[PapaBravo]

It has been a long time since, I have written a travelogue. The reason behind the same is quite simple. We haven't traveled much since last June. But the opportunity showed itself this time a disguised form. We had a wedding to attend in New Delhi. We thought of clubbing the wedding with our vacation plans somewhere near Delhi. There was no place better than Kumaon since it also gave us extra time being east of Delhi & thereby one step closer to Kolkata. So here goes the log of the trip. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Beautiful Kumaon

Day 1 : Kolkata - Delhi

Route taken : NH2

The day you plan to leave, is the most difficult to get by. You are already into the trip mode & keep looking at the watch a few more number of times than it is actually required, hoping the hands of the watch would run faster if you stared at them for long. Finally they come to your desired position & its a go. Well, Not really. We had initially planned to leave at midnight which due to some official commitments (not surprisingly) got delayed by 1.5 hrs.

We were finally on the road at 0130 hrs, headed to directly to Delhi. We (my wife & I) have done nonstop Kolkata-Delhi before & Kolkata-Lucknow innumerable times, so there was nothing new in the circuit. Except for the Diversions that is. Kolkata to Panagarh is a fantastic stretch, thanks to Durgapur Expressway & the newly opened Panagarh byepass. We encountered are first traffic jam at Durgapur. After wasting 30 minutes there, found a Tata Ace guy going off the road placing bricks here & there & followed him. The savior did its job. We were out & running again or should I say crawling again. NH2 has been converted to NDH-2 (National Diversion Highway-2) from Durgapur to almost Dhanbad. The road is full of diversions & it not really pleasing to be tailing a truck at 20 kmph for 2 kms every now & then on the single lane created due to diversions. Post Dhanbad, the roads are good as usual. We crossed Varanasi & stopped for an early lunch. Got the oily omlettes & dal down our throat & started the later half of the Journey.

Somewhere near Kanpur

Roads are in a good condition on the Allahabad-Kanpur-Firozabad-Agra-Delhi stretch. After some uneventful miles, we entered NCR at around 2200 hours & home at 2300 hrs.

So total drive time taken was 21.5 hrs. Point to be noted is that the door to door distance between our residence in Kolkata & Delhi was 1499 kms. In this trip the odo displayed 1508 kms. So after the introduction of panagarh byepass & world class diversions, the distance is finally above 1500 kms.

PS : Since we stayed in Delhi for 3 days, I would start Day 2 from the day we started for Kumaon from Delhi.

Day 2 : Delhi to Binsar

My sister-in-law joined us in this trip to Kumaon. Most of the pictures were clicked by her & some by yours truly. We started from Delhi at 0500 hrs in order to avoid the NCR rush. Bhpian Predatorwheelz who had been very helpful in planning this trip had suggested a stop at Gajrola for breakfast. But thanks to our departure time, we crossed Gajrola quite early in the morning. Packed sandwiches from home gave us the liberty to skip any further breakfast stop as well. The road from Delhi till Rampur is great. Rampur onwards till Rudrapur, the road again is average to good. We stopped just before Haldwani for our first tea break. The place was full of monkeys. we finished our tea before we could fall prey to the monkey menace.

Inquisitive ancestor

We soon crossed Haldwani & started the climb into Kumaon hills. Most of our hill trips have been on the Eastern Himalayas. This was our first trip to Kumaon & we couldn't wait to see the beauty that this place holds. We crossed Bhimtal & stopped for Breakfast.

Bhimtal, as seen from the Breakfast point



HULK enjoying the fresh air



Someone was watching us while we had breakfast

After the breakfast, we continued our journey to Binsar & reached the resort at 1430 hrs. As soon as we reached, we got to know that the gate to Binsar Sanctuary closes at 1530 hrs & it was about 12 kms from the resort. We checked-in with lightning speed & headed out for the Sanctuary. We were able to reach at about 1520 hrs & the person at the ticket counter was just about to leave. Got the formalities done & started the climb to the top.

