Kuari Pass Archives - EXPLORE WITH BOB

Mussoorie -you must have all heard about it -yeah, that’s a natural fantastic summer retreat and cool even in winters. It’s an all-time hill station with an excellent panoramic view. Auli-I can’t explain in words the adventure and beauty it encompasses. In April, you’ll be able to trek as far as you can-so. So start early and get your boots working through the snow to see endless Himalayan beauty and snow-capped mountains-plus a ropeway bonanza worth it-not to forget winter months brings their own set of ice and snow sports!

Reasons why you must visit Mussoorie and Auli:

Skiing and Auli go in rhyme with one another. Winters arrive, and you must be in Auli to do snow sports, skiing or snowboarding.
Auli is also famous for religious attractions such as Pandukeshwar, Badrinath, Gopeshwar and peaks like Nanda Devi, Trishul, and Sanjeevani, for which trekking does happen.
At Auli, you can’t miss a trek to Kuari Pass /Kwani Bugyal/Gorson Bugyal, which offers breathtaking views throughout the trek ranges.
Not to forget, you get a scenic ropeway ride at 900 INR both ways per head. It’s one of the most beautiful scenic ropeway-so don’t miss out!!

View of Himalayan ranges from Auli Ropeway

Gun hill offers a magnificent view of Doon valley from Mussoorie, which you can reach by a mini ropeway ride; even a trail is possible. The night and evening views are lit!
Dhanaulti and Kempty falls are two famous spots you must make an effort to visit. Dhanaulti offers some splendid views of the lower Himalayas amidst Deodar forests.

A glimpse of Mall road,Mussoorie in Evening

Mussoorie does have a paragliding facility similar to Bir-Billing in Himachal Pradesh. Do check out if you are an adventure junkie!
Cloud End viewpoint gives a heavenly feel of the Himalayas amidst clouds in the wee hours of early morning. Casually walk to the viewpoint and let the view sink you in!
Nag Tibba and Har ki dun are some famous treks which you can begin from Mussoorie.

Location: Mussoorie is just an hour from Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand state of India, whereas Auli is a long road 300 km haul from Dehradun which takes about a day considering there’s no direct public transport and you need to break your journey!

Tourist Attraction on the Spot:

Auli Ropeway tour/trek in Auli, Dehradun-Tapkeshwar Mandir, Robber’s Cave, Mindroling Monastery, Buddha Temple; Mussoorie: Kempty Falls, Lal Tibba, Company Garden, Gun Hill Point-Ropeway

Tourist Attractions in the Vicinity:

You can visit the Valley of Flowers, Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Mana Pass if close to Auli. All are worth a visit; none of them can be missed out.

Distance Charts:(Mussoorie | Auli)

Noida:(280 km | 490 km)
Chandigarh:(200 km | 500 km)
Delhi:(280 km | 520 km)
Dehradun:(33 km | 300 km)
Munsyari:(475 km | 325 km)
Nainital:(310 km | 280 km)
Amritsar:(475 km | 720 km)
Manali:(475 km | 780 km)
Shimla :(250 km | 520 km)
Jammu :(550 km | 840 km)
Jaipur:(560 km | 770 km)

How to Reach Mussoorie/Auli(Ex:Dehradun):

Road Routes:

Dehradun-Mussoorie-Dehradun-Rishikesh-Devprayag-Rudraprayag-karnaprayag-Gopeshwar-Joshimath-Auli Laga

An important note from my experience:

1)Mussoorie and Auli is a year-round destination for tourists except for the June to September corridor, where it rains heavily, and landslides are pretty standard then. So we need to avoid the rains.

2)Auli and Mussoorie both have ropeways, but Auli is a must, whereas Mussoorie is optional-if you can climb upto Gun hill. You’re sorted. The view from Auli ropeway is damn charming-you see snow-capped mountains all over!

3)Mussoorie has several viewpoints- be here at dusk and dawn, and you’ll know the worth of viewpoints, to be honest! The Shivaliks are worth a watch from Mussoorie, plus round-the-year cool weather.

4)Auli is an excellent place to be mainly in winters-you get to skip, do some skateboarding and play all sorts of winter sports here on the lakeside plus, playing with snow is a great way to enjoy in winters! Don’t miss that!

