Tag Archives: uttarakhand

Review: Auli Resort – The Royal Village

Rising up to the sun rays hitting snow clad peaks of  barren mountain, sipping hot lemon ginger tea admiring the mother nature; eating delicious breakfast under deep blue sky, the scenic stroll around lush green meadows,non-stop family talks and chairlift journey to the meadows are some of the golden moments which I can recall from my recent trip to Auli and stay at the Auli Resort – The Royal Village.

Views of Auli from the Auli resort- The royal Village
Panoramic View of Auli from Auli Resort

Auli Resort- The Royal Village is a cool environment-friendly holiday resort and is located at one of the most picturesque locations. It lies within the complex of GMVN (Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam), giving the panoramic view of majestic Himalayan ranges.

After a long drive and trip to Badrinath Dham and the Mythical Mana Village, we thought of rejuvenating our body and soul with the fresh air and serene beauty of Auli.

At Auli Resort

As soon as you reach Auli base, GMVN resort welcomed us. But somehow it didn’t attract us and far away the rowed yellow log huts with the green background were too enticing. That was the Auli resort – the royal village. It’s hardly a 100 meters drive or walk from GMVN.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BU7PZQvBu3J/?taken-by=suruchimittal&hl=en

Reception

The reception is simply done with a seating and few Himalayas and trekking books are around, in the shelves. The staffs behind the desk are super friendly and they helpful you while checking in and assist you to your rooms. They too guide you about local sightseeing and how weather changes in Auli. Read here for the different shades of Auli in summers.

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Auli Resort

There are 12 luxurious huts in two rows lined one behind another on the mountain slope, each having its own patio facing towards the snow covered mountain peaks. The Auli resort is a perfect place to soak in the mountain atmosphere.

Auli Resort - The Royal Village

Rooms/ Huts

The rooms are designed keeping in mind the extreme winters at Auli and they are comfortable for summers too. The maximum temperature in Auli goes around 16 degree Celsius in summers and in winters the lowest can be up to -8-degree celsius.

The Auli resort huts are colorful, clean and cozy. The hut in which we had put up was painted in purple and white and there was a separate space for bedroom, dressing room, and washroom.

Huts at Auli Resort

The room has all basic amenities like television, chairs, room heater and tea-coffee maker. And yes! The views from the window of the hut were just not Wow but spectacular –Almost half of the Auli was visible.

View from Hut of Auli Resort

Restaurant and Food at Auli Resorts

One cannot stroll or enjoy without food and there is no worry when you are at Auli Resorts – The Royal Village. They have a variety of Indian, Chinese, continental and some local dishes in their menu. We tried Indian, Chinese and Uttarakhand’s local food. Everything was just scrumptious.

Restaurant at Auli resort - the Royal Village

The dining area behind the reception is clean. It has wooden roofs, giving the typical feel of a place in mountains.

Dining Area at Auli resort
Dining Area at Auli Resort

Sightseeing at Auli

  1. The Hanuman Temple: It lies just after a refreshing trek of 15-20 minutes from the royal village Auli Resort.
  2. The Panoramic View of Snow clad Mountain Peaks: From the resort itself complete panorama of majestic Himalayan peaks is visible and the prominent are Nanda Devi, Chaukhamba, and Panch Chuli.The view of Himalayan Ranges from Auli Resort
  3. Gurso Bugyal Meadows: The Meadows lies 3kms from Auli resorts and are spread amidst forests of oak and conifers. They turn lush green in summers and are snow covered in winters. So, if you love winters sports you surely cannot miss visiting Auli as a winter destination in Uttarakhand. One can try skiing, ATV rides, and others sports here.
  4. Ride by Chairlift till meadows and highest artificial lake:

Parking at Auli Resort

There are enough parking spaces available around Auli Resorts.

