Hidden Gems in Tehri: One Day Changed Everything (See Why)

It was meant to be simply another day out. We planned to make one stop on our Garhwal road trip before heading to Mussoorie. However, the hidden gems of Tehri had other plans for us.

27th of December, 2025. The sky was clear, and the air was crisp in the morning. Our group of six adults and two teenagers had no idea that by dusk, we would be standing atop India’s longest suspension bridge, watching it light up like a scene from a Bollywood movie. But before we get to that special occasion, let me take you back to the beginning.

The hidden gems in Tehri We Didn’t Know

People think of Mussoorie’s steep hills, Nainital’s calm lake, or Rishikesh’s spiritual vitality when they think of Uttarakhand. But many often miss the hidden gems of Tehri. Tehri isn’t a place that gets a lot of attention on Instagram or in travel books. It’s calm. On purpose. True.

Tehri is unique because it offers a full experience with water, mountains, and technical marvels that most tourists don’t know about.

Let me tell you why this day will always be in our minds.

Beginning with Clouds and Chai

Our lodge, Sky Resort, was so high up that when we woke up at 6 AM, we could see clouds below us. Not in our area. Under us.

I know that sounds theatrical, but it’s humbling to stand on a balcony with a cup of chai and watch the sun gently spread its golden glory over a valley that’s completely veiled by mist. Do you realize how loud the quiet is? Your phone is not important. Your email box doesn’t matter. That moment is all that matters.

This is the part of traveling that no other activity can copy. No water sports, no surge of excitement. Just being still.

We packed up our car and headed down to the Tehri backwaters by 9 AM. We stopped at a little local dhaba on the way and had the best aloo parathas I’ve ever had. The borders were crispy, the inside was soft, and the bhang ki chutney perfectly complemented the parathas. The owner knew the local guide we were with, and they laughed in Hindi at something we couldn’t understand. But that’s how travel should feel: like you’re a part of someone else’s world, not just watching it.

More Than Just a Lake: Tehri

Before we get into the adventurous aspect, you need to know what you’re really seeing when you get to Tehri Lake.

The Indian government started building what would become one of the biggest man-made reservoirs in Asia in 1978. The Tehri Dam is the tallest dam in India and the 11th tallest dam in the world. It is 260.5 meters high. It wasn’t an easy job. Building it took 28 years and forced between 50,000 and 100,000 people to move. More than 24 towns were entirely underwater. The historic town of Tehri fell underwater.

​What came out was both lovely and sad. The reservoir today waters more than 1.97 million acres of land, gives Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh potable water, and makes 600 MW of power that is sent to five states.

​But it also made something unexpected happen from a tourism perspective: it turned into one of North India’s most beautiful adventure spots.

When you stand at the Tehri backwaters, a drowned civilization lies beneath you. It’s a thought that makes you think. But that’s also why hidden gems in Tehri mean so much to people.

The Adrenaline Part: Water Sports and Paragliding

When we got to the backwaters, it seemed like we were at an adventure park surrounded by mountains.

The water was turquoise, which is that blue-green color that makes you wonder if it’s real or photoshopped. People were doing everything around us, from jet skiing to banana boating to speedboating to kayaking. Numerous water sports are available for us to choose from, yet they seem somewhat out of place in the otherwise tranquil area. But that’s also why some of us decided to go paragliding.

I never believed I would paraglide over Tehri Lake. I’m not into “extreme sports.” But our friend, who is quite afraid of heights, chose to go, and I wasn’t going to let her have all the bravery.

Everything changes the instant you run off that slope with a qualified pilot and your harness is tight. The lake below you looks like a painting. Your difficulties get smaller. Your worries go away. The world turns into simply sky and sea, and for a little instant, you’re soaring.

For those who didn’t paraglide, we spent time on the turquoise lake, laughing, splashing, and being silly. These are the kinds of moments that are typically only shared with close friends, but somehow travel makes strangers seem like family in just a few hours.

tipri-Madannegi Ropeway

The Tipri-Madannegi ropeway was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. It’s a huge trolley system, like the ones you see in old Hindi movies, that can hold roughly 12 passengers at once. It was first built to connect the two sides of the reservoir for the nearby villages, but now it’s a tourist spot.

The trick is that it really looks like the trolley is going to go right into the lake when you’re sitting in it. Every time, your stomach flips. We were all laughing, and our teens were yelling. For a moment, we all felt like kids again.

