.goldengatetransit.org/ or call (415) 455-2000

Mendocino Transit Authority (MTA)
http://www.mendocinotransit.org/ or call (800) 696-4682 or (707) 462-1422

Sonoma County Airport Express
http://www.airportexpressinc.com/ or call (800) 327-2024 or (707) 837-8700

Amtrak
http://tickets.amtrak.com/ or call (800) 872-7245

Rileys Cab Company
http://www.rileyscab.com/ or call (707) 468-1690

Hertz Car Rental
http://www.hertz.com/ or call (707) 468-0537

Enterprise Rent-A-Car
http://www.enterprise.com/ or call (707) 462-2200