5)Auli is an excellent point to trek to Gorson Bugyal and other minor points from where you get 360 views of Panchchula peaks with gushing cold winds on your face on a sunny afternoon! I am not writing a fiction story- I experienced it- just sharing it with you guys- be here in April-May for that trek, though!

Gucchu Pani or Robber's Cave Dehradun — Gucchu Pani or Robber’s Cave Dehradun

RAIL:Railways is a possibility upto Dehradun or Haldwani

You can watch the below video to get a better idea!Do like and share if you find it worth…

AIR:Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun it is!

ROAD:Roads are kind of mix of good and bad but yes you’ll need to be reaching Dehradun first followed by Mussoorie and you can get to Auli via Rishikesh,Karnaprayag and Gopeshwar.You can go ahead towards Mana Pass or Govindghat by the same route.UTC may help you reach certain places in Uttarakhand.

Map:

Dehradun-Mussoorie-Rishikesh-Auli route map

The grand Himalayas as seen from top of Auli

Time to Visit:

All around the year except June to September.

The grand Himalayas, as seen from the top of Auli.

Spend Time With:

Family, Friends, Solo, Couple

Food and Lodging:

Hotels are plenty all over Dehradun and Mussoorie, though; Mussoorie is costlier than Dehradun accommodation-wise.On average, a hotel in Dehradun costs INR 800-1000 bucks. But getting a hotel there won’t be so much of an issue. Joshimath-Rudraprayag will have hotels available except during the Chardham yatra when tourists fight for stay options! (Then you can use Goibibo, Makemytrip or Yatra website.)Food options are plenty in Mussoorie and Joshimath, but at Auli, you will need some water and snacks.

Expense:

For a 3 day trip by state transport to Mussoorie and Auli will cost:

The view of Gunhill from the ropeway in evening at Mussoorie

Food:INR 100/person/day(3 times a day)X3
Transport:INR 150 to and from Dehradun-Mussoorie and INR 1000 both ways between Joshimath and Dehradun
Lodging:INR 800/day X3 at Dehradun and Joshimath
Entry Fees includes various places:INR 150 for Mussoorie parks and view points;Joshimath-Auli Ropeway is 900 INR.

Focus on a rose in Company Garden.There are so many pretty flowers around

Total: 5500 INR (Can be 4500 if you stay at hotel a day less)

Nearby Attractions(Mussoorie | Auli):

Had a short talk and trek with my bestie I met in Auli

Almora:(370 km | 250 km)
Dalhousie:(590 km | 820 km)
Valley of Flowers:((350 km | 40 km)
Mansarovar:(700 km | 550 km)
Kausani:(350 km | 200 km)
Pithoragarh:(515 km | 330 km)
Kedarnath:(300 km | 210 km)
Badrinath:(360 km | 55 km)
Gangotri:(215 km | 400 km)
Yamunotri:(410 km | 390 km)
Lansdowne:(185 km | 260 km)

Panaromic view of Himalayan ranges(Trishul) from a trek point at Auli

Uttarakhand is a state which ain’t to be underestimated for the beauty it presents as being a part of the Himalayan belt. Mussoorie, Dehradun, Almora, Ranikhet, and Nainital; not to forget Chardham-these names shall be ringing in your ears since early childhood and why not-these places are unique and have a characteristic landscape which makes a large sum of tourists flock over the place. Ranikhet has beautiful green meadows, Almora has a picturesque city view, and Nainital has many lakes that are simply stunning in their many ways! Do visit all these places when you knock on the door of Uttaranchal(UK, India)

Reasons why you must visit Nainital-Almora-Ranikhet Circuit:

Ranikhet is a “queen of meadows”-the stretch is all green, lush green to be honest, as far your eyes can go-beautiful place to sit, sleep under the sun, and just relax-this ain’t going to be on your to-miss list!

Almora is not known for its intrinsic value; it is more sorted for the treks it offers, like Kuari Pass and Binsar.On the way, you find many temples, along with Gobind Vallabh Pant Museum, Kumaon Regimental Centre Museum, Martola, and Thana Bazar. Views are great on sunny days in Almora.

