Barot Highland Retreat....a destination unmatched!!

This log is specifically for those travelers who have the following on their radars :- 1. An Offbeat niche. 2. Away from crowds and unspoilt. 3. Location to offer multiple options like trekking/ hiking and sightseeing etc. 4. Comfort 5. Good food!

If above mentioned ingredients are what you have been looking for, look no further. Barot Highland Retreat (www.colonelshighlandretreat.com) in Mandi District meets all aforementioned requirements and much more.

It is a new, aesthetically constructed property with all modern day comforts but with a touch of rusticity. Being a retreat, TV and open wi-fi have not been provided except in a central place. Views from the rooms as well as from the premises are something to die for. Be it mist rising from the valley below and entering your room or fog engulfing you and isolating you from the world for a fleeting moment or thunderous downpour or sunny days during winters- there is too much to be seen, felt and enjoyed.

Located in the close vicinity of a small mountain village, the property is surrounded by fields that produce some of the best organic varieties of potatoes, peas and such like crops. One would get to see age old methods like ploughing using hardy bulls, man-based agriculture and use of traditional organic fertilizers. Clean, cool and fresh breeze, a clear sky throwing up millions of stars to gaze at, untreated water from a mountain spring would, together, create a meal of a different kind for you.

Single use plastic is simply banned here. Cloth napkins are used instead of tissue papers; eat-ware is all steel based; soap and shampoos are dispensed from the walls; steel straws instead of plastic ones; no use of thermocol based disposable material and conversion of kitchen waste into organic manure are some of the steps taken to minimise the possible damage that such ventures in such areas tend to cause.

And yes, it is an absolutely offbeat, pollution free place that is away from noise, crowds and chaos. The niche offers to options to trek or hike, make half day or full day trips to places around, like Barot, Parashar Lake, Bir-Billing and Baijnath. Paragliding can be done at Bir-Billing.

For queries and reservations, pl call +91-9419235090 or drop a mail at barothighlandretreat@gmail.com