My wife and I began our trip to Lansdowne at 6 a.m. on a pleasant Friday morning in the first half of September 2019. Maruti Alto K10, the car that has been with me for the last 4 years, was my ride for this road trip to Lansdowne. Interestingly, for this entire route which passed through the Upper Ganga Canal road in Uttar Pradesh, we did not have to pay a single paisa of toll. What’s more, the weather was also very pleasant, with rain getting heavy in some parts along the way. Lansdowne tourist places.
Driving down Upper Ganga Canal road
It was hard to believe that we were still on the outskirts of Ghaziabad for more than 2 hours of our journey. The route started with the silky smooth Hindon Elevated Road, and although one feels like driving at 100kmph+, it felt sad to not be able to cross the 80 km/h speed limit. From Muradnagar, we took a left towards the Upper Ganga Canal road. Initially, this road seemed to be on the rough side, but we gradually felt better as we could soon see the Ganga flowing alongside. It was here that we found our first couple of picture spots.
The entire Upper Ganga Canal road is bumpy in scattered areas, and this made our light car bounce around a tennis ball many times. However, this was suitably compensated by the view, and the Eastern Ganga Canal near Najibabad was our next stop. The wind was so pleasant that it made us want to stop near the Ganga for half an hour, but we knew the importance of reaching our destination in good time, and so we carried on after 15 minutes.
From here towards Kotdwar, the road becomes quite narrow and one has to drive carefully in the mountainous area. The Najibabad-Kotdwar road has a mixture of good and bad sections, and we crossed the villages of Duggada, Gaudi, and Jamra before reaching Corbett Mist Resort at 2 p.m.
Tricky road to resort
We realized that there was no direct road to get to the resort. Instead, one had to cross over a small nNaala with rocks to get to it. I was pretty afraid at the start of the underbelly of my Alto but eventually managed to take it safely to the other side. It was pretty clear that we would need to return to the resort before sundown from the city over 3 days, to prevent vehicle damage.
From the resort to the city
We headed towards Tip N Top Point at around 3 pm. This place is a beautiful hilltop viewpoint in Lansdowne, and is one of the most popular Lansdowne tourist places, with paid parking. It has a beautiful lake, seeing which both of us decided to go boating. After spending an hour in the boat and roaming outside, we decided to eat at a restaurant located close to the parking area. Both of us had heavy snack items instead of the full course and headed towards the Cantonment area. One has to purchase a ticket worth INR 80 to enter Lansdowne, for the sake of cleanliness. Here we got to know about St. Mary’s church and thought of visiting it, but the place was closed. We withdrew cash, bought a few edible items from the nearby market, and headed towards the resort.
What happened on day 2?
The next day, the hotel staff suggested we visit the Tarkeshwar temple. The 57 km drive up to this area is majestic, and you will be able to see deodar trees all around. There was a long walk up to the temple, but the pleasant weather made us enjoy the experience. To our left, we could see guesthouses and hear people talking within the temple complex. We lit Agarbattis here, circled the Shivling, and carried out a few rituals by using coconut and other religious items, purchased outside the temple. The place was certainly filled with a lot of positive vibes.
From the temple, we proceeded towards the Cantonment area to look for lunch. Unfortunately, almost all the restaurants there had closed, except for one on the rooftop. Even though it was just 3 pm, we could only have Chinese items, but since we were both famished, we both agreed instantly. We took a few pictures of the restaurant and its beautiful surrounding area while we waited.
Post lunch session
After lunch, we found the Garhwali Museum worth visiting in the surrounding area. The role of the Garhwal Regiment in the Indian Army was displayed in all its glory here, with pictures of soldiers and actual rifles used by them. Photographs are not allowed here.
On the way back, we stopped at the Cantonment market to pick up cash and headed towards our resort. I had seen the swimming pool here and decided to enter it in the evening. The hotel staff had put on music and made the poolside lively in the evening.
Note: There are hardly any ATMs around the resort that we stayed in, in Duggada, on the outskirts of Lansdowne. You will find one or two in the Lansdowne Cantonment area, so ensure that you carry adequate cash from here.
Lansdowne gave us a peaceful and quiet feeling and pleaded with us to slow down our fast-paced lives every once in a while. Blue pine and oak forests surround the region, and it is also wonderful to see money being collected for cleanliness in the city.
Hospitality at Corbett Mist Resort
The entire staff of the resort was very young and had to be clearly explained many times. Our room was spacious enough and didn’t give us a reason to complain. However, not only was the landline not working here but there was also no cellphone network.
