LANSDOWNE, UTTRAKHAND

A COMPLETE 2 DAY TOUR GUIDE TO LANSDOWNE

Lansdowne is a hill station, located in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. It's named after the viceroy of India in 1887, Lord Lansdowne. It is the nearest hill station from the capital of India, Delhi. The nearest railway station is Kotdwara, which is 40 kms away from the Lansdowne. Lansdowne is situated at an elevation of 1700 m above the sea level. It is a weekend destination, popular among the people from the neighboring states of UP, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. There are many ways to reach this hill station, by train and by road. If you are coming from Delhi, it is easier to reach Lansdowne, because of Meerut-Delhi Expressway.

We visited Lansdowne in the mid of April in 2023. Summer season is favorable for visiting as there are no risks of landslides. Many people prefer to visit during winters, but it becomes difficult to enjoy sightseeing due to low visibility because of fog. We reached Lansdowne by our own vehicle, to enjoy the scenery at the fullest and stop wherever we want. It is good to use your vehicle if you are comfortable with driving in mountain roads.

DAY 1
  
We reached Kotdwara by 1 am. We planned suddenly so we haven't booked any hotels in advance, it is recommended to book accommodation in advance to avail good hotels at reasonable prices.

1. TARKESHWAR DHAM TEMPLE
  
Tarakeshwar Dham temple; located at an elevation of 1800 m above the sea level, a really good location, isolated on a mountain, surrounded by tall deodar trees from all sides in the midst of the forest is a must visit place, if you love visiting religious places, this temple is isolated and is not very popular among tourists. It is around 40 kms away from Lansdowne; more desolated and natural as very few people who come to Lansdowne take charge to visit this temple. You can even enjoy Maggie noodles as some locals sell tea and Maggie on the top. There are no big shops so you can get some snacks from small tent shops and support the locals.

We were done with our darshan by 4pm. We checked in in Hotel Hill Castle; this hotel was around 20-25 kms away from the Lansdowne. The hotel was different from rest of the hotels in the main Lansdowne area as majority of people stay in hotels near Lansdowne. It is less crowded. The prices were quite reasonable. Prebooking would have helped us to save more, but since we got the room without booking in advance, they charged us 2000 rupees per night. They gave us one more set of bedding without any extra charges. 

The food was quite good, and the prices were reasonable.

DAY 2
After spending a night in the hotel and enjoying sunrise from the balcony with a great view, we started our journey to the hill station of Lansdowne.

2. TIP IN TOP
  
We reached Tip in Top by 8:45 am. The counter was empty. So many people waited and left as there was no one, we waited for half an hour and decided to visit our next place. The counter was closed till 9:30 am. Maybe because it was Sunday and we visited during off season.

3. SANTOSHI MATA MANDIR
  
This temple is situated at even more elevation than Tip in Top. The view was great from the top and the temple was nice and clean. It was not rushed by people. One has to climb straight stairs to reach the top. It is difficult for old people to reach the top because of the rough and steep staircase of the temple.

4. LANSDWONE MARKET
  
We stopped to have some breakfast. We ate at Mayur restaurant because it has so many reviews. It is one of the big restaurants in the main market. It was good and hygienic and was pretty busy. The tables were full, a lot of people were there in the restaurant to have breakfast and brunch.

5. BHIM PAKORA
We were in hurry so we skipped this location because so many other tourists told us that it was overhyped. But if you are a curious to know how that rock is moving than you must visit this place to get your answers.

6. BHULLA TAAL
A small lake in the midst of the Lansdowne, one can stop by to enjoy boating with family and friends. The charges are 150 per person.

7. DARWAN SINGH MUSUEM
  
This museum is a must visit place as this hill station is situated in the cantonment area of Garhwal regiments. This museum is a good place to visit to know the history. It is named after Dawan Singh. It is dedicated to the heroes of our country, along with the history of the regiment and participation in various wars around the world. The charges are 30 per person. It will hardly take an hour to see everything as it is a small museum.

8. ST. JOHN CHURCH
  
 A catholic church, in the lush green mountains, the timings are from 9 to 4 in the evening.

9. ST. MARY CHURCH
  
A protestant church to visit in Lansdowne. It has some historical importance as well.

Drone is not allowed in the Cant. Area. There are so many beautiful locations in the way where one can stop and sit for a while. Benches are present to sit and enjoy the scenic beauty of this beautiful location.

#1
The place was not at all crowded like other hill stations. I saw so many people who were enjoying the locations alone, sitting on the benches on the cliffs. I saw a random stranger who was sitting alone on the cliff and was singing with all his heart. He was in his own world. A person who was sitting there, sketching something.  A few photographers who were clicking pictures of birds, trees, location and scenery.

We started going downside after visiting the church. We stopped for a while near the Khoh River. The water was coming from the mountains, the water level was down maybe because of summer season. One can stop by to enjoy some time, soaking their legs in river water and collecting pebbles. I even saw some people taking bath and playing with water. We collected some pebbles and moved ahead in our journey to Durga Mata Mandir.

10. DURGA MATA MANDIR
At a distance of 28 kms from the Lansdowne, this temple is situated in Dugadda, on the bank of river Khoh. The water pressure of river is so high here that one can hear the powerful sounds of water coming down with force. It is a beautiful temple.

11.  SIDHBALI TEMPLE, KOTDWARA
  
This temple is of religious importance. People from 100s of kms away come daily to visit this temple, the temple is situated on the top of a mountain. The temple is dedicated to Lord Hanuman. You have to wait in queue to get darshan but believe me it will be worth it. Temple closes in the afternoon and reopens at 3 pm. The Bhandara also starts from the 3 pm. You can visit this temple, have some prasadum and sit for a while. It is an ancient temple and so many people hold faith in this place. One has to wait 4 years to organize a Bhandara in this temple. There is a waiting list of people who want to donate to organize Bhandara.

12. KHOH RIVER SIGHTSEEINGIt is a good idea to spend some time, sitting on the stones, soaking your legs in the cold water of Khoh river. There are many resorts and hotel which are situated on the bank of the river but if you don't want to spend thousands of bucks just for a river view. Then don't worry, there are various points where you can just park your car and go downside to enjoy the river. There are many points which are public places so you can still enjoy the river. I even saw some people playing and taking bath in water.

#2
We covered all these locations in a span of 2 days. We were happy to see so many places in such a short period of time and then getting back to our routine from Monday. It was really amazing. It is a must visit place if you are free on weekends. I can assure you that the journey will be refreshing and healing. You can get some time for yourself to introspect and give rest to yourself. There are so many homestays if you are low on budget or want to save money in accommodation. They won't charge you more than 400-500 per person. Lansdowne was around 300kms from our place. You can expect a maximum of 8-9k for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children) for 2 days including everything (food, transportation, accommodation, tickets, activities) and all other miscellaneous expenses at an average budget. It is not like the famous hill stations like Nainital and Mussoorie, that is why very less people come here, and it is less crowded. We also talked with locals, and they told us about how they walk 4-5 kms every day to reach the nearest grocery/ medicine shops in the mountains. They are really hardworking, kind and optimistic about life. Regardless of all the hardships, they go through every day in life, they still were not complaining about irregular water supply, poor mobile connectivity, infrequent cuts, no medical facilities. They have to go all the way 30-40 kms down to get the necessary medical services. Life is hard for them, yet they shine because of their charm of hard work.

As a tourist in this beautiful hill station, it is really a good place to visit with your family and friend. There is a lot to see. If you don't like crowded hill stations, then go to this place. It is a good idea to refresh yourself by visiting this place if you want to escape your daily life for a while. 

Thank you for reading

Mansi