12 Forests to Explore in Uttarakhand

Nestled amidst the snow-clad mountains of Garhwal Himalayan Range, Auli adds beauty and fascination to Uttarakhand tourism. With slopes and meadows flanked by dense vegetation of oak and coniferous , it is hard to describe the beauty of this hill station. Auli is a part of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand in North India and is famous world-wide as one of the best destinations for skiing in India.

This cascading fall surges from 400 feet above sea level and can also be reached from Kalamuni Pass. The Birthi Falls is about 35 km from Munsiyari and can be approached easily by a short trek.

Chopta is a small region of meadows and evergreen forest area which is a part of kedarnath wildlife sanctuary located in Uttarakhand state, India and a base for trekking to Tungnath, third temple of Panch Kedar, which lies 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) away. Located at a distance of 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) from Tungnath is Chandrashila, a rising to over 4,000 metres

Established in the year 1906, the Forest Research Institute is spread over 4.5 square kilometres and has an imposing Colonial and Greco-Roman styles of architecture. This premier institution in the field of forestry research in India is located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Nestled in the serene backdrop of the Doon Valley, Forest Research Institute is also a significant tourist attraction of Dehradun. The beautiful sprawling campus of Forest Research Institute has been drawing a lot of media as wel

Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant High Altitude Zoo is a high altitude zoo situated in Nainital, Uttarakhand. Established in 1984 and opened to the public in 1995, it is situated on the Sher Ka Danda hill at a height of 2,100 meters (6,900 ft) above sea-level and is spread over 4.6 hectares (11 acres). It is the only High Altitude Zoo in north India, besides those in Darjeeling and Sikkim. Over the years it has become a popular tourist attraction.

Jim Corbett National Park is the oldest national park in India and was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger. It is located in Nainital district and Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand and was named after Jim Corbett, a well known hunter and naturalist. The park was the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative.

Gigantic Fall with somersault of the streams before hitting the bottom, Kempty Falls is the most popular and one of the oldest tourist spot near Mussoorie. Developed before more than 150 years ago by a British man, Kempty Falls is the most fascinating picnic spot or a perfect day out place nearby Mussoorie at a distance of 15 km.

The jade blue Neergarh waterfalls also known as ‘Neer Gaddu’ are located about 5 & 7s km from Lakshman Jhula (Neergarh Waterfall I & II) on Rishikesh-Badrinath highway. These natural waterfalls radiates their empyrean beauty as they tumbles down the rocky cliffs. During summers many tourists visit Neergarh waterfalls to bathe in the cool water of the stream flowing nearby.

Patna Waterfall is named after the small village where this waterfall is located. This waterfall is also famous for the limestone caves located next to the waterfall. The trek to the waterfall starts 5 km from Lakshman Jhula on Neelkanth temple road. It is a beautiful 1.5 km trek one way from the road through Rajaji Forest. This trek to the waterfall is steep and little hard. The waterfalls would be almost dry in summer season and not advised to visit in summer.

Rajaji National Park is an Indian national park and tiger reserve that encompasses the Shivaliks, near the foothills of the Himalayas. The park is spread over 820 km2. and three districts of Uttarakhand: Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal. In 1983, three wildlife sanctuaries in the area namely, Chilla, Motichur and Rajaji sanctuaries were merged into one. The Ganga and Song rivers flow through the park.

Robbers cave located near Sahasradhara (thousand fold spring), is a river cave formation in Himalaya. The cave is about 600 meters long, divided into two main parts. The cave has the highest fall of about 10 meters. In the central part, there is a fort wall structure which is now broken. It consists of an extremely narrow gorge formed in a conglomerate limestone area on Doon Valley's Dehra plateau.

Away from the hustle bustle of urban city Dehradun, Tiger Falls is a magnificent waterfall located amidst hilly terrain near Chakrata. Untouched by commercialization, Tiger Fall is a favourite attraction among basic trekkers as well as a remote picnic spot for friends.