12 Lesser known Himalayan destinations to beat the Heat..

Here is a list of few Relatively Offbeat (because we touching 130 Cr. not much has remained as actually offbeat with no tourists) 2-4 days Himalayan destinations from Delhi (in no particular order ;-))

      Tirthan Valley

Tirthan Valley is located right at the edge of The Great Himalayan National Park (Himachal Pradesh), and provide numerous trekking options into the park and not much commercialization. It’s perfect for people seeking for tranquil however it could be a good option for adventure lovers as well. Lush green valley some awesome views of snow covered mountains. Tirthan Valley is known as famous for river crossing, Trout Fishing and Trekking. Jaroli Pass and Serloskar Lake are the few trekking options.

Not much food and accommodation options available here, mostly homestays are available and few hotel/resort options. There are almost no restaurants, to you have to eat at the place you are staying.

550 Kms from Delhi, takes around 13-14 hours to cover the Distance. The HPTDC Bus journey to Aut is an overnight journey from Delhi and from it can be reached via taxi in one hour.

Recommended Duration: 4 Days 

Serolsar Lake @ Tirthan Valley                                                                                                                   PC: The Betthe India

      Munsiyari

A small and pretty tribal village with a daunting view of Snow covered Pachachuli Peak from almost every nook and corner of the village!! You are likely to find a lot of trekking groups as lot of small & long, easy & difficult treks start from here. Don’t forget to pay a visit to Birthi Falls, it is 45-60 mins steep climb to reach the Cascade. When I travelled there was not a single soul on the route or near the falls that magnificent Cascade. The Cool breeze of air, the water mist, the grey cloudy sky gave a feeling of rain though it wasn’t.

You need atleast 4 days to plan a trip to munsiyari, it’s almost 10-12 hours’ drive from Kathgodam. As I told you it is a small tribal village so very limited staying options are available with basic facilities. Do carry some snacks and all not much options available here.

Munsiyari: View from the Hotel Room

      Tosh
      Tosh is a small village at the end of pravati valley in Himachal Pradesh, at a distance of around 540 Kms from Delhi. Beautiful village surrounded by the snow covered peaks from 3 sides with river flowing by the side, it is an ideal destination for having some peaceful, calm or lone time. Lot of foreign back packers come her. Limited continental food options are also available BTW food prices are pretty high, and do carry cash as no ATMs. Try to book a hotel toward the top end of the village as that offers the most spectacular view especially star gazing on a clear, moonless night. Maybe it was my lucky day, but I saw 9 shooting stars in an hour.  It has basic accommodation options, if you are looking for luxury vacation then this definitely is not a place for you. With around 300 - 500 Rs per night. You can go to kheerganga trek it is a 6 hrs uphill trek (one side).
      If you wanna drive it is going to take 14-15 hrs from Delhi. Otherwise one can take the Bus from HPTDC Bus and get down Bhuntar and take a local bus from there to Bharsheni (around 3.5 - 4 hrs) and then 3 km hike to the village.
      Recommended Duration: 4 Days

Tosh Valley                                                                                                                                                              PC:Triphippe

      Binsar
      It houses not so famous and untouched (from maddening Delhi crowd) Wild life Sanctuary. A few Bollywood films like Betab has also been shot here. The zero point in there offers a spectacular view of snow covered peaks such as Kedarnath Peak, Shivling, Trisul and Nanda Devi. Try to go in early morning hours to enjoy uninterrupted (by clouds I meant) scenery.
      Few 3-4 star properties are also available here making a comfortable destination to stay, btw some of it offers beautiful views of peaks from your bedroom. For me having evening tea in your balcony, watching those white peaks turning crimson in sunlight is something and sun being set behind a distant peak is more inviting then the clear morning scenery.
      Binsar Wild life sanctuary is in Uttrakhand, 386 Kms from Delhi, and takes around 10-11 hours to reach here by car. The nearest railway station is kathgodam, from where it takes another 4 hours to reach here, there are lot of taxi available on the station for one way/ two way rides.
      Recommended Duration: 3-4 Days

View of Himalayas from Zero Point @ Binsar    PC: Binsar Tourism

      Khirsu

Small village with untouched nature, surrounded with pine, deodar and rhododendron trees, close panoramic views of himalyan ranges makes it a perfect destination for a lazy quaint holiday away from the daily hustle.

