Pauri Travel Guide
Pauri Garhwal's peaceful district headquarters at 1,814 m — panoramic Himalayan views from Kandoliya ridge and Ransi helipad.
- Altitude
- 1,814 m
- Best season
- Year round
- From Dehradun
- ~140 km
- Category
- Hill Station
Why visit Pauri
- District headquarters of Pauri Garhwal, perched at 1,814 m on a ridge with panoramic views of over 13 major Himalayan peaks including Nanda Devi, Trishul, Kedarnath range, Bandarpunch, and Chaukhamba.
- The Kandoliya temple complex on the ridge is a sacred grove of devdar and oak with forest trails, a peaceful temple, and one of the finest Himalayan viewpoints in the entire district.
- A genuine Garhwali administrative and cultural town — not a packaged tourist resort — offering authentic local life, traditional architecture, and a relaxed hill-station pace.
- Proximity to the famous Lansdowne cantonment town (55 km) and the quiet hill resort of Khirsu (18 km) makes Pauri an excellent hub for exploring lower Pauri Garhwal.
- Relatively cool even in summer due to its ridge position — a pleasant escape from the plains during May–June when Dehradun and the Doon valley are hot.
- The town has direct historical connection to the Garhwal Rifles regiment — many families in Pauri have military heritage, giving it a distinctive character among Uttarakhand hill towns.
Pauri is the administrative headquarters of Pauri Garhwal district, set on a broad ridge at 1,814 m with an unobstructed panorama of the Greater Himalayan peaks from Bandarpunch to Kedarnath. It is one of those hill stations that Uttarakhand state residents know well but tourists mostly bypass in favour of Mussoorie or Lansdowne — which means it remains genuinely quiet.
The Kandoliya temple and its forest park above the town centre offer some of the best accessible Himalayan viewpoints in the Garhwal region. The Ransi helipad, 2 km from town, serves helicopter services during the pilgrimage season. Pauri is 140 km from Dehradun via Kotdwar or via Srinagar Garhwal, and roughly 4 hours by road.
Explore around
Places near Pauri
Quiet hill resort with apple orchards and snow-peak views
Lansdowne55 kmCharming cantonment town; Garhwal Rifles museum; British-era ambience
High-altitude meadow at 3,100 m; rare Uttarakhand plateau
Largest Garhwal hill town; Kamleshwar temple
Devprayag76 kmOrigin of the Ganga; Panch Prayag confluence
Market town at valley floor; onward routes to Kotdwar
What to do
Activities at Pauri
Kandoliya Temple Forest Walk
The Kandoliya Devta temple sits within a sacred grove of old devdar and banj oak on the ridge above Pauri town. The 1 km walk up through the forest is shaded and pleasant, and the temple compound — where a local deity is worshipped — has a forest park area with benches and walking paths that double as the best viewpoint in Pauri.
Himalayan Panorama Viewing
From the Kandoliya viewpoint and the ridge walk above Pauri, over 13 major Himalayan peaks are visible on clear days. The panorama stretches from the Kedarnath range in the north-east, across Chaukhamba, Neelkanth, Mana peak, Kamet, Hathi Ghoda, to Trishul and Nanda Devi in the north. October–November after monsoon offers the sharpest clarity.
Kyunkaleshwar Temple
An 8th-century Shiva temple in a forested ravine 1 km from town is one of the oldest surviving temple structures in Pauri Garhwal. The stone carvings on the temple exterior are fine examples of early medieval Garhwali temple art and the shaded setting makes it a contemplative site.
Day Trip to Khirsu
Khirsu (18 km) is a government-developed hill resort in an apple-orchard valley with unobstructed views of Trishul and Nanda Devi. The GMVN property here is one of the finest rest houses in Uttarakhand. A day trip from Pauri or an overnight stay at Khirsu is highly recommended.
Ridge Walk
The forested ridge above Pauri town offers several gentle walking routes through oak, rhododendron, and mixed Himalayan forest. The walks are generally quiet on weekdays and the birding — including Himalayan monal, grey-winged blackbird, and various warblers — is excellent.
Before you go
Pauri travel tips
- The best mountain views are in the morning hours (6–10 am) before haze builds. Position yourself at Kandoliya viewpoint by sunrise for the most dramatic panorama.
- Pauri's ridge location means it can be unexpectedly cold even in April and October — carry a medium-weight jacket even if the valley below is warm.
- Roads to Pauri from Rishikesh (via Kotdwar or via Srinagar) are winding mountain roads; the journey takes significantly longer than the distance suggests. Allow 4–5 hours from Rishikesh.
