Attraction · Mussoorie
Camel’s Back Road
Three kilometres of level road round the back of the ridge, closed to most traffic, with a rock that looks convincingly like a resting camel and a Victorian cemetery halfway along.
Time needed1 – 1.5 hours
LengthAbout 3 km
GradientLevel throughout
RouteKulri to Library Point
Best timeSunset, or early morning
TrafficLargely pedestrian
About
Camel’s Back Road
Mussoorie is built along a seven-kilometre ridge and almost every route through it is a gradient. Camel’s Back Road is the exception: three kilometres of level road running round the northern side of the ridge from Kulri Bazaar to Library Point, largely free of vehicles, with the Doon valley on one side for part of it and the Garhwal ranges visible on the other. It takes its name from a rock formation partway along that resembles a camel lying down, and it is genuinely convincing rather than the usual generous interpretation. Halfway round is the old Christian cemetery, dating from the 1820s onwards, which is quiet and overgrown and is one of the more affecting things in the town. It is the walk everybody in Mussoorie does, and it works best at either end of the day.
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What to See
What to see
A walk rather than a site. Three kilometres, level, and about an hour at a strolling pace.
Along the road
- The camel rock itself, roughly halfway along, which is best read from a little distance rather than from directly beneath it.
- The Garhwal ranges to the north on a clear day, which this side of the ridge sees and the Mall does not.
- The old Christian cemetery, in use from the 1820s, with headstones of the British hill-station community.
- The deodar and oak along the northern stretch, and the drop away to the valley on the southern.
At either end
- Kulri Bazaar at the eastern end, which is the busier half of the Mall.
- Library Point at the western end, with the old Mussoorie Library and the Gandhi statue.
- Both ends connect to the Mall, so the walk can be done as a loop rather than a there-and-back.
Doing it well
- Sunset is the classic time and the road faces the right way for it.
- Early morning is quieter and gives the clearest view north.
- Horses are available along it and are the traditional way to do the circuit if you would rather not walk.
Getting There
Getting there
It starts on the Mall at both ends. There is nothing to arrange.
Starting points
- From Kulri Bazaar at the eastern end, or Library Point at the western — either direction works.
- Both are on the Mall and both are reachable on foot from most central hotels.
- The full circuit including the Mall back is about five kilometres.
On the road
- It is level throughout, which in Mussoorie makes it unique.
- Largely pedestrian, with limited vehicle access at certain hours — it is not a fully closed road.
- The surface is made and even, and it is lit along much of its length.
Combining it
- With Gun Hill, whose ropeway is on the same stretch of the Mall.
- With an evening on the Mall, which is what the walk naturally runs into.
- With Landour, which is the climb in the other direction and is a separate half-day.
Best Time
When to visit
Sunset for the light, early morning for the mountains, and any time at all for the walk itself.
Time of day
- Sunset, which is the classic and is what most of Mussoorie does.
- Early morning for the clearest northern view and an empty road.
- It is lit and safe after dark, and the evening walk is a genuine local habit rather than a tourist one.
Time of year
- September to November for clear air and comfortable walking.
- March to June is the main season and busy, especially at sunset.
- Winter is cold, quiet and often the clearest of all; the monsoon makes it green and frequently invisible.
How long
- An hour at a strolling pace for the three kilometres.
- Ninety minutes if you stop at the cemetery and the rock properly.
- Two hours for the full loop back along the Mall.
Visitor Intelligence
Visitor intelligence
The most accessible thing in Mussoorie and the least organised, which is why it is good.
Doing the walk
- Either direction works. West to east finishes in Kulri, which is where the food is.
- It is not a fully pedestrianised road — vehicles use parts of it at some hours, so keep to the side.
- There is no ticket, no gate and nothing to arrange.
The cemetery
- It is a burial ground, quiet and overgrown, and is treated as such by the town.
- It is worth ten minutes; the dates and the ages on the stones tell the hill station’s story better than any museum.
- It is not lit, so it is a daytime stop rather than an evening one.
Horses
- Ponies are offered along the road and doing the circuit on horseback is a long-standing local tradition.
- Look at the animal before agreeing, and fix the price and the route first.
- Walking is free and is the better experience for most people.
Access
- This is the one genuinely accessible walk in Mussoorie — level, made surface, no steps.
- It is manageable with a wheelchair for most of its length, with the usual caveat about shared vehicle access.
- Benches along it, and both ends connect to the Mall.
Nearby
Nearby
Both ends of the road are on the Mall.
Gun Hill
The ropeway leaves from the same stretch of the Mall — the two views over town and valley.
Landour
Up the hill east of Kulri — the older, quieter cantonment above the town.
Kempty Falls
Fifteen kilometres west, and the busiest thing in the district.
Mussoorie
The Mall and the ridge this road runs round the back of.
Good to Know
Frequently asked
Yes, and unusually for this kind of name it is convincing rather than a generous interpretation. The formation sits roughly halfway along the road and reads best from a little distance rather than from directly beneath it — a resting camel with the hump and head reasonably clear. It is the reason the road has its name, and it is signposted, so there is no hunting involved.
About three kilometres from Kulri Bazaar to Library Point, and level throughout — which in a town built along a ridge, where almost every other route is a gradient or a staircase, makes it unique. An hour at a strolling pace, ninety minutes if you stop properly at the cemetery and the rock. The full loop back along the Mall is about five kilometres and roughly two hours.
The old Christian burial ground of the hill station, in use from the 1820s onwards, sitting quietly and rather overgrown about halfway along the road. It is worth ten minutes: the dates and the ages on the headstones tell the story of a nineteenth-century hill community — the childhood deaths in particular — more directly than any museum in the town does. It is not lit, so it is a daytime stop.
Sunset is the classic, and the road faces the right way for it — it is what most of Mussoorie does in the evening, and it is lit and entirely safe after dark. Early morning is quieter and gives the clearest view north to the Garhwal ranges, which this side of the ridge sees and the Mall does not. September to November is the clearest air of the year; the monsoon frequently closes the view altogether.
Yes — ponies are offered along the road and doing the circuit on horseback is a long-standing local tradition rather than a tourist invention. As anywhere, look at the animal before agreeing to anything and fix both the price and the route in advance. For most people walking is the better experience and it is free, but the ride is a legitimate option if three kilometres is too far.
It is the one genuinely accessible walk in Mussoorie — level throughout, made even surface, no steps, benches along it and both ends connecting to the Mall. Most of its length is manageable with a wheelchair. The single caveat is that it is not a fully pedestrianised road: vehicles use parts of it at some hours, so keeping to the side matters. Nothing else in the town comes close on this measure.
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