Chakrata’s breathtaking natural landscapes, ranging from velvety green meadows to cascading waterfalls, are drawing tourists to the mountains. With abundant rainfall this season, the beauty of the region’s bugyals (alpine meadows) has flourished, leaving visitors mesmerised by the lush greenery spread across vast fields. The renowned Moila Bugyal is currently at its scenic best, offering views reminiscent of Switzerland.
However, despite the region’s immense tourism potential, several picturesque destinations remain largely unexplored. Near Lokhandi on the Chakrata-Tyuni National Highway lie the pristine Saraswati and Minahar bugyals, still hidden from mainstream tourism. These meadows, too, are carpeted with soft green grass, making them ideal nature retreats.
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Alongside meadows, Chakrata is home to several waterfalls that highlight its natural charm. While Tiger Falls continues to be a major draw, other equally beautiful waterfalls remain neglected. Indroli Fall, cascading from a considerable height, boasts captivating beauty but is still unknown to most visiting the region. Similarly, Kimona Fall, located along the Chakrata–Lakhamandal state highway, is also yet to receive due recognition.
Locals involved in tourism, including Amit Joshi (Navin Chakrata Purori), Anil Singh (Oli), Dinesh Chauhan (Indroli & Lohari), Rohan Rana (Lokhandi), Dinesh Chandna (Chhawni Bazar), Vikram Panwar (Cherna), and Rajendra Chauhan (Koruwa)- highlight that Chakrata’s serene ambience, pollution-free environment, untouched mountains, dense coniferous forests, waterfalls and meadows are highly admired by tourists. Despite thousands of visitors arriving each year, several spots remain unnoticed even by locals, mainly due to a lack of promotion.
Residents stress that with proper publicity and development, these sites could attract significantly more tourists, boosting local employment. But the tourism department has shown little initiative so far. Except for Tiger Fall, most locations lack basic facilities such as public toilets, parking spaces, and a tourist information centre, none of which exist in the entire Chakrata region.
Tourism entrepreneurs believe that many destinations in Chakrata could be developed as adventure tourism hubs. Activities like trekking, mountaineering and rock climbing could be organised to generate livelihood opportunities for the youth. They urge the tourism department to prioritise promotion and infrastructure development to unlock Chakrata’s full tourism potential.