Tehri Lake From Dehradun: The Complete Day Trip Guide

Guests at our Dehradun homes have usually heard of Tehri Dam; few realise it is a day trip. Behind India's tallest dam lies a vast green reservoir wrapped in terraced Garhwal hills, with jetties where you can ride a jet ski with the mountains behind you. It is a long day, so here is exactly how we brief guests who want to do it in one go.

What Tehri Lake actually is

The Tehri Dam holds back the Bhagirathi, one of the Ganga's two headstreams, where it meets the Bhilangna. At 260.5 metres it is India's tallest dam, with its power units commissioned in 2006 and 2007, per THDC India, which runs it. The lake drowned the old royal town of Tehri, whose people were moved uphill to a planned town, New Tehri. For visitors it means three things: Koti Colony for boats and water sports, the dam viewpoints, and New Tehri above it all.

Getting there: two roads, one loop

The best plan uses both routes, out on one and home on the other, so you never drive the same bend twice.

• Via Mussoorie, Dhanaulti and Chamba (about 105 to 115 km, 3.5 to 4 hours): round Mussoorie and along the deodar ridge past Dhanaulti and Kanatal to Chamba. The prettiest road, and the narrowest. Go early; the Mussoorie day trip guide explains why 8 a.m. is already late on a weekend.
• Via Rishikesh and Narendra Nagar (about 125 to 135 km, 3.5 to 4 hours): up the widened Char Dham highway to Chamba. Easier on the car and the stomach; choose it after rain or snow.
• Chamba to Koti Colony is roughly 20 to 25 km. Chamba is your last easy stop for fuel and chai.

Most guests hire a day cab: roughly 5,000 to 7,000 rupees for the round trip depending on the car, with a driver who knows the landslide patches. Our getting around Dehradun guide covers cabs and self-drive rentals, and we can point you to drivers we trust on WhatsApp.

Best time to go

• October and November: our favourite, with a full reservoir, clear air and snow peaks from the ridge.
• March to June: warm water and the busiest water sports season. Go midweek.
• December to February: crisp and quiet, cold water, and snow can slow the Dhanaulti road.
• July to mid-September: skip it. Landslides are common on the Chamba roads and lake activities can pause. The monsoon guide has better ideas.

Koti Colony: water sports and boating

Koti Colony is the lakeshore hub of counters, jetties, floating huts and camps. The Tehri district's lake page lists boating, speedboat and jet rides, water skiing, zorbing and banana rides, but publishes no timetable or rate card (checked September 2026), so the hours and prices here are approximate. Activities usually run from about 8 or 9 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m., with the calmest water in the morning. Expect speedboat rides, jet skis, banana rides and, with some operators in the warmer months, kayaking, water skiing and parasailing.

Rough costs: short rides run roughly 500 to 1,500 rupees per person per activity, and combos of three or four activities usually start around 2,000 rupees. Rates change by season and operator, so read the board and pay at the counter, not to touts on the road above.

The dam viewpoint and New Tehri

You cannot walk onto the dam, but the viewpoints on the approach roads show off the great rock-and-earth wall. Respect the signs and keep drones in the bag. New Tehri above is a working hill town, good for chai, pakoras and lake views. With an extra hour, drive across the Dobra-Chanti bridge, India's longest single-lane motorable suspension bridge at about 725 metres.

A day at Tehri, timed

1. 1.6:30: leave Dehradun with chai in a flask
2. 2.7:15: through Kuthal Gate and round Mussoorie before the traffic wakes up
3. 3.8:15: parathas or maggi on the Dhanaulti ridge
4. 4.9:30: Chamba for fuel, then down to the lake
5. 5.10:15: Koti Colony: a boat ride first, then whatever you are brave enough for
6. 6.13:30: lunch by the water or in New Tehri, dam viewpoints after
7. 7.15:30: start home via Chamba, Narendra Nagar and Rishikesh
8. 8.19:00 to 19:30: back in Dehradun, dinner ordered in

What to pack, and staying safe

• A change of clothes and a towel: banana rides and jet skis soak you, and it is a long ride home.
• A light jacket, sunscreen and sunglasses for the cool ridge and the glare off the water.
• Motion-sickness tablets, water, snacks and cash in small notes; signal is patchy by the lake.
• Life jacket on and fastened, every time, even on the slow boat. Tehri is a deep reservoir, not a paddling lake, so no swimming.
• Book at the official counters, and walk away from anyone who waves off the jacket.

Pairing Tehri with Kanatal or Dhanaulti

The Mussoorie route runs through Dhanaulti and Kanatal. A deodar walk at the Eco Park or chai at Kanatal adds 30 to 45 minutes; the Surkanda Devi ropeway is a two-hour outing and pushes the drive home past dark.

So treat them as two days: Tehri with a quick ridge stop, and the ridge on its own, ideally the clear morning after a winter cold spell (Dhanaulti and Kanatal snow day guide). For sunrise on the lake, one night in a lakeside camp turns the long day into two easy ones.

Tehri is the biggest day trip from the valley; the day trips guide, places within 100 km and best time to visit Dehradun help you plan the rest. For the 6:30 start, our Malsi homes, Mountain View Studio and the Doon Valley 1BHK, sit where the Mussoorie climb begins. Groups sharing one cab do well at the 3BHK for 8 on Canal Road, from 11,479 rupees a night (rates vary by date). Every home has fast Wi-Fi, AC, a full kitchen, free parking, a washing machine for wet lake clothes and self check-in. Browse all six homes and message us to pick the right day for the lake.