Tourism in Lansdowne

Lansdowne is a popular tourist destination in Uttarakhand that brings in numerous tourists from all over the nation every year to its grounds every year. The hill station of Lansdowne is one of the beat eco-tourist spots in India. The city is sited on a picture square landscape bounded by oak and blue pine trees with enriching nature giving a scenic beauty to Lansdowne. Climate is always pleasant in the hill station and has good transport facilities which form the main tourism promoting factors in Lansdowne.

The local body of Lansdowne i.e. the Lansdowne cantonment board and the state government of Uttarakhand both work hand in hand in promoting tourism in Lansdowne, preserving the nature resources in the city and in arranging all kinds of facilities to welcome and to take care of tourist visiting Lansdowne.  

Popular Activities in Lansdowne

The tourist in the city can try numerous activities like boating, pilgrim visit to popular places of worships like the St. Mary’s church, Tarkeshwar Mahadev temple and many more, watching sun set, meditation, trekking, bird watching as the hill station homes numerous varieties of birds, jungle safari, visiting monuments like War memorial, Garhwal Rifles Regimental museum, shopping, viewing the scenic beauty of nature and many more.

Meditation in Lansdowne

The nature rich surrounding and the pleasant ambiance makes the city an ideal destination for meditation and to refresh body and soul. Form the hill station the paranormal view of snow covered majestic Himalayan ranges can be seen. 

Trekking in Lansdowne

Trekking is one of the popular adventurous activities in any hill stations with no exception to Lansdowne which is bounded by thick forest and hill ranges giving scope for trekking in its grounds especially professional trekkers. Any tourist visiting this scenic city should never miss their opportunity to trek or a take a short walk through the forest & ranges of the city to discover the nature gift to us. For professional and expert trekkers natural trek routes lasting for few hours and even few days are available in Lansdowne. Trekking in Lansdowne inhaling fresh air in an unpopulated surrounding refreshes body and mind.

Popular Places of Interest in Lansdowne

The city grounds numerous places of interest in its grounds which attracts numerous tourists visiting the city. The tourist spots in the city are charged reasonably.

Boating in Bhulla Tal Lake in Lansdowne

Bhulla Lake is a beautiful picnic spot in Lansdowne which is very much popular for boating and paddling using motor boats and paddle boats. It is a small artificial lake which was built by younger lot from Garhwal Rifles so it was dedicated to young Garhwali youths. The world Bhulla means “young brother”. 

The unpolluted Bhulla Lake and it banks homes numerous birds especially ducks and numerous colorful floral. A man made bridge is built over the lake for the tourist to cross from one end of the bank to another bank with a capacity to cross maximum ten persons at a time to avoid overloading. Food courts are sited on the Lake banks serving hot and tasty foods. 

Bhulla Lake
Address: Lansdowne, Pauri Garhwal- 246155

A children park is located very close to the Lake banks to attract kids. Bamboo Machan and water fountains are built for tourist entertainment in Bhulla Lake. Locker facility and rest rooms are available here. Day time is best time to visit the lake.

Garhwal Rifles War Memorial in Lansdowne

The war memorial of Garhwal Rifles center is a famous monument and a major attraction in Lansdowne. The memorial was established in the year 1923 at the Parade Ground by the then Commander in Chief of India Lord Rawlinson. The monument was raised on memory of Garhwal Regiment hero’s. The monument portrays the history of pre-independence activities of Garhwal Regiment and the vital landmarks achieved by the regiment. The memorial and the parade ground is not opened for general public viewing.

Darwan Singh Museum in Lansdowne

The Darwan Singh Museum or Garhwali museum in Lansdowne established in the year 1983 is sited near the parade ground close to war memorial and it is a historic defence museum that displays rare collection of photographs, weapons, uniforms, patriots, certificates signed by British officials and many more.  The museum was named after Officer Darwan Singh Negi who was the first Victoria Cross holder from Garhwal Regiment.  Very close to the museum premise a flower garden can be sited with colourful flowers and green lawn. The garden has nearly ten to twelve different varieties of roses in its grounds. 

The museum is opened for public view  from morning 9 am till 12 pm and then from 3 pm till 6 pm. It is charges 50 rupees per person to visit and children below 10 years are strictly not permitted inside the museum. Photography is restricted. 

Garhwali Musuem
Address: Kotdwar Pauri Rd
Lansdowne, Pauri Garhwal- 246155
Landmark: Near Garhwal Rifles Memorial

Tip N Top in Lansdowne

Tip N Top is one of tallest points in Lansdowne at 1700 meters from where the scenic beauty of the city can be admired. From this hill top view point the majestic beauty of Himalayan range, panoramic view of Garhwal hills & Shivalik range, blue sky and many more can be seen. Tip N Top is bounded by thick oak and pine trees. Sunset can be watched clearly from here. Also a small hut house is provided by GMVN for the tourist for night stay. 


