Chakrata hill station and military cantonment in Dehradun district, set around 2,100 m between the Tons and Yamuna rivers. It’s surrounded by dense deodar forests, terraced fields and Jaunsari villages, with cool weather almost all year. Unlike crowded hill stations, Chakrata feels like an offbeat, calm town with small markets, old British bungalows, army areas and viewpoints opening to long Himalayan ranges. From here roads and treks go towards Tiger Falls, Deoban, Kanasar, Moila Top, Lakhamandal and the Jaunsar–Bawar tribal belt, so it naturally works as a base camp for the whole region.
About this place
History & highlights
Historically, Chakrata falls in the traditional Jaunsar–Bawar area – Jaunsar for lower valleys and Bawar for upper snowy slopes, inhabited by the Jaunsari people with their own language and customs. In 1869 the British established Chakrata Cantonment, led by Colonel Hume of the 55th Regiment, choosing this high, cool ridge as a healthy station for troops marching up from the plains. Over time it became a restricted military hub and today still houses elite units of Indian intelligence and special forces, so parts of the town remain access-controlled. Tourism developed slowly: for decades it was known mainly to Doon residents and trekkers who liked its forests and simple bazaar. Now it is promoted as a “hidden” hill station, but it still retains an old-world, uncrowded charm compared to Mussoorie.
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