Part#1 Unleashing Northeast India – Land of Lamas, Rains, Rhinos and Momos!! By Abhimanyu

Part#1 – Reaching Tawang from Assam via Bomdila !

It was the occasion of our 2nd anniversary when four Sharmas’ planned to explore North-east, India.

We had a fantastic company of Dev and Akshata who got married a day earlier than me and Trisha in the same month of Feb and year of 2018.

Me and Dev shared room during my 1st job in Mumbai and we jelled up pretty well for obvious reasons like being Sharmas’ from MP/CG and loving beer. Since we got married almost on the same day, we could not attend each other’s weddings, and this was the chance to cut it by celebrating the anniversaries together.

Tickets were booked in August’19 and we then finalized our itenary during December’19.

We read a few posts and then finally decided to book ourselves with a Freelance travel consultant from Assam.

7th Feb 2020, finally the day had come when me and Trisha embarked the road in our new Honda Amaze from Pune to Mumbai. Akshata arrange for a safe car parking over a week’s time in Mumbai. It was an early morning flight from Mumbai to Assam, we had our masks on as there was a buzz of Covid19 around the world already. Landed in Assam to find our driver, Simanta and pre-booked Innova Crysta.

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Mumbai Airport

None of us had slept last night but there was no sense of deprivation. It was the time to make memories, none of us had been to this side of Incredible India.

I decided to narrate this trip in multiple stories in sequence as it was a beautiful long ROAD trip.

Day#1 – Trip start, 0 Kms

  • Guwahati Airport to Bomdila
  • Travel time – 9+ Hours
  • Road Condition – Good (Mostly)
  • Stay – Norgay Guest House Homestay

Journey starts from plains and takes you to the mountains. Located on the Foothills of Himalayas, Bomdila could be considered as an entry point of Arunachal Pradesh. Simanta played some asamese music while driving and halted at a random café so that we can have some Momos, maggie and tea. After 1st stop Hindi music took over Assamese and we were friends with Simanta. He was a character, loved his dose of Indian tobacco(jarda or mawa) while driving and always smiling. Never said no to our demands and was a true host in all senses.

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Lipsmacking Taste

We also got a chance to Enter Bhutan Border, smart Simanta got his diesel tank full as it is cheaper in Bhutan than in India.

As we were driving up-hill the air was getting colder and heavier. We drove alongside a river stream (Kameng river), Simanta told us that it comes all the way from China to meet the mighty Bhramaputra before merging in Bay of Bengal. We will meet Kameng river multiple times during our journey through Arunachal. Just before reaching our homestay in Bomdila we purchased some liquor as it will be helpful in keeping ourselves warm during the course of journey and its cheaper than Goa in Arunachal. 🙂

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Bhutan Border
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River Kameng

Homestay was clean and economical, we had to pay extra Rs. 300/- for a room heater. That’s Ok we were happy and rich (as it was just the first day).

For dinner we walked down the stairs and found a restaurant (name forgotten), but please find it right opposite Dragon restaurant. The momos and noodles which they served were the best that we had during the trip. Please let me know the name of this restaurant in comment section. I can eat those momos all my life and die happily.

Pet-full aur dil housefull, reaching back we slept like pigs would do after spending some playfull times in the mud. Woke up to sunrise, cool breeze and blue sky – What else does a metro lad need!!

We were sporting jackets and woolens now. Simanta was ready to drive us to Tawang, the dreamland that I wanted to visit since the time I saw it in TV a decade ago.

Day#2

  • Bomdila To Tawang
  • 200 Kms (approx.)
  • Travel time – 8+ Hours
  • Road Condition – Hilly and average
  • Stay – Hotel Mon Paradise

Visited the mesmerising and peaceful Bomdila monastery, saw the little monks chanting and praying in sync. The whole atmosphere was so serene, that trying to narrate it here would be loud and might kill the serenity of the place. Check out our youtube video link below.

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Nam yo ho !! – Buddham Sharnam Gachhami 🙂

After, seeing the monastery we commenced our journey to the land of Lama. The car was cruising slowing with 2 constants, Simanta’s Mawa and Kameng river running alongside.

