Mussoorie

Mussoorie, at 2000m, is a popular hill station, especially with middle and higher income Indians. It is 280km north of Delhi. During the high season it is a busy place, but not many foreigners come here because of the crowds and the expensive accommodations. It is more geared for Indians who come up from Delhi for the weekend. If you are looking for spirituality you most likely would rather go to Rishikesh and if you want mountain seclusion you most likely would prefer to go to Kullu Valley, Kumaon or Parvati Valley areas.

The busy time is from April to June and September and October, when the weather is ideal. It is a peaceful place during the off-season, but it can get quite cold. During the monsoon it can get very cloudy and there are almost no views.

Orientation
Mussoorie extends along a ridge. The Mall runs for two km between Gandhi Chowk and Kulri Bazaar. There are not many shops along The Mall and at the two ends there are busy shopping areas. There is no vehicle traffic allowed on The Mall during the high-season. There is a steep drop into the valley from The Mall with fairly good views. Camel Back Road goes along the backside of the mountains and connects to the two ends of The Mall.

There are two bus stands on each side of The Mall, the Library bus stand (Gandhi Chowk) and the Kulri Bazaar (Masonic Lodge) bus stand on the other side. From Dehra Dun you should try to get a bus going to the side of The Mall that you want to stay at, as they are quite far apart and no vehicles go between them.

Information
UP Tourist Office (632-863) is on The Mall.

GMVN Office (632-984), Hotel Garhwal Terrace. There is a GMVN counter (631-281), near the Library bus stand at Gandhi Chowk. GMVN runs tours to Mussoorie Lake (only in high-season), Kempty Falls, Dhanolti (from where there is a good view of the Himalayas) and a full-day tour in October and November.

The Landour Language School (631-467), Sisters’ Bazaar area, is an excellent school to learn Hindi. Group lessons are Rs 25 an hour and private lessons are Rs 50 an hour.

Money
The Bank of Baroda, Kulri Bazaar, changes most travelers cheques.

The State Bank of India, Kulri Bazaar, will change Thomas Cook travelers cheques in US dollars and British pounds and American Express travelers cheques only in US dollars. Rs 25 encashment fee.

Bookshops
Cambridge Booksellers and Chander Book Depot, in Kulri Bazaar are both good book shops.

Travel and Trekking Agents
Harry Tours and Travel (632-507), at the Masonic Lodge bus stand, arranges treks and rents out cars.

Ambica Travels (632-238), in the Hotel Hill Queen, Upper Mall Rd, west side of The Mall, books private buses to Delhi, and can get airline and trains tickets.

Kulwant Travels (632-717), at the Masonic Lodge bus stand, rents out cars and does good tours.

Trek Himalaya Tours (631-366; fax 631-302), Powy’s Cottage, Hakman’s Compound, can arrange treks in the Garhwal region and trips to Ladakh, Spiti and Kinnaur. They rent out trekking equipment and have a good reputation.

What to See
There are nice places for walks in the area. Camel’s Back Road (3km long) goes past a rock shaped like a camel.

You can take a walk to Lal Tibba (the highest place in Mussoorie), where Childer’s Lodge is located, 5km east of The Mall.

The nice walk to Happy Valley goes past the Tibetan Refugee Center, which has a temple and a shop selling handmade sweaters. Also here is the beautiful Tchechen Choling Gompa (Buddhist monastery).

From Gun Hill there are beautiful views of the Himalayas, which include Bandar Punch (6315m). A Ropeway cable car goes up to the top from 8.30 am to 8 pm and from 15 May to 15 July until 10 pm. You can also walk or take a horse. You can have a picture taken of yourself in a Garhwal traditional dress. It takes a few days to get the photos. You can also have them take a photo of you with your camera.

At Dhanolti there are great views of the Himalayas.

Kempty Falls (18km) is nice. You can get to Kempty Falls by local bus from the Library stand or on the GMVN tour.

There is a roller-skating rink in Kulri.

Shopping
You can get pashmina wool shawls at Jewellers-Astrologer, 5 The Mall, near the Hotel Garhwal Terrace. They start at Rs 8000 and go up to over Rs 50,000.

Nirankari Cottage Industries, near the library end of The Mall, has high-end Tibetan, Buddhist and Chinese items.

Where to Stay
Prices here are very much influenced by the season. During the summer, early fall and Diwali seasons, prices can go up three times. Many hotels are closed in January and February. A porter to a hotel from the bus stands should be around Rs 25.

Where to Stay

West End of the Mall—Lower
Whispering Windows (632-020), on The Mall near the Library bus stand, has rooms for Rs 250 to Rs 400.
Hotel Laxmi Palace (632-774) has clean rooms for Rs 250/400. It is a nice place.
Hotel Prince (632-674) has rooms with bath and hot water for Rs 350. It is a nice building, but could be better maintained. It has great views.
Hotel India (632-359) has double rooms with bath and hot water for Rs 300 to Rs 500.
East End of the Mall & Kulri Bazaar
Hotel Valley View (632-324), on The Mall, has clean rooms for Rs 250/300. It has a good restaurant and is a good place.
Hotel Broadway (632-243) is a well-maintained, popular place with rooms for Rs 200/300. It is a good, friendly place.
Hotel Vikram (632-932), near the library, has rooms for Rs 100 (bucket hot water) and Rs 550 with constant hot water.
Hotel Clark’s (632-932) is an older British Raj type building with rooms for Rs 400 to Rs 900. It has a billiards table. It could be better maintained.

