Things to do in Ranchi
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Ranchi
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best weather, cool and clear, with the falls fullest in October and November after the monsoon.
Monsoon and late monsoon, when Hundru, Dassam and Jonha are at full power but steps are slippery and closures possible.
Worst months, hot with highs in the mid to high 30s and the falls at their thinnest.
What's on
- Sarhul Chaitra, three days from the third day
Tribal new year and sal tree worship, the best festival to time a Ranchi culture trip around.
- Karam 11th day of Bhadra, August to September
Youth and harvest festival of the Karam tree, with forest gathering, singing and group dancing.
- Sohrai Kartik Amavasya, just after Diwali
Harvest and cattle festival with painted houses, decorated cattle and lamps lit in the sheds.
- Tusu Parab Poush Sankranti, mid January
Winter harvest festival centred on Bundu and Tamar, with decorated Tusu frames carried to the river.
- Chhath October to November, sunset and sunrise
Devotees offer to the sun standing in the water at Ranchi Lake, Kanke Dam and other water bodies.
Best things to do in Ranchi
Hundru Falls
The Subarnarekha drops about 98 metres off the plateau, Ranchi's headline waterfall and best in monsoon flow.
Dassam Falls
A broad, powerful sheet of water on the Kanchi river, the strongest fall on Ranchi's southern circuit.
Jonha Falls
A hanging valley fall reached by 722 steps, with temple and picnic grounds that reward a longer stay.
Tagore Hill
A short climb to the Tagore ashram hill for a full panorama over Ranchi, best at sunrise or late afternoon.
Pahari Mandir
A hilltop Shiva temple up more than 300 steps, with the best bird's eye view back over the whole city.
Jagannath Temple
A white hilltop Jagannath temple echoing Puri at smaller scale, in a quiet and spacious elevated precinct.
Rock Garden
Sculptures and viewpoints in the Gonda Hill rocks above Kanke lake, at its best at golden hour and sunset.
Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park
A large, green zoo in sal forest with tigers and elephants, extensive enough to need a full morning.
Where to stay in Ranchi
Kadru Diversion / Main Road
luxury, business and arrivals
The hotel spine from the station toward the airport, home to both top tier hotels and their restaurants.
Lalpur / Circular Road
mid-range city base
The commercial heart by Albert Ekka Chowk and Ranchi Lake, with restaurants and mid range hotels on the doorstep.
Ashok Nagar and Bariatu Road
quiet, families and longer stays
Broad residential streets with mid range and budget hotels and a calmer night than the centre.
Think twice about
- Upper Bazar
Wonderful for daytime street food but too congested, noisy and hard for cars to sleep in. Visit it, base in Lalpur or Kadru.
- Station Road lodge strip
The cheapest station front lodges share Upper Bazar's congestion with added late night noise. Choose a residential budget hotel instead.
- Isolated ring road highway properties
Nothing around at night and an hour of traffic for every city meal. Only sensible for a car pass through.
Best restaurants in Ranchi
Viraasat - Courtyard By Marriott, Ranchi
The Courtyard's all day restaurant for regional Indian cooking, Ranchi's current special occasion room.
The Great Kabab Factory
A parade of kebabs brought to the table in sequence at the Radisson, best hungry and on a weekday.
Waterfront Restaurant
The Radisson's 24 hour multi cuisine restaurant, the most useful top tier table for any arrival time.
The Oriental Kitchen
Ranchi's established top Chinese and pan Asian address, the consensus choice for a smart Chinese dinner.
Kaveri Restaurant
Ranchi's default family restaurant, famous for its veg thali and sweets, and safe for any taste.
Moti Mahal Delux Tandoori Trail
Butter chicken, dal makhani and tandoor kebabs on Club Road from the Delhi tandoori institution.
Seventh Heaven
Italian and Chinese family favourites including thin crust pizza, a mid range break from North Indian food.
Krsna the Veg Restaurant
A dependable pure veg family restaurant near the old city, a safe lunch for vegetarian travellers.
Outdoor things to do in Ranchi
Patratu Valley
A hairpin valley drive down to Patratu lake and dam, with boating and the best road scenery near Ranchi.
Patratu Lake
The reservoir lake below Patratu Valley, for boating and lakeside sitting at the end of the hairpin drive.
Kanke Dam
Ranchi's own reservoir beside Rock Garden, the easy in-city lake for walks, picnics and sunset.
Panch Gagh Falls
Five streams falling side by side in forest, the quiet picnic fall local families use on the southern circuit.
Getalsud Dam
A large reservoir on the Subarnarekha, a calm backwaters picnic stop on the eastern waterfall circuit.
Netarhat
Jharkhand's hill station of pine forest and pear orchards, built around sunrise and Magnolia Point sunset.
Betla National Park
Jeep safaris through sal forest for elephant, gaur and deer, with Palamu Fort in the forest nearby.
McCluskieganj
A quiet Anglo-Indian town of colonial bungalows and forest lanes, nicknamed Mini London, for slow walking.
Best hotels in Ranchi
Radisson Blu Hotel Ranchi
Ranchi's established top hotel, with a pool, spa and the city's deepest bench of restaurants on Main Road.
Courtyard by Marriott Ranchi
The newer top tier Marriott in Ranchi, with modern rooms and Viraasat restaurant, so check recent reviews.
Le Lac Sarovar Portico
A central hotel by Ranchi Lake on Line Tank Road, chosen for its location and its lake view restaurant.
Chanakya BNR Hotel
The heritage railway hotel by Ranchi Junction, with large rooms and extensive grounds for an early train.
Ramada by Wyndham Ranchi Bariatu Road
A modern midscale brand hotel on quiet Bariatu Road, handy for the north east of the city and its hospitals.
Bloom Hotel - Ranchi
A crisp, design led select service hotel with reliable work space, a good default for a solo or work trip.
Hotel AVN Grand
A clean, well reviewed local hotel in quiet residential Ashok Nagar, the smart cheap stay in Ranchi.
Is Ranchi expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹2,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹5,000 a person |
| Splurge | ₹12,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- JSCA International Stadium Complex: weeks ahead
- Netarhat: a few days ahead
- Betla National Park: a few days ahead
- Cockerel Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Viraasat - Courtyard By Marriott, Ranchi: a few days ahead
- The Great Kabab Factory: a few days ahead
- Book top hotels ahead for winter weekends, wedding season and JSCA cricket fixtures, when the city fills.
- Book Betla safari and Netarhat stays ahead through a hotel or operator, especially October to February.
- Check the Tribal Museum weekend closure and JSCA fixtures before building a day around either.
Is Ranchi safe?
- Keep bags in front of you in crowded Upper Bazar and station areas, and fix auto fares before boarding there.
- Avoid isolated forest and waterfall areas after dark, and use app cabs or hotel cars at night.
- Eat street food cooked hot in front of a queue, drink bottled or filtered water, and carry mosquito protection after monsoon.
Ranchi travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Never swim at Hundru, Dassam or Jonha beyond a designated supervised shallow area, and not at all in monsoon flow.
- Skip Aqua World opposite the zoo, panned for dirty aquariums and thin variety, and visit the zoo properly instead.
- Do not judge the falls on dry season photos, and do not pay for an unofficial JSCA stadium tour.
Getting around Ranchi: public transport and more
- Hire a car by the day for all waterfall, Patratu and zoo trips, and agree the circuit and total price before setting off.
- Inside the city, autos and app cabs cover everything, but Main Road and Upper Bazar jam badly at peak hours.
- Birsa Munda Airport is about 7 km south, and Ranchi Junction and Hatia are the two rail heads.
Who Ranchi suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Ranchi your trip
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