The Mussoorie–Dhanaulti ride

The Mussoorie–Dhanaulti road is one of the better short rides in this part of Uttarakhand, and the reason is simple: it runs along a ridge rather than up a valley, so the views are on both sides and they do not stop.

The road itself

You climb through Mussoorie and Landour, and the views start before the town has finished. After Landour the traffic thins out sharply — most of what is on the road below is going to Mussoorie, not past it. From there it is ridge road: deodar on both sides, the ground falling away on the valley side, and a sequence of bends that is enjoyable without ever being technical.

We are sixteen kilometres above Mussoorie, which puts us roughly two thirds of the way along the good part, and about twenty minutes short of Dhanaulti.

Two ways up from Delhi

The Mussoorie side is the obvious one and the one most people ride. The alternative is up through Haridwar, Rishikesh, Narendra Nagar, Chamba and Kanatal, approaching from the Dhanaulti side — quieter, fewer towns, and it follows the Ganga for a stretch. Riding one and returning the other makes a genuinely good loop rather than an out-and-back. Both are written out with timings on how to reach us.

What to know before you commit

• Winter. Shaded corners above Mussoorie hold ice long after the sun is out, and after snow the stretch above the town can be slow or briefly closed while it is cleared. Dhanaulti in winter is honest about this.
• Monsoon. July and August bring cloud at road level and the occasional slip. Rideable, but not the season to plan a tight schedule around.
• Afternoons. The ridge fills with returning day-trippers from about four. Ride it in the morning.
• Fuel and food. Thin on the ground past Mussoorie. Fill up before you leave the town, and do not count on lunch appearing.

Stopping here

There is a cafe on the property, which is the part that matters after four hours in a helmet, and eight rooms if you would rather not ride back down the same day. Riding in a group? All eight can be taken at once — that is on the whole-house page. Ask us about parking when you message and we will tell you exactly what we can offer rather than promising something on a page.