A Village Walk In Kumaon
Hill stations are no longer the coolest cubbyholes they used to be. Sun-struck travellers who once fled the plains now flee the hill stations. Offering them refuge are remote rural idylls that live and breathe the true pahadi air. Kumaon has a few lovely trails. One such is a five-day trot across its north-eastern flanks, led by the good folks at Itmenaan Estate, near Almora. Winding its way upwards from Kathgodam, through the villages of Thikalna and Ganghet, where traditional homes have been spruced up to receive guests, the village walk arrives at its last pit stop, Itmenaan’s 100-year-old stone house, coddled by ten acres of pine, oak and rhododendrons in bloom.
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The Great Ladakh Road Trip
Both Kashmir and Ladakh make a compelling case for long-distance driving holidays. But if the fear of being stranded without help (in case the car breaks down) has prevented you from hitting the pedal, here’s your chance to wheel around the bend. Adventures Overland has lined up a 14-day trip to Ladakh via Manali. En route are Nubra Valley, Khardung La, Thiksey Monastery, Pangong Lake, Tiger Hill and Golden Temple and the many rivers and high passes that make this one of the world’s best routes.
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Art In Kangra
A couple of weeks of Tibetan language courses, or a spot of Mahamudra meditation, or learning calligraphy or ikebana in the lap of the verdant mountains of Kangra. Sounds like a perfect, worthy summer vacation? You can do all this and more at the Deer Park Institute in the small town of Bir in Himachal. Established in 2006, Deer Park is a project under the Siddhartha’s Intent Society. It offers a host of artistic and cultural courses through the year completely free of charge (donations are appreciated though). From readings of ancient Tamil Buddhist literature to enactment of Marathi folktales, there’s hardly a dull moment, and you could even go paragliding or trekking in the Dhauladhar range.
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Hit Up Traill’s Pass
Of all the hundreds of treks possible in the Himalaya, arguably the best are those that cross the Great Himalayan Range itself. And there are few as challenging or as spectacular as Traill’s Pass in Kumaon, which connects the watersheds of the Pindar and the Gori Ganga rivers. A technical climb across the bergshrunds and ice cliffs of the Pindari glacier, this pass was named after the British administrator G.W. Traill, who crossed it in 1830 to try and open up a new trading route with Tibet. Looking out at Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot and a host of other Himalayan giants, Traill’s Pass, or Pindari Kanda, is a classic Himalayan trek. Aquaterra is organising this trek from July.
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A Tibetan Art Workshop
They have nine workshops including thangka painting, statue making, thangka applique, woodcarving, applique, wood painting, tailoring, weaving, and screen printing. You will get to learn directly from masters and apprentices specialising in these ancient art forms. They also have three guesthouses and two restaurants. Around the instititute you will find a bevy of cafes, restaurants, and shops.
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Biking Trip To Spiti
The great outdoors and the doughty saddle are old friends. But when the road ends at Spiti and the pack is led by Helmet Stories, the combination has a lot of torque. The outfit customises luxury trips to several Himalayan outposts and the Western Ghats. But the journey to Spiti is in a league of its own. The trail snakes around Sangla and Kalpa in the Baspa valley, halts at the Nako lake before winding up at Tabo, Dhangkar monastery, Kaza and finally at Tandi, perched over the confluence of the rivers Chandra and Bhaga. The last stretch of 100km runs along (and often on) the riverbed, making it the perfect terrain for adventure motorcycling.
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