A Winter Revisit to Kumaon

Himalayan Ranges from Binsar KMVN

Kumaon has been one of my favourite destinations for last few years. The people here are great, the Himalayan views are to die for and most importantly apart from Munsiyari most of the places are connected with a silky-smooth road, which takes away the stress of journey on the hills.

During the Christmas break of 2018, I once again decided to head towards this amazingly beautiful place. This time the plan was to touch Binsar first, to experience the newly made luxury cottages by KMVN and then head towards Chaukori for an extended stay for 3 days. Road condition permitting, a cursory visit to Munsiyari was also drafted, to enjoy the snow enroute.

The newly made KMVN Binsar Cottage

 KMVN Binsar Cottages

Binsar is certainly the jewel of Kumaon. In fact, there are very few places in Uttarakhand which has the same amount of primitive beauty which Binsar provides. Nestled in the midst of a thickly wooded sanctuary visiting Binsar is like losing yourself into oblivion. Situated at a ridge and providing some gorgeous views of Himalayan snowpeak, KMVN Binsar is the place to stay, in Binsar.

KMVN recently has opened up a luxury cottage at Binsar. Since I visited Binsar earlier, so this time thought of getting myself this cosy piece of accommodation and I was not disappointed at all. The cottages were made up of stone from outside and finished with wooden interiors. Its extremely spacious and the bed and the upholstery is genuinely premium. The main advantage of the cottage is it’s much warmer than the other choices, and during the winter, when there’s sub zero temperature outside, it can certainly keep you comfortable.

Himalayan Snow peaks from KMVN Binsar cottage balcony

There’s a nice private balcony outside, which provides some magnificent view of the Himalayan snow peaks.

A Sunny day at Binsar

Unfortunately the day we reached Binsar, was not the best in terms of weather. The skies were a little cloudy obstructing the views of the snowpeaks partially, However the next day, it all cleared up, and we were greeted with some mesmerizing Himalayan views. The day started with a stunning sunrise, painting Mt Trishul and NandaDevi with its crimson rays. Post breakfast we had a stroll towards the famous zero point in Binsar, through the thickly wooded trail. The mountain views through the foliage was surreal.

Himalaya peeping through the foliage

Towards Chaukori Via Bageshwar

Even though this is my third visit to Kumaon, I have never been to Chaukori via the Bageshwar route, and have always taken the Sheraghat – Berinag route. However, this time I travelled via Bageshwar, as I knew that the Himalayan snow peak view is glorious in this route. After crossing Bageshwar the snowy mountains will accompany you for the next 40 odd kilometres until you reach Chaukori, and some of the vistas from some hitherto unknown villages are to die for.

Himalayan View at Bageshwar

Just before reaching Bageshwar you can get a glimpse of the snowy mountains and the Sarayu river together, which is really beautiful. Bageswar is a holy town, centred around the famous Bagnath temple dedicated to lord Shiva and looked enticing.

We drove past some picture postcard villages of Bigul, Kafligar, Vijaypur and reached Chaukori just before the sunset. From the lawns of Chaukori got a surreal view of the Panchachulli range, glittering in the golden twilight.

The golden Panchachulli Peaks from KMVN Chaukori

Munsiyari in search of snow

On reaching Chaukori, we got the confirmation that couple of weeks back on December 14^th there was a heavy snowfall at Munsiyari. Moreover, a light snowfall also happened just the previous night as well. So getting the chance to see the snow at Munsiyari was very much on the cards.

Next morning we started pretty early, at around 8 a.m. The plan was to visit Munsiyari and comeback to Chaukori before the sunset. The road from Chaukori to Munsiyari is quite long and treacherous at times.

Nandakot from Chaukori

Initially it was a downhill journey along the banks of Ramganga till Thal. The emerald green waters of Ramganga was a treat to watch. After Thal we once again started climbing uphill. Birthi lies almost at a strategically located point in this route. It has the tallest waterfall in the region, and also after this point, the most challenging stretch of the journey starts. We had a small pit stop at Birthi, taking some snaps of the waterfall, and having some refreshment at KMVN Birthi, and started our uphill climb towards Munsiyari.

