Creating new memories: Driving to Munsiyari & Dharchula in Honda Amaze

The adrenaline rush of crossing borders without a passport felt straight out of a spy movie, except we were in sneakers and not tuxedos!

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Hello Dear BHPian Family,

Alright, I know I’m super late with this travelogue – so late that I actually took this trip back in November 2024! To be honest, I’m about 2-3 travelogues behind schedule (maybe even more, but let’s not get into the math). My last travelogue was about my Jaisalmer trip, which came after my Spiti adventure, but between these two, I squeezed in about 3 or 4 trips. Yeah, things got a little out of hand!

Balancing business and vlogging is like juggling flaming torches while riding a unicycle – fun, but hectic! I just wrapped up my Jaisalmer travelogue, working on another one, and in a couple of days, I’m off on my next trip. The backlog is real, but I promise, I’ll get all these travelogues out one by one. Until then, let's dive into this one – better late than never, right?

THE PLAN

Travel vlogging is truly addictive! While it may seem like it’s all about breathtaking views, stunning landscapes, and endless fun, there’s actually a lot more to it. Behind the scenes, it takes meticulous planning and the ability to adapt to whatever comes your way.

Since I travel in a low-slung sedan, I always have to consider factors like snow, rain and potential landslides while mapping out my routes. For this particular trip, I had a friend joining me, which made scheduling a bit tricky. When he was free, I was busy, and when I was free, he was caught up with work. After a lot of back and forth, we finally locked in the dates – November 25th to November 28th. And so, on November 25th, we finally hit the road.

THE RIDE

My trustworthy and reliable Honda Amaze – CVT Diesel.

THE ITINERARY

• Day 1 – Leave from Moradabad and reach Pithoragarh
• Day 2 – Start from Pithoragarh and reach Munsyari, visiting Dharchula
• Day 3 – Start from Munsyari and reach Binsar
• Day 4 – Back home to Moradabad from Binsar.

PREPARATION

A day before leaving for the trip, I did all the shopping, including snacks, drinks, water bottles and medicines. Got the car checked, got the tank filled as well to save time for the next day. Prepared all my vlogging gear for the trip, batteries charged, memory cards all cleaned up. Kept all my luggage, pillow, sheet and a blanket as well. All these things were loaded in the car a day before itself.

Day 1 Moradabad – Pithoragarh

• Kms covered – 320 kms
• Route – Moradabad – Rampur – Rudrapur – Kichha – Khatima – Tanakpur – Lohaghat - Pithoragarh (NH-9)
• Toll - Rs. 380/-

Map -

I woke up early as I wanted to leave early and ditch the morning city traffic. By 7:00 am I was in the car and went straight to my friend’s place, he was all packed and ready and by 7:15 we were on the road. The perks of leaving early paid us, and within no time we were out of the city and on the highway. Our plan for today was to reach Pithoragarh and spend the night there, as a direct stretch to Munsyari would have been too long and we would have missed all the beautiful views in night.

Road till Rampur is very nice and from Rampur to Rudrapur, it's good at most places except a few bad patches. We reached Rudrapur in 2 hours and took a right before entering Rudrapur towards Kichha. And this is where we started to get local traffic. After driving for another hour, we reached Tanakpur and this is where your mountain drive starts (the real fun). Roads and views are very regular till Tanakpur, the fun starts once you take a left from Tanakpur. Even though you start getting a glimpse of the mountains in the far vicinity from Khatima but the fun starts from Tanakpur.

Pic taken right before we started our climb.

Since we both didn't have our breakfast, we decided to stop at a tapri and had our 1st of many maggies and teas on this entire trip. We didn't come across a single decent restaurant on our way till Tanakpur, where you could actually have our breakfast. Even though we had a lot of stuff to munch on but our desire for paranthas was washed away.

View of the valley from this place was really beautiful

As soon as we were back on the road, I got an SMS saying "Welcome to Nepal" and that I should take a roaming package, otherwise higher call rates will apply. I was shocked, or rather, I should say stunned, by Airtel's ability to take me to Nepal while I was still driving in India. Instead of Airtel, the network on my cellphone was displaying NCell, probably a Network provider in Nepal.