The drive from Bomdila to Tawang will always be extremely close to my heart because I was about to experience my 1st snow sighting.

Sela pass – You beauty!! I had heard that there is silent a kid within every adult, I was unaware of mine till I saw the 1st snow of my life. I could not stop myself and ran down the stairs, which led to a frozen lake called Sela lake.

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Stairway to Heaven

The whole area was covered with snow we were playing, while clicking some pictures on our phones and many many more in our hearts. While we were down near a frozen lake, those stairs which we walked down seemed like a stairway to heaven. God was generous and suddenly it started to snow, we had such awesome experience before we had to run back to the car as it was a hailstorm. My 1st snow was a helluva experience. Remember the liquor that we bought last night; finally we could do justice to it using fresh snow from the sky..

I even ate some snow. 🙂

Hailstorm turned violent & we had to leave or rather escape from Sela to reach our next pit stop aka Jaswant Garh war memorial. It’s about 22 Kms from Sela and 21 Kms before Tawang.

You must see this video to live Sela Pass a lil more

A bit insight about the memorial – Jaswant Garh is a famous tourist attraction in Arunachal Pradesh and it is widely visited all year round. It is dedicated to the warrior, Jaswant Singh Rawat who was killed during the Indo-China War in 1962. He was an Indian rifleman of 4 Garhwal Rifles, Uttarakhand and for his bravery; Jaswant Rawat was honoured by a memorial at the post where he fought the Chinese army. This magnificent memorial is well kept at an altitude of about 10,000 feet. A small canteen is run by army personnel offering free tea / coffee and hot water to all visitors to keep them warm in cold weather. It is unbelievable in today’s world of worshiping money as God, where almost everyone is running behind money and becoming rich leaving behind empathy towards fellow humans. We relished dosa and idli in Arunachal at such height, it still have the taste in my head while I write about it. My wife, Trisha loved the patty and muffins.

Last but not the least; there is a small shop from where you can buy jackets, socks, gloves, caps, etc to withstand the negative temperatures of Tawang.

The memorial is surrounded by beautiful valley perfect to gaze on while sipping your unlimited free tea.

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Panorama from Jaswant Garh

Hopped back in the innova with happier Simanta, he already had starting chewing mawa.

We reached Tawang in another 1½ hours, the sun sets early and it was almost dark by 5pm when we reached. While, Dev was co-ordinating with the pre-booked homestay owner we had some difficulties in locating the stay. Finally, have found the homestay just to realise that staying there was not a good idea. It was located far away from town in a dark and abandoned area. Girls felt some safety concerns, and we had to honour this being responsible companions. Simanta’s “never say never” attitude and always smiling face helped us find a hotel in the market area. Name of the hotel is Mon Paradise. It was freezing cold, we quickly changed and reached the lobby area with our packed food and theplas. The hotel guys were happy to heat those for us and serve it with dal, egg bhurji and rice which we ordered from them. Sharing our food with a soldier from Indian Army with a lot of border stories was the best thing that we could have thought of in this trip.

Pet-full aur dil housefull, reaching back we slept like pigs would do after spending some playfull times in the mud. Woke up to sunrise, cool breeze and blue sky – What else does a metro lad need!!

Hope you liked our journey till now! Write some encouraging words in the comments section and share the link with your friends, also ask them to share and comment…

Read the part#2 of the story to see Tawang and Dirang from our eyes.

Much Love 🙂

Abhimanyu@Yatripandit

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Trimbakeshwar & Sula vineyards

It was our 1st road trip in my new I-10. We started off early and straight hit the Nasik highway from Ghansoli. 1st hault taken after about an hour for breakfast (vada pav and Chai) on a roadside Tapri. The taste was good as the vada’s were served to our plates straight from kadhai.

While on the way to Trimbakeshwar temple near Nashik, we saw a huge water body and were fascinated to go there. It was Lake Vaitarna, serene and a landscape worth capturing.

