Known for its striking sceneries, Lansdowne is located in the Pauri Garhwal district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The name was kept after the British Viceroy of India, Lord Lansdowne who served at the position during 1888 till 1884. The town was developed by the British as a cantonment town to train recruits for the Garhwal Rifles regiment. He visited the place in 1884 and founded it as a cantonment town and hill station. Situated at 1700 meters above sea level, the town is built entirely by the British and features a lot of British Colonial architecture. Unlike other tourist hill towns in Uttarakhand, Lansdowne is surprisingly quaint and is only visited by tourists who seek solace or adventures like trekking, as it is also known to be the gateways to the Himalayas.
Climatic Conditions
Lansdowne is known for its quaint surroundings and pleasant climate. The summer however can be a little hot and humid in Lansdowne. The months from March till June are the summer months and the temperatures range between 30 degrees and 15 degrees Celsius. The period from July till late September is the rainy season with plenty of showers from the monsoons. The winters start from late November and end till late February. This is one of the most extravagant times in the hill town as the temperatures never go above 24 degrees and can get to 0 degrees Celsius during nights.
Best Time to Visit
Lansdowne can be visited during all times of the year and provides a soothing climate to visitors all year round. The town has very less to offer if you’re looking for a visit with the family and want to enjoy some tourist activities like sightseeing and visiting natural attractions like lakes etc. Lansdowne was developed by the British as more of a cantonment town so it lacks several tourist activities. Nevertheless it is the best place if you want to sit back and relax and feel the fresh mountain mist and get lost in the picturesque hill station with colonial architecture. The best time to visit the town is during the winter season when the climate is the most pleasant and the town is covered with fog and lush green surroundings with oak and pine trees.
Attractions/Things to Do
As mentioned above, Lansdowne has very few attractions to offer to the tourists and visitors who want to view the scenery. Lansdowne is very quiet town where people come to relax or use it as a rest stop for the trek routes that open up into the great Himalayas. You can still visit Santoshi Ma Temple, Tip-in-Top, Snow View, Bhulla Lake, St. James’ Church, St. Mary’s Church, Reindeer rock, Garhwal Rifles Museum, Kaleshwar Mahadev Temple.
How to Reach
Lansdowne is well connected to all major cities in Uttarakhand and is at a very short distance from the national capital Delhi. You can get buses and taxis from Delhi and the commute takes hardly 6-7 hours by road. You can also get to Lansdowne via trains by taking a train to Kotdwar which is located at a short distance of just 40 kilometers by road.
Distance from Major Cities
- Kotdwar – 44 Kilometers
- Almora – 262 Kilometers
- Dehradun – 174 Kilometers
- Haridwar – 108 Kilometers
- Nainital – 227 Kilometers
- Shimla – 402 Kilometers
- Chandigarh – 313 Kilometers
- Delhi – 280 Kilometers
- Jaipur – 520 Kilometers
- Lucknow – 510 Kilometers
- Mumbai – 1,650 Kilometers
- Kolkata – 1,519 Kilometers
- Hyderabad – 1,704 Kilometers
- Bangalore – 2,249 Kilometers
- Chennai – 2,236 Kilometers
Accommodation and Accessibility
Getting around in Lansdowne is mainly done by foot as it is a small town which would not require much commute. The accommodation facilities in Lansdowne are many as it is a famous tourist spot. Several budget and mid ranged hotels and guest houses are available throughout the city and the luxury hotels are located near the various view points around Lansdowne.
