Being born and brought up in the mountains, I have this never-ending love for mountains. Natural scenic beauty, views once captured with your eyes, you will never forget them. Snow covered peaks of mighty Himalaya’s on one side, lush green forest on the other, there is an unforgettable whiff of freshness in the cold air, which makes you feel divine. A place like this is the best getaway for your extended weekend plans.
Let me help you to such five offbeat places to stay, where you can totally be a part of nature itself.
Chaani Churani
This beautiful six cottages resort is located on Chakrata Mussoorie Highway, a short drive away from Chakrata. Chaani, the name is derived from the Jaunsari (Tribe in Uttarakhand) culture. It means a place close to the farming lands of the tribe, usually a double story house with livestock at ground floor and people staying at the first floor. When you visit Chaani Churani, you will just watch the charm of the place taking full control over you and leaving yourself overwhelmed with the perfect combination of nature, adventure and the hospitality of the people. You can involve yourself in numerous adventurous activities like camping, hiking, etc. around this place
Sitting at 8000ft with a breathtaking view, it offers you a perfect escape from the busy lifestyle of your city. The abundance of rich flora and fauna also adds to the beauty of this place. And most important, do not forget to enjoy the local cuisine delicacies. I am sure you will love the Pahari taste. You can visit this place anytime during the year but ideal time would be from September to April. You are advised to carry some warm clothes all the time because rains can cause a sudden drop in the temp during summers.
Ramtal Resorts, Ramtal Garden
As you can find out from the name of the place, this resort is located near a historic pond, which is almost extinct now. But it hardly makes any difference to the beauty of the place though it would have certainly added to it. Located 12 km approx. from Chakrata on the Chakrata Mussoorie Highway, this place serves a view delight to the visitor’s eyes. An ideal place to plan your family picnic with mother nature.
The accommodation is quite comfortable with quality tents offering ample amount of facilities so that you feel connected to the world yet happily away from its busy roads, tall concrete jungles, etc. Your hosts are friendly and take care of all your needs. You can plan small hiking trips and camp around the resort with your family and friends as this place has plenty to offer. There is a horticulture farming facility, and you can visit there if you are interested in horticulture, and you can also enjoy some bird watching. This garden includes many types of lichen, ferns, climbers, conifers, woody trees and plants. Some of the popular birds in this garden are oriental turtle dove, Grey Treepie, and black headed Jay. Best time to visit is from September to April. Keep light woolen clothes during summer and heavy woolen clothes during winters.
Himalayan Eco Lodges & Camps, Viratkhai Chakrata
A spectacular combination of camps and lodges is available at Viratkhai, just 25kms away from Chakrata, an army cantonment area from the colonial period. Wonderful weather, good connectivity to the roads, experienced staff and some activities to keep you occupied, makes it a must visit for those who has exquisite taste in nature.
Your day comprises of a visit to the local market in Chakrata, where you can buy local handicrafts. Tiger Fall, a waterfall is at 2 hrs walk downhill from Chakrata. You can enjoy numerous hiking and rock climbing sports near your camp in Viratkhai. For people who are more adventurous, they can go for river rafting in the Yamuna to engage in a wild ride through class II and class III+ rapids and get an adrenalin rush. Not only this, with the sun leaving you in the company of a pleasant night and star-spangled sky, you can enjoy a bonfire with local tribal music or Hindi/English music. It slowly submerges you in the mood of the night with fire and music and locals dancing to the tunes of tribal instruments. Well that's not all, a well-prepared piping hot dinner awaits you before you plan to settle for the night.The ideal time to visit this place is from September to April. You are advised to carry some warm clothes all the time because rains can cause a sudden drop in the temp during summers.
Blue Canvas Resort, Korwa Chakrata
The name exactly suits the facade of the resort. It feels like someone has painted a glorious image with green and blue. This resort offers you 15 well maintained and equipped Swiss tents to stay. Similar to the above, this resort also offers you a vacation which you would like to repeat every time. What is different about this place is the engagement level of the local people in making you feel at home.
There are a lot of places to visit around blue canvas resort like the visit to Chakrata, Tiger fall, Kimona Falls, Budher & Kanasar. You can also indulge yourself in nature walk in the forest, bird watching, camping & hiking. Your host at the resort will arrange trips for you to various exotic and unexplored locations.You can visit this place all round the year. Light woolens during summer and heavy woolens during winters will be advisable.
Forest Rest House(FRH), Deoban
Deoban FRH is a govt. Property situated in the middle of the beautiful and dense Deodar forest in Deoban, 13 km from Chakrata and can be accessed either by road or you can also trek from Chakrata. The drive passes through dense Deodar forest and a wide species of Birds and Animals. Deodar provides one of the best quality wood used by the locals to build their long lasting homes.
The motorable road is till the forest rest house and from there you can take 15 mins walk through the dense Deodar forest to reach the historical Vyas Shikhar, the place where Sage Vyas has written the Hindu epic "Mahabharata." Bird watching is also a famous attraction at this place, and one can see White Collard Blackbirds, Himalayan Woodpeckers, and some other migratory birds during the winter season.You can visit this place all round the year. Do not forget to carry woolen clothes. It is advisable to plan you trip only in 4X4 vehicles (especially during winters and rainy season) or vehicles with good ground clearance.
This post was originally published on Into the mountains and below
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