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We left for the ancient temple of lord Shiva again, which is of great mythological importance and 1 of the 12 Jyotirlingas. Kusavarta, a kunda (sacred pond) in the temple premises is the source of the Godavari River, the longest river in peninsular India. The current temple was built by Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao (Nanasaheb). Finding a parking space close to temple entrance was a tough task as it was a weekend. After reaching the temple gate we found out that the entry was closed as it was already too crowded. Then 1 of our hyper exited friend went on a pass search mission and came back victorious. There we were in the queue for darshan and came out in about hours time. The temple is made of black stones.

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Our next destination was Sula vineyards in Nasik. After entering this place you will feel as if you have reached some vineyards in Switzerland. Widespread grape farms and breeze rustling through the leaves will leave you mesmerised. Hurry up and register for the next wine tasting tour, which allows you to see the wine manufacturing process and also taste some of the finest wines produced in the Indian sub-continent. White harvest and Dindori are must haves. Also they have an excellent restaurant serving stuff with cheese as a prime ingredient because as they say, wine tastes best with cheese.

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Sula vineyard also provides staying options but being frugal we did not opt for it. Sula fest is an annual music fest and a must visit.

While returning back we had enjoyed a tasty Maharashtrian meal comprising of bhakri, pithla, dal, jwari, kadhi and bhaat.

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Kuch Khaas hai Kaas – Maharashtra’s Valley of Flowers

Did you ever wish to visit heaven prior to death? Yes it is possible and is situated in a very close proximity to Mumbai. I am talking about “Kaas plateau” aka “The valley of flowers.” The Plateau has been recognized as “bio diversity heritage site” by UNESCO.

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A car, 3 friends, a DSLR, some beer and kickass music what else do we need for a road trip! All of us being fresh graduates did not own a car but we hired a self-drivediesel car from Girikand cars and headed straight to Mumbai-Pune expressway and reached Satara town in about 6 hours(it’s not that far but we took a couple of breaks to enjoy the journey). Being a national highway, the roads were smooth and there was no scarcity of eateries. We halted at one of the dhabas to fill our tummies and kept moving. It was an uphill journey from Satara to 1 of the 7 wonders of Maharashtra – The Kaas Plateau. This 22 KMs ghat is not a very tough one to drive on and its full of scenic beauty. As we went closer we could seethe blossoms and suddenly it started drizzling making the journey more pleasing. Car parking space is after you cross the valley of flowers and you have to walk back to the valley. Once we reached on the plateau, all we witnessed was an endless carpet of colorful blooms on both sides of the road. It seemed as if the rainbow has been laid on the ground.

The whole stretch was so refreshing and rejuvenating that for once, we thought of quitting our jobs and stay in the valley forever. It is a surely a paradise for shutterbugs and can be an inspiration for poets and painters. Kaas also endorses a breathtaking aerial view of Shivsagar lake. The Kaas plateau is known to be home to around 850 varieties of plants of which around 600 are flowering plants and about 40 of which are only found in Kaas. The volcanic soil i.e. rich in natural minerals is the reason for such wide floral diversity. This plateau is surely an ocean of learning for botanists and researchers. Being a weekend it was crowded.We were luck to visit the heaven in the days when there was no entry fee but now a days, a very minimal fee of Rs 100/- is charged per person. We are sure you won’t mind this once you soak yourself in the carpet of flowers.

Humble Suggestion: Do not pluck or disturb the blossoms and walk only on the pathways marked with stones. Also, buy some stuff(snacks, etc) item from the local vendors as tourism is probably the only source of income.

When to Go: Best time to visit is end august to November as the flowers bloom during these months. Do check this website https://www.kas.ind.in/ before visiting Kaas to see the current pictures of Kaas.

Where to stay: There are a few stay options on the way to Kaas plateau but we went further downhill to a laid back village called Bamnoli and stayed at a local home stay on the lake side. Check our story on this pretty lazy village.

Must carry stuff on a roadtrip: Aux cable, cigarette point charger, knife, water, jacket, extra pair of shoes, sunglasses, sunscreen, old newspapers, mat, bedsheet, nail cutter, mug, DSLR, football, snacks,  beachwear (if the place you heading to has a beach)and hell lot of great music.