The drive keeps getting better as the views and landscapes keep changing and the fun of driving in the curvy mountain roads adds to your adventure. But after SUKHI DHANG, we started getting a lot of patches hit by the monsoon landslides. After driving for a while we came across this dhaba cum Restaurant onto our left. If you are travelling on this road, you will get clean restrooms here. So, in case you want to offload something natural, you can use the facilities here because after this, you won't find anything hygienic for a long time.

After a small 10-minute break, we were back on the road and headed towards Champawat. We started getting a lot of rough patches like these. And at places, literally, it felt as if the entire mountain had come down on the road. I manoeuvred my Amaze very carefully through these patches as there were really big and pointed stones on the road ahead.

We reached Champawat and it is the first big city that you will see after crossing Rudrapur. So you can easily find places to eat, stay and yes, a lot of temples to visit. We thought of stopping in Champawat but it was too crowded and all of a sudden there was a lot of traffic on the road. We couldn't find any place to even park our car for say 5-10 minutes, so we kept on driving and crossed Champawat.

Valley view from Champawat

We reached Lohaghat within 20-25 minutes from Champawat. The drive from Champawat to Lohaghat is very beautiful as you drive between those tall trees and mountains on one side. Even the sun was up and bright it felt as if we are driving under an umbrella since the sun's rays were unable to reach us and it really felt amazing.

After crossing Lohaghat, we stopped at a restaurant as we were not getting any good options to eat. But that guy made fresh yellow dal and roti for us, which was really nice and tasty. The good part is that the restaurants in these small places make fresh food for you since they don't get too many customers or tourists, unlike on the belts like Delhi - Chandigarh. Sorry, I can't remember the name of the place and I don't have any pictures as well. But this place was like 10 minutes after Lohaghat on our right.

So after taking a break for about 40-45 minutes (since the guy made fresh food for us), we were back onto the tarmac. And after driving for around 15-20 kilometers we got stuck in a landslide area where the JCB was clearing the road and small stones and dust were continuously coming down from the mountain on our left. You can check out the vlog on YouTube where I have captured the same. It was a landslide area + road widening work was also in progress.

We cruised along the winding two-lane highway, weaving through lush green landscapes, landslide-hit stretches and nerve-wrackingly narrow roads with sheer cliffs dropping off the edge. The adrenaline kept us on our toes, but the breathtaking views made every twist and turn worth it. By 4:00 PM, under the golden glow of daylight, we finally rolled into Pithoragarh and headed straight to our hotel, conveniently nestled right in the heart of the bustling market. A quick check-in, and we were all set to soak in the vibe of this charming town.

Another thing that I want to bring up is - finding a decent hotel in Pithoragarh. I checked a whole lot of options, but the best that I could find was "Hotel Manar" where we had booked our stay. And everything was just right about this property, like food, cleanliness, right in the middle of the town, service etc. And parking was also not an issue since they had valet parking. So it's a higly recommendable property if you are travelling here.

After we checked in, we relaxed for a bit and had a cup of tea and then left for Chandak Hills to explore a little bit as we had some time before the sunset. You get a really good view of the valley from this point and there is this famous Meghna Cafe where you can sip in your favorite coffee in the lap of nature. And it was a mere 15 minutes from our hotel, after spending some time here and having a nice cappuccino with a tempting garlic bread, we left back for our hotel and called the day off.

Day 1 vlog

DAY 2 Pithoragarh - Dharchula - Munsyari

• Kms Covered - 195 kms
• Route - Pithoragarh - Nainipatal - Gori Gangal Pul (Take right) - Jauljibi - Dharchula - Jauljibi - Toli - Dhunamani - Madkot - Munsyari

Map

We woke up feeling refreshed after a comfortable stay and a satisfying dinner the night before. With a long and eventful day ahead, we quickly got ready, packed our bags, and made our way to the dining area for breakfast. But before saying goodbye to Pithoragarh, we had one important stop to make - a visit to the sacred and well-known Kamakhya Devi Temple, located just about 20 minutes from our hotel.

By 10:00 am, we were back in the car, fuel topped up (it was at half - better safe than stranded), enroute to the temple. The route takes you through an Army cantonment area, which is where things get a little interesting. At one point, Google Maps confidently directed us straight towards a gated military area. For a moment, I wasn't sure if the app was helping or trying to get me court-martialed. Playing safe, I ignored the route and kept driving along the main road - only to find myself stuck in a bustling marketplace with no temple in sight.