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Conclusion

I will say the Auli resort lives up to the name of Auli and is a complete value for money. We paid Rs. 3000/- per night. The colorful huts, delicious food, impeccable services, and beautiful views – everything is perfect here. The place not only relaxes your mind and body but make you feel in the abode of heaven.Review: Auli Resort - The Royal Village

Rating of Auli Resort

I rate it 4.5 out of 5

Some Additional Info 

  1. One can get the huts booked at Auli resort from MakeMyTrip, Tripadvisor or Booking.com.
  2. The Gondola Chairlift is only 100 meters away from the Auli resorts.
  3. The resort arranges day treks, only on prior information.
  4. Auli resort is a good place for families, friends, and couples.

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Hotel Review: Country Inn Mussoorie

Mussoorie, the Queen of Hills, is a weekend getaway from Chandigarh and Delhi. It is and was always known as the charming Hill station with beautiful views of Doon Valley and clear blue sky. But now, the ease of transportation and vacationing has turned this place into Hill City rather than Hill station. Mussoorie has become super crowded. In short, the beauty of the Valley has eloped away by construction of tall hotels, and restaurants. I should say there are hardly any spaces left on the sides of mall road from where one can get clear wide views of the valley. Anyways to take the feel of Hill station, to get wide views and feel fresh mountain air, I decided to take an accommodation at a Hotel Country Inn Mussoorie which is on the outskirts, away from Mussoorie’s mall road and city’s hustle bustle.

The Hotel Country Inn and Hotel Country Inn & Suites by Carlson are two separate properties in Mussoorie.

Hotel Country inn Mussoorie
Over Crowded Mussoorie

Hotel Country Inn Mussoorie

The hotel country inn Mussoorie is situated on the Dehradun- Mussorie road, approx 3 km away from the mall road. The hotel is nestled between magnificent lush mountains on sides, Doon Valley view below and tall coniferous trees all over.

Hotel Country inn Mussoorie
Source: Tripadvisor

Rooms at Hotel Country Inn Mussoorie

The hotel has 13 total cottages out of which 12 falls into deluxe and 1 into luxury suite category.

Cottages at hotel Country Inn Mussoorie
Cottages at Hotel Country Inn Mussoorie

The cottages are bedded for single to three persons and have complete in-room amenities like Television, Tea/coffee maker, air conditioner, geyser etc. There is a balcony in front of each cottage which offers you the complete the bird’s eye view of the Doon Valley.

Cottage & views from Hotel Country Inn Mussoorie

Early morning the valley views are misty and if there are clouds too, one can see them floating in between blue-sky and tall mountains. During the day when the sun is at its peak, the whole space gets lit up and the houses look like blocks on the slopes of mountains.

Doon Valley View from hotel country inn Mussoorie
Doon Valley View from the Hotel Country Inn

Please Note: Only 2-3 cottages are located adjacent to each other at one step and you need to take a steep climb to reach them. So, it is tough if elderly people are accompanying you.

Slope to reach cottages at Hotel country inn Mussoorie

Food at hotel country inn Mussorie

There is a separate multi-cuisine restaurant which serves Indian, continental and Chinese food in the buffet or a la carte. There is no bar facility.

Multi-cuisine restaurant at Hotel Country Inn Mussoorie
Multi-cuisine restaurant at Hotel Country Inn Mussoorie

My Experience with food: In February which they say it is off season- they have very limited options in cuisine as well as food. But the food quality was really good. The correct term will be finger licking. I enjoyed my food on the terrace with the bright lit valley views.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRAWaSuh4gk/?taken-by=suruchimittal&hl=en

The timings for Breakfast are between 8:00 am -10:00 am and Dinner between 8:00 – 9:30 pm.

Activities 

Within the hotel country inn Mussoorie, one can spend time playing Table Tennis, Carrom Board, Chess, Cards, puzzles, Ludo, darting etc. It is a complete fun day for children. Apart from indoor facilities the hotel too organizes some outdoor activities like cycling, river crossing, kayaking, rappelling, trekking, nature walks, bird watching but only on prior request.

Parking

There is a good car parking space available within the hotel, just outside the reception area.

