Dhanaulti

A quiet deodar ridge above Mussoorie, with eco parks, a hilltop temple and snow in winter.

Lesser-knownHill-stationSnowVillageOrchard

Dhanaulti sits at about 2,286 m on the Mussoorie to Chamba road, high enough for deodar and oak forest and for snow between December and February. It is the calm alternative to Mussoorie 24 km away: two small eco parks, an adventure park, apple orchards and the Surkanda Devi temple, which a ropeway now reaches in ten minutes. There is no ATM and no petrol pump in the village, and most people stay in camps or cottages rather than hotels.

Trip planner

Plan from your city

Photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Select a photo for its author and licence.

Best time to go

When	What to expect
March to June	The main season. Daytime around 20 to 25 C, cool evenings. Best for the eco parks, forest walks and camping.
July to September	Heavy monsoon rain. Landslides and road blocks are possible on the hill roads, so it is the least suitable time.
October to February	Cold and clear, dropping to about 7 C and below freezing in midwinter. Snow falls in December, January and February and the roads can close for a day. Carry heavy woollens.

Sights and activities

Eco Park (Amber and Dhara)

Two small forest parks about 200 m apart, laid out among deodar with walking paths, eco huts, a childrens play area and simple adventure activities such as a flying fox and rock climbing.

Distance: About 2 km from the village centre
Entry: Sources disagree: one gives Rs 15 for adults and Rs 10 for children, another Rs 50
Timings: Sources disagree: 9 am to 5 pm, or 10 am to 5 pm
Time needed: 1 to 2 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Surkanda Devi Temple

A hilltop shrine at about 2,700 m with a wide Himalayan view, one of the Siddh Peeth temples. A ropeway from Kaddukhal, opened in 2022, replaces the steep 2 km climb.

Distance: About 7 km to Kaddukhal, then the ropeway or the walk up
Entry: Temple free; ropeway Rs 177 per person at its 2022 launch price
Timings: 7 am to 6 pm
Time needed: Half a day including the drive

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Dashavatar Temple

A newer temple in the village with carvings of the ten avatars of Vishnu, and a view over the valley from its terrace.

Distance: In Dhanaulti
Entry: Free
Time needed: About an hour

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Dhanaulti Adventure Park

A small activity park on the Mussoorie road with zip lining, a sky walk, a burma bridge and rappelling, run on a per-activity ticket.

Distance: On the Mussoorie-Dhanaulti road
Entry: Charged per activity
Timings: 9 am to 6 pm
Time needed: 1 to 2 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Apple and peach orchards

Smallholder orchards on the slopes around the village. Blossom is in March and April and the fruit is picked from July to September; some stays will walk you through their own trees.

Distance: Around the village
Entry: Free, or by arrangement with the owner
Timings: Daylight
Time needed: An hour or two

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Kaudia forest

A reserve forest of deodar, oak and rhododendron on the Dhanaulti-Chamba side, with marked walking trails and a forest rest house. Barking deer and plenty of birds.

Distance: About 10 km
Timings: Daylight only
Time needed: Half a day

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Tehri Lake and Dam

The reservoir behind one of the tallest dams in the world, with boating and jet skis at Koti Colony. The water is a strong blue against bare hillsides.

Distance: About 55 km by road via Chamba
Entry: Free to view; boating charged separately
Timings: Daylight
Time needed: A full day with the drive

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Mussoorie

The large hill station down the ridge, with the Mall, Gun Hill, Kempty Falls and Landour. An easy half-day or day trip, and the usual stop on the way in or out.

Distance: About 24 km
Entry: Free; individual sights charge
Timings: Open all day
Time needed: Half a day to a full day

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Getting there

By bus: No bus runs direct from a major city. Buses to Tehri leave Mussoorie through the day and pass through Dhanaulti, the first at about 7 am for about Rs 60 to 70; the Tehri to Mussoorie bus is the return. From Rishikesh, take a bus heading for Chamba, Uttarkashi or Tehri and change to a shared cab. Shared cabs from Mussoorie and Chamba are what locals use.
By train: Dehradun is the nearest railway station. Sources disagree sharply on the distance, from about 25 km on the district site to 60 km on road guides and 74 km on Wikipedia; the practical drive is about 60 km and takes 2.5 to 3 hours. Rishikesh is the next nearest railhead, about 100 km by the Chamba road.
By air: Jolly Grant Airport at Dehradun, about 82 to 85 km away, roughly 2.5 to 3 hours by taxi.
Where to base yourself: Stay in Dhanaulti itself along the Mussoorie-Chamba road, or in a camp on the Kaddukhal side, and do the walks and the temple from there.

Getting around

Shared cabs run along the Mussoorie-Chamba road and are the cheapest way between Dhanaulti, Kaddukhal and Chamba.
Taxis hired for the day are the practical way to reach Surkanda Devi, Kaudia and Tehri Lake.
The village itself is small enough to walk, and the eco parks are about 2 km from the centre.

Often combined with

Places people usually visit on the same trip, and how long it takes to get between them.

Kanatal: Road, about 30 to 45 minutes, about 25 km by road. See the Chakrata, Mussoorie, Dhanaulti, Kanatal and Harsil trip
Mussoorie: Road, about 1 to 1.5 hours, about 45 km by road. See the Chakrata, Mussoorie, Dhanaulti, Kanatal and Harsil trip

Build your own trip

Add this place and any others to a trip of your own. It is kept on this device.

