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Uttarakhand
Binsar Forest Retreat ~ Romola Butalia 
"Yet, let me speak of the winds that howl, of the insects that call, of the leopard and civet and boars whose space one shares here." Read More...
Bob's Place, Nathuakhan ~ Romola Butalia
The cottages are done aesthetically, tastefully; everything is designed for easy homely comfort; you wake to views of the Himalayan peaks from your bed; meals are freshly-made home-cooked food; the service is warm and hospitable. Read More...
Mukteshwar ~ Romola Butalia
Mukteshwar dedicated to Lord Shiva - Ishwar who gives Mukti. Glorious sunsets that bathe Nanda Devi and Trishul in gold and crimson; gliding eagles, the sounds of the forest... Read More...
In Search of Siddhashram ~ Gautam Dhar
Some places remain silent and unnoticed, as destined by Providence. I strongly believe that one can only get to these places when the divine call comes. No map or planning will lead you there. Such has been my experience. Read More...
Himalayan Village, Sonapani ~ Romola Butalia
Himalayan Village, Sonapani is where the writer returns to one of her favourite vacation spots in Kumaon, Uttarakhand to view the mighty snow-capped peaks, catch up with friends, reminisce and introspect. Read More...
Emerald Trail ~ Romola Butalia
It is evening. Everyone is indoors at the homestay. The aroma of cooking fills the air. Household sounds dominate. Dinner is ready. The nettles they plucked in the early evening with pincers have been made into a delicacy. The local wheat has a delicious flavour. The salad is made from vegetables that have not been traded at a market place.
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Kanda: ROSE Among Thorns ~ Christine Brissette
An international visitor from Massachusetts, USA shares her experiences of this eco-friendly responsible tourism project in Kanda, near Bageshwar, the heart of the Kumaon Himalayas of Uttarakhand where she spent her days in meaningful and respectful interaction and integration with the Kumaoni people and culture, learning from and contributing to the host lifestyle.
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Mountain Biking Along the Kosi ~ Harpreet Dhillon
Biking down from Nainital to Ram Nagar along the Kosi river of Kumaon to be enthralled by the magic of Sita Bani. Spirited adventure of many kinds and a tongue-in-check humour mix readily with a deep sense of reverence for the Himalayas and all that goes with it.
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Mahagufa of Paharpani ~ Romola Butalia
The Editor of India Travelogue and writer and teacher of Yoga and Vedic Sciences, writes about one of the ancient sacred Himalayan mahagufas she visits regularly during her Himalayan retreats. Read More...
A Lifelong Tryst ~ Van Heenings
I visited Kausani with a wonderful view of the Himalayas. Other places I enjoyed were Baijnath, Bhim Tal, Bageshwar, Kapkot and Mirtola Ashram where I met Ashish Maharaj. I do hope to return to India in the near future but I have no current concrete plan. If it is my karma, it will come to pass! Read More...
Corbett Park: Land of Roar & Trumpet ~ Bittu Sahgal
Editor, Sanctuary & Cub Magazines, visits Corbett Tiger Reserve in the company of one of its most ardent protectors, Brijendra Singh, whose entire life has been spent in defence of the tiger. Read More...
Auli: Ideal Holiday Resort ~ Romola Butalia
A ropeway ride from Joshimath to Auli provides awesome views of bugyals, oak and coniferous forests and snow-capped mountain peaks. Read More...
Haridwar to Badrinath ~ Romola Butalia
I could hear the river below and from my window I had a spectacular view of the sangam of the Alaknanda originating from Badrinath, and the Mandakini originating from Kedarnath. Read More...
Dhauli Ganga Valley ~ Sushmita Rajwar
Malari in the Dhauli Ganga valley of the Nanda Devi Biosphere reserve is a small village near the Tibet border.
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Mumbai to Mussorie by Road ~ Romola Butalia
Setting off from Mumbai in the summer heat, we were headed towards Uttarakhand, 2000 kms away, without maps, plans or a schedule.
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Week at Mussoorie ~ Rajiv Butalia
It is one thing to visit a hill station as a tourist and quite another to stay as a resident and get a perspective of life in a town that is invaded by hordes of vacationers during the summer and autumn when all of India holidays. Read More...
Haridwar - River of Time ~ Romola Butalia
What power draws me to the Ganga at Haridwar? I have already paid my debt of having once ignored it. Why does it beckon me still? What living has to be surrendered there that still belongs to me? Read More...
Rishikesh - Memories Left Behind ~ Romola Butalia
Allowing her unbidden memories of Rishikesh to surface, Romola Butalia then treads quietly on.
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Gaumukh - The Pilgrim's Trail ~ Romola Butalia
I do not know whether it was the trekker's delight of high places, the oft-repeated retreat to the hills and forests to rejuvenate the spirit lost in the mire of daily living, or the source of the Ganges that we sought. Read More...