For accommodation there are not much options available in Khirsu, only GMVN Tourist Rest House is an option available. Otherwise some reasonably good accommodations are available in nearby locations such as Puari. Around 350 Kms from Delhi 8-9 hours journey by Car.

Khirsu PC: thegirlandhercamera

         Kausani

I must say the journey was as beautiful as the detination the lush green farming fields, river flowing by it side, huge green mountains at the backdrop and that downing Sun seems like you are in SHIRE the Hobbitland of LOTR.

There are few good staying options, 3 star properties in Kausani almost all of them offer Kausani’s famous the 180   panaromic veiw of snow capped mountains. There is also water fall having icy cold water, accesible with 3 Kms easy trek.

It is around 380 Kms from Delhi, 10 hrs journey by car. If you wanna use public transport, nearest railway station is kathgodam, from where it takes another 4 hours to reach here, there are lot of taxi available on the station for one way/ two way rides.

On the way to Kausani                                                                                                                                  PC:Allseasons.com

          Mukhteshwar

Jim Corbett, the famous Hunter came here for shooting a Tiger and got mesmerized by its beauty. It has dense forest on one side and open Mountain View on the other. Watching Sunset while sitting on the cliff of Chauli ki Jali is something one ca cherish for years. A religious reason to visit might be the 350 year old Shiva Temple on the highest point of the town.

This is just a 7 hour drive from Delhi, easily doable on a weekend. Can be considered as calmer alternative against Nainital as is on the same altitude and same distance from Delhi. Lot of staying options available here suiting everybody’s pockets.

Sunset View from Chauli ki Jali                                                                                                                          PC: eUttranchal

      Sarahan

A small city/village en-circled with snow covered mountain range peeping through every corner of the city and having  “Bhimakali Temple” (which is also a “Shakti peeth”) right at the center. Do attend the evening aatri at the temple, believe me the way people do arti here is an experience in itself. It starts with the chants of the priest and ends with the joyful sounds of various musical instruments.

Few hotels with basic amenities are available here, HPTDC hotel is also there, stay arrangements are also available at the temple Dharamshala. Google map says it is 503 Kms away and takes 11.42 hours and they are right if you drive non-stop, it took 14-15 hours for us to reach.

Bhimakali Temple @ Sarahan                                                                                                                     PC:Incrdible Hills

7Kangojodi

Perefect option for a quick weekend break, not much planning required just pick your car keys and drive but yes, book for accommodation before-hand as the only option here is Camp Roxx. There is a small 7 kms thick pine forest go give you that aloof feeling (Not suggested for peak summers as the place is on low altitude, but perfect for monsoons) You won’t even get rare traffic sound here, did I mention that getting mobile signal is also little difficult here. 6 Hours drive from Delhi, nearest town is Nahan.

      Tehri

The major attraction here is emerald water of the Tehri Lake, having sky rising mountains at its backdrop coupled with cool breeze create a perfect base for one peaceful holiday. BTW the lake is an artificial lake created due to the Tehri Dam, one can spend some nice walking time here. One can do a small (5 km) trek from Sursingdhar which offer a bird’s eye view of the lake and pumps your lungs with unpolluted air. Waking up early to watch the beautiful Sun-rise is something you are not going to regret. Stay options are available at Sursingdhar.

It is around 300 Kms from Delhi takes 6-7 hours to reach there via car, alternatively one can take a train to Haridwar or travel via bus to reach. As Tehri is a well-established town, accessibility via public transport is also good.

View near Tehri Dam

      Bharmour

Bharmour is an ancient settlement, surrounded by the lush green mountains also the capital of Chamba for last 400 years. Majorly people go there for the treks in surrounding hills but if you are not willing to trek then also the city in itself is serene and the route also offers some breath-taking views. Manimahesh is one of the famous temples (out of many others) here.