Some Flora & Fauna on the way to the top

A Colorful Bird



These flowers were in abundance



Some Langurs





First view of Panchachuli from Binsar Top



Walking the small trail



A typical hill-forest road

All this while we were hoping to spot a leopard. We had heard a lot about the spotting from fellow bhpians. But I believe, the leopards were not in the mood. We sighted this small barking deer instead.

We were back at the resort around 1800 hrs. We stayed at Club Mahindra Binsar Valley. The resort is clean & peaceful. The F&B prices were a little on the higher side. Day 1 had come to an end & we slept peacefully, unaware of the next days pain. Details in the next post.

[PapaBravo]

Day 3 : Binsar to Munsiyari

Route taken : Binsar-Bageshwar-Mankot-Syoli-Nanet-Thal-Tejam-Birthi-Munsiyari

Our destination for the day was around 200 kms away. We finished our sumptuous breakfast & left for Munsiyari at 0845 hrs.

We were bid goodbye by this beautiful bird on a tree just beside our car.

After driving for a while, we saw this giant sized eagle from quite near. If looks could kill.

We had got to know the earlier day that the Assembly elections were going on in UK. We had somehow missed this bit while planning our vacation. But elections shouldn't really affect the tourist, or so we thought. We noticed that there was no traffic on our way. We thought it must be because it was early morning. But apparently, on that day, no vehicular movement was allowed in UK due to the elections till 1700 hrs. Soon we were stopped by a check-post & were told that we will not be able to pass. After some negotiations & having a look at the passengers inside & knowing that we had driven all the way from Kolkata, they let us through. Four more check-posts, Four reiteration of the same speech & we were able to move ahead. Every check-post cost us at least 15 minutes. The 6th Check-post at Chaukori was quite adamant & didn't let us through. Now, Munsiyari was another 4-5 hours from this place. If we left this place only after 1700 hrs, we would have reached at 10 in the night which wasn't acceptable with me with two ladies in the car & in an unknown territory. I parked my car at the side & spoke with the locals. Got to know of a slightly longer, narrower & older route to Thal which was around 1.5 hours away. Took a U-Turn went back about 2.5 kms to catch that other road. It was a very beautiful road without any market places for long stretch.

Enroute Chaukori

We finally reached Thal, where the final check-post allowed us to go through without much ado. We were relieved to be on our final leg to Munsiyari with no more checkposts. We soon reached Birthi falls and had Maggi for Lunch. Birthi falls didn't really impress us much. It was smaller & farther than we had thought. Anyway, relished the Maggi & proceeded further.

Birthi Falls



Hulk ready for the final leg for the day

As we moved ahead of Birthi, the roads became narrower & lonelier. We saw some white spots on the other hill

On zooming, They sure have strong hearts.

On traveling this stretch you will not be greeted by any snow peak views at all. At least for sometime. Then, like climax in a bollywood flick, you casually take your nth turn & then see this

Panchchuli peaks seem to be right in front of you. This was the view which pulled us from so far away to this town at the end of the road in Kumaon.

Can't get enough of it

Post enjoyong the views here, we reached KMVN, Munsiyari at around 1500 hrs. Munsiyari is a town at the end of the road. Panchchuli peaks are at an air distance of just about 25 kms. 35 kms beyond that is China. Nepal on the east is about the same distance. We freshened up & went out for local sightseeing. We went 5-6 kms ahead of Munsiyari, where the Tar road ends.

Enjoying the Cold winds

It was such a serene spot & we didn't really feel like getting back to the hotel. All of this planning, driving, embracing cold etc feel quite less of an effort for this moment. The feeling you get is PRICELESS.

Contd...