A Pilgrimage to Gangotri - Gaumukh - Tapovan ~ Sumanta Roy Chowdhury
This was my third attempt to trek in the Gangotri region. The previous two attempts found me on different paths, reaching destinations in the Himalayas that are beautiful in their own right but possibly missing the spiritual content of a pilgrimage. Read More...
Kumaon Remembered ~ Romola Butalia
The Kumaon hills have a timeless beauty and an eloquent grandeur. I went there as a stranger and spent three idyllic years, only to return again and again in home-coming. Read More...
Discovering Auli ~ Sumanta Roy Chowdhury
I went to Auli in 1997 February as a participant in a 7 - day basic ski course conducted by Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN). The place impressed me more than the thrills of skiing. Read More...
Chaukori - Holiday Haven ~ Ashit Narain
The Kumaon Himalayas lie next to the Garhwal region and are situated on the Great Himalayan Range. Kumaon is often confused with the Garhwal region itself. Read More...
Almora - Wings of Dreams ~ Romola Butalia
Almora is the one place I can be transported to on the wings of my dreams. Just after the milestone that says 2 kms to Almora, at Bright End Corner, I spent three years watching every sunset that was a symbol of the glory of the day gone by. Read More...
Naini Tal - Lap of Nature ~ Amit Gupta
"Clikety-Clak...Clikety-Clak...!", goes the endless sound of mindless keyboards, the telephone forever shrieking in agony, the garrulous paging system always urging somebody to grab the nearest phone or make a dash to the reception. Read More...
Mussorie - British Repose ~ Suyash Sinha
A steep rise from Dehradun, overlooking the Dun valley from the heights of the Shivalik Himalayas and existing quietly away from the maddening crowds, discovered by the British as a repose during the hot northern summers, made home by the author Ruskin Bond, lies the two-century old Mussorie. Read More...
Hunt for the Great Indian Tiger ~ Somit Doshi
I was moving along slowly, my eyes watchful in the silence of India's deepest jungle. Every sound from the wild had me gripped. Read More...
Trekking in Uttarakhand
Himachal Pradesh
Bus Ride to Kaza ~ Sumantra Pal
Sumantra Pal of the IES is General Manager, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority, in his working avatar. Here, as a traveller who returns again and again to the Himalayas, he is simply himself on a bus ride to nnowhere. Read More...
Apple Country Thanedar ~ Romola Butalia
"Tucked away from the proliferation of tourist destinations, that reach out to travellers with their USP and soon become just another jaded vacation destination, Banjara Orchard Retreat at Thanedar has retained that special edge that distinguishes it, making it a place one returns to, again and again, with the same delight and joy, as the first time." Read More...
Sangla Valley ~ Romola Butalia
"There was something magical, something mystical, a little known, a lot unknown - I am not sure what was the fulcrum - was it the magic of the Kailash kshetra - was it a perfect combination of a time and place and people?" Read More...
Himalayan Winter Sojourn ~ Saravanakumar, Gurusamy
Finding himself away from the keyboard at Bangalore, enjoying his winter sojourn in Himachal Pradesh, the writer quotes John Lenon,'Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.' Read More...
Travel Diary of Himachal
~ Bharathi R. Part1 Part 2
I set forth on a fabulous 1500 km route with mind-blowing scenery and arse-breaking roads. The land of monasteries, Tibetan food, great landscapes, river valleys, snowy peaks - away from hot showers, metalled roads and working phones. Read Part 1 Read Part 2
Manali - Rendezvous with the Himalayas ~ Puneet Sachdeva
At six in the morning I packed my bags, took out my car and rolled out on an eight-hour drive to Manali. Driving through the lush green fields of Punjab was an experience in itself. Read More...
Return to Manali ~ Romola Butalia
Three years now I have found myself seemingly retracing my steps back to Manali, without being acutely aware of exercising choice in returning here. Read More...
Shimla & Manali: Far From the Madding Crowd ~ Shashank Prasad
I was nervous and restless. The bus journey from New Delhi seemed too tedious and long an interval to reach Shimla. But the picturesque beauty and the invigorating cold winds of Shimla shooed off the pains of an inevitably tiring bus journey. Read More...
Ocean of Peace - Kareri Lake in Winter ~ Harpreet Singh Dhillon
The Dhauladhars are a mountain sub range of the Great Himalayas...running approximately east-west, parallel to the Pir Panjal range. Read More...
Diary at Dharamshala ~ Madalene Coelho
From what I had read in the books and the images I created about it myself, train stations in India were not a place to be at all - too many people and too much confusion. Read More...
