Binsar : Hills, Greens & Complete Peace

When it comes to travel for a holiday, I tend to look out for hidden jewels on this planet where I can find greenery, salubrious climate, peace, solitude, open sky with clear vision of heavenly bodies, birds chirping, animal sighting etc.

I am always on a look out for such places in India. Somebody told me Binsar in Uttarakhand to be one such place. I did some basic research over the internet. Got a vague India of the place and decided to pack bag with my family for a long weekend along New Year to Binsar. We saw enough of pictures and information on the net and all of us were very curious to see and experience it in real life.

We made online reservations in the KMVN Rest House at Binsar for our accommodation and reserved our seats on Kathgodam Shatabdi from New Delhi.

Train journey started from Anand Vihar Railway station in the morning at 6:15 AM on December 30, 2015.  The Kathgodam Shatabdi coaches were a little disappointment for us. They were old and the washrooms were not very clean and tidy. Yet we thought at least there is train that will help us reaching Binsar much before sunset. We reached Kathgodam right time and without wasting time booked a cab (tavera) till the KMVN Binsar.

The driver was familiar with the route. It’s a picturesque drive from Kathgodam to Binsar. We passed by Bhimtal on the way. We reached Almora and found it overcrowded town with cluttered houses built without planning. After about 4 hours of drive we reached our destination KMVN TRH. It’s a beautiful property with basic room amenities but excellent location and architecture. We stayed on the ground floor. The TRH had a big terrace attached for viewing Himalayan ranges.

Himalayan views from the terrace were just awesome. The ranges changed colours with sun setting down on it. It was a beautiful display of colour on the mountain ranges. We are just awe struck at the view; we had never ever seen such display of colours in the sky. It was a just out of the world experience. Though the chilly wind was cutting through our ears, eyes and nose, still none of us wanted to go back to the rooms.

As the sun was setting down chirping of birds and sound of animals made us a part of the Mother Nature. We had never seen a paradise like this on earth before.

Buffet dinner was served to the guests at the dining hall. Food was pretty good considering the lonely place we were at. We had a sumptuous dinner and came back to our rooms.

The TRH had no grid line. So electricity supply was through solar panels and it was scarce, only for 2 hours in the evening. We were handed over candles by the TRH staff for emergencies. So, post dinner we chatted for a while and went to sleep early as were very tired with the journey from Delhi.

Next morning we woke up before the sunrise and headed straight to the terrace. Sunrise through Chaukhamba, Trishul, Nanda Devi, Shivling and Panchachuli mountain ranges were mesmerizing. The play colors by the nature on the snow clad mountains were awe inspiring. Only around 2500 meters above Nainital, Binsar is perhaps one of the most scenic places in India. We were served morning tea by the TRH staff on the terrace.

After breakfast we decide to move to watch tower located around 2 kms above the KMVN TRH. It was a natural walking trail. The whole trek had deodar trees, ferns, flowers and foliage on both sides. Deep trenches were scary. We climbed up to the watch tower. Again the view from the tower was out of the world. All through the trek we did not find even a single human soul. Even at the watch tower only were there. We were keen on animal spotting but there were none except some lagoons.

We came back from the watch tower for lunch. Post lunch we took our cab for a tour around the wildlife sanctuary.

Next morning we were asked by the TRH staff to go downhill and leave the 

place as soon as possible. They had received intimation on a heavy snow fall. We were told that the snow fall in winters get so heavy that the routes get blocked and people get stranded for days. It takes months to clear out the snow. So we had no option but to move out of Binsar. But the Binsar memories are still etched in our heart and mind. We do plan to visit this place once again. This time in summers to experience a different weather and different flora and fauna.

MANALI :  A must visit family holiday destination

Manali is a complete package of hills, flowing river, greenery with excellent accommodation options to choose from. It's a place to relax, walk around, indulge in activities around and chill out. The destination throws up something of interest for every age group. Families with 3 generations can be easily seen holidaying in Manali.

White water rafting in Beas river is truly awesome. Novice and beginners too can go for the rafting here.

Uphill to Rohtang pass is again becomes a memorable experience as one gets to see snow even in mid summer in India.

For those who have more time there are several detours from Manali. A visit to Kasol via Kullu is a must. Kullu is a delight for shoppers of shawls, overcoats, jackets etc.

In peak holiday period it gets crowded in Manali. Still it remains the most loved family holiday destination in India.

Dual purpose one destination : Puri

Puri offers pilgrimage to Hindus as one of the four sacred Dhaams and sandy beach acts as a topping on the ice cream. Add the accompaniments like sea shell artefacts, Applique work samples and other handicrafts on the way to Puri from Bhubaneswar; it makes a complete holiday for the entire family. People of all age groups feel blessed at the Lord Jagannath Temple, enjoy the sunset at the beach. Host of food stalls frying sea fish, crabs, prawns is a treat in true sense of words. The experience at Puri is truly sublime with several ancient temples attracting hoards of devotees from all parts of the country. Pandas at the temples do try and fleece the newbie.