[PapaBravo]

Day 3 : Munsiyari to Mukteshwar

Route taken : Munsiyari-Birthi-Thal-Berinag-Raiagar-Silkote-Almora-Mukteshwar

The destination was above 250 kms. That is a lot for us on the hills. So we planned to leave early. Things don't always go as per plan, do they ? The early morning departure turned out to be at 0815 hrs. There had been fresh snowfall on our route. We stopped at a place around 20 kms from Munsiyari to click some photographs

Thew fresh white snow



Where there is a will, there is a way



Enjoying the only place where we witnessed snow in this trip

We moved on further ahead & soon we were traveling besides Ramganga River. The emerald colored stream was mesmerizing & soon we found a trail that could lead us to the banks.

A slow-mo video of the river

https://youtu.be/2cvUxcjPjDY

Ramanga River



Tea making in process



Wonderful place to stop for Tea



The clear water



The ladies enjoying



Our star photographer



Yours Truly

As we crossed Thal, the roads started getting busier. We did not have the luxury of traffic-less roads that we did while coming to Munsiyari. To be honest, the traffic is less disciplined in this part of the Himalayas. People drive in the middle of the road, even on blind turns. I had to honk more than required on every blind turn, which I actually don't do in Easter part of the Himalayas.

The rest of the journey this day was uneventful and after 11.5 hours of starting from Munsiyari & traveling 253 kms, we reached Mukteshwar at 1945 hrs. It had become dark & tired after the whole day's journey, we simply checked in & retired for the day.

[PapaBravo]

Day 4 : In and around Mukteswar

Mukteshwar was pushed into our itinerary by our very own SS-Traveller. Mukteshwar is a quaint town south of Almora. We loved this place for its calmness & natural beauty.

The resort we stayed in goes by the name of Trishul Orchard Resort. First things first, it is not a resort. Its a beautiful homestay kind of arrangement. It is situated approx 1.5 kms away from the main road & can be reached by going uphill on a concrete road leading upto the resort. They indulge themselves in organic farming & most of the food served is from their own gardens.

Bingo - The resident dog cum guide



He used to follow us everywhere we went in the resort



HULK at the resort parking

Since, we only had to move in & around Mukteshwar, we got up lazily on this day. Post having breakfast on the terrace overlooking Mukteshwar valley, we started for Mukteshwar town. Our first stop was at a Kilmora shop. Kilmora is a Handicrafts & local produce (Honey, Jams etc) shop by Kumaon Grameen Udyog. The ladies indulged into shopping while I was out clicking pictures.

At Kilmora

Our next stop was Chauli ki Jaali also known as Chauthi Jaali. Chauli means rock & Jaali denotes holes in it. According to Hindu mythology, the goddess & the demons fought a battle here & the rocks are the remains of the battle. For us, it was simply beautiful. Nature has many ways of surprising you, one of them would be by making wonders like these.

Some pictures of Chauli ki Jaali

This place is great for photography & we didn't miss the chance.

On the way to Chauli Ki Jaali

On the Rocks



With the wifey



Our Star Photographer again

After staying at CKJ for a long time we stopped for lunch at a cafe by Cottage Nirvana near Mukteshwar & returned to our resort after many photo stops.

The resort has a sunset point which could be reached by hiking around 300 metres, infact, quite steep 300m. The views, again, were amazing.

While hiking (You are never away from Birds in Kumaon)



Sunset





The Resort Boundary

After watching the beautiful Sunset, we had our dinner & retired for the last day in the hills.

Day 5 : Mukteshwar-Lucknow

Route taken: Mukteshwar-Bhowali-Bhimtal-Chorgallia-Sitarganj-Pilibhit-Gola-Sitapur-Lucknow

There are many ways to reach Lucknow from Kumaon. The most famous one goes through Bareilly. Since, my work takes me to UP quite often & I usually have updates of all the road conditions & knew before hand that the Bareilly stretch was in a mess. We took a totally different route which had beautiful roads & less traffic. We left Mukteshwar at 0730 hours & had entered Lucknow outskirts by 1530 hrs. Dropped my sister-in-law at the Airport for her flight back to Delhi. We reached our house in Lucknow at 1700 hrs.

Day 6 : Lucknow-Kolkata

Route taken : Lucknow-Raebarelly-Unchahar-Allahabad Byepass-Varanasi-NH2 throught.