Tip N Top
Address: NH 119
Lansdowne, Pauri Garhwal- 246155

Bhim Pakora in Lansdowne

Bhim Pakora is a one of the most exciting tourist spots close to the city which gives its visitors a surprising experience. Here two large stone are place one above the other in perfect balance so that on touching or pushing the above rock the balancing is not missed between the rock seating. The above roach can only be moved but never be fallen down. 

The spot is sited amidst the forest and it can be reached only by 2 km trek. The historic myth behind the rock is that during the time of Mahabharata the Pandavas used to stay in the forest of Lansdowne during their exile period at that time the super strong Bhim is believed to place these two rocks in such a balance. So the venue got its name as “Bhim Pakora”.

Bhim Pakora
Address: Lansdowne, Pauri Garhwal - 246155
Landmark: 2 Km from Gandhi Chowk

Places of Worships in Lansdowne

The hill station is also very popular for its places of worship. The Kaleshwar Mahadev temple in the city is one of the ancient temples in India that is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple derived its name from a saint named Sage Kalun who used to medicate here. Initially Lansdowne was also known as “Kaludanda” after the sage name. Tombs of many saints are also sited close to the temple. The temple premise is one of the favourite spots for saints to meditate. The idol of Lord Shive in this temple is said to be self-formed or “Swayambhu” and it has got an interesting story on its formation. One day the local forest cow headers found one of their cows went missing while searching for it they found the cow milking on its own upon a Shivlinga on a cave. And then in 1901 a temple and a Dharmasala were built for the idol. Currently the Garhwal Regiment takes in charge of the temple maintenance work. Maha Shivaratri is celebrated in a grand scale in the temple. 

St Mary Church in Lansdowne is said to be the jewel of Lansdowne which was established in the year 1895 by Col. A. H.B Hume of British Royal engineers. It is sited close to Tip N Top and is an excellent example for British Church architecture of those periods. Religious practice in the church was stopped in 1947 due to deterioration. Currently the Garhwal regiment takes in charge of the church and runs a small museum in it displaying pictures and stories of pre-independence era. The church museum also conducts audio- visual display to portray Lansdowne and Garhwal Regiment history. 

St. Mary's Church
Address: Kotdwar Pauri Rd
Lansdowne, Pauri Garhwal- 246155

St. John’s Church is another popular place of worship in the city which was established in the year 1936 and it is the only functional church in Lansdowne sited close to Tip N Top and St Mary Church. The church after Indian Independence kept closed for several years until 1951 when it was took over by Indian government and its re-erection was done in 1983 from when the church has started to function for religious practice till date and it is presented every morning by 8 am and was charged rupees 10 to visit the church.

St. John’s Church
Address: Mall Road
Kotdwar Pauri Rd
Lansdowne, Pauri Garhwal- 246155

Here is the list of other popular places of worship in Lansdowne:

Durga Devi Temple
Address: Lansdowne, Pauri Garhwal- 246155
Landmark: On The Banks Of Khoh River

Santoshi Mata Temple
Address: Lansdowne, Pauri Garhwal- 246155
Landmark: Near Central School

Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple
Address: Tarkeshwar Road
Lansdowne, Pauri Garhwal- 246155

Best Time to Visit Lansdowne

Lansdowne can be visited any time in a year but the months of January and February is said to be the best time to tour Lansdowne. The tourists are advised to wear cotton dress during summers and thick woollen clothing during winters. Also it is advised to carry proper ID documents while touring.

How to Reach Lansdowne

The city has good roadway facilities to reach its grounds. The nearest major city from Lansdowne is Kotdwar at 39 km away from where Lansdowne can be reached via car or a bus in 1 hour 10 minutes through NH 119 roadways. The city Haridwar is at 105 km away from Lansdowne from where the city can be reached via car or bus in two and half hour journey through NH 119 roadways. From the state capital Dehradun the city can be reached in four hours journey through Ambala to Dehradun to Haridwar road as they both sited at 158 km distance away from each other but via NH 119 route Lansdowne can be reached from Dehradun in 3 hour 30 minutes. 

Kotdwar railway station is the nearest major railway station from Lansdowne at 40 km distance from where through roadways the hill station can be reached. The Jolly grant airport in Dehradun is the nearest airport that is sited close to the city at 152 km away from where through roadways Lansdowne can be reached.

Tourist Places nearby Lansdowne