In this blog post, I will share my experience of the road trip from Gurgaon (NCR) to Lansdowne. If you are not familiar with this town, then let me tell you, the quaint hill station, Lansdowne is in Uttrakhand State. We travelled from Gurgaon, and it takes around 6 hrs. to reach Lansdowne.

The journey was amazing, you have to take a route of Uttarpradesh’s Bijnor, then you will reach Kotdwar. Remember if you are planning a road trip, then cross Kotdwar before 8:00 PM. Kotwar is amazingly beautiful, the lush greenery, pine and deodar trees throughout the journey mesmerize you.

Lansdowne Resorts

The resorts situated in Lansdowne or at a distance of 20 to 25km are extremely beautiful. At 21 kms. from Lansdowne there are many Resorts which are situated on the river bay. We stayed at SB Mount Resort, which is surrounded by Mountains and beside the resort, river is flowing. The rooms are available in the form of Standard, Deluxe and Super Deluxe, we choose Deluxe Room. The service and food were delicious, and they placed tables and chairs outside the room, so that guests could enjoy nature’s beauty.

In the morning, we went to the river and took natural therapy by walking on the river which feels like acupressure and the cold water of river, cushioning our feet. In our 3-day trip, our morning routine was same, and we enjoyed a lot. You can play badminton in the resort; the space is available.

We were concerned about security at the beginning, but they managed very well by barricading the bridge which is only connectivity to resort. The price of a Deluxe Room is Rs. 4000/- per night. You can check the video of SB Mount Resort in my Instagram account traveljunkies2023

Places to Visit in Lansdowne Uttrakhand

Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple

On the second day of our trip, we started our trip from our Resort to Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple which was around 55km. When you move from the resort, there are two roads on opposite sides, one paves you towards Lansdowne and the other one towards Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple.

The road trip looks like a dream, a scenery, and it feels like we are walking on clouds. The roads to Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple have tons of twists and turns, so if you have any motion sickness, take medicine while traveling.

The 1500-year-old Tarkeshwar temple is situated in the middle of deodar trees, surrounded with peace and serenity at an altitude of 1800 meters. There is kund also to take bath, ashram and dharamshala is situated near the temple. At the temple, there are a lot of monkeys, so be careful with your bags of Prashad. You can spend an hour in this temple and it’s good for meditation too.

Lansdowne

After spending time an hour at Tarkeshwar temple, we moved towards Lansdowne which is around 33 kms from Temple. Lansdowne a town situated at an altitude of 1,706m above sea level in the Pauri Garhwal, Uttrakhand, and named after the then British Empire Viceroy, Lord Lan sdowne. The Britisher’s used this place for the training and now our Indian Army’s, Garhwal Rifles regiment is situated over here.

When you enter the town, you will reach at the base of Garwhal Rifles, from there visit below two places to visit in Lansdowne:

Darwan Singh Regimental Museum

Darwan Singh Regimental Museum was built to pay tribute to the Garhwal Rifles. This museum has a collection of arms, ammunition, uniforms, photographs, and the history of the Indian Military. You can visit beautiful flower gardens where you will find different varieties, there is a Parade Road also, though we didn’t go there.

Timings of Museum: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, and 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Garwahli Mess

Garhwahli Mess represents the culture of the Indian Military, and the artifacts, and photographs were showcased. All these locations are within walking distance and the weather was so nice that you indeed fall in love with Lansdowne.

Timings of Garwahli Mess: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm

Lansdowne Market

Moving forward from Garhwal Regiment Area, though we can’t say we crossed, because what I feel is whole Lansdowne is under Garhwal Regiment. When you move towards the Market you must pay Rs. 50/- for parking, which is applicable in all the areas of Lansdowne except Tip and Tip Viewpoint. Park your vehicle at the Market and explore the viewpoints and enjoy the shopping.

