Mukteshwar and beyond
mukteshwar-cliff-hotel-cloud-inn-ramgarh.webp
Day three. East, to the cliff.
A waterfall trek, an eight thousand foot temple, a colonial research campus and 350 km of Himalaya.
The longest driving day of the five and the one with the most variety. Waterfall first while your legs are fresh, cliff last for the evening light. Two of these are shut at weekends, so read the badges before you set out. Every distance below is the road distance from our gate, not from the previous stop.
Set out by eight
Nathuakhan village
An orchard village on the way to Mukteshwar that almost no itinerary includes. Walk through it rather than driving past. Valley views, fruit trees and nobody selling you anything.
Mid morning, legs fresh
Bhalugaad Waterfall
Not a viewpoint. A 1 to 1.2 km walk each way from the gate, twenty to thirty minutes, through forest with stream crossings. Closed shoes, not sandals. A sixty foot drop into a natural pool at the end, with life jackets for hire if you want to swim. Go early at weekends.
Before the temple, while it is quiet
Chauli Ki Jali
A lattice of cliff rock behind Mukteshwar temple, five to twenty minutes on foot depending on the route. A 180 degree view across the Kumaon valley and the Himalayan peaks. One reviewer calls it the best sunset in Uttarakhand. Crowded at weekends.
Late morning
Mukteshwar Dham Temple
One of the oldest Shiva temples in the region, at eight thousand feet, with a 360 degree view. Parking is not permitted at the temple itself so you will walk the last stretch. Scooter and bike hire is available for anyone who cannot.
Clearest first thing
Mukteshwar Himalaya view point
Beside the temple. Guides charge around Rs 300 and are genuinely worth it here, since they take a different route through the deodar and explain what you are looking at. Early morning is when the peaks are visible.
Weekdays only
IVRI Mukteshwar campus
The Indian Veterinary Research Institute, founded 1893, on 3,450 acres of colonial campus at 7,620 feet. There is a small museum with old equipment and a stone cold room that worked without electricity. Access is limited, so ask at the gate rather than assuming.
Quiet afternoon
Himalayan Ashram, Satkhol
A meditation ashram with a hall, a library and a long Himalayan view. Rated 4.8 across three hundred reviews. Visitors describe the silence rather than the scenery, which tells you what kind of place it is.
On the way back
Peora village
An orchard village above Mukteshwar, quieter again than Nathuakhan. There is nothing to do here, which is the entire recommendation.
Only if you are passing
Dhanachuli Bend
A roadside cluster of shops at a junction beyond Mukteshwar. We include it because it appears on every other list, and we will tell you honestly what reviewers say: it is a selfie point rather than an attraction. Stop for chai if you are driving past. Do not make a trip of it.
Sunset, if the sky is clear
Managher View Point
Rated 4.8 and almost unvisited. A resident claims 350 km of Himalaya from here on a clear day, from Chaukhamba through Trishul to Nanda Devi. The weather has to cooperate. When it does, this is the best view on the eastern side.
Every drawing here is waiting for your photograph.
We have illustrated these places rather than borrowing pictures that are not ours. If you photograph one of them, send it to us. If we use it, your name goes underneath it and stays there. Each stop above has its own Send your photo button, which opens WhatsApp with the place already named so we know what we are looking at.