It is little more distant from the other destinations mentioned here, but worth the effort of all the extra kms. Around 670 kms from Delhi, 14-15 hrs drive. Better alternative is to take a train till Pathankot and take a taxi from there, it will take around 5 hrs to reach from there.

Bharmour                                                                                                                                                              PC: Tripadvisor

      Jwarna

If you want to have a camping experience than this is the place to consider. Perfect way of spending a monsoon weekend away from the noisy Delhi traffic (not suggested in May or June as its not on high altitude). Feel the mountain breeze, soak the gentle warmth of sunlight, walk an unbeaten path and smile to the lovely villagers. There is just one or two camp site on the right edge of the mountain, the direction sign here is not good so you have to carefully look for arrows.

Around 330 kms from 6-7 hours drive from Delhi. Only stay options are campsites, and no restaurant.

Campsite @ Jwarna                                                                                                                                    PC: WhisperingPines

Nako & Tabo: Here we enter the Spiti Valley

Day4:

Detailed Route: Kalpa – Reckong Peo – Powari  – Riba – Jangi – Spellow – Pooh – Kashigs – Nako – Malling Nala – Sumdo – Tabo

We started at around 9.00 in the morning, today was supposed to be the longest and one of the most exciting days of our journey. Our plan was to reach Tabo via Nako. Unlike rest of the trip there was a huge “Karavan” of vehicles. Soon we got stuck because of traffic jam near Shongtong, which cleared soon and we moved forward. There is a bridge somewhere near Riba which is a single lane bridge and while we drove on it, the movement of wooden logs underneath can be felt and heard easily. The one way route means again a wait of arroun 20 -30mins.

Wooden Bridge

Few kms ahead of it, land clearing process was going on. There had been a landslide due to the blasting of mountains. We waited there for around half an hour under the scorching sun and chilly wind, what a combo!!  By now, my nose had become Reddish-pink and Patchy.. Kudos to the Heat of Sun!!

Once bulldozer cleared the road we resumed our journey amidst of dusty and broken path. Soon we found a small tea counter managed by Indian Army in the middle of nowhere. You can find good tea, coffee, biscuits and clean washroom here for free. Once Hats-off to our Diffence Services!! After refreshments we started again on the dusty road and every now and then there was a signboard saying that “You are travelling on the world’s most treacherous road” filled our chest proud and sense of achievement.

We had to halt at Jangi check post to get ourselves registered. Once you cross Jangi the tarmac is excellent. The roads kept improving from the moment, we witnessed the confluence spiti & Sutlej river. Here we entered the Spiti region, inhabited with Tibetan people and highly influenced with Tibetan culture. The Villages having entrance through beautiful arches, white & maroon mud houses built in small groups, lots of villages having population of 30-100, white golden stupas just confirming the arrival in Spiti Valley.

Arches for entering the village

Kashigs has a freshly laid jet black road, full of curves which welcomes you while ascending towards Nako. Hereon the views on both sides of road were exhilarating.

We reached Nako at around 2.00-2.30PM. First thing we did, was to head for lunch and try to charge our camera, but to our bad luck there was no electricity. After lunch we started to explore the village and Nako Lake. We took a walk around the village and the lake. The Lake was beautiful but not as magnificent I had imagined in my head, but it gave some clear reflections of the brown mountains and trees standing at its bank. Spent some time talking and walking around the lake. Visited the monastery and headed back to our car. It’s a small village having quite a few staying options.

Nako Lake

 

Nako Lake 2

Nako Village

There was a small group of cute little children which was happly playing, falling and posing for photgraphs. By the time we reached our car it was around 4.00 PM, we quickly got into the car and started our journey further.

The road till Malling Nala was in very bad conditions after that there were some good and some bad patches but the tarmac were awesome. The sheer glimpse of the landscape was enough to take our breath away. Soon we crossed Sumdo and there was a stretch of flat road, not much ascends or descends make up for a quick drive. Suddenly the sun wasn’t that sharp, wind was chiller, silver glaze was created by the reflection of sunlight through the river, dark blue/black mountains on one side and shining golden mountains on the other side of the road made a sight forced us to immediately stop the car,  step out to have closer and longer look at this scenery of nature.

