Urna - A Place to Rejuvenate amidst Unperturbed Mountain Life, Silent Forest and Starlit Sky

If you are from north India and looking for a short, tranquil escape on any long weekend in the lap of Himalaya then you are on a right place. This dreamy homestay near Mukteshwar will allow you to experience a life that seems coming straight from a fairytale page.

Urna Boutique stay is situated in a lesser known village from Uttarakhand and is enveloped with snow-capped mountain ranges, silent valley adorned with cute mountain hamlet and thick rhododendron forest in surrounding. The best part of this property is its good connectivity and decent distance from nearby mainstream places and crowd of unruly tourists.

How to book: This pet friendly property has only three A lined cottages and it is always safer to book in advance. You can directly book from their website or you can call directly Mr. Anurag on +918630688564. The best steal is for the Tripoto family, this property is in 'Tripoto's Mindful Retreat'. So if you share content regularly on this platform and have handsome credit bank, then you can book it directly from Tripoto.

How to Go: By road it takes around 9-10 hours from Delhi. However, the most convenient way is to book a train to Kathgodam and then take a cab ride of two hours from there. The cab charge is approximately INR 2000-2500/-.

Best Time to Go: This part of Uttarakhand has access throughout the year. If you want to enjoy magical Rhododendron blossom, then spring to summer would be the best season. During September-October it's lush green all around, rivers and waterfalls are full to the brim and clear blue sky will give you good visibility. If you want to enjoy snowfall then plan in winter.

My Experience in Urna:

We reached Kathgodam at 11:50 am by Shatabdi Express from Delhi. When we arrived at Urna we were greeted with rolling mist stretching across the mountain slopes. The exhaustion from a journey for almost seven hours was nicely washed away with warm welcome and scrumptious Kumaoni lunch made by Mr. Balwant and Jevan. All three meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) were prepared through 'farm to table' concept and satisfied me to the core.

The wooden dining area has a small library and the window opened to stunning view of valley. As the sun descended, the whole place got smeared with a soft golden hue, leaving me in the state of enchantment.

In evening, a small bonfire was arranged under the vast open night sky with sips of masala tea. As it got darker, we heard thrilling stories of spirit, wild animals and unknown mysterious events that happened in that village in past. Slowly the chirping crickets, slow burning of bonfire and sound of gentle breeze cossing through the treetops lulled us into an otherworldly state. After dinner my stargazing session continued till midnight.

The next day after breakfast we went for village walk and a short hike to forest.

The whole village terrain was looking like a painted canvas. Most of the houses sit right in the middle of agricultural lands. We spotted farms of cauliflower, cabbage, green peas, corn and spinach. The adults were busy in farming and household chores. Small village kids were scuttling around.

As we walked along the stone path, few of the local people curiously approached us and started conversation.

We crossed the village and entered into forest. Jevan introduced us to varieties of wild plants with medicinal benefits. After a while we reached a small open meadow where few horses were grazing. The place looked so unreal, it felt that we were sitting in a set of the movie 'Into the Wild'. After soaking into pure bliss of wild, we headed back towards our homestay.

After lunch, it was a time for long afternoon nap. It was our last day in Urna. So I was determined to make the most of my favorite stargazing session. This night the sky was even more clear. After lot of failed attempts, finally I could capture some decent night sky pictures. While sitting under the stars we got a sudden encounter with three harmless fox cubs. Slowly, the mountains, the village, the forest went into peaceful slumber. Only I and the stars remained awake.

And this is how the charm of Urna made me realize that we all carry a whole universe inside us. There's no such things like fairytale or fantasy. We all are dreamer of reality. Cosmos works with us to shape our imagination into reality. So keep dreaming and live your dreams.

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