This quaint little cantonment retains the original charms, right from the days Chakrata was established by Colonel Hume and fellow officers of the British 55th Regiment, 135 years ago. The local populace may complain on occasion that they cannot get the same opportunities to cater to tourism as their cousins in Mussoorie nearby, but the army here is a lot more careful of who ( and how many) it opens doors to , and for very good reason. Chakrata is home to a branch of the army’s special forces and the rugged Himalayan countryside is an ideal training ground for all the kinds of commando courses. It is said that LTTE supremo Prabhakaran learnt all his skullduggery here ( trained by the Indian army, ironically). However , don’t be alarmed by this cloak and dagger scenario- for you are here for Chakrata’s incredible natural beauty.
The town lies above the Yamuna valley in the Garhwal region of Himalaya and is approached from Dehra Dun either via Mussoorie or Kalsi. The latter is commonly used one, but the road surface is pretty atrocious. Once you make it to Kalsi, you have to be lucky enough to make it through the barrier there on time. The Kalsi army checkpost allows only Indian to drive through to Chakrata, but its also a single lane traffic from here on to Chakrata, since the road is pretty narrow. It’s better to take the Dehra Dun Mussoorie road , which is about 20 0dd Km longer but is a newer road, barrier free and picturesque.
If you opt to go via Mussoorie, after a dramatic plunge down the valley from Mussoorie, via the Kempty falls, the road takes you to Yamuna Pul, the bridge over the Yamuna as it flows out of the mountains into the terai. It is incredible to think that this pristine, aquamarine mountain torrent turns into the sad sluggish slop that it is at Delhi, not that far away. Put that out of your mind, however, and keep your eyes open for birdlife. The sub Himalayan jungle here is full of Kaleej pheasant and the lovely Himalayan blue magpie If the birdwatching doesn’t knock you out, the view will- the higher you climb, the more awesome the view of the Yamuna get.
Once in Chakrata, you immediately know what all the fuss is about. The town has magnificient view of the Greater Himalaya and everything around is delightfully green- deodar, Himalayan oak and rhododendron cover the hiils. The only built up area, and there’s very little of it, consists of some of the prettiest colonial army buildings, green and red roofed gables complete with rambling roses and wisteria. The town is is built all along a ridge with a tiny bazaar in the centre. A Mall that makes a perfect, frosted ramble connects the entire length of Chakrata.
Things To Do
Chilmiri Neck
Deoban
Yamuna Adventure Park
Ram Tal Horticultural Garden
Tiger Falls
Koti-Kanasar
Hathni Kund
Kimona Falls
Budher Caves
Moigad Fall.
How to Reach
State: Uttarakhand Distance: 326 Km By Road: 8hrs & 30min By Rail: 7hrs & 30min + 3hrs by road Location: Chakrata is spread across two hills, Chakrata and Kailana, in the Garhwal Himalaya, 7000 ft above the sea level and 93 km from Dehradun Route: NH1 to Pipli via Karnal; SH to Bata Pul via Yamunanagar and Jagadhri; NH72 to Herbertpur via Paonta Sahib; NH123 to Kalsi; state road to Chakrata via Shaiya
Nearest airport is Jolly Grant airport, which is 92 km away from Chakrata. Taxi cab charges about Rs 2,000 to cover this distance. International travelers have to get connection through Delhi Airport. Delhi Airport is connected to all major cities in India and most of the foreign cities.
To reach Chakrata by bus from Delhi.
There is no direct bus available from Delhi to Chakrata. you have to take bus to Dehradun, which will be approximately 6-7 hours journey, it will be good if you do it over night. After reaching to Dehrdaun there are two option to reach Chakrata by private taxi and by local city bus both are easily available but bus city bus run on specific time interval only. If you chose to go by taxi then you will reach Chakrata in around 3 hours. and if you are going by bus then Bus will take you till Vikas Nagar and then from Vikas Nagar you have to take shared taxi to reach Chakrata in total it will be 4-5 hours of Journey.