Conclusion

I recommend this place only if you are looking for a mid segment range hotel away from the city rush with great views. I spent Rs. 3000/- for one night but didn’t feel it worth at all.

The rooms are spacious but the quality of linen, decor and toiletries doesn’t stand anywhere near 3 or 4 stars. The bed makes so much of noise while turning. The huge windows in rooms offer great views but you cannot keep the blinds or curtains open during the day, as there is a common passage for the adjacent rooms, so no privacy.

Yes! there is something fascinating and epic about the air conditioner installed in the rooms.  I had to click this and really hats off to the person who could replicate the cover and swings.

AC in Hotel Country Inn Mussoorie

Rating

I rate (3out of 5). That too, because of the mesmerizing Doon valley views, quietness, and food at the Hotel Country Inn Mussoorie.

Some Additional Info:

  1. They provide pick and drop facility from the mall road or one can even walk down.
  2. You can avail the discount by getting a room booked from MakeMyTrip or Tripadvisor.com. ( I got my room booked from MakeMyTrip and got 1000 Rs cheaper than the actual price.
  3. Enjoy your breakfast on the terrace.
  4. Some of the staff members were really courteous and pleasing whereas other even don’t even have the complete information about the property.

Note: This is not a sponsored post and is completely written on my experience.

There is an another property to check, with awesome views on Camels Back Road – The Pacific Hotel Mussoorie. Click for the review.

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Harsil: The Virgin Village of Uttarakhand

When I say, Harsil the virgin village of Uttarakhand, I don’t mean the villagers don’t like themselves or their surroundings being touched as it is in Malana village of Himachal.  But the word virgin here means the village is unpolluted; not destroyed, has retained its natural beauty and traditional culture. The Harsil Village of Uttarakhand is serene and it has not been influenced by the fast developing urbanization and civilization. I actually had a feeling that Thank God! at least this village is saved.

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Village Harsil, Uttarakhand
First Glimpse of Village Harsil

The dense lush slopes of deodar trees encapsulated the Harsil village from all sides; the clear bluish green River Gangotri make its own way amidst the village and snow capped peaks kissing the blue sky makes the village look abode in heaven.

The Harsil Village

The Village Harsil lies at an altitude of 7860 feet and is located 70 Km ahead of Uttarakashi and 23 km before Gangotri on the Uttarkashi – Gangotri Highway. Harsil is an army cantonment area with only a few houses, guest houses, small market and local Dhabas.

Harsil Village, Uttarakhand
Source: https://www.yogeshsarkar.com/

How to reach Harsil

Route from Delhi: Delhi – Noida – Muzaffarnagar – Roorkee- Haridwar – Rishikesh- Uttarkashi – Harshil

Time to reach from Delhi: 13 -15 hrs by road.  By air, one can fly to Dehradun Airport (Jolly Grant) and from there the rest journey till Harsil Valley can be covered in 6-7 hrs by car.

Advised Stoppages:  At least one-night stoppage is advised for Harsil if you are driving by car. One can opt to stop either at Haridwar or Rishikesh. That covers almost half of the journey. We stopped at Uttarkashi, which covered  3/4th of the total distance. You can read my Uttarkashi post-Uttarkashi post here.

Best Season to Travel: April – June and September to October (full season); November – March (offseason)

Expected Temperature: In Summers temperature day temperature varies between 10 -15 degree Celsius and night can go till 7-8 degree Celsius whereas in winters the day temperature is between 0-10 degree Celsius and at nights it can dip too low as – 5 degree Celsius or more.

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Interesting History Behind Village Harsil

The Village Harsil is famous for Raja or Pahadi “Wilson” whose original name was Frederick. E. Wilson. He deserted the British army and escaped into the Garhwal mountains. While rescuing he landed at a remote beautiful village Harsil; where he married a beautiful Pahadi girl and got settled. For his living, he started selling huge deodar trees/wood to Britishers by floating them in the river. This was sold for railway construction. By selling these rail sleepers he became so powerful that he started his own currency coins which were even available with the locals till the 1930s.