En-route Views

 

en-route views

Tabo a beautiful quite village at the foot of huge barren mountains. It was one of the most beautiful village we encountered during this trip (not to mention we encountered so many such villages during this journey). Very small village having its entrance through the beautiful green arch, having verses written in Tibetan  language.

We stayed at Hotel Dewachen, the best hotel in Tabo, it’s the same hotel where star cast of “Highway” stayed while shooting. Luckily we got the room with best view from the balcony and believe me you don’t wanna miss sunset while sipping tea in your own personal balcony having such magnificent view.

View From our room



View from other side 

 

After getting refreshed we went ahead for the walk around the village, the Tabo Monastery was closed by the time we reached there, so it was postponed for the next day.

Stupa Outside Tabo Monastary

The Monastery Restaurant is a must try, we got the most delicious and awesome Tibetan food of the entire region. While having food you can chit chat with Monks, as this is the common stopover for them. We were off to bed soon after having dinner thinking that our adventure for the day has ended, but there was something more to it..

Suddenly, at around 3.30 AM there was a loud bang on the door, Rahul went out to check, it was our driver having some symptoms of Altitude sickness, acute chest pain & breathlessness. So Rahul took him for a walk at those wee hours and gave him zintac to relieve him from gastric problem. Finally we went back to sleep.

Next leap would be towards our last destination of the Tour Kaza...

Day 2: Sangla: Beautiful Valley, a Gateway to the Unexplored Land

Itinerary Followed: 

Day1: Delhi - Sarahan (12-13Hrs) 

Day2: Sarahan - Sangla 

Day3: Sangla - chhitkul & Rakcham(4 Hrs) - Kalpa (3 Hrs) 
Day4: Kalpa- Tabo (10-11Hrs) 
Day5: Tabo - Kaza (2-3 Hrs) 
Day6: Kaza -Lasar- Kunzum (3-4 Hrs) - Kaza
Day7: Kaza - Kalpa (12 Hrs)
Day8: Kalpa - Chail (10-11 Hrs) 
Day9: Chail- Delhi (7-8 HRs)

Our next destination was sangla, and as we knew that there has been land slide near tapri, we started early at 7.20 to avoid any risks.

We made our Thumb rule for the trip start early and reach early. Travelling after dark might be dangerous in this part of Himalayas as the roads are not in good condition, your car can break down anytime, limited supply of petrol at times, most of the area is prone to landslides, not much fellow travelers on this route, scarcely inhabited region, long patches of off-road travel, and if it rains then huge slushes and water puddles greet you with open arms..

As soon as we crossed jeori the tarmac changed dramatically and suddenly we were into a different world all together. Beautiful, narrow (rather very narrow) roads are chiseled through the huge mountains to make a way for you. Certainly it is a very thrilling drive though you have to be very careful while driving and should to salute the workers who built these dangerous paths.

Beautiful Narrow Road Chiseled through the mountain

Road cut through the mountain



The thin line inside the red box the the road

The condition of the road is very good. We quickly covered our distance till tapri by 9.30AM only to know that the pass to the other side is operational as one way at a time. Because of the landslide we were supposed to take an off route through upsi village and this was kind off one way, pass was available every 2 hours from each side. So we had to wait till 11 AM for pass to open. At 9.30 the sun was pitty sharp, but the cool breeze was making the weather bearable. But you have to be really careful for the sun burns incase you are moving out of shade.
Finally at 11.20 AM the road was open for us to pass, as the traffic from other side had been stopped. It took almost an hour to cover that off-route distance of 18KMs. After crossing Tapri we took a right through a bridge (near Karcham) towards Sangla. Though the distance from Karcham to Sangla was around 25 kms but the entire journey was almost off-road, shooting stones from the top is a common sight there. All thanks to the JP’s power project!!

Power Plant Project

Finally we reached the Sangla valley at around 2PM, all our tiredness was gone in just one look of the valley. Beautiful lush green Baspa valley, surrounded by huge green snowcapped mountains, baspa flowing in full current with its crystal clear water, pine trees standing tall on both side of the river and small residential establishments on either side, looked as if we have entered in some fairy land. 

