Memoirs of Our Uttarakhand Tours

It was our most judicious decision that we trusted our tour agent completely for planning and organizing our Uttarakhand tours. This was our first visit to the country and our 16 days travel itinerary included a visit to Berinag; a place we hadn’t heard of neither did searching the web provided much information about this heaven of a place. Yet we were excited about the off-beaten path that we took for our tours to Uttarakhand and left earliest for Berinag only to be greeted by nature’s bounty, aromatic valleys, beautiful people and ancient traditions.

Climate and geography: A tiny hill station in the lap of Mother Nature, Berinag with its peaceful and gorgeous ambiance is a place worth seeing for sightseeing of Himalayan peaks such as Panchachuli and Nandadevi. Embellished with thick forests, lush valleys, gorgeous ravines and rich flora and fauna, Berinag is gorgeous scenery. Temperature touches freezing point during winters whereas summers are pleasant. Throughout our stay in the vicinity sudden accumulation of clouds causing rains was a common feature; the gorgeous emerald hues washed in rain water would look even more beautiful.

Where to stay: Our stay was booked in advance at Kumaon Mandal Vikas’s bungalow. Passing a beautiful river and traversing through quaint forests we reached the bungalow which is located in Chokri region. The location was great and services efficient; other options for accommodation include private lodges.

Places to be seen: This quaint hamlet is perched at an altitude of 1740m above sea level and its salubrious climate creates ideal conditions for yielding high quality tea plantations. Views of snow capped peaks of majestic Himalayas are a perfect eye-candy. Apart from walking in the tea gardens and enjoying the scenic scenery we spent most of our time exploring its famous snake temples such as Dhaurinag, Kalinag, Feninag, Harinag temple and more. Also Tripura Devi Temple and Koteshwar Cave Temple were interesting sites. Other than these I particularly remember our visit to Kotmanya Deer Park which is home to abundance of musk deer. Locally called Kasturi Mrig, these are a special species of deer with a substance with a penetrating odour. The aroma of Kasturi (musk) filled in the air can be smelled from far distances and further enhances the angelic beauty of the town almost surreal.

Amidst greenery of Berinag we had the most tranquilizing rendezvous with Mother Nature. We left ecstatic and rejuvenated, we would love to go back again.

Related posts:

If you could have dinner with anyone from the past, present, or future who is dead or alive who would it be? I never really knew how to answer this question up until a few years ago where I came…