Wilson Forest Guest House at Harsil Village, Uttarakhand
Wilson House

He too built his own mansion a Wilson Cottage at a beautiful location. The cottage is just located after crossing the bridge which later on caught fire and got turned into ruins. Now the cottage has been restored by Forest Department and converted into Forest Guest House.

Wilson Mansion at Harsil Village in Uttarakhand
The Wilson House

Attractions of Village Harsil

On walking ahead of the Wilson cottage there is a wide river which was almost dry during my visit but locals told in summers it is filled with one of the purest and cleanest waters. The water of this river has medicinal properties as it is rich in minerals and digestive enzymes.

River passing inbetween village Harsil and Bagori - Harsil Village, Uttarakhand

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Keep following the trail ahead for almost 1- 1.5 km and there is another small village Bagori having traditional wooden Pahadi row houses. I simply loved these houses, they look so homely. During my visit in February the whole village was closed, I mean locked (I have actually never seen anything like that). There was not even a single human except some Pahadi dogs which were our companions till Buddhist Monastery. Honestly, it was scary too.

The way to village Bagori - in Harsil Valley of Uttarakhand
Trail to Village Bagori

From the river itself, there were few more trails going up the mountains which looked adventurous but I was advised by my guest caretaker not to explore them in the late evening.

On the other side of the bridge crossing the cantonment offices, there is a trail going to another religiously famous Village Mukhwa.

Village Mukhwa near Harsil Village, Uttarakhand
The Village Mukhwa

In off season/winters; when the main Gangotri Temple is closed, the deities of Goddess Gangotri are brought down here in the village temple, so the Village Mukhwa is a winter abode of Maa Gangotri.

The Village Mukhwa is abode of Goddess Gangotri in Winters - near village HarsilThis village lies almost 3 km from the village Harsil and the views from here are breathtaking.

The views from Village Mukhwa near Harsil are breath taking
Breathtaking views from village Mukhwa

One can hike ( bit steep) or go by car, as the road is motorable. I went by car but personally recommend to go hiking, if you can to get the mesmerizing views of nature.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRVj-zchAbP/?taken-by=suruchimittal&hl=en

Places to stay in Harsil

There are few guesthouses and hotels in Harsil. All of them are fully equipped and operational during the seasons but the problem arises during offseason. During my off season visit, only two of them were operational – GMVNL and Sunder Guesthouse. So, first, we checked the stay option with GMVNL (Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Ltd) and I didn’t like the rooms. They were smelly as well as not at all cozy; which was must require for the dipping temperatures in Harsil. So, we headed to the Sunder Guest House. The attendant here was welcoming and he helped us out in every way. He even took the pain of preparing fresh food with the selected vegetables available in the market. Don’t expect that you can get all type of food and vegetable. So, relish your tongue with the limited options only. Even the place and rooms were warm, cozy and comfortable.

Sunder Guest House in Village Harsil
Sunder Guest House, Harsil

Overall this small village is an incredible gem in the lap of nature. It bestowed me in every sense and I wish to go back to explore the left out trails.

Note:

  1. Always carry some of the woolens as temperatures are low in this belt of Uttarakhand and they can further dip anytime.
  2. In offseason, the whole of villages is locked. So refer locals about the available accommodation and food options.
  3. Always keep some snacks handy for the way, as there are not much-running Dhabas during offseason.
  4. The food options and Vegetables available are very limited at these altitudes, so eat whatever you get. Sometimes you need to kill your taste buds too.
  5. Do carry a small heater or hot water bottle if you feel excess cold.
  6. Avoid driving if there is old snow on the road. Your car/ Bike can slip and put you into trouble for life.
  7. Check the weather conditions with locals before heading ahead on this route.
  8. Be slow while driving as at point the road is for a single vehicle. There is no race going and you won’t be rewarded for anything.

