View of Panchachuli peaks at sunrise from Kausani

Kumaon Trip - Days 10 and 11 - Mukteshwar

Days 10 and 11: Monday, June 14, 2010 and Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Location: Mountain Trail, Mukteshwar

The day of the Kausani to Mukteshwar drive was out last day in the cab that we had booked for 10 days. Since we did not intend to travel much for the last 4 days; and decided to book independent cabs for the Mukteshwar- Sonapani and Sonapani- Kathgodam parts of our journey.

Mukteshwar is one of the oldest townships in Uttaranchal, formed more than 100 years back to establish the IVRI (Indian Veterinary Research Institute). Mukteshwar is surrounded by dense Pine, Deodar and Oak forests; and along with Misty Mountains in Chaukori, offers one of the best views of the Himalayas; right from Nanda Devi on the left to Panchachuli on the right.

Since the Mountain Trail resort is some 6 kms away from Mukteshwar, we first headed for the Mukteshwar temple and the surrounding areas before reaching the resort. In the afternoon, we went for a 2-hour jungle trek, which was quite awesome. The trek was through some really dense forests, though our guide claimed that the cover was even thicker a few years back, and has been eroding since the last few years.

The only issue with the Mountain Trail resort is that it is right on the main road, which means that there is some noise throughout the day. Other than that, though, the resort has been very well maintained, and is filled with trees laden with all kinds of fruits. The resort is spread over a total area of 2.5 acres. At Rs. 4400 per room per night (including b/fast and dinner); I thought it was not exactly cheap; but still better compared to many other places.

The second day at Mukteshwar was spent idling around, followed by a long walk to sunset point.

Verdict: A must visit, just for the ambiance and environment of the place. A bit overpriced, but you will have to live with that.

Kumaon Trip - Days 8 and 9 - Kausani

Days 8 and 9: Saturday, June 12, 2010 and Sunday, June 13, 2010

Location: Krishna Mountview, Kausani

Kausani to Munsiyari was the longest single stretch of our journey. The total distance is approx 200 kms by the normal route. Our driver however decided to take a shortcut that shaved roughly 40 kms off from the journey.

However, the shortcut road was not of the best quality. After taking the bypass, we asked the driver of a jeep coming from the opposite side if this was the right road. He answered in the affirmative, but then (un)helpfully added that the car will need to be pushed at one place. This had us slightly worried, but we continued nevertheless. I was seating on the front seat besides the driver for this part of the journey, since I suffer from motion sickness and it is slightly more comfortable while being seated at the front. We soon reached a really bad patch, where there was a steep incline and inside of a tar road there were loose stones that made it difficult for the tyres to get a grip on the road. The first attempt to cross the stretch was unsuccessful, and we had to go in reverse for about 100 metres to try again. The second attempt was with more momentum, but with the car shaking violently, the gear loosened itself from first to neutral. Back to base for the third attempt, and the driver asked me to keep the gear pressed forward to first firmly, while he maneuvered the steering with both hands. Finally, we succeeded in crossing the stretch!

It took us 6 hours to reach Kausani. We had booked a “Luxury” room in Krishna Mountview. Apart from Naukuchiatal, this was our only stay in a hotel (as opposed to separate cottages in resorts); and the difference was stark. The room felt cramped, and the view directly from the room was not great. You had to go to the terrace of the hotel to get a better view of the Himalayas. The other mistake we did was in paying extra upfront for an API (all meals inclusive package). At Rs. 750 per person per head, this too was very expensive. The food was standard oily North Indian fare, and the service was decent, but could have been much better.

Kausani offers a brilliant view of the Himalayas, especially the Panchachuli range. It is so called because of the 5 peaks which are in very close proximity to each other. We managed to get an absolutely amazing view of the Panchachuli on our second morning- will try and upload it separately. 5 am is no time to get up when you are on a holiday, but the view in the mornings absolutely makes it worth it.

Kausani isn’t a place where there is a lot to do. There is a tea factory a few kms from Kausani, but it was closed when we went there (it being a Sunday). We went for a few treks in and around Kausani, and encountered a huge number of monkeys on the way, constantly screeching and fighting all the time. I meant the monkeys, not us.

Verdict: After the serene environment at most other places, the hotel room experience wasn’t really something that we enjoyed. No fault of Krishna (except that they are overpriced, but they only charge what people are willing to pay); but people will be better off staying in resorts. The flip side is that cable TV is available in hotels, but not in most of the cottages – so you need to take a call on what you really want out of your vacation. We also found Kausanias a place quite congested, with too many concrete structures for our liking.

