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Six nights for travellers who want the Bhagirathi valley without the yatra rush: two nights in the old cantonment of Landour at Rokeby Manor, three in the apple orchards of Harsil with a day at Gangotri and a walk to Mukhba, and a last night by the Ganga in Rishikesh.
Photo: Paul Hamilton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · CommonsHarsil is the valley most Gangotri pilgrims drive straight through. We stop for three nights. At about 2,745 m it is a wide floor of braided river channels and deodar, with orchards planted from the apple trees Frederick Wilson brought in the nineteenth century. It is 25 km below Gangotri, so you can visit the temple in the morning and be back among the orchards by lunch.
We begin higher up the social ladder of the hills, in Landour above Mussoorie, where Rokeby Manor sits near Char Dukan in a restored 1840s house. The drive to Harsil is long, about 8–9 hours, and we say so. The trip ends with a night at Aloha on the Ganges in Rishikesh, a short drive from the airport.
Sleeping altitude, night by night
Red points are nights above 3,000 m. We pace those climbs by the usual advice of no more than 300–500 m of sleeping height a day. This is not medical advice: talk to your doctor before a high trip. Try the altitude planner.
Day by day
Your driver meets you at Jolly Grant airport or Dehradun station for the climb to Mussoorie and Landour. Check into Rokeby Manor near Char Dukan. In the late afternoon, walk the chakkar, the loop road round the top of Landour, past St Paul's Church and the cottages of the old cantonment, and finish with tea and pancakes at Char Dukan.
About Mussoorie & LandourWalk to Lal Tibba for the morning view of the Garhwal peaks, then down through Sisters' Bazaar. After lunch, drive to Park Estate at Hathipaon, where Sir George Everest, Surveyor General of India, had his house and observatory; the restored buildings look out over the Doon and the Aglar valley. Return to Landour for a quiet evening.
About Mussoorie & LandourLeave at 6:30 am. The road runs past Dhanaulti and Chamba to the Tehri reservoir and the Bhagirathi, then climbs through Uttarkashi, where we stop for lunch and the Vishwanath temple. Beyond Gangnani the valley narrows to a gorge before opening at Harsil. Check into a riverside cottage hotel or Harsil's best homestay with heating and attached baths.
About HarsilDrive 25 km up to Gangotri at about 3,100 m. Walk through the bazaar to the white temple of the goddess Ganga and see Bhagiratha's rock, where the king is said to have prayed for the river to come down. Walk 10 minutes downstream to Surya Kund, where the Bhagirathi drops into a narrow gorge. Back to Harsil for lunch and an easy afternoon.
About GangotriWalk through the orchards of Harsil with a local host and hear the story of Frederick Wilson. Cross the Bhagirathi to Mukhba, winter seat of the goddess Ganga, whose temple receives the doli from Gangotri each Diwali. In the afternoon, drive towards Bhaironghati to walk the restored Gartang Gali, a wooden walkway on a cliff that once carried trade to Tibet, if it is open.
About HarsilAn early start down the valley, with a stop at the Tehri reservoir viewpoints. Reach Rishikesh by late afternoon and check into Aloha on the Ganges in Tapovan. Walk to the evening aarti at Parmarth Niketan across Ram Jhula, or rest by the pool after two long days on the road.
About RishikeshA free morning, then transfer to Jolly Grant airport or Haridwar station for your journey home.
About RishikeshWhere you sleep
Photo: Paul Hamilton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Mid
A restored 1840s stone estate on the Landour ridge near Char Dukan and St Paul's Church, now a small heritage hote…
Photo: Roliwrites · CC0 · Commons
Mid
A riverside hotel on the Badrinath road in Tapovan, near Lakshman Jhula, with rooms and apartments facing the Gang…
Questions
Yes, especially from April to June and September to November. It is a broad, quiet valley of orchards and deodar 25 km below Gangotri, with homestays, short walks and the story of Frederick Wilson. It is far calmer than Gangotri in yatra season.
About 220 km and 8–9 hours via Chamba, the Tehri reservoir and Uttarkashi. We start early, stop for lunch in Uttarkashi and arrive before dark.
Apples ripen from late August to October, with picking at its height in September. Orchards blossom in April. Harsil apples and rajma are sold by the roadside in season.
Yes. Register free on the Uttarakhand tourism portal or app before you travel; it is checked on the road. Rules change each season, so check current status before you travel.
A wooden walkway about 150 m long fixed to a cliff above the Jadh Ganga gorge near Bhaironghati, part of an old India–Tibet trade path. It was restored and reopened for visitors with an entry ticket. Check current status before you travel.
In Landour, the old cantonment above Mussoorie, near Char Dukan. It is a restored house from the 1840s with a restaurant and gardens, quieter than the Mall below.
Gaumukh needs a permit from Gangotri National Park, with a daily cap, and two to three extra days with a night at Bhojbasa. We can add it on request; check current status before you travel.
Yes, if they are comfortable with long drives on two days. Walks are short and optional, and the highest point, Gangotri at 3,100 m, is a day visit. Talk to your doctor first.
Gangotri closes at Diwali and snow can block the road above Harsil from December. Landour is lovely in winter. For snow, we suggest Landour with Auli rather than Harsil.
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