The name Mukteshwar reminds me of the great Jim Corbett. After all it is the place where he was almost out thought by the wild man-eater. But the great Jim, eventually succeeded on killing the big cat, and then wrote his famous book – ‘Man Eaters of Kumaon’. Years have gone by, but thankfully, Mukteshwar with its forested hill slopes and sleepy serene atmosphere, have retained its old world charm.
I got the chance to visit Mukteshwar, this April, and was completely blown away by the beauty of the place.
The journey from Nainital to Mukteshwar is absolutely spellbinding. From Nainital we came down till Bhowali, and took the road that goes to Mukteshwar via Ramgarh. Soon after crossing Bhowali, the forest started. It was April, bloom time for the Rhododendrons. Every nook and corner of the forest was painted with the vibrant scarlet of Rhododendron.
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| Rhododendrons at Mukteshwar |
The Apple Orchards of Ramgarh
Soon we reached Ramgarh, and from Ramgarh the scarlet rhododendron was replaced by the white apple flowers. Ramgarh is famous for its apple orchards. Each and every hill slope around Ramgarh was full of blooming apple tree. I tried to conjure up the scene, when couple of months later, those trees would be fully laden with red apples. It must have been some sight to behold.
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| Ramgarh Apple Orchards |
Mukteshwar was another 25 kms from Ramgarh. We kept driving, leaving behind the blooming apple orchards, and once again moved into the forested hill slopes full of rhododendrons and reached there within an hour. We had our booking in KMVN, which is at the highest hilltop in Mukteshwar. The road to KMVN goes through the reserve forest maintained by IVRI, the sprawling forest with its age old pine and Deodar trees looked surreal.
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| IVRI reserve forest view from KMVN TRH |
The location of KMVN Mukteshwar is absolutely brilliant. From the viewpoint one can see 390 kms of unobstructed Himalayan snow peaks, starting from Chaukhamba in Gahrwal range, the entire Kumaon range, and some snow peaks of Nepal Himalaya as well. But unfortunately the entire range was covered with clouds that day, so we could not get the view. But we kept our finger crossed for the next morning. The forested valley view and the view of layery hills from KMVN were nonetheless extremely refreshing.
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| View of Layery Hills from KMVN Mukteshwar |
An afternoon well spent at Chauli ki Jali
On the afternoon we went for a short forest trek, towards the famous Chauli-Ki-Jali viewpoint. Once again we strolled through clumps of rhododendron. Chauli-Ki-Jali is really unique; the hilltop here is extremely rugged giving a completely different rocky look.
The mountains here have dropped almost vertically thousands of feet making it a great place for adventure sports. We could see some people trying their hand in rappelling. The view of the valley from the top was breathtakingly beautiful. The place is completely different from rest of Mukteshwar. While Mukteshwar is thickly wooded, the rugged world of Chauli Ki Jali provides a completely different perspective to the beauty of the hill station.
Chauli Ki Jali is also famous for its sunset. We stayed there till sunset, when the setting sun painted the sky with myriad hues, and as the valley below got draped with mist we returned to our cozy little KMVN guesthouse.
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| The rugged world of Chauli Ki Jali |
Next Morning - Himalayan Grandeur and A Trip to Nathuakhan
The next morning Himalaya came out in all its grandeur. The sky was crystal clear. The entire Kumaon range starting from Nandaghunti to Panchachulli was standing in front of us. Especially the view of Trishul and Nandadevi from Mukteshwar was mesmerizing. They looked tantalizingly close. On the left of Kumaon range we could see a part of Gahrwal range also, Chaukhamba, Nilkanth was clearly visible. As the day progressed, the peaks became more and more clear. The presence of majestic Himalayan snow peaks against a clear blue sky was absolutely ethereal. The KMVN manager aptly said – ‘You have your paisa wasool’.
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| Himalayan Range from KMVN Mukteshwar |
After the breakfast we went for a trip to Nathuakhan, to experience the fruit orchards around Mukteshwar. Nathuakhan is one of the most famous villages in Kumaon for its orchards. The entire place is dotted with peach plum apple and apricot orchards.
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| Orchards at Nathuakhan |
We took the forest road that goes through the IVRI reserve forest, that goes past small little hamlet of Shitla and Peora and reaches Nathuakhan. A drive in that route itself is an experience. We had to register our entry in a small little kiosk before entering the road through the IVRI reserve forest. The route provides breathtaking view of thickly wooded deodar forest maintained for centuries by IVRI. You could also see the animal research centers set up by IVRI in that route.
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| Driving through the IVRI reserve forest |
We reached Nathuakhan within an hour. Nathuakhan is at a much lower altitude than Mukteshwar, so the climate here is more conducive for fruit harvesting. We saw quaint little village houses, with a slice of garden attached to them. Most of the trees in those gardens were laden with beautiful flowers. In the next couple of months time, those branches will be full with luscious fruits and the region would be turned into the Fruit Bowl of Kumaon.
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| Pahadi Village of Kumaon at Nathuakhan |
While returning from Nathuakhan, we visited the famous Mukteshwar Mahadev temple. The temple is at a hilltop, adjacent to KMVN. One has to take more than hundred of steps to reach the temple, but the view of Himalaya and the divine atmosphere at the temple is sublime. We paid our homage and returned back to our hotel.
Mukteshwar the quaint little Kumauni village with its apple orchards, forested hill slopes, and majestic Himalayan snow view turned out to be the perfect leisure destination for us. We will surely revisit this magical place.
Travel Tips
- Mukteshwar due to its high altitude remains a very good option for summer break in Kumaon.
- KMVN Mukteshwar has the best location among all hotels and resort at Mukteshwar.
- Do not expect Himalayan Snowpeak views during summer months from Mukteshwar due to smog/cloud.
- A visit in April (for blooming orchards) or in Winter (for clear himalayan views) is recommended.