- Accommodation in Pauri itself is limited; the GMVN rest house is the best option. Book ahead during school holidays when domestic tourism peaks.
- Pauri has a civil hospital, ATMs, and petrol — adequate for a district headquarters, though significantly less than Srinagar Garhwal or Rishikesh.
Getting there
How to reach Pauri
From Rishikesh (115 km via Pauri road through Devprayag or via Kotdwar route ~170 km). Buses from Rishikesh take ~4.5 hrs. From Kotdwar (112 km) buses and shared jeeps run via Lansdowne or direct. The road from Srinagar Garhwal (95 km) is another approach.
Kotdwar (112 km) is the nearest railhead, connected to Delhi and Haridwar. Rishikesh (115 km) is the alternative. From Kotdwar buses and jeeps run to Pauri in ~3.5 hours.
Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun (187 km, ~6 hrs by road) is the nearest airport. No closer air facility.
Where to stay in Pauri
- GMVN Tourist Rest House in Pauri is clean and well-maintained, with a dining facility and ridge-adjacent location.
- A few private hotels in the main bazaar area offer budget accommodation; quality is variable — inspect before paying.
- Khirsu (18 km) has an excellent GMVN rest house that is arguably better than Pauri's for pure mountain views; worth considering as a base.
Food & dining
- Pauri's bazaar has several dhabas and a few small restaurants serving standard Garhwali and North Indian food. The GMVN canteen is reliable.
- Fresh local produce — mountain potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and milk products from local cows — makes the simple food here genuinely flavourful.
- Alcohol is available in government-licensed shops, unlike some more conservative pilgrimage towns in the region.
Background
History of Pauri
Pauri Garhwal district takes its name from the town, which served as the British administrative headquarters for Garhwal Division from 1840. The British chose the ridge location for its commanding views and healthy climate, and the town developed as a typical hill-station administrative centre with a cantonment character. The Garhwal Rifles regiment, raised at Lansdowne (55 km) in 1887, drew heavily from the villages of Pauri Garhwal, cementing a deep military tradition in the district.
The district has produced a disproportionate number of India's notable figures including Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna (Chief Minister of UP, Uttarakhand's most prominent politician of the 20th century), after whom HNB Garhwal University is named. The Chipko Movement — the landmark 1970s environmental protest where villagers hugged trees to prevent logging — originated in the Pauri Garhwal district, specifically in the Alaknanda valley villages.
After Uttarakhand's formation as a separate state in 2000, Pauri Garhwal remained a large and important district, though many of its former administrative functions shifted to the new state capital at Dehradun and the growing city of Rishikesh. Pauri town itself has seen modest growth with the district's improving road connectivity and growing weekend tourism from the plains.
Plan your trip
Suggested Pauri itinerary
- Day 1Arrive from Rishikesh or Kotdwar. Check in. Afternoon walk to Kandoliya temple and forest park. Sunset Himalayan view from the ridge. Dinner in bazaar. Overnight Pauri.
- Day 2Sunrise at Kandoliya viewpoint (peaks at their clearest). Kyunkaleshwar temple visit. Midday drive to Khirsu (18 km) for lunch and apple orchard walk. Return to Pauri or continue to Lansdowne (37 km from Khirsu). Overnight Pauri or Lansdowne.
Common questions
Pauri FAQ
- Which peaks can be seen from Pauri?
- On a clear day (best in October–November) the visible peaks include Nanda Devi (7,816 m), Trishul (7,120 m), Kedarnath (6,940 m), Bandarpunch (6,316 m), Chaukhamba (7,138 m), Neelkanth (6,596 m), Kamet (7,756 m), and several others. The panorama spans roughly 300 km of Himalayan front range.
- Is Pauri worth visiting if I'm already going to Rishikesh?
- Yes, if you have an extra day or two. Pauri's Himalayan panorama is actually wider and more diverse than what you see from Rishikesh or Mussoorie. The route from Rishikesh via the Garhwal valleys is scenic in itself.
- What is Kandoliya temple?
- Kandoliya is a local folk deity temple in a sacred forest on the ridge above Pauri. The forest is protected by religious tradition, which has preserved it in excellent condition. The temple is the centrepiece of the main annual fair (mela) and a popular daily walk for residents.
- Is Pauri connected to the Chipko Movement?
- Yes. The Chipko Movement, where women of Garhwali villages embraced trees to prevent commercial logging, began in 1973 in Mandal village of Chamoli but had its strongest sustained action in the Pauri Garhwal district valleys. The movement is considered a landmark in Indian and global environmentalism.
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