Culture · Mussoorie & Landour, Garhwal
Landour heritage walk from Char Dukan
A slow morning loop round the Landour ridge: St Paul's Church at Char Dukan, the old Sisters Bazaar, Kellogg Church and Lal Tibba viewpoint, ending with pancakes at the tea shops. Quiet roads, deodar shade and views to the snow peaks.
Photo: Paul Hamilton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · CommonsStart at Char Dukan, the cluster of tea shops at the top of the Landour climb. St Paul's Church, built in 1840 and now non-denominational, stands beside it; Christopher and Mary Corbett, parents of the hunter and writer Jim Corbett, were married here on 13 October 1859. From there the chakkar, the ridge loop, runs east and west under deodar and oak.
Head to Sisters Bazaar, named after the nurses who lived here when the area served the military sanatorium, and on to Lal Tibba, the highest viewpoint, where a telescope deck looks north to the snow peaks on clear days. On the way you pass Kellogg Church, built in 1903, which houses the Landour Language School, founded in the late nineteenth century to teach Hindi to newly arrived missionaries.
Landour's residents value their quiet, and many houses are private, so keep to the road and do not walk into compounds for photos. Ruskin Bond lives at Ivy Cottage on the Landour road, but it is a private home; please do not knock. The full loop with stops takes about three hours. Finish back at Char Dukan for tea, or walk down past the clock tower into Landour Bazaar.
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Sleep nearby
Stays in Mussoorie & Landour
Photo: Paul Hamilton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Mid
Rokeby Manor
A restored 1840s stone estate on the Landour ridge near Char Dukan and St Paul's Church, now a small heritage hote…
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Mid
WelcomHeritage Kasmanda Palace
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Luxury
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Questions
Before you book
How long is the Landour walk?
The ridge loop is about 5 km, mostly level after the steep climb from Mussoorie to Char Dukan. Allow three hours with stops at St Paul's Church, Sisters Bazaar, Lal Tibba and the tea shops. Taxis can drop you at Char Dukan if you want to skip the climb.
Can I visit Ruskin Bond's house in Landour?
Ivy Cottage is a private home, and we ask guests not to visit or knock. The author has in the past met readers at a Mussoorie bookshop on some Saturdays, but this is informal and not guaranteed. Enjoy the town he wrote about instead.
Is Landour good for seniors?
Yes, once you are at the top. The road from Mussoorie up to Char Dukan is steep, so take a taxi for that part. The ridge loop is gentle and paved, with benches and tea stops. Avoid icy mornings in January and February.