5 days, 4 nights · Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mussoorie

Five-day Uttarakhand tour package: the Ganga, the ashrams and the first hills

Name: RUTZ.IN
Address: New Delhi, Delhi, IN
Telephone: (877) 860-3388

This is the short Himalayan trip that works from Delhi without a flight. Haridwar for the evening aarti on the Ganga, Rishikesh for the ashrams and the river, and Mussoorie for the first proper view of the snow line — all inside about 800 kilometres of driving and five days. It is the most-booked short circuit out of Delhi, and the one that best suits travellers who want mountains but not a week of them.

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5 days4 nights

~800 kmDelhi to Delhi

2,000 mMussoorie

Sep-JunAvoiding the monsoon

RUTZ.IN reservation · fixed fare · card or UPI

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The shape

Three places, each doing something different

The circuit follows the Ganga upward. Haridwar is where the river leaves the mountains and enters the plains, and it is a pilgrimage town in the full sense: the Ganga Aarti at Har Ki Pauri every evening, thousands of people, lamps on the water. Rishikesh, 25 kilometres upstream, is quieter and stranger — ashrams, yoga schools, the two suspension bridges, and a rafting industry on the same stretch of water. Mussoorie, 80 kilometres further and 2,000 metres up, is a colonial hill station with a Mall and, on a clear day, a view of the high Himalaya.

The order matters. Running Haridwar first means arriving on the plains after a five-hour drive rather than climbing tired, and it puts the aarti on the first evening when the trip still feels new. Mussoorie last gives the coolest air at the end and an easy descent to Dehradun for a flight home if you would rather not drive back.

The whole circuit is about 800 kilometres, and only two legs are long. It is comfortably the least demanding of our Himalayan routes — the Himachal circuit asks considerably more of both car and passenger.

The Ganga running through the foothills at Rishikesh

The three towns

What each one is actually for

Very different places within 100 kilometres of each other.

Haridwar — the pilgrimage town

Har Ki Pauri and the evening Ganga Aarti, the Mansa Devi temple reached by cable car, and a bazaar geared entirely to pilgrims. It is crowded, loud and genuinely moving; one night is the right amount.

Rishikesh — the river town

Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula, the Beatles ashram, the evening aarti at Parmarth Niketan, and white-water rafting on the Ganga from September to June. Calmer than Haridwar and far more foreign-visitor friendly.

Mussoorie — the hill station

The Mall, Gun Hill by ropeway, Kempty Falls, Landour above the town with its colonial cottages and bakeries, and the Himalayan view from Lal Tibba on a clear morning.

The driving

Two long legs and two short ones

About 800 kilometres in total, with most of it on the first and last days.

Delhi to Haridwar — about 220 km, 5 to 5.5 hours North-east through Meerut and Roorkee. Better roads than they used to be but rarely fast; an early start makes a real difference.
Haridwar to Rishikesh — about 25 km, 45 minutes Short and easy along the river.
Rishikesh to Mussoorie — about 80 km, 2.5 hours Through Dehradun and then the climb. The last stretch is a proper hill road with hairpins.
Mussoorie to Delhi — about 290 km, 7 hours Down to Dehradun and south through Roorkee. Or stop at Dehradun and fly, which saves the day entirely.

Practicalities

Rafting, aarti timings and the monsoon problem

Rafting on the Ganga runs roughly September to June and is suspended during the monsoon when the river is too high. Sections range from gentle to genuinely rough, and operators are licensed by the state; the desk books licensed ones only, and the chauffeur handles the put-in and take-out points, which are several kilometres apart and effectively impossible without a vehicle.

The evening aarti at Haridwar and at Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh both start around sunset and therefore move through the year. Arriving thirty minutes early is the difference between seeing it and hearing it from behind a crowd, and the chauffeur knows where to drop so you are not walking twenty minutes back afterwards.

July and August are the monsoon and this is a landslide-prone state. The Mussoorie road closes occasionally, the river is unrunnable, and the hills are in cloud. We will run the circuit but say so plainly. Mid-September to November is the best window — clear air, a full river, and the Himalaya visible from Mussoorie on most mornings.