This was a Sunday. My wife & I both had morning flights to catch from Kolkata for our respective business trips. Therefore, we thought of leaving a little early. We left our home in Lucknow at 0400 hrs. We had no idea what was in store for us. around 10 kms from our place, we hit dense fog. The fog was blinding. We thought that the fog would soon subside, but how wrong we were. The dense fog continued for 4 hours & we finally got some respite after 0800 hrs. The fog started becoming thinner. Few videos showing the fog.

The Dashcam has Fish-eye effect. The speed of the vehicle seems much higher that it actually is.

Fog soon after we started

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvim9Utfg3M

Fog after Sunrise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-Vx9Hw_XW8

Rest of the Journey was uneventful & we finally reached our home at 2130 hrs. It took us 17.5 hrs to cover this stretch. Our personal worst from the numerous trips we make to Lucknow. But we were happy to have successfully completed another road trip after a long time.

Many people were behind the planning of this trip. I would thank bhpians Predatorwheelz, Ghostrider28, Anirbanz, SS-Traveller & XetaGLGrocks for the inputs. Also, a big shout out for my sister-in-law, Vedika, for the wonderful photography. She can be followed at this link.

And final thanks to my wife, who is always ready for any trip that I plan.

Hope you enjoyed reading the travelogue as much as we enjoyed this trip !!

Signing off till next one

Regards,

Pawan

[Aditya]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing!

[SS-Traveller]

Your travelogue just reminded me once again, how long it has been since we had been to Pithoragarh. Wonderful narration and photography there - rated 5*. Glad you liked Mukteshwar. My logic for that to be your last stop was to reduce your driving time back to Lucknow.

[SVK Rider]

Awesome thread....
Lovely pics and narration
Had never been in kumaon in self driven vehicle but always wanted to....
This made me cheer up for planning the same again...
Lovely pics

[PriyanCAR]

The clicks have done true justice to the irresistible beauty of this place ! Rated a well deserved 5*

[saket77]

Great log. Short and crisp and blended with magnificent pictures. Kudos to you and the star photographer! I see quite some snow in the pictures which makes it a nice time to visit; when did you actually visit the place? And will be great if you can update us about the altitude of the place.

Thanks for sharing the lovely travelogue.

Regards,
Saket

Edit: Rated well deserved 5 Stars!

[IN-RJ]

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Route taken : NH2

Is it still NH-2? Mile stone marking not been changed by NHAI?
How was the benefit of AWD on ice roads?

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Your travelogue just reminded me once again, how long it has been since we had been to Pithoragarh.

Please provide the link of your Pithoragarh travelogue.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by IN-RJ

Is it still NH-2? Mile stone marking not been changed by NHAI?

In some places, to AH1. Very few places show NH19.

Please provide the link of your Pithoragarh travelogue.

Never written. Travelled well before I knew about TeamBHP.

[catchjyoti]

Pawan - excellent short travelogue. And beautiful pictures by both of you. Rated five stars - a well deserved one!

[A.G.The Rambler]

Wonderfully narrated Pawan. The pictures were missing in our last discussion and they are so amazing! Great help for my trip next month and cannot wait to drive there. This deserves a 5* and gladly rated the same.

[//M]

Crisp write-up and drool-worthy pictures make this a brilliant travelogue. Moreover it comes bang on time when I was planning a trip to Chamoli, Binsar and Munsyari, the timing couldn't have been better.

This travelogue will definitely help me a lot in planning my trip. Many thanks.

Just a query - I am planning to do this trip on my motorcycle, so how can I explore the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary? Do they have Jeep/Elephant safaris as well? Most likely a motorcycle will not be permitted inside a sanctuary hence the query. Any pointers would be really helpful.

[TheStranger]

Short and sweet travelogue , PapaBravo...alongwith beautiful pics !!

It makes me nostalgic all over....my last trip to the Kumaon range had been over a decade ago.

Rated 5 stars !!