 

Birthi falls - viewed from KMVN Birthi

First glimpse of massive Panchachulli

The road from Birthi to Munsiary is a thriller. The gradient of the road is very steep, and with a deep ravine in one side. It really requires some skill to negotiate this stretch of the road. Within next 10 kilometers after crossing Birthi the landscape changes dramatically. The rolling hills are now replaced with the lofty walls of greater Himalaya, thickly covered with Deodar. The sign of a snowfall last night also became pretty apparent, with the amount of snow we could see on the road.

Just after crossing a place called Ratapani we had our biggest surprise. Suddenly we saw the massive Panchachulli range standing in front of us.

Massive Panchachulli at Kalamuni

I have never been so close to a greater himlayan peak. It was like you could touch its walls. The glacier from Pachanchulli 1 peak was clearly visible. We stood there for some time as this outstanding beauty of nature needed some time to sink in and once again started our uphill climb towards Kalamuni top the highest point in this route.

Frozen landscape - Enroute Munsyari

 Kalamuni Top

Kalamuni top is the ultimate point in this route. It’s a flat land on top of a mountain. When we reached there, we saw it’s almost entirely covered with snow. The snow laden Kalamuni top, against a clear blue sky was dazzling like a piece of jewel. On the background the Panchachulli peaks were making the whole frame absolutely heavenly.

Snowfall at Kalamuni Top

We were delighted to find snow in such huge amount.  So, it didn’t take us long to let loose ourselves on that wonderful landscape. The kid inside us, took over, and we started playing with the snow, and making snowman. The entire area, with snow all around looked like a fairy tale setting.

 A cursory visit to Munsiyari

Had a small halt at Munsiyari. The town looked straight out of the picture postcard with lofty hills and snow peaks at the backdrop.

Snowfall at Munsiyari

We had our lunch at KMVN, and provided a cursory visit to the small little market. Bought the famous Rajma of Munsiyari and then decided to start our return journey. It was almost 2 o'clock by then, and after an almost non stop journey , apart from a small tea break at Thal, we reached Chaukori just before the sunset.

 A morning in Chaukori

Chaukori is one of the better places to enjoy the sunrise in Kumaon. Even though KMVN compound has a watchtower erected to enjoy the sunrise view, the best vantage point is a 500-meter walk outside the campus towards the dilapidated tea garden.

Morning sunrays at Mt Nandadevi

Mount Nandadevi and Nandakot looks absolutely ethereal from Chaukori. The morning sun did paint its myriad hues on them.

Chaukori is also famous for its birdlife. The mornings are absolutely magical with their chirps and tweets. Saw this orange headed Thrush in the woods.

Birdlife at Chaukori

Trip to Gangolihaat and Pataal Bhuvaneswar

Next day we visited Haat Kalika temple and Pataal Bhuvaneswar Mandir from Chaukori. While Pataal Bhuvaneswar temple is one of the most revered temple in the region, and truly a natural wonder with its underground limestone caves, I was equally impressed with the beauty of the road, which goes from Chaukori to Pataal.

Himalaya at Pataal Bhuvaneswar

It certainly off the beaten track, and the hillslopes on this route is covered with thick Deodar and oak, instead of the usual Pine trees, and thus provides a different look. Pataal Bhuvaneswar is a place brimming with tourists and pilgrims, and with its age old temples and thickly wooded slopes looks intriguing.

Entrance to Pataal Bhuvaneswar

From Pataal Bhuvaneswar we visited Haat Kalika temple in Gangolihaat. This temple is also situated in the midst of thickly wooded deodar forest. The place is serene, just outside the Gangolihaat town.

Haat Kalika Temple at Gangolihaat

The temple is brilliantly maintained by Kumaon Regiment of Indian army with squeaky clean surroundings. We paid our homage to Maa Kali. It was possibly the perfect way to mark the end of 2018 and start the new year with all her blessings.