Tag Archives: Uttrakhand

The Beautiful Binsar Valley in Monsoons

The elevated pitch of modernization and civilization had turned most of the Hill –Stations to Hill Cities. These hill cities with the luxury of Wi-fi, pizzerias, television, etc may be attractive for most but not some. At the same time, some hill stations managed to not be the part of the league and took a bold step to protect themselves from the destruction of commercialization and civilization. The beautiful Binsar Valley, 23 Km from Almora in Uttarakhand is one of them. In 1988, the Forest Department of Binsar took steps to preserve and conserve the forests of broad oak leaf.

Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary
Road to Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary

Binsar is not a village or town but a wildlife sanctuary spread over 46 sq. Km. It is a big natural swath of forestland, painted with pine and oak trees.

Inside Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary
During Monsoons Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary

Once you enter the Binsar Valley registration fee (Rs 150 per person and Rs 250 for the vehicle), you are in a different world and era. The place had its own natural aura. It seems time clock had frozen years back for this place and sunlight never had an opportunity to kiss this place. While climbing the narrow and snaky roads, chances of spotting wildlife and birds increased as compared to humans.

Evenings at Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary
Evenings at Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary

Days in the Binsar wildlife sanctuary are quite long and different from other places. There is nothing much to do except listening to your own heartbeat with a cool breeze in your ears and trailing the long and dark trails of thick forests till sunset and Zero Point. While wandering on the ridge you can spot Deer, Gray Langur, Wild Boar, Jungle Cat, Jungle Goat, etc and different varieties of birds. If you are lucky enough then sometimes you get a glimpse of leopard too. At 7 Km from the registration point, on the green meadows stands Bineshwar Mahadev temple, known for its architectural excellence.

Bineshwar Mahadev Temple- Binsar
Bineshwar Mahadev Temple- Binsar

During clear skies, from zero point one can get the magnificent views of resolute standing peaks like Nanda Devi, Trishul, Shivling, Kedarnath, etc at a range of 300 km.

Some visit Binsar valley for a day while others prefer to stay here for several days in the lap of nature. There are five hotels and resorts and 2-3 homestays in total. The Binsar Forest retreat is an Eco-friendly homestay located at an altitude of 7600 feet. It offers the sounds and sights of wilderness along with spectacular views of Himalayas and Valley. The Grand Oak Manor offers you comfortable cozy rooms with an old history. The Marry Budden Estate also with the history of the 18th century provides you a luxury living. The Khali estate located at a height of 6600 feet offers you panoramic views of snow-clad mountains and valley. The KMVN (Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam Limited) guest house, located at 7600 ft was created to increase employment opportunities and community development of the Garwhal region. It does justice with the marvelous location providing all the spectacular views of valley and forest.

KMVN Guest House - Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary
KMVN Guest House – Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary

Some Important Points to Take Care of:

  • Do not move around in the jungle after dusk.
  • Do not leave your children alone.
  • Do not throw lit cigarettes as it can lead to a fire.
  • Use electricity only when required.
  • Carry a sturdy pair of shoes and Umbrella for exploring this place on foot.

Weekend getaway to an old world charm – The Grand Hotel Nainital

Sometimes you feel like running away from the scorching heat, traffic of Delhi. That is what happened with me and my husband last weekend and we planned to rush out. But now the question was where to go? The limited options for weekend getaway from Delhi are Mussorie, Nainital, Jaipur, Shimla etc. Somehow we decided over Nainital. We started from Delhi at 2:00 p.m. and reached around 9:00 p.m. Thanks to NHAI (National highway authority of India) for making it a pleasant journey. We checked into our hotel “The Grand Hotel Nainital  on the mall road. It’s a colonial style hotel with magnificent panoramic views of the Naini lake.

 

The Grand Hotel - Nainital
Naini Lake View – The Grand Hotel Nainital

Architecture

The Grand Hotel, Nainital was first built hotel by Britishers in 1872. They have maintained their architecture in traditional style – long open verandahs, stone walls, wooden floors, high ceilings, preserved firewalls and veteran style furniture. We could even found the ball room dance lounge and grand banquets in the dining hall.

Colonial Style Verandhas - The Grand Hotel Nainital
Long Open Verandahs – The Grand Hotel Nainital

Comfort

In the room of The Grand Hotel Nainital there was everything; from water to glasses to neat and clean bedding, attached washrooms with traditional cloth drying racks, old wooden cupboard, tall mirrors, ethnic style lighting and carpeting throughout the room to make it comfortable during winters.

Food

In The Grand Hotel Nainital , for meals we had to place an order and they are served only in the dining area, to give the perfect feel of grand banquets, whereas snacks are served to rooms, throughout the day.

Nearby, there are good eating joints which are open till 12 midnight.

Weather

March end and April starting is the perfect timings to explore this place. There was a blend of cool breeze with sun warmth during the day and evenings are chirpy, cool. At one point of time I felt the need of shawl or jacket, but without it was more joyful.

 Sitting in the verandah of The Grand Hotel Nainital, we could get the panoramic view of Naini Lake with tall trees around it and people chirping on the streets of mall road.At night around 11, strolling mall road hand in hand was an amazing experience. You can see wonderful reflections of light and moon in the water.
Reflections in Nainital lake - The Grand Hotel Nainital
Night View of Lake – The Grand Hotel Nainital

 Staff

Staff was courteous, mannered and well dressed. The welcoming smiles on their face made you actually speak to them.

In short, I will say The Grand Hotel Nainital is a perfect blend of traditional and modern culture and a must visit once.