Baspa Valley

We stayed in Kinner Camps and to add to our happiness Lama was there that day for the lunch. We were fortunate enough to have a brief discussion with him. After having lunch (which was DELICEOUS!), we had a detailed discussion with our camp manager on what all should we visit and at what time. He suggested to go to Chhitkul right away and next day for rakcham walk. But because of our laziness we rested in the camp and decided to do both next day morning.

View from our camp

In the evening we went ahead to take a small walk to the village Batseri Village. It was one of the most relaxing walk first by the river side and then through the small and calm roads of the village.

Walk towards Basteri

Baspa River from the Camp

There we reached a temple of Lord Vishnu and were lucky to witness a ritual, where in the two men (villagers) carry the idols of God on their shoulders (there were extended wooden logs attached to the idol on both sides, through which it can be carried on shoulder similar to the “Doli of Indian Bride”), move back & forth and share their problem to the idol of Gods and priest with a hope that their problems will be resolved. At the back of it, the musical instruments creates joyful sounds. I had never witnessed such way of prayer anywhere.

Spent our evening relaxing in the camp with bonfire, music and delicious dinner. We were off to bed early as next day we had to start our day at 5 AM.

Journey of 3rd day will follow soon..

The Unforgettable Laddakh: Day 2: Manali to Jispa

Day 1: Delhi – Manali (Volvo)

Day 2:  Manali– Jispa (Car)

Day 2:  Manali– Jispa (Car)

Day 3: Jispa– Leh (Car)

Day 4: Local Sight Seeing (Car)

Day 5: Leh– Pangong (Car)

Day 6: Pangong – Leh (Car)

Day 7:  Leh – Nubra Valley (Car)

Day 8 & 9: Nubra Valley– Leh (Car) + Leh – Delhi (via flight)

Day 2: Next Day we started our journey towards Leh. Our driver told us to start at 4.00 AM to escape from Traffic Jam at RhotangLa* due to the landslide. But we couldn’t make it at 4 and finally we started at 5.00 AM in the morning.



The early morning views of Manali @ 5.30  AM

One of the many lush green mountains @ Manali

We were all sleeping in the car till we reached the landslide area at around 6.30-7 in the morning. Suddenly out of nowhere we saw a huge queue of trucks and cars waiting to go to the other side of the land-slide. We couldn't have done anything about the situation except for starting early (which could have saved 2-3 hrs). As we were stuck, we all got down from the car started roaming on the roads and enjoying the weather..

Queue of Vehicles near the Landslide

View behind the traffic Jam

We were carrying cup noodles which helped a lot in that particular situation. Every now and then small stones were falling from the top, and there was a huge slush on the road making it difficult for vehicles to cross. There were two bulldozers to help vehicles to cross that landslide area. Most of the trucks and small vehicles were pulled or pushed by the bulldozers to cross the landslide area.

The LANDSLIDE

 Finally after spending 9-10 hours there, our Innova managed to cross that slush without the bulldozer’s help. But we had lost precious time and Aakash and summi were feeling sick because of the sharp sun they were exposed to.

RohtangLa Amidst of Clouds

@ Rohtangla

We had to deviate from our original plan of staying in Sarchu. We had to take shelter at Jispa for the night and cover the remaining distance in next day.

On the way to Keylong: 1

On the to Keylong: 2

The place we stayed, Jispa is small village having the river Chandra flowing by one side and a huge mountain range on the other side. The river was 10 mins walk from our hotel, we could easily hear the sound of water from our room. Stay was very comfortable and good break after such long a day. The place is very scenic, it’s a small adobe in the lap of Mother Nature, surrounded by nothing but mountains.  

Somewhere around Jispa

Our hotel was very comfortable, but there was no networks in the mobile phone till you reach Leh. Only BSNL phone will work for some distance. The hotel manager was a very helpful guy, he gave his phone, so that we can make calls to home.

*LA means Pass in Tibetan Language

Stay tuned for the rest of the Journey...