After experiencing Kaas and staying at Bamnoli, we headed to an un-touched white sand beach on the Konkan coast. Stay tuned for next story to know more about this virgin beach.

Story by: Abhimanyu

Pictures by: Utkarsh

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Guest Post || 6 Awesome Hacks to Maximize Your Road Trip by Jonathan

Get a comfortable and spacious car’s gas tank full, holler up your friends and just leave. That’s all you need to do enjoy a perfect DIY road trip which saves you from a crazy mess of plane tickets and visas. So the next time you’re looking for some fun on a road trip, follow these simple six steps and you’ll have an awesome trip, without any doubt: 6 awesome hacks to maximize your road trip

  1. Always Keep A Backup Plan:

Road trips are full of unexpected happenings and events; you cannot quite predict a predetermined way in which the trip might go. You need to have your car in the right condition, always keep a spare tire. Keep an eye out for hotel deals because you might need to spring into a hotel room for a night if you lag up due to traffic jam or simply because you couldn’t drive. Keep your car’s security your top priority. Consider getting a good quality alarm for it.

  1. Be Spontaneous:

Always leave room for spontaneity, unlike train and plane trips you do not have preset schedules and you do not need to stick to conventional ways of travelling. Take this opportunity and step out of your comfort zone, and just go with the flow. Make random stops, if you come across different places that are not very famous. This is something you might never regret in the future, so make the most out of these unplanned moments.

  1. Divide Responsibilities:

As much as the element of spontaneity is essential to keep the trip’s fun intact, planning out certain things like designating each traveler their tasks and their responsibilities leaves no room for mismanagement and everyone plays their roles effectively to ensure the trip remains fun. And this way, the whole burden is not laid upon one person altogether so that they don’t feel all worked up.

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  1. Find Entertainment On The Way:

Don’t forget to enjoy the roadside sights. It might seem really childish but spotting the world’s largest dinosaurs or stuff like that can be really enjoyable. Check out if you can find some applications which let you know what sights you could come across when you hit the road. Look out for restaurants that provide ethnic food while on the way, often you’ll find specials of an area. Cherish the culture you across while on road trips, the native dialects of standard languages and much more.

  1. Keep Snacks Stocked!

Make sure you have enough snacks and drinks stocked up in your icebox. Having snacks helps you avoid roadside patrol pump shops with aisles full of candies.  Find a couple of recipes that you can put together easily and stock up for some time. So do not sacrifice your health and wellness goals and routine for a road trip, you can definitely manage to maintain along.

  1. Manage The Expenses:

You have to figure out a way to keep your expenses in track because chances are; you chose a road trip because it saves from soaring airfares. Have one person in the group keep a track of all the spending so it splitting the money doesn’t become a problem later.

Yatripandit’s add-on: There are many apps available these days for managing the expenses for e.g. Splitwise and settleup which can be downloaded from the app stores on your cell phones.

If you love Bollywood music check out Roadtrip Playlist by Yatripandit

Also, we have taken various roadtrips across India which can be viewed by clicking Various Yatripandit Roadtrips

jonathanAbout the Guest Author: Jonathon is an IT expert and a researcher. He is obsessed with cars and all the digital accessories. He regularly posts at www.sakerracing.com

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer:  *Contents in this story is Authors personal views and presentation.

If you also want to get featured as a guest author on yatripandit.com, share your story with us on info@yatripandit.com

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Cheers !!

Guest Post || NEW ZEALAND, ROUTE 6: THE ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP by Talek Nantes

As many have said and all who’ve been there know, New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Crystalline lakes reflect the sky like a polished mirror, lush green rainforests shimmer with dew, fur seals cavort on pristine shores and soaring, snow-caped mountains pierce the sky. All these sights can be experienced within short distances of each other on scenic route 6. New Zealand’s South Island is truly an outdoor paradise.

THE GLACIER TOWNS
Start at Greymouth on the island’s west side and head south on route 6 for about two hours. You will come to the small towns of Franz Joseph and Fox Glacier, New Zealand equivalents of the wild west. The surrounding area forms part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage park hosting glaciers descending from the Southern Alps.

