On the night of 6th May, we were busy packing our luggage and bracing ourselves for a journey to the Kumaon Himalayas. This was to be the most unorganized travel of my
life as we had not made any hotel bookings and the itinerary was still open for last minute changes . We embarked on our journey at 7:30 am on 7th morning. It was the day of polling in Delhi and the city was quiet and peaceful moving at a sluggish pace compared to its natural momentum. Its seldom that one gets a chance to escape from the heat and the humdrum of city life and what better than to immerse ourselves completely in the natural beauty and landscape of hills.
We were carrying home-made food (sandwitches and poori Aloo) to survive during the day. Our first halt was at Country Inn, Bhimtal approximately 288 kms from Delhi. For all those planning to stay in Bhimtal (and willing to shell out a decent amount), I would recommend this resort as it combines the best of everything (luxury, comfort, relaxation and fun activities). We took off for Mukteshwar after enjoying a sumptuous lunch at Country Inn. We went via Ramgarh, famous for its apple orchards and stopped just 10 kms short of Mukteshwar at Shitla situated at an average height of 7000 ft. The place was surrounded by a thick forest of oak and rhododendrons and offered a very peaceful ambience to unwind oneself away from the hectic lifestyle of metros. In the night, just before dinner when we went for a small walk outside, we observed a cluster of sparkling lights in a hillock below. The hotel manager informed us that the lights of Almora city were clearly visible from Shitla. Also, our resort was quite strategically located at a corner of the cliff so we could get a wide angle view of the Kumaon Himalayas. During clear weather conditions, the snow-capped peaks of the upper Himalayan range are visible from here but we not fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of them . Next morning, we decided to visit the historic temples of Jageshwar dedicated to Lord Shiva. We had just enough time to explore the surrounding area around our resort. There was a small handicrafts shop (Kilmora) nearby selling locally made woollens and handicraft items and the manager informed us that these were displayed in Dilli Haat during Uttarakhand festival.
In a short while, we began our journey to Jageshwar. We crossed Almora in the first leg of our journey. We did not pass through the main city and the crowded Lal Bazaar but cut across the city through a bypass section. As we approached the outskirts of the city, and crossed the Narayan Dutt Tewari wall, cement and concrete gave way to a green cover of oak and pine trees dotting the landscape. On our way, we came across a number of marriage processions with menfolk dancing to the tunes of popular Hindi numbers and women adorning the traditional pahari costume and accessories. We had to cut through the busy Almora Pithoragarh highway and take a turn towards Jageshwar. From here onwards, we observed a distinct change in the flora. It was fascinating to watch nature unfolding its pristine beauty all around us with pine trees giving way to deodar. The sight was awesome and we felt like stopping over at every turn and spending some carefree time in the laps of nature. Situated amidst a flowing river and a thick forest of deodar, the historic temples of Jageshwar are an archaelogical site dating back to 8th century B.C. There were a cluster of temples dedicated to Hindu Gods for the devotees to offer prayers and seek blessings of their revered deities. It was amazing to see how well these temples had been preserved from centuries without any semblance of aging.The place had an aura of timelessness and an ethereal charm which was unfaded through the aeons of time. The natural beauty of the surroundings captivated our senses and and we experienced a state of bliss surrendering ourselves to the grace of the Gods. It was a welcome treat for our eyes and it felt almost like we were dreaming in broad daylight. As we were running terribly late from our schedule for the day we had to bid goodbye to Jageshwar so that we could reach our next destination, Kasaar Jungle Resort before darkness descended on the hills. We retraced our route till Almora, and from there took the Binsar Road to stop 10 km short of the Binsar sanctuary at the Kasaar jungle resort. The resort was situated amidst a thick forest and a little below the Kasaar Devi temple. It was built on a hilly terrain and gave the feel of a typical mountain resort situated couple of meters above the main road. I would recommend this resort for those of you keen to visit the Kasaar Devi temple and spend some moments of solitude in the embrace of nature.However
, food was a big disappointment as the choice was really limited and our desire of digging into a local dish remained unfulfilled. The rooms were well done with nice interiors and matching decor. Next day, we started our return journey to Delhi after having a decent breakfast at the hotel. Kosi river was flowing all along our descent from Almora to Garam Paani and was a wonderful sight to gaze at . We stopped by at Bhimtal to savour some mouth-watering pickles and squash made by local women and entice our taste-buds. We decided to take a detour to Naukuchiyataal and enjoy a boat ride. The stop-over at Naukuchiyataal was worthwhile as we spent almost an hour going around the lake in a row boat. The waters were cool and placid and we really enjoyed dipping our fingers into it. Also, the boat man had some interesting local tales to narrate and enough time to familiarize us with the dynamics of local politics. We discovered some beautiful bungalows and resorts around the lake and somewhere deep down I felt a desire for owning a summer cottage overlooking the tranquil waters of Naukuchiyataal.
