Kempty Falls: A Practical Guide From Dehradun and Mussoorie

Every week someone at our homes asks if Kempty Falls is worth it, and our answer never changes: yes, at 9 in the morning. At that hour the cold, clear pool under the falls is a genuinely happy place; by lunchtime on a summer weekend it is a queue of cars and a crush of hired tubes. Here is how to catch the good version.

Where Kempty is (and why it is not on the way)

The common mix-up: Kempty is beyond Mussoorie, not below it. The falls sit 13 to 15 km past Library Chowk on the road that runs down the back of the ridge toward Yamunotri, at around 1,360 metres, lower and warmer than Mussoorie. The British made it a picnic spot in the 1830s; the name may come from "camp tea".

Getting there

• From Dehradun (about 45 to 50 km, 1.5 to 2 hours): through Kuthal Gate, round Mussoorie to Library Chowk, then follow the Kempty signs. Weekend jams around Kincraig can add an hour.
• From Mussoorie (13 to 15 km, 30 to 45 minutes): past Company Garden and down through pine forest. Local taxis run from the Library end.
• From our homes: the Malsi homes are about 35 minutes from Mall Road in light traffic, so allow roughly 1 hour 15 minutes to Kempty; from Canal Road, 1.5 to 2 hours.
• Parking is along the road above the falls and fills fast. Arrive early or expect a walk.

Uttarakhand Tourism also runs an online Mussoorie tourist registration portal, and when registration has been enforced, news reports named Kempty Falls, Kuthal Gate and Kimadi as the checkpoints. The portal does not say when it is compulsory, so check it before a long weekend; we share the latest on WhatsApp. For cabs and scooters, see getting around Dehradun.

When to go

• Time of day: be there by 8:30 or 9 a.m. From about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. the tour buses make it a scrum.
• Weekdays over weekends, always.
• October and November: our pick, with good flow, clear water and thin crowds.
• March to June: busiest, and the best months for a dip. Mornings only.
• December to February: quiet and pretty, too cold for most people to get in.
• July to September: fullest and most dangerous; read the monsoon section below. The best time to visit Dehradun guide covers the whole year.

What is actually there, and what it costs

From the road you walk down steps (10 to 15 minutes, longer back up) or take the short ropeway to the main pool, where the water splits into several streams before a last drop of roughly 40 feet. Around it: changing rooms, lockers, tube hire, photo stalls and snack counters. It is noisy and cheerful, not wild. For a quiet waterfall, Mossy Falls and Bhatta Falls on the Dehradun side of Mussoorie are calmer (our Mussoorie and Landour guide covers both).

• The falls: usually free; we found no official fee notice.
• Ropeway: roughly 150 to 250 rupees per person return.
• Parking: roughly 50 to 100 rupees.
• Lockers, changing rooms, tube and costume hire: roughly 20 to 100 rupees each. Bring your own swimwear and towel if you can.

Food

The stalls do exactly what you want after cold water: maggi, pakoras, momos, roasted corn and sweet chai. For a proper meal, stop at Lake Mist or Mussoorie on the way back; for dinner, see our best restaurants in Dehradun.

Monsoon safety: read this before July

Kempty is at its most spectacular in the rains and at its riskiest: water can rise within minutes after a downpour upstream. A few years ago a sudden surge sent around 180 bathers scrambling out and police closed the falls the next day, and bathing is often stopped in the monsoon for this reason.

• Check the forecast and road status first: the IMD Dehradun forecast carries the district rain warnings, and our monsoon guide has the rest.
• Watch from above on heavy-rain days rather than getting in.
• Leave at once if the water turns muddy or staff blow a whistle.
• Keep children at the edge and close to you; the rocks are slippery in every season.

Nearby stops worth adding

• Lake Mist: a small boating lake with places to eat, about 4 to 5 km before Kempty on the same road.
• Company Garden: lawns and a boating pond just outside Mussoorie on the Kempty side.
• The Mussoorie ridge: Camel's Back Road, the Gun Hill ropeway and Landour's lanes; see the Mussoorie day trip guide.
• Further afield: for longer runs, see the day trips from Dehradun guide and our places within 100 km.

A simple half-day plan

1. 1.7:15: leave Dehradun (7:00 from Canal Road), chai at home first
2. 2.8:00: through Kuthal Gate and round Mussoorie before the traffic builds
3. 3.8:45: Kempty Falls: down to the pool, a dip or a paddle, photos while it is quiet
4. 4.10:30: back up to the car as the crowds arrive
5. 5.11:00: breakfast or early lunch at Lake Mist
6. 6.12:00: Company Garden or a slow walk on Camel's Back Road
7. 7.13:30: head down ahead of the afternoon jam, home by about 2:30

Kempty works best as the start of a Mussoorie day. Mountain View Studio at Malsi, where the Mussoorie climb starts, puts you on the right road at 7 a.m., and the Doon Valley 1BHK nearby is our only pet-friendly home. All our homes are under an hour from Mussoorie, with fast Wi-Fi, AC, a full kitchen, free parking, a washing machine for wet swim things and self check-in. See the homes near Mussoorie, then message us and we will tell you which morning looks clearest.