Dehradun and Mussourie

Dehradun  

This was my second trip to Dehradun and Mussourie. And though most of my trips are not planned, this trip was extremely unplanned. If I have to rate my unplanned trips, I would rate this trip on the top. It was decided an hour before, we booked the ticket in a private bus as it was the only option left at last hour and then headed to Dehradun. Delhi was boiling hot at that time and Dehradun was definitely cooler. Lying in the foothills of Himalyas, Dehradun is a great escape from Delhi, especially in summers.

The main agenda of this trip was to beat the heat and have good time with friends. The plan was to have no plan. So, we stayed at my dear friend’s place in Doon University. Morning was spent lazing around in her peaceful home, hailing from a small city, I felt as if I am at home. I sat in balcony and sipped my tea. I enjoyed greenery of forest, sound of bird’s chirping and felt cool, refreshing and relaxing breeze. After enjoying the lazy morning and a small nap, we headed to the Robert Cave. Popularly known as Guchhipani or Guchu Pani, it is one of the well-known places of Dehradun.

Located in the outskirts of the city, Guchu Pani is a must visit place to beat the heat. We parked our car and walked a kilometre inside to reach the actual sight. Basically, it is a water stream flowing amidst the hills. We held each other’s hand and got into the water. Though the water was hardly till our knee it was very cold. This was the first time I was trekking in water flowing through rock. Somewhere water was deep and somewhere it was shallow. It was a walk through the water and hence simply refreshing.  After the tiresome walk we ate Maggie and tea and relaxed our cold feet.

 Mussourie

First Visit

Like most colonial hill stations, Mussoorie has its Mall Road and that was our first destination. We walked all the way to the end, enjoying the scenery censored with buildings, electric posts and hotels. It was very misty that day and it made the place look even more beautiful. It was a beautiful weather and we enjoyed it to the fullest.  This was my first visit to any hill station of North and I went complete crazy for the place.

And then we moved to a ride to rope way to Gun Hill to further enjoy the view from top. The Ropeway distance is only 400 metres, but still it was fun. Gun Hill offers a beautiful panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges namely Bunderpunch, Srikantha, Pithwara and Gangotri group etc. and a bird's eye view of Mussoorie town and Doon Valley. It is said that it is named Gun Hill because during pre-independence time, a gun mounted on this top used to be fired indicating mid-day to enable people to adjust their watches. There is a small market on the hill with small food outlets there. We relaxed, enjoyed the view and ate maggie and tea there.

After enjoying the Gun Hill we returned to the Mall Road in Mussoorie to shop for some local handicrafts and artefacts. The Mall Road has number of shops and showrooms offering everything from gift items to clothes, hand-made gifts and antiques.

This was my visit in 2007, and I wanted to stay there forever but unfortunately had to come back. But when I left the place I promised that I will visit this place again.

Second visit

I visited the queen of hills again in 2014, with a group of friends. Though this time I did not go to Mall Road and Rope way, we definitely enjoyed our trip. This time we went directly to Kempty Falls. We went to upper part of the falls where there were fewer tourists.  In fact when we went there, the fall was empty. Though the fall was not very huge it was good enough to enjoy. The first time I put my feet in the water I realised it was chilling like ice, but gradually I went in the fall. It was more of a group adventure. We trekked nearer to the water fall with each other’s help and managed to do photo session also. Though it was the month of May, the water was freezing cold, but then also we enjoyed our session there.  After the fun-filled session at the waterfall we felt too tiered and headed to the local food outlet and had lunch. Since it was Sunday, the hill station was swamped with visitors and could not go to any other place and headed directly to Dehradun.

SOME FACTS

• The name of this hill station is taken from the word ‘Mansoor’ which is a shrub available in abundance here. And this is why even today many people call it Mansoori instead of Mussourie.
• The 100 years old church which is the oldest in Himalyas the Christ Church, is in Mussourie. It is said that in the churchyard there is a deodar tree planted by Mary, Princess of Wales.
• The first Tibetan school was established in Mussoorie in 1960.
• Place Lal Tibba is the highest point in Mussoorie with an enormous height of 2,290 metres (7,510 ft).
• Do not forget to enjoy the maggie and tea of the local outlet
• Do not forget to visit the Tibetan market which has some good collection of winter wears
• And if you are fond of getting clicked, then adorn the traditional dress of mountains and get clicked by the photographer just beside the church.

HOW TO REACH DEHRADUN

By Air: The nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun, approximately 54 kilometres from Mussourie.

By Train: Multiple trains run from all major cities. 

By Road: It is well-connected with all the major cities. From Delhi it will take you 8 to 9 hours to reach Dehradun.

Mussourie is just 30 minutes drive from Dehradun

With good road connectivity, you can travel by private car also-

• Delhi- 8 hours (247 kilometres)
• Jaipur- 12 hours (526 kilometres)
• Agra- 10 hours (432 kilometres)
• Chandigarh- 4 hours (180 kilometres)