Being
born and brought up in the mountains, I have this never-ending love for
mountains. Natural scenic beauty, views once captured with your eyes, you will
never forget them. Snow covered peaks of mighty Himalaya’s at one side, lush
green forest on the other, there is an unforgettable whiff of freshness in the
cold air, which makes you feel divine. A
place like this is the best getaway for your extended weekend plans. Let me
help you to such 5 off beat places to stay, where you can totally be a
part of the nature itself.
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| Chaani Churani cottages during winters |
This
beautiful 6 cottages resort is located on Chakrata Mussoorie highway, a short drive away from Chakrata. Chaani, name is derived from the Jaunsari (Tribe in Uttarakhand)
culture. It means a place close to the farming lands of the tribe, usually a
double story house with livestock at ground floor and people staying at the
first floor.
When
you visit Chaani Churani, you will just watch the charm of the place taking
full control over you and leaving yourself overwhelmed with the perfect
combination of nature, adventure and the hospitality of the people. You can involve yourself in numerous adventurous activities like camping, hiking etc. around this place
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| View from your Chaani Churani Cottage |
Sitting
at 8000ft with a breathtaking view, it offers you a perfect escape from the
busy lifestyle of your city. Abundance of rich flora and fauna also adds to
beauty of this place. And most important, do not forget to enjoy the local
cuisine delicacies. I am sure you will love the Pahaari taste.
You can visit this place anytime during the year but ideal time would be from September to April. You are advised to carry some warm clothes all the time because rains can caused a sudden drop in the temp during summers. You can find the directions to Channi Churani here.
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| Ramtal Resort Chakrata |
As
you can find out from the name of the place, this resort is located near a
historic pond (taal), which is almost extinct now. But it hardly makes any
difference to the beauty of the place though it would have certainly added to
it. Located 12 kms approx. from Chakrata
on the Chakrata Mussoorie highway, this place serves a view delightful to the
visitor’s eyes. An ideal place to plan
your family picnic with mother nature.
The
accommodation is quite comfortable with quality tents offering ample amount of
facilities so that you feel connected to the world yet happily away from its
busy roads, tall concrete jungles etc. Your hosts are friendly and take care of
all your needs. You can plan small hiking trips and camping around the resort with
your family and friends as this place has plenty to offer. There is a
horticulture farming facility and you can visit there if you are interested in
horticulture and you can also enjoy some bird watching. This garden includes
many types of lichen, ferns, climbers, conifers, woody trees and plants. Some
of the popular birds in this garden are oriental turtle dove, grey treepie and
black headed jay
Best
time to visit is between September to April. Keep light woolen clothes during
summer and heavy woolen clothes during winters. You can find the direction to
Ramtal resort here.
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| Himalayan Eco Lodges & Camps, Viratkhai |
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| Himalayan Eco Lodges & Camps, Viratkhai |
A spectacular combination of camps and lodges is available at Viratkhai, just 25kms away from Chakrata, an army cantonment area from the colonial period. Wonderful weather, good connectivity to the roads, experienced staff and a number of activities to keep you occupied, makes it a must visit for those who has an exquisite taste in nature.
Your day comprises of visit to the local market in Chakrata, where you can buy local handicrafts. Tiger fall, waterfall is at 2 hrs walk downhill from Chakrata. You can enjoy numerous hiking and rock climbing sports near your camp in Viratkhai. For people who are more adventurous, they can go for rive rafting in Yamuna to engage in a wild ride through class II and class III+ rapids and get an adrenalin rush.
Not only this, with the sun leaving you in the company of a pleasant night and star spangled sky, you can enjoy a bonfire with local tribal music or hindi/english music. It slowly submerges you in the mood of the night with fire and music and locals dancing to the tunes of tribal instruments. Well thats not all, a well prepared piping hot dinner awaits you before you plans to settle for the night.
Ideal time to visit this place is between September to April. You are advised to carry some warm clothes all the time because rains can caused a sudden drop in the temp during summers. Could not find exact location but you can follow the directions to reach Himalayan Eco Lodges here.
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| Blue Canvas Resort, Korwa, Chakrata |
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| Blue Canvas Resort during winters |
You can visit this place all round the year. Light woolens during summer and heavy woolens during winters will be advisable. You can find the direction to Blue Canvas Resorts here.
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| Deoban Forest Rest House |
Deoban FRH is a govt. property situated in the middle of the beautiful and dense Deodar forest in Deoban, 13kms from Chakrata and can be accessed either by road or you can also trek from Chakrata. The drive passes through dense Deodar forest and a wide species of Birds and Animals. Deodar provides one of the best quality wood used by the locals to build their long lasting homes.
The motorable road is till the forest rest house and from there you can take a 15 mins walk through the dense Deodar forest to reach the historical Vyas Shikhar, the place where Sage Vyas has written the Hindu epic "Mahabharata". Bird watching is also a famous attraction at this place and one can see White Collard Blackbirds, Himalayan Woodpeckers and some other migratory birds during the winter season.
You can visit this place all round the year. Do not forget to carry woolen clothes. You can follow the direction here to reach Deoban. It advisable to plan you trip only in 4X4 vehicles (specially during winters and rainy season) or vehicles with good ground clearance.
About the Blogger
Sanjay Bhatt is a resident of Uttarakhand. Travel, Photography and food are his passion. Exploring the unexplored and helping fellow nature lovers to have an experience of life is his goal. If you have any query or would like to connect to him, please write to him on sanjaybht11@gmail.com.
Sanjay Bhatt is a resident of Uttarakhand. Travel, Photography and food are his passion. Exploring the unexplored and helping fellow nature lovers to have an experience of life is his goal. If you have any query or would like to connect to him, please write to him on sanjaybht11@gmail.com.
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