Kumaon Trip - Day 7 - Munsiyari

Day 7: Friday, June 11, 2010

Location: Wayfarer Retreat, Munsiyari

We left Chaukori at 7 in the morning. The 125 km journey, the final 25 kms of which comprises of a steep climb was certainly not something I was looking forward to. Once we reached there by noon, there was little to cheer us. It was cold and cloudy, and the view of the Himalayas was completely blocked.

The “Wayfarer Resort” comprises of a few slightly modern huts. The food quality was good and the room was comfortable, but the resort appeared to be severely understaffed. All in all, we were pleased with our decision to extend our Chaukori stay by a day at the expense of Munsiyari. Maybe I am giving a very bleak view of the place; and probably my opinion would have been different if the weather was better.

After resting in the afternoon, we headed towards the Nanada Devi temple in the evening. The place where the temple is located offers a majestic view of the valley. There is also a viewing point (“Machan”) there, which is a bit risky to climb, but gives an even better view of the surroundings from the top. Fortunately, the sky started clearing up a bit towards the evening, and we were able to get a reasonable view of at least those peaks that are very close to Munsiyari.

Verdict: This place is very close to the Himalayas, and a must visit in the Autumn months. Also try the km trek to Khaliya top, which I am told gives a stupendous view when the horizon is clear. Definitely worth going if you do not mind the extra travel.

Kumaon Trip - Days 4 to 6- Chaukori

Days 4, 5 and 6: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 to Thursday, June 10, 2010

Location: Misty Mountains, Chaukori

Club Mahindra, Binsar; to Misty Mountains near Chaukori is approx. 100 kms and 3.5 hours away. The Misty Mountains resort is not exactly in Chaukori. It is located 30 kms to the South of Chaukori, on the way to Patal Bhuvaneshwar. A right U-Turn at Syuti Bend takes you to Ram Mandir. Misty Mountains is a further 4 kms beyond Ram Madir.

Let’s get the only negative about Misty Mountains out of the way first. Although the road up to Ram Mandir is manageable, the last 4 kms are ugly. It’s a stone road, and not well made at that. Our car (Santro) which otherwise handles the hill roads quite well, creaked and groaned on the way up. We were wondering whether we had made the right choice.

However, all doubts were put aside the moment we reached the place. Our cottage itself gave a lovely 180 degree view of the Himalayas. A short 1 km trek to a viewing point gives a 270 degree view of the entire mountain range. Misty Mountains is a 5-acre property which has been operational since about a year. It has approx 10 cottages, and 70 rooms in all. Each of the rooms gives an excellent view of the entire mountain range.

Since the objective was to chill out, this is precisely what we did for the first 2 days here. The resort is located on one of the highest mountains in the area, at an altitude of 2000 metres. Evenings were spent taking short walks around the resort. Apart from the ‘Sunset Point’, a 1 km walk also takes you to a beautiful garden which is at absolutely picture perfect.

On Day 3, I along with the local guide Manu went for a walk on top of the mountain where the resort is located. It is a roughly 2 km walk, but we gain about 400 metres in altitude. We started at about 5 in the morning, and reached the top in about an hour. The view of the Himalayas was clouded – this has been pretty much the case wherever we have gone, and things aren’t expected to improve.

After spending an hour on the top, we were back to the resort at 8 am. After some time, we left for the Patal Bhuvaneshwar caves, which are about an hour away from the resort. The approx 30 metres walk to enter the main part of the caves is very narrow; but our confidence was boosted when we saw a 100+ kg woman making her way out just as we were about to enter. The engraving on the caves is quite spectacular. It is claimed that all the formations inside the caves are natural, but I have my reservations on them. There are fascinating inter-woven stories relating to each formation on the cave, and made for engrossing listening.

After that, we headed to a musk deer farm in Chaukori. This was a complete waste of time, since we were allowed to view the deers only at about a 25 metre distance, and separated by 2 fences which made any proper viewing extremely difficult. We were back at the resort at 4 pm. Next day, we left for the Wayfarer Resort in Munsiyari early in the morning

Verdict: Worth visiting, and worth staying at the Misty Mountains. The location, the cottages, the food and the overall facilities are of extremely good quality. The view of the Himalayas wasn’t great at this time of the year, but I am told that September and October offer a picture-perfect view.