Dehradun Zoo (Malsi Deer Park)

Ten kilometres up the Mussoorie road, in Shivalik forest, a small and carefully kept zoo that grew out of the old Malsi Deer Park. Spotted deer and sambar stand in large shaded enclosures, there is a walk-through aviary, and the lawns are laid out for picnics. The scale is a half-day with children rather than a grand safari, and the trees do much of the work: shade, quiet, the smell of warm sal. Entry costs little and the gates stay shut on Mondays. It slots neatly into the drive up towards Mussoorie.

An easy, shaded half-day with children on the road up towards Mussoorie