Booking

How to book the five-day circuit

Book the transport direct on the booking page, fare fixed before payment. Tell the desk if you want rafting, so the Rishikesh day is built around the river rather than the town, and whether you intend to fly out of Dehradun rather than drive back — it removes a seven-hour day. For hotels and ashram stays, ask through the contact page. Cancellation is free beyond 72 hours, then 10%, 50% and 100%.

Day by day

The five-day itinerary, leg by leg

The circuit climbs steadily from the plains to 2,000 metres and comes back down; the two long legs are the first and the last.

Day	Where	What the day covers	On the road
Day 1	Delhi to Haridwar	North-east through Meerut and Roorkee, arriving in the afternoon. Mansa Devi by cable car, then Har Ki Pauri for the Ganga Aarti at sunset.	Delhi-Haridwar ~220 km, 5-5.5 hrs
Day 2	Haridwar to Rishikesh	Upstream along the river. Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula, the Beatles ashram, and the evening aarti at Parmarth Niketan.	Haridwar-Rishikesh ~25 km, 45 min
Day 3	Rishikesh	Rafting on the Ganga in the morning if the season allows, with the chauffeur handling the put-in and take-out. Otherwise the ashrams, the waterfalls and the cafes above the river.	Put-in points 15-35 km upstream
Day 4	Rishikesh to Mussoorie	Through Dehradun and up the hill road. The Mall and Gun Hill in the afternoon, Landour in the evening for the bakeries and the quiet.	Rishikesh-Mussoorie ~80 km, 2.5 hrs
Day 5	Mussoorie to Delhi	Lal Tibba at first light for the Himalayan view if the sky is clear, then down through Dehradun and south. Or Dehradun airport for a flight instead.	Mussoorie-Delhi ~290 km, 7 hrs; to Dehradun airport ~60 km

What it costs

The 5-day Uttarakhand circuit: two ways to buy it

Five charter days at the published rate, for the car rather than per person. Rafting is booked with licensed operators and billed at cost, like any other activity.

Transport package — firm, published

Every kilometre of the 5-day circuit in a private chauffeured car: the chauffeur, the vehicle, fuel, and the driver's meals and accommodation on the road. Priced at the published charter-day rate × 5 days, the same figure as the rates page.

From $11,250 - $13,500 per car for the whole circuit
On the international card · Luxury SUV · GST extra · tolls, parking and state entry taxes at cost

Book the transport direct

All-inclusive — stays, meals and entries

The same itinerary with hotels, breakfasts, monument entries and a licensed guide arranged for you. Because we contract stays per departure date and per hotel category, this tier is quoted on request rather than published — we will not print a per-person figure we cannot hold.

Send the dates and the hotel category you want (3-star, 4-star, heritage or palace) through the contact page and the desk returns a written quote, itemised, within one working day.

Ask for the all-inclusive quote

Vehicle class	Cars	Per charter day 10 hours / 300 km	5-day circuit International card, USD
Luxury SUV 5 passengers, 4 bags	Toyota Fortuner, Land Cruiser & Mercedes-Benz GLS	$2,250 - $2,700	$11,250 - $13,500
Premium MPV 6 passengers, 5 bags	Toyota Innova Hycross & Kia Carnival	$1,950 - $2,340	$9,750 - $11,700
Executive sedan 3 passengers, 2 bags	Mercedes-Benz E-Class & BMW 5 Series	$1,700 - $2,040	$8,500 - $10,200
Group van 12 passengers, 12 bags	Force Urbania & Tempo Traveller (executive)	$3,200 - $3,840	$16,000 - $19,200

What the transport package includes

A private, air-conditioned vehicle of the class you book, held for the whole circuit — the same car from the first pickup to the last drop, never shared and never re-assigned.
One professional chauffeur for the whole circuit, holding a commercial licence and a state transport badge, police-verified and background-checked, in uniform and speaking English and Hindi.
Fuel, the chauffeur's own meals and accommodation on every outstation night, and the vehicle's permits, fitness certificate and insurance.
All airport, railway-station and hotel transfers inside the itinerary, with the flight tracked on the arrival leg and 60 minutes of waiting included after landing.
A named coordinator at the desk for the whole trip, reachable on one number, who holds the run sheet and moves a leg when a day runs long.
A written confirmation before departure carrying the chauffeur's name and licence number and the vehicle registration, so a security office or a hotel can check it against the operator record.

