Uttarakhand Diaries

 

I had the privilege of visiting the hilly state of Uttarakhand in the 3rd week of April.

Sharing my experiences in 4 parts according to the stages of my trip. Trying to keep it short in lesser words.

Part I

After coming from Namma Bengaluru and laying low for a few days, I went trekking in a nearby forest with our host. Pahadi walking was a good stretching exercise for the body. Midway we stopped and prepared Maggi with collected forest wood. Food made out of wood fire tastes different no doubt. Later on, we trekked to Mahadev mandir on top of the hill. Had darshan, rested for a while and came back. Before we left we poured water and made sure the cooking fire is completely out. Summer has many fire instances in jungle and many a times there is no sufficient water to douse the fire.

A time well spent in the Jungle. Also realized the efforts walking 2 kms in hills is more than 4 kms walk in normal roads/parks. Sharing 3 videos from this.

Part II   

I also had the privilege of visiting Jim Corbett's house in Kaladhungi. Bike ride from Nainital to Kaladhungi in the hills was just awesome. Nostalgic moment for me in this place as I have read Jim's wildlife experiences and stories around here in his books. This was his house during winter, as Nainital is severely cold during that time. Today it has been converted into Museum. Various letters written by Jim Corbett are also put into display.

For those who don't know Jim Corbett is famous for killing 40+ man eating Tigers and Leopards, all alone with a single barrel muzzle gun!! He has written 6 books on this and all 6 books are world famous and best sellers even today.

 

 

Part III

Nainital: This visit was not in my trip plan. Thanks to my host for convincing me to go here.

As I walked up from the bus stand after getting down and having Kulhar Chai - I had hardly gone 10 steps, the Nainital Lake was bang in front of me. Like it just came out of some movie. A beauty it is beyond my expectations- I just stood for a few minutes awestruck by it and the surrounding hills. Climate was also aiding in enhancing the already beautiful lake. I was glad that I came to this place.

First thing I did after checking in was to walk along the lake till its end. The sun was getting closer to the hills, while a cold breeze gave me company as I walked with both hands tucked in my jacket. A memorable evening! Kept hanging around the lake till late night, such is the atmosphere here. There's Naina devi temple on whom the lake is named. That too is a Beautiful setting nearby the lake. I have read, in the good old days the lake water used to be crystal clear with surrounding hills clearly visible in it. Today lake water is parched green due to severe urbanization in its surroundings. Mid-days are a bit hot as compared to where I was staying, nights are equally chilling. You get bike rentals in Nainital, which I am glad of. Used it fully for 2 complete days roaming around in this steep hilly city and also to nearby places again via hills. Also there are many other lakes in those hills too.

 

 

 

 

On the rental bike I used to drive around Nainital, Kainchi Dham, Kaladhungi in 2 days

 

Part IV

I spent over 10 days in a remote jungle homestay Mahadev Virasat within the Kumaon Hills. Accessible only via a challenging 2.5 km mud road, the homestay nestled between hills offered a serene yet wild environment. Here daytime temperatures averaged 22°C, dropping to 7°C at night, with occasional dips to 7-8°C. This is a lovely climate during summer. Wildlife like birds, kakar (deer), leopard, and panther are neighbors, with occasional visits from boars and langurs. Our immediate human neighbor is 1 KM away further down at hill bottom and another one is 1 km in the valley opposite the house. Not to forget the variety of large trees, buransh flowers and jungle berries. Nights are longer and lively with sounds of Pahadi dogs and Kakar (deer) signaling the presence of predators. A young leopard and an older panther have claimed territories near the homestay, occasionally making their presence known with their pug marks. During morning walks you can see all the jungle night traffic details via their pug marks on the road. Upon witnessing all of this, I have never experienced my own heartbeat in such a manner before. As long as one respects nature's boundaries he/she is safe. One night 5 days ago around 11.00 PM, I heard a deer's distress call from roughly 50 mtrs from my room, likely because it had become a victim of leopard. Witnessing the wild up close was both thrilling and humbling. This solo trip was the most exhilarating and reflective experience of my life with the conclusion that we're leading a luxurious life by virtue of being in human civilization. Live it !

Stay Name: Mahadev Virasat Homestay
Location: Saitoli village, near Satkhol

 

 

 

Uttarakhand in much more bigger than these all places. It is also abode of Ganga the mighty and holy river. Also we have Badrinath, Kedarnath, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun, Lansdown, National Valley of Flowers and many more undiscovered virgin locations like the one I stayed for 10 days. Need many more weeks if done well months to explore each and every place in the pahadi state.

#summervibes #solotrip #uttarakhanddiaries #pahadi #uttarakhand #kumaonhills #jim corbett #jimcorbett # kaladhungi #saitoli #satkhol #pahadistate