Cheap, offbeat places near Meerut. Drive there ourselves. Simple plans, real prices per person.
Kanwar Yatra is from 30 July to 11 August. Lakhs of people walk on the road from Haridwar. Meerut is right on that road.
The Meerut → Muzaffarnagar → Roorkee → Haridwar highway (NH-58 / NH-34) will be blocked or diverted for cars. Police say: travel before 30 July or after 13 August.
So our 1–15 August window is really two different trips:
Roads to the north hills are blocked. So we go south-west to Rajasthan or Haryana (no Kanwar crowd at all), or east on NH-9 to the Kumaon foothills (slower, but it works).
Kanwar is over on 11 August. Roads become normal. 15 August is a holiday, so this is a good long weekend. Hills are open again.
| Direction from Meerut | 1–11 Aug | 12–15 Aug |
|---|---|---|
| North — Rishikesh, Chakrata, Tehri, Kanatal | Blocked | Open |
| North-east — Lansdowne (via Bijnor) | Heavy crowd | Open |
| East — Kumaon (Sattal, Mukteshwar) | Slow, but OK | Open |
| South-west — Rajasthan (Alwar, Sariska) | Best now | Open |
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Kanwar is finished. Roads are clear. 15 August is a holiday. These are the best picks in detail.
Why it is good: It is an army town. No loud music, no big buildings, no crowd. Only pine trees and quiet roads. Best if we just want to sit, talk and relax.
What we do: Tip-in-Top viewpoint, Tarkeshwar Mahadev temple (very nice forest drive), Garhwal Rifles museum, evening walks in the pine forest.
Where to stay: Jaiharikhal homestays ₹1,200–1,800 for one room (3 of us fit in one room), or GMVN rest house ₹1,200–2,000.
Why it is good: Almost no tourists. Kanasar has some of the thickest deodar trees in Asia. In August the waterfall is at full flow.
What we do: Tiger Falls (biggest waterfall here), Budher caves, Deoban forest and views.
Where to stay: Kanasar homestay ₹1,200–1,800 a room, or The Hosteller Chakrata ₹900–1,300 per bed.
Why it is good: This is one of the few treks that is still fine in the rain. Two days, easy to medium. We sleep in tents and see stars.
Good to know: The package usually includes tent, guide and food. In the rain there are leeches, so carry salt and cover your legs.
Seven lakes joined together, inside pine forest. We can do kayaking and zipline. Beds from ₹600–900. This one is also OK during Kanwar days because we go by the east road (NH-9).
Big green lake. Camps by the water from ₹900–1,500 per person with food. Drive over Dobra Chanti bridge at night — it is lit up.
Fruit orchard villages. goSTOPS / Zostel beds from ₹580–950. Rock climbing at Chauli Ki Jali cliff.
The north hills are blocked. But we still have two good directions. Way 1 has no Kanwar crowd at all. Way 2 is slower but opens up the Kumaon hills.
Zero Kanwar crowd. We take the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, then NH-48 or the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway. Fast, good roads all the way.
Why in August: Bhimlat waterfall becomes a 60 metre drop — it only runs in the rains. Garadia Mahadev nearby is like a green mini Grand Canyon over the Chambal river.
Also see: Bundi old town, blue houses, stepwells and Taragarh fort — very few tourists, much cheaper than Jaipur.
Stay: Zostel Bundi ₹550 a bed · Castle View Homestay ₹1,000 a room. It is a long drive — best if we get 4+ days.
Why in August: This is the breeding season. Thousands of birds (painted storks, herons, openbills) build nests in trees standing in water. The park floods and turns green. Most people only come in winter, so August is empty.
Nice bit: No cars inside. We cycle or take a cycle-rickshaw on quiet tree paths. Entry about ₹100 + ₹50 for a cycle.
Stay: Ibis House homestay ₹1,100 a room · Hotel Sunbird ₹1,300 a room. Add Fatehpur Sikri on the way back.
Why in August: Almost every tiger park closes its main area in the rains — Jhalana stays open all year. It is inside Jaipur city and has one of the highest leopard sighting rates in India. The forest is green and empty of tourists.
Safari: about ₹1,000–1,350 per seat. Book online only on the government portal (search "Rajasthan Forest OBMS booking") — agents charge much more. Carry the same ID you booked with.
Stay: Zostel Jaipur ₹500 a bed · Pearl Palace ₹1,200 a room. Also do Nahargarh sunset and Galtaji.
Why in August: The dry Aravalli hills turn fully green. Waterfalls run only now. Hotels are cheap because nobody comes.
What we do: Garbhaji waterfall, Naldeshwar (temple in a forest gorge with water pools), Siliserh Lake, Bhangarh Fort (open only 6am–6pm, night entry banned by law), Pandupol waterfall (only Tuesday, Saturday and full-moon day now).
Stay: Bikamp Aravallis camp ~₹4,000 a night with all meals (₹1,333 each) · farm stays from ₹2,700.
