How To Reach Lansdowne

Lansdowne is a hill-station and cantonment town, nestled at 1706 m in the Pauri-Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. Initially labelled ‘Kaludanda’ meaning Kalu (black) and Danda (Forest) in Garhwali, its current name was bestowed by its founder, Lord Lansdowne, back in 1887. Today, the command office of the illustrious Garhwal Rifles of the Indian Army is situated here. Bordered by gorgeous oak, and pine forests, Lansdowne serves as an ideal retreat for nature lovers and families alike.

With idyllic weather throughout the year, Lansdowne becomes more scenic during the monsoon. Easily reachable from all major Indian cities, the journey to Lansdowne is equally rewarding if you choose to travel by air, rail or road. Read below to find out more.

The nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun, 152 km (4 hours) from Lansdowne by bus or taxi. The airlines operating out of this airport include Air India, Jet Airways, Spice Jet and Ventura Air Connect. Local flights are available from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai. For International travellers, flying to Dehradun via Delhi Airport is the best option.

With no railway station of its own; the fastest route by rail is via Kotdwar Station, 41 km (1 hour) away from Lansdowne, set at an altitude of 370 m. The Kotdwar Railway Station forms a part of the ‘Northern Zone’ of the railways. Express trains like the Mussoorie and Garhwal Express link Delhi and Kotdwar. The Mussoorie Express departs from Delhi (Sarai Rohilla Railway Station) at 10:20 pm and reaches Kotdwar Railway Station early morning around 6:00 am. The Doon Express is the only long-distance train in the region, passing through destinations like Kotdwar, Lucknow, Varanasi and Howrah.

Lansdowne has well-connected roadways with majority of the major destinations in Uttarakhand, making it one of the best options to reach the hill-station. Lansdowne is positioned on the Kotdwar-Pauri Road, National Highway 119. Transportation options include private or shared cabs and UTC Government Busses, available in the A/C, deluxe and standard bus type variants.

The journey from Delhi to Lansdowne is approximately 250 km (7 to 8 hour drive with 2 to 3 stops). Additionally, Lansdowne is just 40 km away from Kotdwar and 81 km from Pauri. With Lansdowne being 1,500 m higher than Kotdwar, the drive is somewhat steep, but offers dramatic and scenic views.

Once in the town of Lansdowne, the best way to move around is by walking as everything is very close by.