I decided to ask a few locals for directions, and they informed me I'd missed the turn about 4-5 kms back. So we did a quick U-turn and ended up right where the GPS had previously told us to enter. This time, I figured it was better to ask than to end up in a James Bond situation, so I approached one of the army personnel at the gate. The gentleman was kind enough to guide us through the correct route via the cantonment area.

And I'm glad we did - the drive through the army zone was absolutely beautiful. As we neared the temple, the road suddenly turned into a steep incline, with barely enough width for one car to pass. But after having conquered Shinkula and Baralacha Pass in the Amaze, this stretch felt like a warm-up lap (Yes, I know, that travelogue is still pending. I'm on it - promise).

Kamakhya Devi Temple

View from the temple

Panoramic view of Pithoragarh city from the temple.

Soon after leaving Pithoragarh, the road began to narrow, and traffic thinned out almost instantly. With fewer vehicles around and the mountains opening up before us, the scenery gradually became more mesmerising. However, the route did show signs of the region's vulnerability - we passed several landslide-affected stretches, a clear reminder of how risky this journey can be, especially during the monsoon months.

Despite the occasional rough patches, the drive was absolutely scenic. The winding roads snaked through the hills, unveiling breathtaking views at every turn-rolling green valleys, carefully terraced fields, and the quiet little villages that seemed untouched by time. With barely any vehicles in sight and only the sound of nature for company, it felt like the mountains were revealing their hidden beauty, one bend at a time.

Occasional bad patches on the way to Jauljibi

As we approached Jauljibi, the landscape shifted. This small but significant town situated at the confluence of the Kali and Gori rivers, has a unique character. Known as a trade hub between India and Nepal, the town reflects a blend of cultures, especially in its bustling markets. We stopped briefly, hoping to take in the charm-but were quite disappointed by the state of cleanliness. Garbage littered the area, and in some parts, the stench made it hard to stay for long.

Rather than dwell on that, we drove a little further ahead, found a quieter, cleaner spot, and captured some photos and videos of the beautiful surroundings. Despite the shortcomings, the raw natural beauty of the region still managed to shine through.

Kali river and the town on the right bank is Jauljibi.

After soaking in the scenery for a good 10 minutes, we hopped back into our trusty ride and hit the road toward Dharchula, which was still 28 km away. As we moved ahead, the road started playing mind games with us-narrow at times, wide at others, landslide patches, no tarmac and generously peppered with potholes that could give a decent rollercoaster a run for its money.

About halfway in, we stumbled upon a gorgeous spot where the road dipped down to a closer level as the mighty Kali River, which by the way, casually marks the international boundary between India and Nepal. She flowed gracefully to our right, whispering secrets of two nations, while we stood there gawking like overexcited tourists. We couldn't resist. We parked, pulled out the camera gear, and spent a good 15 minutes capturing the beauty and some mandatory Instagram content

Now, the last 15 km stretch to Dharchula? Let's just say 60% off-roading and 40% wishful thinking. The roads here seemed to have their own personality-moody, unpredictable, and slightly adventurous. But hey, adventure is why we're here, right?

Just before you officially roll into Dharchula, keep an eye on your right., You'll spot the "Last Petrol Pump of India"-yes, it's a real thing, and it's an Indian Oil outlet.

Entering Dharchula city felt like stepping into a maze. The roads narrowed into single-lane alleys, and we had to weave through the bustling Dharchula market to get to the bridge's parking area. Thank the traffic gods that it's a one way route, otheriwse, it could have turned into a live demo of parallel parking meets bumper cars.

Once we found the public parking, we parked the car and began our little cross-border adventure on foot. A short walk later, we reached the bridge over Kali River - the roaring sound of the river underneath was enough to drown out your thoughts and give you goosebumps. As we started walking on the bridge, we were greeted by the Indian Police check post. Nothing too intense-just a quick ID check, a couple of questions, and a form-filling ritual.

