Hand-authored private journeys through Uttarakhand — the lake at Nainital, the tigers of Corbett, the ridges above Mussoorie, the Ganga at Rishikesh and the snow at Auli, with a designer who plans every day around you.
Uttarakhand is two mountain regions wearing one name, and most disappointing trips come from treating it as one. Kumaon — Nainital, Jim Corbett, Ranikhet, Almora, Mukteshwar — is the gentler half: shorter drives, lower altitude, and the better first trip or family holiday. Garhwal — Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Auli and the Char Dham — is higher, more dramatic and far more weather-dependent. Every journey we design starts by deciding which half suits you, and we will tell you honestly if the answer is not the one you expected.
Every Uttarakhand trip we plan is private and fully customised — your own vehicle and driver, hotels chosen for you, and no fixed departures or group buses. Below are the places most journeys are built around, and the shapes we start from. Tell us your dates and we will rebuild any of them around your family.
Two nights at the park with safaris in your booked zone, morning and afternoon.
Get a custom quote →The Ganga Aarti, the ghats and the ashrams — with rafting when the season allows.
Get a custom quote →The easiest first trip from Delhi — hill station, then the river, on the new expressway.
Get a custom quote →Our most-asked family route — safari, then the lake and the Mall.
Get a custom quote →Both famous hill stations in one journey, paced so the drive between them is not the holiday.
Get a custom quote →For travellers who would rather have space than sights. Very little scheduled, very long views.
Get a custom quote →Meadows in summer, snow from January to March. Auli reached by road from Joshimath.
Get a custom quote →Garhwal and Kumaon in one journey, built so it does not become a car holiday.
Get a custom quote →Open 1 June to 31 October only, and reached on foot from Ghangaria.
Get a custom quote →The full pilgrimage circuit, late April to October. Registration handled for you.
Get a custom quote →A starting point, not a fixed departure. We reshape it entirely around your dates, pace and party.
We choose properties for location as much as category, because in Uttarakhand that decides whether you walk to dinner or drive to it.
| Style | What it means here | Best in |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable 3-star | Clean, well run, walkable to the Mall or the ghats | Nainital, Mussoorie, Rishikesh |
| Premium 4-star and resorts | Space, views, and heating that actually works in winter | Corbett, Mussoorie, Auli |
| Boutique and heritage | Small, characterful, usually on a ridge with a long view | Mukteshwar, Almora, Ranikhet |
| Riverside camps | Simple, on the water, seasonal only | Rishikesh, in season |
| Forest lodges | Inside or beside the park, booked far ahead | Jim Corbett |
| Ashram and dharamshala | Simple, spiritual, close to the ghats | Haridwar, Rishikesh |
March to June for hill stations and the best tiger sightings, October and November for the clearest Himalayan views of the year, and January to March for snow at Auli. We would steer you away from July and August. Those are the wettest months at every India Meteorological Department station in the state, and Garhwal roads close at short notice on district orders. If you must travel then, go to Kumaon — it sits lower, receives less rain and is disrupted far less. Full month-by-month detail is in our best time to visit Uttarakhand guide.
The places everyone comes for, the quieter ones we actually send travellers to, and where Uttarakhand looks its best.
When the hills celebrate, how to travel respectfully, and the practical notes that matter here more than most places.
Quiet ridges at Mukteshwar and Kausani, riverside stays at Rishikesh, and long views with nobody else in them.
Corbett safaris, Naini Lake boating and short drives — the gentlest Himalaya for children and grandparents.
Jim Corbett at its best from mid-March to mid-June, with zones booked in advance and a naturalist alongside.
Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, with registration, pacing and altitude handled for you.
Auli from January to March, and the Valley of Flowers trek in its short summer window.
Ranikhet, Almora, Binsar and Kausani — very little scheduled, and that is the point.
We do not print a fixed package price on this page, because a real number depends on things we do not yet know about your trip — and any figure quoted without them is marketing, not a quotation. Your cost is shaped by your travel dates and season, the number of travellers, your hotel category, the vehicle you want, the destinations you combine, and safaris or permits where they apply. October and March give you the best conditions at shoulder rates; May and June are peak in the hills. Our Uttarakhand tour cost guide breaks all of that down. Send us your dates and party size and we will cost the actual itinerary, not a template.
A registered Indian company — a proper GST invoice with every booking.
Drivers who know which Garhwal route is open today — not a call centre.
A named designer sends your itinerary and quotation within one working day.
If a month, a road or an attraction will not deliver, we say so before you book.
Our travellers have left 265 five-star reviews and a 4.9 rating on Google across all the journeys we plan. We would rather point you at the real thing than print testimonials here — read them on our Google listing, then judge for yourself.
