7 Days in Uttarakhand — Mussoorie, Nainital, Rishikesh and Haridwar

Uttarakhand combines hill stations with the great Hindu pilgrimage centres on the upper Ganges. The route below threads three classic stops — Mussoorie (the Garhwal hill station above Dehradun), Nainital (the Kumaon lake town across the state), and the Rishikesh–Haridwar Ganga corridor on the way back to Delhi. It's the headline "Garhwal–Kumaon double" for visitors who want hills, yoga, and the river.

At a glance

• Total days: 7 (6 nights)
• Route: Delhi → Mussoorie (2 nights) → Nainital (2 nights) → Rishikesh (2 nights) → Delhi
• Distance: ~900 km loop
• Best season: March–June, October–November. December–February is cold; July–September is monsoon (avoid for the road sections).
• Permits: none required.

Day 1 — Delhi to Mussoorie

Take the Nanda Devi Express overnight from Delhi to Dehradun, or the morning Dehradun Shatabdi. From Dehradun, taxi up to Mussoorie (35 km / 1.5 hours).

Drop bags. Walk The Mall in the afternoon and Camel's Back Road at sunset.

Stay: Mussoorie. (For full town details, see the 3 Days in Mussoorie itinerary.)

Day 2 — Mussoorie sights and Landour

The full Mussoorie day.

• Morning: Christ Church, Gun Hill ropeway.
• Late morning: taxi up to Landour (Char Dukan, Sisters' Bazaar) for the quieter, more atmospheric upper town.
• Lunch: at Char Dukan or Landour Bakehouse.
• Afternoon: Lal Tibba for the Himalayan view.
• Evening: back to The Mall for dinner.

Stay: Mussoorie.

Day 3 — Mussoorie to Nainital

A long but doable cross-state drive.

• Morning: taxi down to Dehradun and continue cross-country to Nainital via Haridwar, Najibabad and Haldwani — about 350 km / 8–9 hours total. Break for lunch in Najibabad or carry packed lunches.
• Late afternoon: arrive Nainital. Drop bags.
• Evening: walk along Naini Lake at sunset. Dinner along the Mall.

Stay: Nainital.

Day 4 — Nainital sights

The full Nainital day.

• Morning: Tiffin Top walk or pony ride for the Himalaya view; Snow View by aerial ropeway.
• Lunch: Mall Road.
• Afternoon: Sattal for birdwatching, or Bhimtal for boating. Or a quieter option: Mukteshwar for the long Himalayan view (longer day trip — 50 km / 1.5 hours each way).
• Evening: boating on Naini Lake at sunset.

Stay: Nainital. (For details, see the 3 Days in Nainital itinerary.)

Day 5 — Nainital to Rishikesh

The transfer to Ganga country.

• Morning: drive to Rishikesh — 360 km / 7–8 hours via Haldwani, Najibabad and Haridwar. Long but on improving roads.
• Evening: arrive Rishikesh. Walk down to the Triveni Ghat for the Ganga Aarti at sunset — the lamp-lit river ceremony performed every evening, with bhajans and floating lamps released into the river.
• Dinner: vegetarian only in Rishikesh (which is a strictly vegetarian and alcohol-free town). Try Chotiwala for a traditional thali or Little Buddha Café in Lakshman Jhula for international.

Stay: Rishikesh (the Lakshman Jhula or Tapovan area for atmosphere; Hari Ki Pauri area in Haridwar if you prefer).

Day 6 — Rishikesh — yoga, ashrams, and the river

A full day in the world capital of yoga.

• Morning: sunrise yoga session at one of the established ashrams (the Parmarth Niketan classes are well-regarded; Sivananda Ashram is the more traditional). Or take a brief yoga teacher's introduction class as a one-off.
• Late morning: walk across the Lakshman Jhula suspension bridge over the Ganga; visit Tera Manzil Temple (the famous 13-storey temple) and Geeta Bhawan.
• Lunch: at the German Bakery or one of the Tapovan cafés.
• Afternoon: white-water rafting on the Ganga (the Brahmapuri-to-Lakshman-Jhula stretch is the standard 16 km grade-2/3 run, available October to June). Or visit the abandoned Beatles Ashram (Chaurasi Kutia) where the Beatles studied with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1968.
• Evening: Ganga Aarti at Parmarth Niketan or Triveni Ghat.

Stay: Rishikesh.

Day 7 — Haridwar to Delhi

A morning in Haridwar before the return.

• Morning: drive to Haridwar — 25 km from Rishikesh. Visit Har Ki Pauri ghat (the Brahmakund — a sacred bathing ghat) and one of the busiest functioning Hindu pilgrimage sites in the country. The morning aarti at Har Ki Pauri is much busier than Rishikesh's.
• Late morning: brunch in Haridwar — the famous Mathura ke Pede (sweet shop) and Chotiwala (no-frills thali).
• Afternoon: drive back to Delhi — 220 km / 5–6 hours; or take the Dehradun Shatabdi (departs Haridwar around 18:00, arrives Delhi 22:30).
• Evening: Delhi airport for departure.

Practical notes

• Driving distances: the Mussoorie–Nainital cross-state drive is the longest leg at 8–9 hours. Many travellers prefer to fly Delhi → Dehradun and then car for the rest, treating the trip as one-way Mussoorie–Nainital–Rishikesh ending at Haridwar (where you can pick up trains or the Dehradun Shatabdi back to Delhi).
• Vehicle restrictions: Mussoorie and Nainital both have central pedestrian zones in the evening during peak season; expect to walk in from designated parking.
• Avoid weekends in peak season: all three of Mussoorie, Nainital and Rishikesh fill with Delhi weekend traffic in May–June and around Diwali. Midweek is much calmer.
• Rishikesh ashram stays: if you want to stay inside an ashram (Parmarth Niketan, Sivananda Ashram, Anand Prakash) rather than a hotel, expect basic accommodation, vegetarian food and a daily schedule of yoga and satsang.
• Kumbh Mela: Haridwar hosts the Kumbh Mela every 12 years (next: 2033). The ardh kumbh ("half kumbh") happens every 6 years. During these, the town fills with millions of pilgrims and is best avoided for casual visitors.

Variations

• 5 days: drop one of the hill stations; do Mussoorie 2 nights → Rishikesh 2 nights only.
• 10 days: add Corbett National Park (between Nainital and Rishikesh — easy combine for tigers and a forest break) and an extra day in Rishikesh for a longer rafting run.
• 14 days: continue from Rishikesh into the Char Dham circuit (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath) — the four Hindu high-Himalayan pilgrimage centres, accessible from May to October.

Related guides

• Mussoorie travel guide →
• Nainital travel guide →
• 3 Days in Mussoorie →
• 3 Days in Nainital →
• All India Travel Itineraries →