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Harsil: The Virgin Village of Uttarakhand

4 Day-Treks worth adding to your Nainital Trip

“The best views come after the hardest climb”

Nainital is the most famous tourist destination in Uttrakhand and it offers a lot to its visitors. Every traveler is aware of Naini Lake, Ropeway, Snow point, Tibetan market, Nainital Zoo etc.  But have you heard about the treks from Nainital? Yes, there are few of day treks which are unexplored and unexploited. Treks rush your adrenaline and pump up blood in the body. They let you see what others have not seen. How beautiful nature is? So, here I am listing the 4 adventurous treks which you can add to your Nainital trip.

  1. Trek to China Peak/ Cheena Peak /Naina Peak

The Naina or the China Peak is the highest point of Nainital. It is located at an altitude of 2612 meters above sea level. And one can trek, go by ponies or cabs to this point. The path for trek passes through thick pine, cypresses and deodar forests. On the way, rhododendron strewn path looks fantastic and is a delight to the trekkers. You also get to see waterfalls, water springs, natural beauty, various animals, and birds. The top offers the panoramic view of the Nainital town, the Himalayas, and the Kumaon region.

Naini Peak, China peak - Day Treks in Nainital trip

Difficulty Level: Easy

Distance – 6 km from Mallital

Timings for Visit – 9:00am – 5:00pm

Time to complete trek – 3-4 hrs

Must Carry – Do carry food and water along as there are no restaurants on the way or on the top.

  1. Hike to Land’s End

Land’s end, as the name says itself is the dead end of the land.  It is located at an altitude of 2118 meters above sea level and the point can be reached by trekking or through ponies. The trek path first ascents and then descents. It passes through beautiful shaped cliffs and mountains slopes. The place offers you magnificent views of Khurpatal, nearby villages, and forests. You can also see plantation and fields over terraced fields giving the place its own charm.

Khurpatal View from Lands end - Day treks in nainital trip
Source – nainitalbuzz.com

Difficulty Level: Easy

Distance – 5 km from Nainital Town and 1 km from Barapathar

Timings for Visit – 5:30am – 6:00pm

Time to complete trek – 1-2 hrs 

  1. Trek to Guano Hills

The Guano hills are situated in the Pangot village of scenic Nainital at an altitude of 1985 km. The place is away from the hustle bustle of city and offers a calm, relaxing and serene environment. The Guano hills can be reached by trekking, cab or auto rickshaw. The craggy and rocky hiking trail passes through dense forests of oak, bamboo, and deodar. The place offers you lush green spectacular views and can spot rare birds like gray woodpeckers.

Guano hills - Day treks in Nainital trip
Source -groupouting.com

Difficulty Level: Easy

Distance – Pangot Village lies at a distance of 17-18 km from Nainital

Timings for Visit – 8:00 am – 6:00pm

Time to complete trek –2 – 3 hrs

Must Carry – Water and camera

  1. Trek to Tiffins Top (Dorothy’s Seat)

Tiffin Top also known as Dorothy’s seat is a stone bench built in the memory of English artist Dorothy Kellet on the hill top. The passage to the Tiffins top is a bit tricky and make sure to climb up and down with some local guy instead of getting lost in the jungle. The roads are cobbled so the trek is a bit tough than the others mentioned. The other option to reach can be through horses. The hilltop gives you the breathtaking spectacular views of Nainital town and Naini Lake. You will be counting the buildings and spending hours viewing the nature’s beauty. So it is worth adding to the Nainital trip.

Tiffin Top - Day treks in Naiinital trip
Source -holidfy.com

Difficulty Level: Moderate (as compared to others in Nainital)

Distance –4 km from Nainital Town

Timings for Visit – 9:00 am – 5:00pm

Time to complete trek –2 – 3 hrs

Must Carry – Water, camera, sunscreen and good walking shoes

The beauty of Uttarakhand state is unimaginable. The Himalayan ecology is well conserved and these treks offer a great retreat for nature lovers and bird watchers. So, add these treks too, when you plan your next Nainital trip.

Leave a comment to let us know which one you added to your Nainital Trip.