Kempty Falls
waterfall · 3.4 km away
viewpoint14 min from Mussoorie
Sir George Everest's House, Mussoorie
The Park Estate house and laboratory of Sir George Everest, who led the Survey of India, 6.7 km and 14 minutes from Mussoorie, now a museum.
What it is
The house and laboratory of Sir George Everest, also called Park House, stands at Park Estate, about 6.7 km and 14 minutes by road from the centre of Mussoorie. Wikipedia says it was built in 1832 and that Everest, who headed the Survey of India, bought it unseen from General William Sampson Whish and owned it for about eleven years. The world's highest peak carries his name.
Photos: Singh.abhinav 021 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Ps14061990 (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Getting there
By road it is about 14 minutes from the town, and the track runs at least as far as Hathipaon, with a walk for the rest. Wikipedia describes a scenic walk from Library Bazaar as the alternative, about 6 km. Allow extra time if you walk, and agree a waiting time if you hire a taxi.
The visit
The place is a plain whitewashed building with arched doorways, set on a hillside among deodars, and the draw is the view. Wikipedia describes a panorama that takes in the Doon valley to one side, and to the other the Aglar river valley and the Himalayan peaks. After a renovation the house opened as a museum in December 2021, whereas the Mussoorie article on Wikipedia still describes only the remains of the building and laboratory.
In 1832 Mussoorie was the intended end of the Great Trigonometric Survey that began at India's southern tip. Everest wanted the new Survey of India office to be based in Mussoorie; the compromise was Dehradun, where it remains.
When to go
The clear, dry weeks of April and May and of October to February give the best chance of a view. The July and August rain averages about 660 mm a month, which hides the valleys. See when to visit Mussoorie.
Around it
Gun Hill and Landour are on the other side of town, and Kempty Falls is a drive in the opposite direction. The two-day plan gives Everest's House a morning of its own.
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Questions people ask
Who was Sir George Everest?
He led the Survey of India from 1830 to 1843, and the world's highest peak carries his name. Wikipedia says he owned this house in Mussoorie for about eleven years, having bought it without seeing it from General William Whish. Today it goes by two names, the house and laboratory of Sir George Everest, and Park House.
How far is it from Mussoorie?
About 6.7 km and 14 minutes by road from the centre of Mussoorie on our routing. Wikipedia says it is about 6 km from Gandhi Chowk, the western end of the Mall Road, and describes a scenic walk from Library Bazaar, though the road runs at least as far as Hathipaon.
Is the house open to visit?
It was renovated and opened as a museum in December 2021, according to Wikipedia, and the setting is open air with views over the Doon valley and the Aglar valley. We have no verified opening hours, entry fee or ticketing rules, so ask in Mussoorie before you make the trip.