We ended up travelling 1000 kms in a span of less than 3 days which sounds almost like a whirlwind tour of the Kumoan Himalayas. It was a bit taxing for our bodies but the travellers spirit steered us throughout the journey. Though each of our destinations had their own story to tell, yet one theme common to all of them was the panoramic view of the lower Himalayas that they offered. As we came back we rewinded the memories of the Kumoan Himalayas captured in our videos and still photographs to be shared with family and friends.
life as we had not made any hotel bookings and the itinerary was still open for last minute changes . We embarked on our journey at 7:30 am on 7th morning. It was the day of polling in Delhi and the city was quiet and peaceful moving at a sluggish pace compared to its natural momentum. Its seldom that one gets a chance to escape from the heat and the humdrum of city life and what better than to immerse ourselves completely in the natural beauty and landscape of hills.We were carrying home-made food (sandwitches and poori Aloo) to survive during the day. Our first halt was at Country Inn, Bhimtal approximately 288 kms from Delhi. For all those planning to stay in Bhimtal (and willing to shell out a decent amount), I would recommend this resort as it combines the best of everything (luxury, comfort, relaxation and fun activities). We took off for Mukteshwar after enjoying a sumptuous lunch at Country Inn. We went via Ramgarh, famous for its apple orchards and stopped just 10 kms short of Mukteshwar at Shitla situated at an average height of 7000 ft. The place was surrounded by a thick forest of oak and rhododendrons and offered a very peaceful ambience to unwind oneself away from the hectic lifestyle of metros. In the night, just before dinner when we went for a small walk outside, we observed a cluster of sparkling lights in a hillock below. The hotel manager informed us that the lights of Almora city were clearly visible from Shitla. Also, our resort was quite strategically located at a corner of the cliff so we could get a wide angle view of the Kumaon Himalayas. During clear weather conditions, the snow-capped peaks of the upper Himalayan range are visible from here but we not fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of them . Next morning, we decided to visit the historic temples of Jageshwar dedicated to Lord Shiva. We had just enough time to explore the surrounding area around our resort. There was a small handicrafts shop (Kilmora) nearby selling locally made woollens and handicraft items and the manager informed us that these were displayed in Dilli Haat during Uttarakhand festival.
In a short while, we began our journey to Jageshwar. We crossed Almora in the first leg of our journey. We did not pass through the main city and the crowded Lal Bazaar but cut across the city through a bypass section. As we approached the outskirts of the city, and crossed the Narayan Dutt Tewari wall, cement and concrete gave way to a green cover of oak and pine trees dotting the landscape. On our way, we came across a number of marriage processions with menfolk dancing to the tunes of popular Hindi numbers and women adorning the traditional pahari costume and accessories. We had to cut through the busy Almora Pithoragarh highway and take a turn towards Jageshwar. From here onwards, we observed a distinct change in the flora. It was fascinating to watch nature unfolding its pristine beauty all around us with pine trees giving way to deodar. The sight was awesome and we felt like stopping over at every turn and spending some carefree time in the laps of nature. Situated amidst a flowing river and a thick forest of deodar, the historic temples of Jageshwar are an archaelogical site dating back to 8th century B.C. There were a cluster of temples dedicated to Hindu Gods for the devotees to offer prayers and seek blessings of their revered deities. It was amazing to see how well these temples had been preserved from centuries without any semblance of aging.The place had an aura of timelessness and an ethereal charm which was unfaded through the aeons of time. The natural beauty of the surroundings captivated our senses and and we experienced a state of bliss surrendering ourselves to the grace of the Gods. It was a welcome treat for our eyes and it felt almost like we were dreaming in broad daylight. As we were running terribly late from our schedule for the day we had to bid goodbye to Jageshwar so that we could reach our next destination, Kasaar Jungle Resort before darkness descended on the hills. We retraced our route till Almora, and from there took the Binsar Road to stop 10 km short of the Binsar sanctuary at the Kasaar jungle resort. The resort was situated amidst a thick forest and a little below the Kasaar Devi temple. It was built on a hilly terrain and gave the feel of a typical mountain resort situated couple of meters above the main road. I would recommend this resort for those of you keen to visit the Kasaar Devi temple and spend some moments of solitude in the embrace of nature.However
, food was a big disappointment as the choice was really limited and our desire of digging into a local dish remained unfulfilled. The rooms were well done with nice interiors and matching decor. Next day, we started our return journey to Delhi after having a decent breakfast at the hotel. Kosi river was flowing all along our descent from Almora to Garam Paani and was a wonderful sight to gaze at . We stopped by at Bhimtal to savour some mouth-watering pickles and squash made by local women and entice our taste-buds. We decided to take a detour to Naukuchiyataal and enjoy a boat ride. The stop-over at Naukuchiyataal was worthwhile as we spent almost an hour going around the lake in a row boat. The waters were cool and placid and we really enjoyed dipping our fingers into it. Also, the boat man had some interesting local tales to narrate and enough time to familiarize us with the dynamics of local politics. We discovered some beautiful bungalows and resorts around the lake and somewhere deep down I felt a desire for owning a summer cottage overlooking the tranquil waters of Naukuchiyataal.We ended up travelling 1000 kms in a span of less than 3 days which sounds almost like a whirlwind tour of the Kumoan Himalayas. It was a bit taxing for our bodies but the travellers spirit steered us throughout the journey. Though each of our destinations had their own story to tell, yet one theme common to all of them was the panoramic view of the lower Himalayas that they offered. As we came back we rewinded the memories of the Kumoan Himalayas captured in our videos and still photographs to be shared with family and friends.