Uttarakhand sits in the middle of the northern mountains, so it pairs naturally with its neighbours. Compare it with Himachal Pradesh next door, Kashmir further north, or Leh and Ladakh for high desert. For pilgrimage, the Char Dham Yatra begins here and connects to our wider Hindu pilgrimage journeys.
The single most useful thing to understand about Uttarakhand is which half you are going to, and how long each place deserves.
A lake town built around boating, the Mall and the cable car to Snow View. The easiest mountain air to reach from Delhi NCR, and it knows it — May and June are genuinely crowded.
Don’t miss: Naini Lake at dawn, Snow View, Tiffin Top, Naina Devi temple
Nainital packages →India’s oldest national park. Jhirna, Dhela and Garjia run year-round; Dhikala and the night stays open around mid-November and close around mid-June. Phones are banned inside since February 2026.
Don’t miss: A morning jeep safari, the Ramganga riverbed, Corbett Falls
Jim Corbett packages →The Queen of the Hills, 35 km above Dehradun and the classic short break from Delhi. Free online registration is required before you arrive.
Don’t miss: Camel’s Back Road, Landour and Char Dukan, Gun Hill
Mussoorie packages →The Ganga, the evening aarti, yoga schools and white water in season. Note that Laxman Jhula has been closed to the public since 2019.
Don’t miss: Triveni Ghat aarti, Parmarth Niketan, rafting in season
Rishikesh packages →One of the seven holiest cities in India, and the gateway to the Char Dham. The evening aarti at Har Ki Pauri is the thing to build a day around.
Don’t miss: Har Ki Pauri aarti, Mansa Devi, Chandi Devi
Haridwar packages →Meadows at 2,500 to 3,050 m and skiing from January to March. Reached by road from Joshimath, 16 km — the ropeway has been closed since January 2023.
Don’t miss: The ski slopes, Gurso Bugyal, Nanda Devi views
Auli packages →A cantonment town on a long ridge, quiet by design, with golf, deodar forest and Himalayan views on a clear morning.
Don’t miss: Chaubatia orchards, Jhula Devi temple, the golf course
Ranikhet packages →An old bazaar town with more character than most Uttarakhand hill stations, and a strong literary and artistic history.
Don’t miss: The Lal Bazaar, Kasar Devi, Bright End Corner
Almora packages →Small, high and calm, with the finest uninterrupted Himalayan panorama in Kumaon. Also the nearest IMD weather station to Nainital.
Don’t miss: Chauli ki Jali, the ridge walk, orchard stays
Mukteshwar packages →A ridge village famous for its Nanda Devi views, best in October and November when the air is at its clearest.
Don’t miss: Sunrise over Nanda Devi, Anasakti Ashram, tea gardens
Kausani packages →Meadow country and the highest temple on the Panch Kedar circuit, walked up from Chopta.
Don’t miss: The Tungnath walk, Chandrashila at sunrise, Deoria Tal
Chopta & Tungnath packages →A walk-in valley of alpine flowers, reached on foot from Ghangaria after the drive to Govindghat. A Forest Department permit is required.
Don’t miss: The valley itself, Hemkund Sahib, the Ghangaria trek
Valley of Flowers packages →Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. A different kind of journey from a hill holiday, and one that deserves its own planning.
Don’t miss: Kedarnath, Badrinath, the Gangotri temple
Char Dham packages →| Window | What it suits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| January–February | Auli skiing, quiet hill towns | Cold nights, some high roads snowbound |
| March–April | Rhododendron, easy weather, Char Dham opens | Crowds build from mid-April |
| May–June | Best tiger sightings; peak hill season | Peak rates; Dhikala closes around mid-June |
| July–August | Little — we would advise against Garhwal | Landslides, road closures, yatra suspensions |
| September | Improving from mid-month; rafting resumes | Rain lingers; restart dates can slip |
| October–November | The clearest Himalayan views of the year | Cold nights at altitude |
| December | Winter quiet and early snow | Short days |
Whatever your style — a family holiday, a honeymoon, a pilgrimage, a wildlife trip or a quiet week on a ridge — there is a private Uttarakhand journey shaped for it.
Corbett safaris, Naini Lake boating and short drives, at a relaxed pace with family-friendly stays.
Quiet ridges, riverside stays and long views with nobody else in them — Mukteshwar, Kausani and Rishikesh.
Jim Corbett at its best from mid-March to mid-June, with your zone booked in advance.
The Char Dham, Haridwar and Rishikesh — registration, pacing and altitude handled for you.
Auli from January to March, and the Valley of Flowers in its short summer window.
Four and five-day journeys that use the new expressway properly instead of losing a day to the road.
