Located at a distance of 320 km from Delhi, 200 km from Chandigarh, 90 km from Dehradun and 73 km from Mussoorie; Chakrata is an offbeat place in Uttarakhand. This cantonment town of Dehradun district is located at an elevation of 2118 meters between the rivers Yamuna and Tons. Chakrata is a must go place for people who love offbeat, clean, less crowded, nature, wildlife, bird watching, hiking, trekking, sunsets and scenic beauty. Interesting thing of Chakrata is foreigners are not allowed in this town since its guarded by the Indian Army and is base for covert army operations, even few of the places prohibit photography and videography.
How To Reach Chakrata
Since Chakrata is a hill station in Uttarakhand, the place can be reached by road, half journey by train or flight. As per your preference you can do break journey from nearby towns or come here directly by road on your own car, by public transport or hire a taxi.
By Road
By road, there are 3 routes that can be taken if your are coming from Delhi on your own:
- Delhi – Murthal – Panipat – Yamuna Nagar – Paonta Sahib – Chakrata : The total distance of this route is 323 km from Delhi and takes about 7 hours 30 minutes without break.
- Delhi – Meerut – Muzaffarnagar – Saharanpur – Chakrata : The total distance of this route is 353 km and takes about 7 hour 30 minutes from Delhi without break.
- Delhi – Meerut – Muzaffarnagar – Dehradun – Chakrata : The total distance of this route is 380 km from Delhi and takes about 8 hours without break.
If you hire a taxi from Chakrata then any of the above 3 route can be taken and the price will depend on the route you take multiplied by 11 Rs per km.
By Train
Dehradun is the nearest town with railhead at a distance of about 85 km from Chakrata, you can do a night train journey that will cost you 900-1000 Rs for AC class and 200-300 for Sleeper class. You will get taxi/bus from Dehradun at Rs 45-50 for bus and 500-800 for taxi.
By Flight
Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun is the nearest airport to Chakrata at a distance of 115 km. The main Dehradun city is 31 km from airport so first you have to reach Dehradun from airport by taxi at INR 1200 approx and then start your remaining journey from there or you can directly head towards Chakrata from airport by taxi that would cost INR 2000-3000.
Places To Visit In Chakrata
Since its not a tourist place like Shimla or Manali, the town can be visited for natural beauty and by people who are interested in relaxing amidst nature, enjoy wildlife, bird watching, sunsets, clouds, peace and sunrise. Still here are the few places that can be visited on your trip to Chakrata :
- Moila Dhanda or Top is a trek of 3.5 km going through jungle with a narrow trail and takes 2 hours a side to reach the top. The trek starts from rest house of Budher forest with the Budher Caves half a km ahead of Moila top, its suggested to take water bottle and eateries with you since their is no shop available throughout the trek.
- Bairat Khai Pass : Located at a distance of 25 km from Chakrata towards tiuni Bairat Khai Pass is at an altitude of 1990 meters, from here snow covered mountains of Himalayas can be seen throughout the year.
- Thana Dhanda Peak : The peak is 16 km away from Chakrata and as the name suggests this small peak offers a mesmerizing view of the hills around the valley. Trekking & camping enthusiasts love the place because it gives a beautiful view of sunrise and sunset.
- Kanasar : Located at a distance of 25 km on Tiuni road, the meadow and Deodar forest of giant trees with huge trunks is a popular picnic spot for locals with Kanasar forest rest house and few tents for wildlife enthusiasts.
- Kimona Falls : The 115 ft high fall is secluded and unknown by most of the people, reachable only by a small trek just 2 km away from Chakrata.
- Chilmiri Neck : Also known as sunset point the place is located at a distance of 4 km from main market. The road to the place goes through the mess and quarters of Garhwal Rifles hence phot and video on the way is not allowed. Views from the top are breathtaking, even Himalayan peaks Banderpoonch and Swargarohini can be seen from here.
- Deoban : At an altitude of 2200 meters and 20 km away from Chakrata, Deoban is best for photography as the place offers the best view of Himalayan ranges. This whole area is a dense forest with huge and tall Deodar trees.
- Mundali : Mundali is best place to visit in winters as the place has spacious ski slopes, the place is loved by the people interested in skiing, snowboarding and camping. It is 36 km away from Chakrata main market and the road is not in very good condition with only one forest rest house for overnight stay.
- Tiger Fall : The fall is located 14 km away from the market and is motorable till the fall but road condition is not very good it becomes slippery in monsoon. There is also a trek of 1.5 km to the fall with stairs but while coming back it would be difficult since its steep. This fall resembles the sound of a roaring tiger hence its given the same name.
Best Time To Visit Chakrata
Winters in Chakrata receives snowfall that is from December till February and temperatures goes below 0 degrees at this time; June, July and August are the monsoon season of Chakrata and receives lots of rain resulting in landslides and road blocks. March, April and May are the months with pleasant weather not so cold but pleasant. September, October and November months starts with cold breeze and low temperatures.
In short, best & safe months to visit Chakrata is March, April and May but still if you want to see lush green and beautiful Chakrata then you can go in monsoon or if you are a snow person then December, January and February are the best months for you.
Best Eateries in Chakrata
Since its a small town and can be covered on foot, the place has minimal number of restaurants few of them are listed below. It is recommended to try Momos from Chandna’s along with hot chocolate, rajma chawal from Sher-e-Punjab and Nepali Roti with chutney from Army mess.
- Nostradamas- The Writers Bar
- Chandna’s The Food Court
- Mehtta Restaurant and Fast Food
- Hot Bite Grill Restaurant
- Oxygen Café and Restaurant
- Sher-E-Punjab
- Devna Restaurant
- Army Canteen
Stays In Chakrata
Since Chakrata is a small town the hotels here are really less ranging between Rs. 1000 – Rs. 2500 or even more. There are plenty of hometays also that can be a good option and it would help the owner also, another good option is camping in areas around Budher Caves, Thana Danda Peak, and Mundali. Due to shortage of hotels in Chakrata and around it is recommended to book the stays in advance.
My Experience
I visited Chakrata on a long weekend and had 3 days in hand along with my 3 friends. We stayed 13 km away from Chakrata in a village called Jadi on first day, luckily we got a beautiful homestay with amazing views with peaks all around. Second day we headed towards Moila top and from there went to Chakrata market and stayed there in a hotel not so good but still we managed. Same day we visited Chilmiri Top and tried momos of Chandna’s that I loved the most. Next day we went to tiger fall spent some time there and started our journey back to Delhi. As per my experience, I would suggest to visit Chakrata for 4-5 days if you are travelling on your own since 2 days goes in travelling itself and its not safe to drive at night on hills. In 4-5 days you can cover Chakrata and places around it without any hassle and rush.
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