Kainchi Dham and Mukteshwar
Nainital · 10 hrs · Cab included · Pickup from your stay
From ₹2990 for the whole vehicle, up to 8 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹2990 for the vehicle.
- Tata Sumo: Rugged 8-seater. The most room for the money. ₹3490 for the vehicle.
- Innova or Ertiga: The comfortable one on a long hill day. ₹4990 for the vehicle.
Two very different hilltops, one long day
Kainchi Dham has gone from a quiet ashram to one of the most visited places in Kumaon in a few years, and the valley road past it was never built for that. Since 2025 the police have run a park-and-shuttle system on busy days, holding cars in designated parking at Bhowali or Bhimtal and running shuttles for the last stretch, with stricter rules around the June foundation day fair.
That is why this day starts at seven. You are at the ashram before the Bhowali road backs up, follow whatever arrangement is in force that morning, and are on your way out by the time the traffic is coming in. From there the road climbs through the Ramgarh orchards to Mukteshwar, an old Shiva temple on a ridge with the Kumaon snows behind it on a clear day and a cliff called Chauli ki Jali just below.
It is about 120 km of hill road, most of it narrow, and doing it in shared jeeps or by changing taxis at Bhowali is a slow way to spend a day. You book the car and driver for the whole of it at one flat price; the driver handles the parking and shuttle arrangements at Kainchi, waits at Mukteshwar, and brings you back by the quicker road.
Your day, stop by stop
1. Kainchi Dham
Neem Karoli Baba's ashram, in a narrow valley about 17 km from Nainital on the Bhowali to Almora road, and now one of the busiest pilgrim stops in Kumaon. The road past it is a single lane each way, which is why this day gets there early.
Shuttle fare from the designated parking, on days the shuttle system is in force
2. Ramgarh
Orchard country on the road up from Bhowali, with apple, plum and peach trees on terraces and roadside stalls selling fruit and jams in season. A short stop on the climb.
3. Mukteshwar Dham
An old Shiva temple on the top of the Mukteshwar ridge at over 2,000 m, up a flight of steps through oak and deodar. On a clear day the Kumaon snows stand along the northern skyline.
4. Chauli ki Jali
A rock face just below the temple, with a sheer drop and a hole-pocked outcrop people squeeze through for luck. Rappelling and rock-climbing stalls operate here; the view is free.
Rappelling or climbing, if you want it, paid to the operators there
In your price
- Private vehicle with driver for the full day
- Pickup and drop at your stay in Nainital
- Fuel, tolls, driver allowance and parking
- An early start timed for Kainchi before the traffic
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Any Kainchi shuttle fare
- Activities at Chauli ki Jali
- Meals
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- Kainchi shuttle fare, on days the shuttle system is in force
- Rappelling or climbing at Chauli ki Jali, if you want it
- Temple offerings
- Lunch, fruit from the Ramgarh stalls and anything personal
Who this suits
Pilgrims, families and anyone happy with a long day in the car. Kainchi is level once you are there; Mukteshwar Dham is up a flight of steps and Chauli ki Jali has an unrailed edge. The sedan seats four, the Sumo eight and the Innova six, each at one flat price for the car.
What to bring
Modest clothes for the ashram and the temple, a warm layer for Mukteshwar, motion sickness tablets if bends bother you, and cash for the shuttle and lunch. Follow the rules on phones and photography posted at the ashram gate.
Hill roads in the monsoon
Heavy rain from July to September brings landslides on the Bhowali and Mukteshwar roads. The day runs in normal rain. If the police close the roads or Kainchi itself before pickup, you get a full refund or a free reschedule.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
Run by a licensed local ground operator, one driver per vehicle, commercially registered and insured. The cliff at Chauli ki Jali is sheer and unrailed; stay back from the edge and keep children close. Rappelling there is run by separate operators, not by us.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. It is one price for the whole vehicle for the day. Four of you in the Swift Dzire pay ₹2,990 between you, not each.
Can the car drive us right up to Kainchi Dham?
Sometimes. On busy days the police hold cars in designated parking at Bhowali or Bhimtal and run shuttles to the ashram, and around the 15 June fair private vehicles are kept out altogether. Your driver follows whatever is in force that morning and meets you back at the lot.
Should we avoid the June fair?
Unless you are going for the fair itself, yes. The crowds around 15 June run into lakhs and the traffic plan for those days makes a Mukteshwar add-on impractical.
Will we see the snow peaks from Mukteshwar?
On clear days, mostly from October to February. In summer haze and the monsoon they are usually hidden, and we will not promise them.