A quick side-by-side of the journeys we are asked for most. Every one is private and fully customisable.
| Package | Duration | Ideal for | Route | Signature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corbett & Nainital | 5D / 4N | Families with children | Corbett · Nainital | Safari, then the lake |
| Mussoorie & Rishikesh | 5D / 4N | First trip, short break | Mussoorie · Rishikesh | Easiest drive from Delhi |
| Nainital & Mussoorie | 6D / 5N | Both famous hill stations | Nainital · Mussoorie | The classic pairing |
| The Quiet Kumaon Ridge | 6D / 5N | Couples, slow travel | Nainital · Ranikhet · Almora | Long views, nothing scheduled |
| Auli & High Garhwal | 6D / 5N | Snow and mountains | Rishikesh · Joshimath · Auli | Skiing, January to March |
| The Complete Uttarakhand | 7D / 6N | Seeing both halves | Mussoorie · Rishikesh · Corbett · Nainital | Garhwal and Kumaon in one |
| Char Dham Yatra | 10–12D | Pilgrimage | Yamunotri · Gangotri · Kedarnath · Badrinath | The full circuit |
In-depth, honest guides to help you plan the perfect trip — when to go, how to reach, what it costs and more.
Five to six days covers Corbett and Nainital, or a Mussoorie and Rishikesh loop. Six to seven lets you slow down across the Kumaon ridge. Covering both Kumaon and Garhwal properly needs ten days or more, because the transfer between them costs the better part of two days.
Nainital is built around its lake and suits families and first trips, with boating and the cable car. Mussoorie is closer to Dehradun, easier to reach on the new expressway, and better for walking, with Landour and Camel’s Back Road. Both are crowded in May and June. If you want one, choose Mussoorie for ease and Nainital for the lake.
Kumaon, meaning Nainital, Corbett, Ranikhet and Almora, is gentler, easier to drive and the better first trip or family holiday. Garhwal, meaning Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Auli and the Char Dham, is higher and more dramatic but far more weather-dependent, especially in the monsoon.
Yes, and it is one of the easiest Himalayan states for families. Jim Corbett gives children a genuine safari, Nainital has boating and a cable car, and drives in Kumaon are short. Keep the itinerary to two bases and check hotel heating if you are travelling in winter.
Yes, though not in the busiest towns. We send couples to the Kumaon ridge, meaning Mukteshwar, Almora and Kausani, where there are long Himalayan views and very few other visitors, or to a riverside stay near Rishikesh.
March to June for hill stations and the best tiger sightings, and October to November for the clearest Himalayan views of the year. January to March is the snow season at Auli. July and August are the wettest months at every India Meteorological Department station in the state.
Yes, it is one of the two best months. The monsoon has withdrawn, the air is washed clean, mountain visibility is at its annual peak and the summer crowds have gone. Nights turn cold at altitude, so pack layers.
It is quiet, cold and often beautiful. Hill towns are at their emptiest and rates at their lowest, and Auli begins its snow season. Days are short, so plan fewer things per day, and confirm that your hotel has working heating.
Either Corbett and Nainital together, or Mussoorie and Rishikesh together. Five days is not enough to combine Kumaon and Garhwal without spending most of it in the car.
It depends on your dates, group size, hotel category, vehicle and which destinations you combine. We do not publish a fixed package price because any figure quoted without those details is marketing rather than a quotation. Send us your dates and we will cost the actual itinerary.
Since the Delhi to Dehradun Expressway opened in April 2026, the four and five-day Mussoorie and Rishikesh journeys have become the strongest short break from Delhi NCR. For families, Corbett and Nainital over five days remains the most requested.
Tell us your dates, the number of travellers and the standard of hotel you have in mind. A named travel designer sends an itinerary and quotation within one working day, and we reshape it with you until it fits. Nothing is a fixed departure.
Nainital, Mussoorie, Ranikhet and Haridwar, all of which have short drives, gentle walking and good hotels. We would avoid Auli and the high Char Dham routes unless mobility and altitude have been discussed first.
No. Phones have been banned inside the tiger reserve since 5 February 2026 under a Supreme Court order and are deposited at the entry gate, including for guides and drivers. DSLR and other cameras are permitted.
No. The Joshimath to Auli ropeway has been closed since January 2023 and was still shut as of February 2026. Auli is reached by road from Joshimath, about 16 kilometres.
The shrines open in late April and close around Diwali. In 2026 Gangotri and Yamunotri opened on 19 April, Kedarnath on 22 April and Badrinath on 23 April. Registration is mandatory, free, and checked at barriers.
Tell us your dates and how you love to travel. Your personal designer will send a tailored itinerary and quotation within one working day — no obligation and no hidden charges. And if a different month or a different half of the state would suit you better, we will say so.