Dobra-Chanti Bridge

By late afternoon, we had traveled around 12 km to a small settlement named Dobra. The Dobra-Chhanti suspension bridge is there.

Honestly, the Dobra-Chanti suspension bridge deserves its own paragraph.

The Dobra-Chanti Bridge is India’s longest suspension bridge that cars can drive on. It goes 440 meters across the Tehri Reservoir. A Korean engineering company came up with the plans, and it cost ₹150 crore to create. Because of the seismic activity in the area, it took years to build the bridge, and it had to be designed to resist earthquakes of up to 8 on the Richter scale.

​But when you’re standing on it in the afternoon, taking pictures from every angle, and marveling at how something so big can look so fragile when it’s floating above the Tehri backwaters, the engineering details don’t matter.

We got there early for the “light show,” which turned out to be the whole bridge lighting up after dark. So we walked around. We walked to the other end, where a little Shiva temple lies on a hill and looks over the reservoir. We filmed motorboats moving through the water below. Then, we sat quietly since that’s all you need sometimes.

After that, the sun went down.

And the lights turned on.

The Main Event: The lighting at the Bridge

I can’t do justice to what that looked like in words, but I’ll try: picture a suspension bridge that was impossibly beautiful against the darkening sky suddenly becoming a light sculpture. Changing colors. Patterns are evolving. The water below remained motionless, reflecting the entire bridge in a mirrored image of light and shadow.

We stood there for perhaps 20 minutes and just watched. Not saying anything. We refrained from taking any pictures, though we did take a few. Just standing there.

One of our pals, who isn’t usually very emotional, had tears in her eyes. She answered, “It’s just so much,” when I asked why. The bridge, the water, the lights, and being here with you all. When was the last time I just stood motionless and felt something?

That’s what hidden gems in Tehri do to you. They remind you why you went on your trip in the first place.

Pahadi Food: one more of hidden gems in Tehri

We got back to our resort at 9 PM, tired, hungry, and thoroughly full from the day.

Dinner was a real Pahadi thali, with native foods that we probably won’t be able to make at home. Mandua roti, pahadi dal, aloo ke gutke, and plain vegetables that taste like they were just harvested from someone’s garden. No fancy dishes. No Michelin star feelings. Food created with care and served with love.

In fact, this was the nicest meal we had on our trip. And I guess it’s because we were all there at that moment. We had our phones on silent. We were laughing and telling stories, and the meal was just a way to connect with each other.

What We Found Out in One Day

A month ago, if you had asked me if Tehri should be on your Uttarakhand itinerary, I would have told you to forgo it and head to Mussoorie or Chakrata instead. I made a mistake.

There are more hidden gems in Tehri than just fun things to do or Instagram photos. 

They are about:

• Learning about history means knowing that every place you visit has a tale of sacrifice and strength behind it.
• Paragliding and meditation can happen at the same time, which is both exciting and calming.
• Real connection with your travel partners, with the people you meet, and with yourself
• The bridge is an engineering wonder that reminds you how amazing human creativity is.

And to be honest? Tehri has several hidden jewels that show you that the best travel experiences don’t always happen at busy tourist locations. They happen when you are brave enough to go to a quiet, unexpected place.

Making Your Own hidden gems in Tehri Experience

If you’re going to Uttarakhand, here’s what you should know about Tehri’s hidden gems:

The best time to go is between October and November or February and March, when the weather is great and the skies are clear.

What to do:

• Sunrise at a resort on a hill (even if it costs a little more)
• Breakfast at a nearby dhaba
• Paragliding and water sports in the backwaters
• Ropeway ride
• Dobra-Chhanti Bridge (light show at night and during the day)
• Pahadi food from the area

A realistic budget is ₹3,000–5,000 per person per day, which includes food, activities, and lodging.

How to get there: 

It’s around 85 kilometers from Dehradun. It’s best to either rent a car or go on a guided tour.

Last Thoughts about hidden gems in tehri

Travel isn’t only about checking things off a list or getting stamps in your passport. Sometimes it’s just one day that makes you see things differently. That day was in Tehri for us.

Hidden gems in Tehri showed us that the best locations to visit aren’t always the loudest, most well-known, or most crowded. They are the ones who tell you to slow down, show up, and really feel things.

When you go to Tehri, stand on that bridge at night. Look at the lights. Feel tiny. Keep in mind that you’re standing on top of a tale that belongs to people you’ll never meet. That’s the kind of holy duty that makes travel worthwhile.

See you on the road.