Uttarakhand - An offbeat winter wonderland #offbeattravels

Tripoto
25th Jan 2019
Photo of Uttarakhand - An offbeat winter wonderland #offbeattravels by Pooja Khandelwal

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:

Day 1

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 😊

All covered up

Photo of Lohajung - Wan Road, Kuling, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

Love seeing these tiny villages from a distance, always - absolute winterland

Photo of Lohajung - Wan Road, Kuling, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

Some exercise moves to fight cold :)

Photo of Lohajung - Wan Road, Kuling, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

Feeling some snowflakes and jumping around :)

Photo of Lohajung - Wan Road, Kuling, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal
Day 2

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 😂

The views while we were driving down - An early morning with clouds stuck between the valley

Photo of Dinapani, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

Absolute winter wonderland

Photo of Dinapani, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

Absolute winter wonderland

Photo of Dinapani, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

Look at those zig zag roads

Photo of Dinapani, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

And it changed completely as we drove to low-lands :)

Photo of Dinapani, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

Look at the mountain range - stunning!

Photo of Dinapani, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

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.

Some logs to fight the cold . Those are the rooms up there where we stayed

Photo of The Moksha Retreat, National Highway 309A, Matena, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

And the morning views from Moksha

Photo of The Moksha Retreat, National Highway 309A, Matena, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

Perfect place to do some Yoga :)

Photo of The Moksha Retreat, National Highway 309A, Matena, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal
Day 3

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.

Kasardavi temple

Photo of Kasar Devi Temple Almora, Rd, Kasardevi, Almora, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

Some historical facts about the temple

Photo of Kasar Devi Temple Almora, Rd, Kasardevi, Almora, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

You can see Almora town on a clear day from here

Photo of Kasar Devi Temple Almora, Rd, Kasardevi, Almora, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

A perfect place to take a bit of rest :)

Photo of Kasar Devi Temple Almora, Rd, Kasardevi, Almora, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

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!!!


Enjoying the views :)

Photo of Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Binsar, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal
Photo of Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Binsar, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

Sunset while driving back from Binsar

Photo of Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Binsar, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

These views - I was never tired of these

Photo of Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Binsar, Uttarakhand, India by Pooja Khandelwal

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