Warning: Sariska's main tiger safari is closed 1 July to 30 September. Only the outer area runs.
| Place | From Meerut | Per person/night | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damdama & Sohna | 115 km · 2.5 hr | ~₹700 | Closest escape. Rain fills the lake, green hills. Easy 1-nighter |
| Neemrana & Tijara | 160 km · 3.5 hr | ~₹450 | Old forts, foggy Aravalli hills, stepwells. Cheap dharamshala rooms |
| Ranthambore buffer | 390 km · 7 hr | ~₹650 | Main zones shut, but zones 6–10 open with 90% fewer tourists. Hosteller ₹450 a bed |
| Mandawa / Shekhawati | 280 km · 6 hr | ~₹500 | Whole towns of painted haveli walls. Empty in August |
| Agra & Bateshwar | 230 km · 4 hr | ~₹550 | Red stone looks best in rain. 101 Shiva temples at Bateshwar. Joey's Hostel ₹450 a bed |
| Kuchesar Mud Fort | 45 km · 1 hr | ~₹500 | Almost at home. Village fort, sugarcane fields. Good if we get only 1 day |
| Morni Hills | 240 km · 5.5 hr | ~₹600 | Haryana's only hill station, twin lakes — but landslide risk in heavy rain |
Meerut → Hapur → Moradabad → Rampur → Haldwani. Kanwar slows this road but cars can pass. Start before sunrise. There is crowding near Garhmukteshwar (it is also a kanwar ghat) and at Moradabad.
Important: the foothill places below are safe. The higher Kumaon roads get landslides in August — see the risky list.
Why it is safe: These are flat foothill villages, not mountains — so there is almost no landslide danger. Forest, river and village life, next to the Pawalgarh forest reserve.
Stay: Camp Hornbill / Kyari homestays ₹1,200 a room or ₹700 a person with food. Careful crossing small river causeways after heavy rain.
Why in August: Corbett's famous zones (Dhikala, Bijrani) close in the rains — but Jhirna and Sitabani stay open all year. Green jungle, full streams, no crowd.
Safari: about ₹6,500 for the whole jeep (fits 6), so roughly ₹1,100 each if we share. In monsoon you often have to buy the permit the same day.
Stay: KMVN Ramnagar ₹1,200 a room · Sitabani homestays ₹900 a room.
| Place | From Meerut | Per person/night | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sattal & Naukuchiatal | 255 km · 6 hr | ₹700–1,200 | Seven lakes in pine forest. Zostel ₹650 a bed. Some road risk |
| Bhimtal (quiet side) | 250 km · 5.5 hr | ₹650–1,100 | Stay on the far bank, away from the market. Hosteller ₹550 a bed |
| Ranikhet & Majkhali | 280 km · 7 hr | ₹600–1,000 | Quiet army town, pine woods, good inside roads |
| Bhalu Gaad waterfall | 275 km · 7 hr | ₹600–1,000 | 60 ft waterfall at full flow. Slippery trail — only look, do not swim |
Risky in early August — Pangot, Peora & Sitla and Kasar Devi are beautiful but sit on narrow high roads that get mudslides in August. Save them for after the rains.
Garbhaji waterfall (Alwar) · Bhimlat waterfall (Bundi) · Siliserh Lake · Damdama Lake · Kusum Sarovar & Govardhan · Hastinapur sanctuary (only 40 km from home!) · Chambal ravines (Dholpur). All dry or dull the rest of the year.
Everything else we looked at. Click any name to search it on Google.
| Place | From Meerut | Per person / night | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanatal | 240 km | ₹700–1,200 | Pine forest, camps, ropeway temple |
| Pangot | 270 km | ₹1,200–2,000/room | Birds and thick forest, very quiet |
| Khirsu | 330 km | ₹1,000–1,800/room | Apple village, no tourists |
| Chopta & Deoria Tal | 330 km | ₹650–1,000 | Best views, but road has landslide risk in rain |
| Binsar | 340 km | ₹800–1,500 | Forest sanctuary, big mountain views |
| Kausani | 350 km | ₹800–1,400/room | Tea gardens, long drive |
| Rishikesh (Byasi) | 175 km | ₹600–950/bed | Rafting is CLOSED till about 15 Sept |
| Nohradhar (HP) | 255 km | ₹300–500 | Cheapest of all, but risky roads in rain |
| Tirthan & Jibhi (HP) | 445 km | ₹500–850 | Very nice, but too far and risky in August |
| Bir Billing (HP) | 450 km | ₹800–1,200/bed | Paragliding CLOSED till 16 Sept |
| Chitkul (HP) | 540 km | ₹700–1,100/bed | Beautiful, but 2 days driving + landslide danger now |
Saketi Fossil Park — free, real 2.5 million year old fossils · Kalsi Ashoka Rock Edict — free, 2,250 year old writing on a rock · Beatles Ashram ₹150 · Robber's Cave ₹50 · Lambi Dehar old mines — free, spooky ruins (day time only).
River rafting in Rishikesh (opens about 15–25 Sept) · Paragliding at Bir Billing (opens 16 Sept) · Amangarh tiger safari (opens 16 Oct) · Sariska main tiger safari (opens 1 Oct) · Bungee jump is open but shuts on rainy days and every Tuesday.
| 3 days / 2 nights | 5 days / 4 nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Stay | ₹1,500–2,400 | ₹3,000–4,800 |
| Food | ₹1,500–2,100 | ₹2,500–3,500 |
| Petrol + toll | ₹1,800–2,000 | ₹2,500–2,800 |
| Activities | ₹500–1,000 | ₹1,000–2,000 |
| Total each | ₹5,300–7,500 | ₹9,000–13,100 |
Petrol is about ₹101.5 per litre in Meerut. If the car gives 15 km per litre: a 400 km round trip costs about ₹900 each, a 700 km round trip about ₹1,580 each (split 3 ways).
Hostels are made for 1 or 2 people. Zostel and goSTOPS allow only 2 adults in a private room and do not give an extra mattress.
So a homestay is cheaper for us:
3 hostel beds = ₹1,350–3,600 a night.
1 homestay room for 3 = ₹1,000–1,800 a night (₹350–600 each). Almost half price, and nicer.
Made for our August trip. Prices are from July 2026 and may change — please call or WhatsApp the stay before booking.