No, we didn’t starve ourselves to reach this figure :p
Here’s how we did it and you can do it too.
You can reach Mussoorie directly or via Dehradun. From ISBT Kashmeri gate you have access to both options. We opted for volvo bus till Dehradun for 725₹ and from there we hopped on a local bus to Mussoorie for 60₹ .
From Delhi you can opt for a local bus to Dehradun for 360₹ and further reduce the cost. Also there are direct buses to Mussoorie but they are time bound. You can check out the timings here at https://utconline.uk.gov.in/
Once we reached there we took sharing auto (15₹) to go to the Mussoorie bus stand which was just five minutes away from the ISBT of Dehradun.
Also Read: snowfall in mussoorie
Before we reached the ticket counter we were surrounded by a lot of taxi drivers who were willing to take us to Mussoorie for 200₹ per person. But I would suggest you to not fall for schemes such as the bus costs only 60₹ and it was quite convenient. It took us one and a half hours to reach there.
The journey from Dehradun to Mussoorie was was mesmerising and you will get to see the wonders of nature. The road made its way between the hills and the valley. Both sides of the road were surrounded by clouds n greenery and you will be awestruck by the beauty of nature. I would strongly suggest you to travel in the early hours of morning as it would save you from the traffic jam. That way you would have more time to enjoy in Mussoorie .
We started our journey at 6AM and reached Mussoorie picture palace bus stand before 8 AM. The Mall Road is 2mins away from the stand and here you can easily find hotels, restaurants, shops.
There are two ends of the mall road - picture palace and library chowk. This bus will take you to the picture Palace.
Once we reached the bus stand we had breakfast. Later on after searching for some time we found a hotel for 1000₹ . We found hotels for 700-800₹ also but we decided on this one.
After relaxing for a while we started towards the other end of the mall road which is the library chowk.
On our way down it started pouring so we halted to have lunch. With food in our tummies we resumed our walk and within 10 to 15 minutes we were at the library chowk.
The Mall Road is extremely crowded at times but the view will compensate for it. There are a lot of Street food joints n restaurants to savour your tastebuds. Once there we were told that the Garhwal mandal office was down the road. Once we reached there we came to know that there were 2 sharing buses from here - one at 11 AM and another one was at 1 PM. The tickets sold out quickly.
After getting the tickets we made our way from the busy lane of library chowk to the Kempty falls. The way to the Falls was quite scenic. Food for the soul. The lush green mountains with the view of the valley made us forget about how tired we were.
Now I know when you plan to visit Mussoorie the first thing that tops the list of your to go places are the Kempty falls. And no, I don’t want to disappoint anyone but we were. The Falls are beautiful, the view is scenic but the place is overcrowded. The whole atmosphere of the place is rowdy. The place was packed with over enthusiastic people who just wanted to bathe in the falls and had no regard for the environment. I could see lots of garbage near the falls which most of the people were unconcerned with. If you want to visit the Falls I strongly recommend you to go during the off-season as you will be able to enjoy it.
We were pushed a lot of times and we could hardly stand. If you want to bathe in the falls , there are many shops which will rent the clothes for a minimal rent of 10₹ ( cap) , 20₹ ( shorts) , 50₹ ( ladies dress) along with the locker facility. But we didn’t and we were out of the place within five minutes.
Once we reached back we walked to the other end where our hotel was. We ate , clicked pictures , sat on a bench and enjoyed the sunset amidst the busy mall road. After resting for a while we made our way to the Mall road again to have dinner. There are plenty of options from street food to North Indian, South Indian, Italian , Continental etc.
I would suggest you to try TANDOORI CHAI (60₹). The flavour of kulhad chai was a treat to us. We roamed around for a while in the bustling mall road n shopped.
Don’t miss the view of Dehradun at night. Millions of lights twinkling surrounded by hills was a sight to behold.
This day we decided to go to LANDOUR - a place for people who want to be away from the crowd and near to the nature. Landour is a lesser known part of mussoorie. Not many people know about it and thats the beauty of it. There are a few points of interest that you can visit. But the main attraction is the nature, the uninterrupted view of the distant hills, no honking of the cars and most importantly very few people. We decided to walk up till lal tibba and sister's bazaar. And this was the best decision ever. We walked for miles and miles with just the nature n occasional passing of the cars.
I have never enjoyed myself more than this. Walking through the misty roads with the cold wind splashing our faces and nothing but greenery surrounding us was the highlight of our trip. As you walk to reach lal tibba you come along RUSKIN BOND’S house. If you want you can go and meet him there. Also he comes to the CAMBRIDGE BOOKSTORE on the mall road every Saturday from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Along the way we came across CHAR DUKKAN ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, KELLOGG'S CHURCH. Ideal spots for photography.
Once we reached lal tibba we took a short break and after catching our breath we made our way to the SISTER'S BAZAR. Sister’s bazaar has a shop where you can buy freshly made peanut butter ,jams , pickles ,marmalades ,breads and cheese. Though the shop is small you will find it full of people eager to buy these. We too bought peanut butter, jams n cheese for ourselves. And the best part - you can taste them before buying.
We had lunch at the café nextdoor - LANDOUR BAKEHOUSE. A cute little cafe with vintage decor . They serve a variety of crêpes , croissant, Donuts, beverages, desserts n lots more. It's worth all the hike n hype.
The walk down was a relaxation in it's own.
After delicious dinner at an acquaintance's house we boarded ordinary bus to Delhi. (360₹) . We booked it online. One can also book it through counter. And back to work on Monday. Sigh!
Total expenses:
725 (Delhi to Dehradun Ac bus)
60 (Dehradun to Mussoorie)
500 ( we were two people so 1000*2)
250 ( sharing bus to kempty falls)
590 ( shopping)
820 Food
2945 Total