During the day, most travelers hike the many, well-marked trails or go on helicopter rides to get a birds-eye view of the glaciers. Some rides include glacier hiking. I took one of these exhilarating rides over the mountain peaks landing and hiking on a glacier and saw some of the most spectacular views I’ve ever experienced. I felt my heart pound like never before when the helicopter soared off a cliff over a bottom-less precipice. That’ll give you about a month’s worth of cardio workouts.

The other must-do experience in either of these towns is a temperate rain forest hike, geographically the opposite of walking on a glacier. The humidity here is almost 100%. Surrounding vegetation is thick with exotic insects. Giant ferns and other bizarre plant-life loom overhead. Everything is carpeted with a moist moss in every variation of green. It’s like walking in a film set of Jurassic Park.

During the day, this makes for a fascinating hike in alien-like surroundings. But if you go on a midnight forest hike, the glow worms put on a “light show” for you. Bring a flash light, walk deep into the forest on the hiking trail then turn off the light. You will see thousands of lightning bugs twinkling in the total, absolute darkness like stars over a moonless desert sky.

WANAKA
Continue south to the town of Wanaka on the shore of a lake created by a receding glacier. The main street fronts the lake and has funky little cafes and restaurants with pretty lake views where you can idle with a glass of one of New Zealand’s crisp, white wines.

While in Wanaka, or anywhere else in New Zealand, be sure to sample one of the country’s signature dishes, lamb. Once New Zealand had up to 80 million sheep. Since dairy production has become more profitable, however, the sheep population has decreased to about 30 million. But lamb remains a local favorite in its many culinary iterations. One lamb dish I loved in Wanaka was lamb curry at The Spice Room, one of four, count them…FOUR Indian restaurants in town. Another good option for lamb dishes is Public Kitchen and Bar with branches throughout the country.

Stop by the Visitor Information Center on Main Street and book something that will get your heart pumping like a helicopter flight, hand-gliding over the mountains or a 4WD safari tour. We booked with Wanaka River Journeys and were glad we did. We opted for a jet boat ride on the Matukituki River in Mount Aspiring National Park piloted by a funny Maori guide.  The tour included a wilderness walk to see waterfalls, forests and wildlife.

Route 6 in New Zealand is truly a wonderland of exciting and educational activities.

Read Part Two of NEW ZEALAND, ROUTE 6, THE ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP here.

Talek on Egyptian travels pyramids in Giza About the author: In college I determined that whatever I studied would have to lead to the ultimate goal of traveling. I obtained a Masters in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania but felt that alone could not guarantee me a career that would enable me to travel as much as I wanted, so I got an MBA in International Business. My Spanish language background and love of languages also helped me. Over the years I learned Italian, Portuguese and enough French to manage. To know more details about this interesting traveler click HERE

Disclaimer:  *Contents in this story is Authors personal views and presentation.

If you also want to get featured as a guest author on yatripandit.com, share your story with us on info@yatripandit.com

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10 reasons which make Arambol the best Goan beach

We all have been to Goa or wish for the same. This smallest sate in India is famous for beaches, Portuguese foot prints, Konkani sea food, cashew fenny and foreign tourists. It is infamous for drugs, rave and Russian mafia. Goa has always attracted me and I make sure to explore it at least once a year.

Every time I visit, Goa has something new to offer. This year in January’16, I decided to stay at Arambol beach and I am truly impressed by what this beach has to offer. Grab a beer and please read on!!

  1. Arambol beach is the last beach in North Goa which is serene, clean and has a pretty long spread. Sunset here is to die for. SAMSUNG
  2. The water front is not very steep as it is in Candolim or Baga. You can enjoy safe swimming.
  3. DRUM CIRCLE – There is a sunset drum circle mostly dominated by foreigners who play Jimba. The music is to die for and you can’t stop tapping your feet to the tunes you are high.image-credit-lovetemplegoa-in
  4. Beach side flea market every evening – You can buy stuffs from musical instruments to bong, from show pieces to jewelry. The sellers are mostly foreigners.