Lord Vishnu Temple/Lord Mahadev Temple and Bhim Pakora

To visit these places in Lansdowne you don’t need any vehicle, as they all are in one lane one after other. The first point is a small temple of Lord Vishnu, then moving further, there is temple with the name of Kaleshwar Mahadev. We asked a local shop owner about the Bhim Pakora which was 2 kms. away from this point. When we reached there it was heaven surrounded by deodar forest, there was a huge rock place one above the other. It was believed that the placement of rocks was made by Bhim, one of the Pandavas from the epic Mahabharat during their exile.

Bhulla Lake

Bhulla Lake was around 1.5kms from Lansdowne Market, if you have your own vehicle then don’t plan to walk, because in hill station, it costs much. The parking is available and as I said before, you need not to pay anything here, as payment of Rs. 50/- was already done. The lake was well maintained by the authorities and spread across a vast area. You can click so many photographs and enjoy boating. There is a bridge inside the lake and after crossing it you will find a café which serves delicious food. You can also eat a variety of food at the restaurant located at ticket counter which serves good food with variety of options.

The lake was beautiful, and we saw a group of white ducks and 2 black ducks and their conversation in their own language was amazing. You can spend around one and a half hours here. There is a place designated for animals like hamsters, pigeons and rabbits.

Ticket Cost of Bhulla Lake: Rs.150/- per person including boating

Tip N Top

The other popular spot of Lansdowne is Tip N Top Point. The point is in opposite direction from Bhulla Lake. The point is famous for stunning view of Kotdwar lush green forest trail. To visit this location you need to pay the parking charges. Tourists visit here to witness sunrise or sunset, as we went in August, so we couldn’t see anything, it was all covered with clouds. The photo mentioned below was not of August month.

Snow Viewpoint and Hawaghar

Snow Viewpoint is a winter wonderland and in the winter season, tourists can enjoy snowfall with the splendid view. If you love trekking, Hawaghar is a perfect trekking spot for tourists. We went in August, so we avoided visiting this point.

Kalaghar Tiger Reserve

Kalaghar Tiger Reserve is home to various animals like tigers, leopards, and elephants. You can plan a Jungle Safari and enjoy the wilderness of the Jungle and click photographs while enjoying nature. The boarder of Jim Corbett National Park is near, and we had already enjoyed the Jungle Safari at Corbett, so avoided Kalaghar’s Safari.

St. John’s Church

The oldest church of Lansdowne prepared in the British era has the ancient Gothic architecture and the splendid glass window is an attraction point. You can click photographs here, as the viewpoint was amazingly beautiful.

Activities in Lansdowne

Lansdowne has its own natural beauty with high peaks, forest, and jungle and in such place you can enjoy various activities like

• A nature walk in Lansdowne
• Camping in the peak of mountains and under the sky filled with stars,
• Hiking to the peak point of Hawaghar,
• Jungle Safi at Kalaghar Tiger Reserve and
• Boating at Bhulla Lake

Best Season to Visit

You can visit Lansdowne throughout the year, but if you want to witness the snowfall then plan a trip from December to February. If you are planning a trip between April to June, the weather would be pleasant enough and the Lansdowne temperature would be around 25 degrees Celsius. In the winter season, the temperature of Lansdowne would be between 4 to 15 degrees Celsius.

How to reach

• Nearest Airport: Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun. From the Jolly Grant Airport, you can take a cab and taxi towards Lansdowne town which is only 83kms away from the airport.
• Nearest Railway Station: Kotdwar Railway Station. You can take a cab or taxi to ride 40 km towards Lansdowne town.
• By Road: If you are coming from Delhi-NCR, then take Meerut Expressway, then via Bijnor, enter Kotdwar. Please make sure to cross Kotdwar before 8:00 pm, as the place has dense forest and maybe animals too. There is a drive of 6hours and the journey towards Lansdowne is beautiful.  

Final Thought

Lansdowne is a small quaint hill station, and you can explore the town in one day. I would advise you to choose a good resort, it’s fine if it’s not too close to Lansdowne. Relax your mind, enjoy the beauty, don’t rush yourself to attraction points, and take a break from your hustle bustle life.

Pack your bag and explore the unexplored places with Hema.