Mussoorie, Kempty Falls and Landour from Dehradun
Mussoorie · 11 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.
A hill station that punishes the wrong order
Mussoorie is 35 km and a thousand-odd bends above Dehradun, and on a Friday night half of Delhi drives up that road. The town's problem is not distance, it is space: one Mall closed to cars at busy hours, a narrow road out to Kempty Falls that locks solid by late morning, and parking that is scarce, paid and full.
So the day is ordered around the jams. Out of Dehradun at seven, through Mussoorie before it wakes up, and on to Kempty Falls while the pool still has room in it. Back through Company Garden on the same road, then the Mall and the cable car up to Gun Hill when the queue is shortest around midday, and Landour last, when the light through the deodars is at its best and the cafes at Char Dukan are worth sitting in.
You book the car and driver for the day, so the price is the same for two of you or seven, and the parking is his problem. He drops you at each entrance and waits somewhere you would never have found a space. If Landour is capping cars that afternoon, he drops you at the barrier and meets you on the way down.
Your day, stop by stop
1. Kempty Falls
About 15 km past Mussoorie on the Yamunotri road, a stream falling in tiers into a pool that is shoulder deep and full of people by noon. At half past nine on a weekday it is still a waterfall in a valley; by eleven on a Saturday the road to it is a car park.
Parking-side stalls, changing rooms and lockers if you bathe
2. Company Garden
The old municipal garden on the western side of town, named for the East India Company era it dates from. Flower beds, a small lake with paddle boats and a lot of photo props. Pleasant, gentle, and on the way back from Kempty rather than a detour.
Garden entry ticket, boats inside paid separately
3. Mall Road and Gun Hill
The Mall from Library Chowk to Kulri, closed to most cars at busy hours, with a short cable car from the middle of it up to Gun Hill, Mussoorie's second-highest point. On a clear day the snow line of the Garhwal peaks shows from the top.
Gun Hill cable car ticket, if you ride rather than walk up
4. Landour: Char Dukan, St Paul's and Lal Tibba
The old cantonment above Mussoorie, quiet and cedar-lined. Char Dukan's cafes sit beside St Paul's Church, and Lal Tibba a few hundred metres on has the telescopes pointed at the high peaks. On busy days the cantonment caps tourist cars and the last stretch is on foot.
Lal Tibba telescope, if you want it
In your price
- Private vehicle with driver for the full day
- Pickup and drop in Dehradun
- Fuel, tolls, driver allowance and parking at every stop
- Route ordered around the Kempty and Mall Road jams
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Entry tickets and the Gun Hill cable car
- Changing rooms and lockers at Kempty
- Meals
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- Company Garden entry and the boats inside
- Gun Hill cable car ticket
- Changing rooms and lockers at Kempty Falls, if you bathe
- Lunch, cafes at Char Dukan and anything personal
Who this suits
Most people. The only real effort is the steps down to the Kempty pool and the uphill walk in Landour if cars are being stopped. Long ghat drives at each end, so anyone prone to motion sickness should come prepared. The sedan seats four, the Sumo eight and the Innova six, each at one flat price for the car.
What to bring
A warm layer for Landour in the afternoon, a change of clothes and a towel if you plan to get into the Kempty pool, walking shoes and cash for the counters. Motion sickness tablets if bends bother you.
Monsoon on the ghat
From July to September heavy rain brings landslides on the Dehradun road and the Kempty road, and police close Kempty Falls when the flow rises. The day runs in normal rain and fog. If the police close the road or the falls 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 Kempty pool is crowded and slippery; stay in the marked bathing area and keep children within reach. Do not go near the falls when police have closed them after rain.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. It is one price for the whole vehicle for the day. Eight of you in the Tata Sumo pay ₹3,490 between you, not each.
We are already staying in Mussoorie. Can you pick us up there?
Not on this booking, which is timed from Dehradun and the ghat road. If you are staying up in Mussoorie, our Dhanaulti and Surkanda Devi day starts from your hotel instead.
Why so early on a weekend?
Because the ghat road and the Kempty road are both at their worst from late morning on Saturdays and Sundays. The early start is the only reliable way to see the falls rather than the tail lights in front of you.
Can the car take us all the way into Landour?
Usually, yes. On busy days the cantonment limits how many tourist cars it lets in, and when that happens the driver drops you at the barrier and you walk the last stretch to Char Dukan. It is a pleasant walk, and we would rather say so now.