What it does not include

Hotels, meals and anything consumed off the road — those are the all-inclusive tier, quoted on request rather than published.
Monument and museum entry fees, which differ for Indian, SAARC and foreign visitors and change by notification; the desk quotes the current figures with the itinerary.
Licensed local guides, which we arrange city by city on request and bill at cost.
Tolls, parking and state entry taxes, charged at cost against receipts rather than estimated into the fare.
Air and rail tickets into and out of the circuit, which the travel desk books separately.
GST, added to every figure at the applicable rate, and any night allowance where a leg runs between 10 pm and 6 am.

Airport transfers include 60 minutes of waiting after landing and meet-and-greet at the arrivals exit.
The charter day (10 hours, 300 km) includes fuel and the chauffeur's meals and accommodation on outstation nights.
Night driving between 10 pm and 6 am carries the night allowance per night; a second chauffeur is added on days over 12 hours.
Tolls, parking, state entry taxes and permits are charged at cost against receipts; monument and guide fees through the travel desk are itemised.
No gratuity is expected. GST is shown separately on every invoice. Cancellation terms are on the cancellation policy page.
Vintage cars and stretch limousines are quoted per event.
GST at 5% on chauffeured hire (18% where input credit is claimed) is added to every figure. The full international card is on the rates page; the charter builder prices a circuit of any length live, and the booking page takes the payment direct.
Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before the first pickup, then 10% inside 72 hours, 50% inside 48 hours and the full first day inside 24 hours or for a no-show — the schedule on the cancellation policy page.

Questions

The 5-day Uttarakhand circuit: frequently asked

Can this circuit be done from Delhi without flying?

Yes — that is its main appeal. Delhi to Haridwar is about 220 km, and the whole circuit is around 800 km of driving over five days with no flight at either end.

When can you raft on the Ganga?

Roughly September to June. Rafting is suspended during the monsoon when the river runs too high. The desk books state-licensed operators only and the chauffeur covers the put-in and take-out points.

What time is the Ganga Aarti?

At sunset, so it shifts through the year. Arriving about thirty minutes early is what separates seeing it from standing behind a crowd; the chauffeur knows where to drop and collect.

Should we fly out of Dehradun?

If your schedule allows it, yes — it removes a seven-hour drive back to Delhi on the last day. Dehradun airport is about 60 km from Mussoorie.

Is the monsoon a problem here?

Yes. July and August bring landslide risk on the Mussoorie road, an unrunnable river and hills in cloud. Mid-September to November is the best window of the year.

Can we add Nainital or Jim Corbett?

They are in the Kumaon hills on the other side of the state, about 300 km east of Rishikesh, so they need their own days rather than folding in. The charter builder prices the extension on the same card.

Same circuit, other lengths

The Uttarakhand: hills and the Ganga in a different number of days

6-day Uttarakhand tour

On the route

Chauffeur service in the cities this circuit runs through

Limo service in New Delhi: the city guide Limo service in Dehradun: the city guide

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Book

Book the five-day Uttarakhand circuit direct

Five charter days price live by vehicle class, fare fixed before payment. Mention rafting and your departure airport at booking.

Weddings, film units, multi-day chauffeur hire, outstation journeys and anything with more than one vehicle are quoted by a person: call (877) 860-3388 or send the outline and a coordinator replies with a written quote.

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Hotels and flights for this itinerary, through BookingWorldwide.net

The stays along this route are on BookingWorldwide.net; reserve them there or ask our desk for the all-inclusive quote, and the chauffeured legs are lined up against whichever you choose.

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Five-day Uttarakhand tour package: the Ganga, the ashrams and the first hills

Three places, each doing something different