Where to Stay—Middle to High
East End of the Mall & Kulri Bazaar
GMVN Garwhal Terrace (632-682) has rooms with a TV for Rs 750 and dorm beds for Rs 100. It has good views.
Hakman’s Grand Hotel (632-959) has rooms for Rs 550. It is a British Raj type place, but some people may not like it.
Hotel Shipra (632-662, 632-494; fax 632-941), near the Masonic Lodge bus stand, has comfortable rooms for Rs 1600 to Rs 2000.
Hotel Horizon (632-899) has comfortable rooms with a TV and a good view for Rs 1300. Good discounts in the off-season.
Hotel Connaught Castle (632-210; fax 632-538) has modern luxury rooms for Rs 1850/2600.
Nabha Resort (632-525; fax 631-793), 2km from the center of town, is an old palace with a nice garden and a nice view. It has luxury rooms for Rs 2900/3100. It is well managed and recommended.

West End of Mall—Middle to High
Hotel Roselyn Estate (632-201) is an older place that has rooms for Rs 650. It could be better maintained. It has a good restaurant.
Hotel Paramount (632-352) has rooms for Rs 450/700. It is well-managed.
Hotel Padmini Nivas (632-793) has rooms (some with good views) for Rs 1000 and a suite for Rs 2100. It used to belong to a maharaja. It has a vegetarian restaurant.
Hotel Classic Heights (632-514) has rooms for Rs 850 to 2000. It offers good discounts in the off-season.
Carlton’s Plaisance, Charleville Rd, is a nice place with good spacious rooms. It is situated in a peaceful location and has a good restaurant.
Savoy Hotel (632-010) is a large British Raj type place that has its own grounds. It has rooms beginning at Rs 1400/2400, including meals. It has great views of the mountains.

Other Places
Hotel Nishima (632-227), Landour Bazaar, has basic rooms for Rs 175/225.
Hotel Dev Dar Woods (632-644), Sisters’ Bazaar, has rooms for Rs 400 including breakfast. People going to the nearby language school often stay here.

Where to Eat—West End of the Mall
Swiss Café, next to the Hotel Paramount, has baked goods, Indian and Chinese food.
Rajkamal Restaurant has good, reasonably priced food.
Whispering Windows is a popular place.
Carlton’s Plaisance, Charleville Rd, has good Indian, Tibetan and Chinese food.
Savoy Hotel (632-010) is a higher-class place with main dishes for around Rs 100. It should be booked in advance.
East End of the Mall & Kulri Bazaar
Green Restaurant is a good vegetarian place.
Madras Cafe is a good South Indian place with over 20 types of dosas. Recommended.
The Rice Bowl has Chinese and Tibetan food.
Kwality Restaurant, Kulri Bazaar, has good Indian, Chinese and Continental food.
Tavern is a popular Mughlai and Chinese place.
Howard Revolving Restaurant makes a complete circle every 10 minutes. It is fairly high priced.
Mahalaxmi, near the GPO, is a good place with veg thali.
Sisters’ Bazaar A Prakash & Co is a grocery store that has good cheese, peanut butter and breads.

Local Travel
Motor vehicles are not allowed on The Mall. To move your luggage you have to either carry it or hire a hand-pulled rickshaw, which is usually under Rs 25, and about Rs 50 to go from one end of the mall to the other (2km). You can ride a horse on The Mall. Bertz, near Darpan in Kulri, rents 100cc motorcycles.

Travel
Buses from Mussoorie to Dehra Dun (1½ hr) depart every half-hour. Buses end at either the Kulri Bazaar (Masonic Lodge) bus stand or the Library (Gandhi Chowk) bus stand at either end of The Mall. There are two buses nightly to Delhi (a deluxe one from Library bus stand).

The Tehri bus stand is 5km from the Mall, east of Landour. Buses depart from Tehri bus stand for Tehri (5 hr) and from there you can get another bus to Gangotri or Uttarkashi. Buses to Hanuman Chatti (for Yamunotri) depart from the Library bus stand. This bus begins in Dehra Dun and may be full when it arrives.

You can reserve a train at the Northern Railway booking agency (632-846), at the Kulri Bazaar end of The Mall. Open Mon to Sat 10 am to 4 pm, Sun 8 am to 2 pm.

If you are going to Mussoorie by train from the north or west it is best to get down at Saharanpur and then get a bus from there.

Taxis depart from the Masonic Lodge bus stand and the Library bus stand to destinations for fixed prices, including Sister’s Bazaar (Rs 180 round trip), Haridwar (3 hr, Rs 600), Rishikesh (2½ hr, Rs 600), Uttarkashi (5½ hr, Rs 1500) and Delhi (7 hr, Rs 1600).

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