Add another place

Open my trip

Where to stay

Budget level	Type	Price per night
Budget	Guesthouses and basic rooms	₹700 to ₹1,500
Mid-range	Cottages, small hotels and tented camps	₹1,800 to ₹3,500
Luxury	Resorts and premium camps	₹6,000 to ₹12,000

Food

Dhanaulti has few standalone restaurants. Most visitors eat where they stay, and the roadside Maggi points near the eco parks cover the gaps. Chamba and Mussoorie have proper restaurants.

Try these

North Indian meals of dal, roti, rice and seasonal vegetables
Garhwali dishes such as phaanu and chainsoo at some homestays, if asked in advance
Maggi, pakoras and tea at the roadside points along the ridge

Vegetarian North Indian food is the norm.

Daily costs

Budget level	Stay per room	Food per person	Local transport
Budget	₹1,200	₹500	₹300 per person
Mid-range	₹2,800	₹1,000	₹2,000 per vehicle
Luxury	₹8,000	₹2,000	₹3,000 per vehicle

Per day. Travel to and from your city is added in the planner above.

Permits and documents

No permit requirement was found for Indian visitors. Carry a photo ID for hotel check-in.

Safety

By day: A quiet, settled hill village. Stay on marked forest trails and keep away from the edge at the viewpoints.
At night: Thinly populated and unlit outside the main road. Plan to be back at your stay before dark.
Roads: Hill roads throughout, with sharp bends between Mussoorie and Dhanaulti. Monsoon rain brings landslides and road blocks, and snow can close the road for a day or two between December and February.
Emergency numbers: 112 (all emergencies)

Practical

Mobile network: Patchy. Jio and Airtel are reported to work along the main road.
ATMs and cash: No ATM in Dhanaulti. Carry cash, or draw it in Chamba or Mussoorie.
Fuel: No petrol pump in Dhanaulti. Fill up at Chamba or Mussoorie.
Medical: The nearest hospitals of any size are in Mussoorie and Dehradun.

Coverage maps: Jio · Airtel · Vi · BSNL. Report a problem

Accessibility

Seniors: Easy overall. The eco parks are gently laid out, and the Surkanda Devi ropeway from Kaddukhal removes the steep 2 km climb that used to be the only way up.
Children: Well suited. The eco parks have a playground and the adventure park runs activities for children.
Wheelchair users: Expect slopes, steps and unpaved forest paths.

Unless a sight is described as accessible, assume it is not step-free.

Culture and responsible travel

Surkanda Devi is an active shrine. Dress modestly, remove shoes at the temple and follow the queue rules on busy days.
The orchards and forest paths are working land. Ask before picking fruit or walking through an orchard.
Carry your litter back out; the eco parks and forest trails have few bins.

What to pack

Photo ID (Aadhaar, passport or driving licence); hotels and permits ask for it
Proper winter wear: a heavy jacket, thermals, gloves and a cap
Waterproof shoes with grip if you go in the snow months
Enough cash for the whole stay, a power bank and offline maps
Your regular medicines, plus basics for stomach upsets, headaches and cuts

Multi-stop trips that include Dhanaulti

Chakrata, Mussoorie, Dhanaulti, Kanatal and Harsil, 8 nights

At a glance

State: Uttarakhand
District: Tehri Garhwal
Altitude: About 2,286 m
Gateway: Dehradun
Best time: Mar-Jun, Oct-Dec
Ideal trip: 2 days
Difficulty: Easy. Reached by road, and the sights need little walking.

Open in Maps

Booking links

About this page

Checked against online sources in October 2026. Not field-verified. ATMs, fuel and hospitals from OpenStreetMap, October 2026.

Could not be confirmed online:

Eco Park entry fee: one source gives Rs 15 for adults and Rs 10 for children, another Rs 50. Timings are given as 9 am to 5 pm on one and 10 am to 5 pm on another. Check at the gate.
The Surkanda Devi ropeway fare of Rs 177 is the price reported when it opened in 2022 and may have risen. Its running hours were not confirmed.
Distance from Dehradun railway station: the district site says about 25 km, road guides about 60 km and Wikipedia 74 km. The figure used here is the practical road distance of about 60 km.
Dhanaulti Adventure Park charges and opening hours.
Entry fee and any permit for Kaudia forest.
Taxi fares from Rishikesh and from Dehradun airport are worked out from quoted road rates (a Dehradun taxi is quoted at about Rs 2,000) and are marked as approximate.
Room rates come from one road guide, which gives about Rs 700 to Rs 2,500 for hotels and about Rs 2,000 for a camp. The luxury upper limit is an estimate.
Mobile network coverage, and the nearest hospital.
Safety at night and for solo women travellers.

Cover photo: Wikimedia Commons

Sources: Wikipedia - Dhanaulti, Tehri Garhwal district - Dhanaulti, Holidify - Eco Park, Dhanaulti, Outlook Traveller - Surkanda Devi ropeway, Vargis Khan - Dhanaulti travel guide, eUttaranchal - Dhanaulti, Trawell - Surkanda Devi Temple, Trawell - Dhanaulti Adventure Park

Fares and fees change. Tell us if something here is wrong.

Nearby