Also spelt Dehra Doon, this pleasant town is situated in a valley in the Siwaliks, the foothills of the Himalaya. The hill station Mussoorie can be seen, 34 km away, on the high mountain range above Dehra Dun.

Dehra Dun is at the centre of a forest area and the impressive Forest Research Institute is here. The climate is condusive to the growth of fruit trees and Dehradun is famous for its fruit orchards.There are also several prestigious boarding schools including the Doon School, India's most exclusive private school, which numbers Rajiv Gandhi among its ex-pupils.

Forest Research Institute established by the British in the early years of this century, the Institute is one of the finest of its kind in the world. Across the six gallaries of its Museum are laid out some of the best collections of specimens of flora and fauna. Another place of interest worth a visit, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology a museum containing rock samples, semi-precious stones and fossils is the centre of attraction here.