Getting There & Around

Getting There & Around

For extended trips in Uttarakhand, most people prefer to hire a car and driver. However, even the highways here are often narrow, crumbling roads that slowly wind their way through the mountains, making even trips that are short on distance long on time.

On the Garhwal side of the state, the drive from Delhi to Haridwar takes about six hours. Driving to Rishikesh takes about seven hours; Mussoorie close to eight. The drive between Rishikesh and Haridwar or Rishikesh and Mussoorie both take about an hour. On the Kumaon side, driving from Delhi to Nainital takes between seven and eight hours—Ranikhet will add another two hours onto the trip. The Corbett wildlife preserve is about six hours from the capital. Nainital and Ranikhet both lie between a one- or two-hour drive from Corbett. Leave Delhi before 6 am or rush-hour traffic could add several hours.

Moving from the Garhwal to the Kumaon can be difficult. Corbett to Haridwar will take about eight hours by road via the highway that runs south of the park. Crossing into the Garwhal by the northern edge of the park is via a narrow state road in bad condition that makes for a hair-raising drive in rugged territory and is not recommended.

The train can save you from draining mountain drives but it books up early, so reserve in advance. For non-Indian passport holders, check with a travel agent and ask them to see if tickets are available under "foreigner" or "tourist quota."

For Mussoorie, Rishikesh, and Haridwar, the speedy Shatabdi Express departs Delhi in the early morning for the roughly six-hour trip Dehradun. From there a 50-minute taxi ride will take you to Mussoorie. Get off one station earlier in Haridwar; from there, Rishikesh is about a one-hour drive. Alternatively, the overnight Mussoorie Express reaches Dehradun around sunrise, but reaches Haridwar prohibitively early, and Haridwar lacks comfortable places to wait. The return Shatabdi train for Delhi leaves Dehradun in late afternoon and Haridwar in early evening.

For Nainital, Corbett, Ranikhet, and most of the Kumaon, the overnight Ranikhet Express leaves Delhi in the late evening to reach the railhead at Kathgodam by the early morning.