Pro tip: Carry an ID with your photo. I flashed my Aadhar card like a badge of honor, and we were good to go. Midway on the bridge, we realized we were literally walking from one country into another. The adrenaline rush of crossing borders without a passport felt straight out of a spy movie-except we were in sneakers, not tuxedos.

On reaching the Nepal side, the Nepal Police had their own checkpoint. Again, the same routine-ID, a few questions, and a smile later. "Congratulations, you are in Nepal". A big board welcomed us, just in case we forgot we were in a new country.

We took a quick stroll through the local market, had some steaming hot chai and momo's and soaked in the vibe. The most fascinating part? The market on both sides of the river looked almost identical-same shops, same faces, same energy. Locals from Nepal cross over to India daily like it's a neighborhood hop. For them, this international border is just a daily commute. Buying groceries across the border? Totally normal.

That is India across the river and we were in Nepal while taking this pic.

After about 40 minutes, we made our way back across the bridge with a heart full of stories, a memory card full of pictures, and a smile that wouldn't fade. Because how often do you walk into another country, sip tea and come back before your Google Maps can finish recalculating the route?

By the time we wrapped up our mini Nepal adventure and got back to the Indian side, the clock was already ticking past 3:30 PM. And guess what? Our final destination for the day - Munsyari - was still a solid 95 kilometers away. Now 95 km might sound like a Sunday morning spin on city roads, but in the hills? That's a full-blown episode of "Survivor: Mountain Roads Edition." Google Maps teased up with a 3-hour ETA, but mountain roads don't play by the rules of time or logic.

We started tracing our way back from Dharchula to Jauljibi, which meant - brace yourself - we had to re-live the same off-roading adventure we had faced earlier. Yes, those charming potholes and narrow cliff-hugging roads welcomed us again like long-lost friends. This time enough, there was a sense of urgency: beat the darkness or risk navigating broken roads with only our headlights and prayers to guide us.

Somewhere along the way, hunger hit us like a ton of boulders-fitting for the terrain. We pulled over at a tiny roadside stall, and what did we find? The universal mountain delicacy- MAGGI. Golden, glorious, soul-warming Maggi. Honestly, nothing tastes better in the hills than a hot plate of instant noodles sprinkled with mountain dust and flavored with hunger. We devoured it like it was a five-star buffet and shared a few laughs with the shop uncle who, despite his tiny setup, dished out happiness in a bowl.

But nature had other plans. It was November, and in the mountains, sunset doesn't wait for your convenience. Darkness began to creep in quicker than expected, and the road from Jauljibi to Munsyari turned into a full-blown suspense thriller. The tarmac vanished in patches, replaced by loose gravel, steep ascents, and sudden turns that came out of nowhere-each turn more thrilling than the last.

Just when we were starting to think this route had thrown everything at us, we hit Madkot-and BAM! A WATERFALL on the road. Yes, we literally drove through a waterfall. Now, had it been daylight, it would've been one of those poetic, Instagram-worthy moments. But in pitch darkness with the sound of gushing water and headlights cutting through the mist? Let's say it was less "Wow, what a view" and more "Please let this not be the start of a ghost story."

Finally, around 7:45 PM, tired, muddy, and thoroughly shaken (by the road, not emotions), we rolled into Munsiyari- a cosy Himalayan town that felt like a warm hug after a wild ride. We checked into a charming little place called Tulsi Homestay, run by a local family who treated us like we were long-lost relatives rather than guests. The place was spotlessly clean, tastefully done, and had that warm, homely vibe that you can't put a price on.

Dinner was the real cherry on top. The owners served us a simple but soul-satisfying meal-desi daal tadka, hot chapatis, and the star of the show: Bhang ki chutney. Now, before your imagination runs wild-no, it's not that kind of bhaang. This one won't make you float or hallucinate. It's a local herb, totally sober, and apparently a winter staple in these parts. Honestly, it tasted divine, like a flavorful mountain punch packed into a chutney bowl.

With our stomachs full and our hearts warmer than the room heater, we crashed into our beds and drifted off into the kind of sleep that only comes after a day of epic roads, waterfalls, border crossings and Maggi in the wild.

Next stop? Let's just say, the mountains weren't done with us yet.

Day 2 vlog

Continue reading about Singh09's road trip for BHPian comments, insights and more information.