My plan was to drive all the way up to Lohajung and do the famous Brahmatal trek, which is known as one of the best multi day winter trek in India.
It is also one the trek routes which is open for winters while other high altitude routes still remain close due to heavy snow!
I was there in last week of July and unfortunately, that year, it snowed heavily until late into the winters, hence the route was still closed, that means cancellation of my trek!
Nonetheless, I wasn't disappointed, as having trekking from few years now, I very well understand that you can never trust the weather in the mountains, it can change in a moment and that too drastically.
I decided to spend next three days exploring random destinations on my way back to Kathgodam, from where I had to catch my train back to Delhi.
And gosh, all I can say is Uttarakhand is definitely an offbeat winter wonderland!!! You may see a bit of people around Lohajung, which is a base for famous trekking route, however would absolutely find no one around the other destinations, which are so serene, beautiful, calm and worth spending sometime in!
So, here is what I did for next 3 days:
Exploring Lohajung:
As mentioned, its a small village. During winters it is literally under the blanket of snow. I enjoyed long walks on the snow with freezing temperatures, magical sunrises and sunsets, snowflakes melting on my face and of course a bit of jumping around soaking in the white magic.
After all, you don't always need to see something touristy when you travel; a slow life is always so welcoming 😊
Driving to Dinapani
The drive from Lohajung was absolutely out of the world, driving through kind of ice age with outstanding views around! For a moment it gave me a feeling of being somewhere in northern Europe where everything is covered under the snow during the winter.
We made a few stops on the capturing the beautiful vistas and even some crystal clear views of Majestic Trishul and Nandadevi mountain ranges, as we drove down.
The only thing which worried me during our drive was the vehicle, which had no chains on and absolutely no treads on the Tyre and kept slipping every now and then throughout the route 😂
Spending some off time in Moksha Retreat
Fortunately, one of the friend who was travelling with me had a recommendation on where we should stay on our drive back from Lohajung, which was a bit off the way from the main route, but was absolutely worth it.
The place clearly stood to its name!!! It was so quiet and serene here that you can actually spend some extended time here for spiritual experience.
The mornings here were the highlight with the whole Nanda Devi range right in front of you with clear blue skies. We spent time doing some yoga and walking around this vast property of Moksha Retreat.
Exploring Kasar Devi
Around 15 km drive, there is a famous temple, Kasar Devi. You can rent a bike and go and visit this temple and drive around a bit to take few pictures
To get to the temple itself, you will have to climb few stairs; the temple is on a small hill.
Exploring Binsar
The next we drove to Binsar national park. The upper part of the park was closed as there was too much snow. It was risky to drive our bike beyond a point, so we walked a bit but couldn't reach to the last viewpoint as it was getting dark and there was a bit too much of snow to walk!
Moreover there were couple of locals who warned of encountering a snow leopard in the dark and even showed us some paw imprints o the snow!!!
Back to Kathgodam
Spending 2 days around, we then drove back to Kathgodam, for our train back to Delhi.
I know a unsuccessful trip in terms of I couldn't complete the trek, but a very successful in terms of I thoroughly enjoyed this offbeat winter wonderland 😊
Where to stay
As mentioned, definitely would recommend Moksha Retreat. It was awesome, not only in terms of their rooms and facilities, but also because of their excellent location and brilliant food!
Cost
Transport: Rs 1000 - shared jeep to and from kathgodam to Lohajung
Stay: Rs 500 at Lohajung, 1 night; Rs 1500 (per person) for 2 nights at Moksha
Bike Rent: Rs 400/day
Food: Rs 2000
Train to your destination: Varies depending on where you are headed to