Chamba - Remote Splendour ~ Ashish Kaul
There in the northwest corner of Himachal, jutting into Kashmir, staking its very own peculiarity, in terms of geography, history and culture, is Chamba. Read More...
Introducing Himachal ~ Ashish Kaul
Which is the largest glacier in the world? Siachen. Where is it? Jammu and Kashmir. Which is the second largest? Don't know? I'll tell you. Bara Shigri. Read More...
Palampur - Traveller’s Cup of Tea ~ Ashish Kaul
It may be time to congratulate a great geographical collision. Had it not been for the Australasia landmass invading the level dignity of the main land of Asia, there would have been no Himalayas. Read More...
Dalhousie - Himalayan Arrogance & British Aloofness ~ Ashish Kaul
In Himachal Pradesh, there is one British hill station that leaves you with two practical choices of a dream. One is that of being a Governor General of the British Empire and the other, of receiving a gift from the Governor General. Read More...
Kasauli - Retirement Home ~ S.C. Parashar
As I embarked on the last major decision of the remaining years of my life, the quest for my retirement home, I had a spring in my walk and an overwhelming self- confidence. Read More...
Trekking in Himachal Pradesh
Jammu & Kashmir, including Ladakh
Allure of Ladakh ~ Siddhartha Sen
The drive from Manali to Leh is always high on the 'wow' factor. Each traveller is mesmerised by what he sees and experiences, so far removed from the veryday reality of living.
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Adventure at Pangangsto ~ Capt Alok Sharma
The new owner takes his Mahindra Scorpio across Ladakh to land into more adventure than he sought...and the Scorpio triumphs.
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Ride Through the Land of Lamas ~ L..V. Srinidhi Raghavendra
A group of bikers connect to form an e-group and travel from Delhi to Leh via Manali and back through Srinagar.
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Tales from the Nubra ~ Abhik Dutta
Those that are approachable by road are, more often than not, one of those tourist attractions that despite their beauty are pockmarked with tourists walking all over the place during the 'season' months. Don't we really wish we had a vale all to ourselves? Read More...
Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh (J & K) - Manali to Leh
Manali in Himachal Pradesh is the roadhead for the trans-Himalayan highway for the near-legendary two-day journey to Ladakh's capital, Leh. After visiting other places around Manali, we got into a bus to Leh, Ladakh at 6 a.m. Read More...
Mumbai-Delhi-Manali-Leh-Khardung La - Road to Kardung La ~ Sandeep Guhagarkar
It seemed eternity since I had been on a holiday. Work was hectic, not everything was right on the personal front either, so I desperately wanted to take a break. The last real holiday was in Mussorie nearly four years ago. Read More...
Journey to Ladakh Part 1 ~ Ashley Pearson
We had escaped Srinagar and all the half truths, falsehoods and blatant lies. Rumours upon rumours of shootings, killings, villages full of skulking rebels and soldiers at every corner. Read More...
Journey to Ladakh Part 2 ~ Ashley Pearson
Shabir's lorry was at the front of the queue, but then it had been there for two entire days. The 'front of the queue' meant a strategic position near the bridge out of Sonamarg, alone and a trifle isolated because no-one could even be bothered to go this far out of town. Read More...
An Inevitability called Kashmir ~ Ashish Kaul
You could say it was inevitable. The time the sun rises or sets. That first there will be life and then death. And that there is nothing in between. A dream with an azure sky, the falling leaves, the awesome mountains, the cool breeze and the Chinar. Read More...
Sikkim
Lake of the Second Buddha ~ Pinaki Das
The writer shares his experiences of North Sikkim and reminds us that as summer approaches, the higher Himalayas beckon insistently to old friend and newcomer, alike. Read More...
Footprints in the Snow ~ Romola Butalia
There is one thing in common about all holidays in India : the moment you arrive you are being sold something. At the airport in Bagdogra it isn't seedy little hotels on offer, but cabbies wanting to take you for a ride. Read More...
Journey to Remember ~ Asim Gupta
I still cherish the memory of the unforgettable journey to the exquisitely beautiful VALLEY OF FLOWERS, YUMTHANG in northern Sikkim in May, 1996. Read More...
Rumtek-Martam Diary ~ Abhik Dutta
After completing my two days of white water rafting on the Teesta river, I got off the raft at the put out point a little ahead of Teesta Bazar. I took a share taxi (jeep) and drove up to Ranipul, 10 kms before Gangtok.Read More...
Yumthang Valley - Last Shangri La ~ Moin Urazee
The Commander jeep crossed Mangan, the district head quarters of North Sikkim and the biting November wind struck us squarely on our faces. I wrapped my arms around Nahid, my wife of seven days, to protect her from the bitter cold. It was purely survival instinct. Had nothing to do with romance.Read More...
Trekking in Sikkim
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