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Lotus Dharma Garden Elk
Lotus Dharma Garden is located in Elk, Mendocino, just off Highway 1, 5 miles from the ocean. Rinpoche intended to create a center in a remote place, away from the distractions of modern life. Due to its remoteness, we do our best to help those interested in visiting to arrange transportation. Let us know if we can assist you by emailing LDGsangha@gmail.com or visiting our contact page (link this).
Please look at the Calendar (link) to see what group practice opportunities are upcoming in Elk.
Lotus Dharma Garden in Elk is:
- 3 hours north of San Fransisco
- 1 hour west of Ukiah
- 2 hours north of Santa Rosa

Driving From San Francisco International Airport:
- Take 101 to the 380, then turn off toward 280 North.
- Follow 280 North, and watch for signs to the Golden Gate Bridge.
- Cross the Golden Gate Bridge onto 101 North.
- Continue past San Rafael and Santa Rosa.
- Stay on 101 North to Cloverdale, passing through the town.
- Take exit 522 for CA-128 West toward Fort Bragg/Mendocino (last Cloverdale exit).
- At the bottom of the off-ramp, turn left, go under the freeway, and after 0.7 miles, turn right to stay on 128 West toward Fort Bragg.
- Continue on Highway 128 West for 35.8 miles, passing through Boonville and Philo.
- Turn left onto Philo-Greenwood Road toward Elk (look for the green “ELK” sign on the right).
- Follow Philo-Greenwood Road for 12 miles (about 25-30 minutes).
The retreat land will be on your right. Look for:
- A new wooden fence on both sides of the driveway
- An open copper-colored metal gate
- A sign on the left gate post saying “Orchard Hill”
- A mailbox on the left side of the road across from the driveway
Taking the Bus
There is no direct bus to Elk. Various buses will take you from SFO to Santa Rosa. From there, you can coordinate a ride or rent a car from Santa Rosa and drive two hours to Elk. We recommend taking the Groome Transportation shuttle to Santa Rosa if you are interested in this option. Please contact us to help coordinate a ride to or from Santa Rosa.
Travel by Air
The closest international airport is San Fransisco Internal Airport(SFO). You can rent a car there for the 3 ½ hour drive to Elk. You can also take the airport shuttle to Santa Rosa, which is mentioned above.
There are other airports also within driving range of Lotus Dharma Garden in Elk. Using these airports has the bonus of avoiding the heavy traffic surrounding San Fransisco:
- Oakland International Airport (OAK), 3 hours drive
- Santa Rosa Airport (STS), 2 hours drive
Lotus Dharma Garden Mexico
The resident sangha of Cerro Gordo holds group practice sessions daily, as well as gathering for Tsog on Guru Rinpoche Day and Dakini Day. Every month, the Sangha hosts a weekend Ngöndro retreat, and twice a year Rinpoche stays in Mexico to bestow teachings and lead the Sangha in practice. All are welcome to join in any of these events. For more information, please email remisax@gmail.com or send a message to the center’s Whatsapp number: +52 56 4960 9300.
LDG Cerro Gordo is located two hours West of Mexico City. The closest city is Valle De Bravo. It is possible reach Valle De Bravo by bus from Mexico City, and then take a taxi (shared or private) to the center in Cerro Gordo. Please contact the center at the number above if you are interested in visiting to make arrangements.
Lotus Dharma Garden Nepal
Please look at the Upcoming Programs page to see if we have any upcoming events in Nepal.