Nainital’s nightlife is worth every penny. I hit the streets twice in Nainital’s Mall Road; the ambiance is excellent! It’s a lengthy walk mathematically the perimeter of Naini Lake as the whole market on Mall road is based around Naini Lake.
G B Pant High Altitude Zoo is a beautiful place to be with local Himalayan flora and fauna in store-something unique and confined to the Himalayan belt, so this should be your must-visit site when you do visit Nainital. Red pandas, Himalayan birds, and leopards are some of the most eye-catching species!
Nainital Winter Carnival is a wholesome three-day local-centric festival with a vibrant culture of Uttarakhand popping up. If you plan in winter, check out the dates of this Carnival, and you can plan accordingly!

Location: Nainital is around 300 km east of Dehradun- the capital of Uttarakhand- close to Kathgodam railway station(about an hour by road).

Tourist Attraction on the spot:

Sariyataal, Sitataal, Naini Lake, GB Pant zoo, Temple and Gurudwara, and Mall road are a few essential points in Nainital, along with some distinct viewpoints like snow view point. Ranikhet is known for its golf course, and Almora has some trek trails like Binsar and Kuari Pass and temples and museums.

Tourist Attraction in Vicinity:

Kausani, Auli, Pithoragarh, Joshimath, and Munsyari are some places within a 300-400 km radius of these three tourist places. All these places are equally worth a visit.

Distance Charts:(From Nainital-better base location for other places)

Thandi Sadak-the road sideways Naini Lake at night,Nainital

How to Reach Almora(Ex Delhi):

Road Routes:

Delhi-Moradabad-Rampur-Haldwani(Kathgodam)-Nainital-Ranikhet-Almora

IMPORTANT NOTE FROM MY EXPERIENCE:

1)Most places can be covered by buses/public transport.If you want to save a day or so,prefer hiring a car at 3000 INR/day which ll specially help in Nainital local sightseeing.

2)Best time will be post monsoon in september-november months when sky is clear on consistent basis

3)Monsoons are spoiler alert in all of Uttarakhand except for Valley of Flowers. The months from June till September create a havoc in the state, and it’s no way pleasant to be here. Landslides, cloudbursts and heavy rains-I have been here in mid-June as well, but rains didn’t allow me to explore the places and I had to call the plan off. April and May-Plan in these months, checking the overcast conditions beforehand, as April also consists of patches of rains with cloudy skies.

4)Roads are butter smooth for these places as well as there won’t be much issue of food and petrol bunks here and there.

RAIL: Kathgodam is the nearest railway station from where it takes just an hour to reach Nainital, provided traffic is smooth.

You can watch the below video to get a better idea! Do like and share if you find it worth it…

AIR: The nearest airport is Dehradun’s airport, from where you’ll get regular state buses to Nainital.

ROAD: You will need to get to Haldwani, or Dehradun (pretty far as compared to Haldwani)from any part of India by road, rail, or air, and then smooth roads will take you anywhere in Uttarakhand. UTC bus services may help you save some bucks.

Map:

tourist map for nainital ranikhet and almora — A simple map for nainital ranikhet and almora road route

Time to Visit:

Late April to the first week of June; Late September to March(for pleasant weather-October and November)

Spend Time With:

Family, Friends,Solo, Couple,Groups

Food and Lodging:

Hotels are plenty in Almora and Nainital. Ranikhet has pretty few to say. Food stalls are available all over the road routes here, so not an issue. Hotels can be prebooked or booked on the spot (if you come with family, better to prebook in peak season-Rush is for real!). Goibibo, Makemytrip, Easemytrip if you want a booking. Zomato and Swiggy can be used for food bookings!

Expense:

For a 2-day trip to these 3 tourist spots ,the estimate is as follows:

Food:INR 100/person/day(3 times a day)X2
Transport:3000 INR for Nainital local sightseeing;assume INR 500 for bus conncetivity to all these 3 places.
Lodging:INR 600/day X2 at Nainital(one night stay)
Entry Fees includes various places (varies):Entry fees at GB Pant zoo and boating charges(INR 300 / person)

Total: 5600 INR (can be possible in 3500 INR as well if you are having a rented scooty or you can walk a bit and spare a day more/curtail a few tourist spots in Nainital)

Nearby Attractions(Nainital)

Gurudwara close to Naina Devi Temple,Nainital

Mussoorie:(315 km)
Rishikesh:(260 km)
Almora:(65 km)
Auli:(280 km)
Kedarnath:(330 km)
Badrinath:(310 km)
Yamunotri:(480 km)
Gangotri:(520 km)