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5. The Beach huts – The stay at Arambol is still cheap as compared to other beaches in Goa. You can get a hut on the beach for Rs 600 to Rs 1000 and believe me sea water is just a stone’s throw away from the huts.img_2714_arambol_beach_hut_medium-copy

6. Friendly Shack owner and staff – It’s a world known fact that Pahadis are very friendly and 90 per cent of the shacks in Arambol are owned and managed by Himachali and Uttarakhandi guys.img-20161213-wa0006

7. Road side Market – The market along both sides of the approach road is full of shops which sell budget stuffs including leather merchandise specially.

8. Fireworks / fire-shows – There are fireworks organized by shacks every night. You can also enjoy Jimba music; sitting around the bonfire having supper and drinks.

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9. Less crowded – The beach is relatively less crowded which allows you to enjoy a peaceful holiday. There are no water sports organizing guys who bog you down to take the best deal.

10. SCORING HERE IS EASY – U know what I mean 😉

A pitcher full of love –

Abhimanyu @yatripandit

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Saarr Some Idli and Filter Kaapi Pleeeeej !! – Yercaud

What vadapav is to Maharastra, Idli is to Tamil Nadu !!…

I was in Bangalore for an official tour and could not miss the opportunity to go on a day’s road trip to a not so famous hill station called Yercaud. It’s in Salem district about 4 hour’s drive from Bangalore. This hilly town is located in the Shevaroys range of hills in the Eastern Ghats.

We were a group of 4 school time friends who successfully hijacked one of our friend’s sister’s car for this trip.

Planned to leave Bangalore at 4 am but left 2 hours early as our excitement overpowered sleep.

4 Friends out of which 2 could driver, 1 hatchback, unlimited kickass music and Infinite chats is all what you need on a road trip. The roads were smooth and we easily cruised at approx. 80 Kmph.

Bhookh (hunger) alert !! If you are a person who cannot sustain hunger at all and fear that you might die anytime when you are hungry, please eat something/ pack some snacks before you are traveling in Karnataka highways during night. Because you will not find any 24*7 food courts/ tapris or anything till the dawn breaks.

Uphill journey from Salem to Yercaud is picturesque and there a about 20 Hairpin bends till you reach your destination.

The pleasant morning sun welcomed us with wide open arms when we reached Yercaud on time, sleep deprived and declared dead of hunger. My hungry eyes located a café (don’t remember the name) right on the Yercaud circle and we barged in. Café served lip smacking idli sambhar with 2 varieties of chutneys on a fresh banana leaf. The idlis were so soft that they melted in mouth before even before chewing. Yearcaud has many Coffee estates and nothing beats the taste of hot brewing filter coffee aka Kaapi after those priceless idlis.

We were all fresh and there was no trace of sleep deprivation in our eyes. 1st we went to The Servaroyan Temple situated atop Servaroyan hill, the temple is a narrow, cool and dark cave having the God Servarayan and the Goddess Kaveri inside.

The hilly roads are surrounded by aromatic coffee estates, some of them are even a century old.

There is a Pagoda point to see and also a beautiful lake to boat on.

Best time to visit – Monsoons and winters i.e July to January

Road trips are about journey and not about destination, but when you reside in Bangalore and have visited Nandi hills for infinite times Yercaud is definitely an option to be on top of the list.

Picture Courtesy – Sangeet Khandait

– Abhimanyu @yatripandit

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Bastar – The land of whispering Mountains – Chhattisgarh

My parents live in Raipur with my younger brother. I had quit my job in Parker and still had 18 days to join TACO in Pune and trust me the best time you have in your corporate life is the layover between two jobs. No phone calls to attend, no emails to check upon, no reports to publish. The best utilization of this blissful period is to go on a trip. It had been a long time since I went on a trip with my lovely family.

So, to en-cash this opportunity we decided to explore Bastar in our Ford Eco sport. Bags packed, camera charged, hotel booked and Pendrive loaded with good music.

Bastar is tribal and cultural capital of Chhattisgarh and a home to many waterfalls, mountains and dense evergreen forest. Jagdalpur is approximately 300kms from Raipur and Chhattisgarh government has done wonders in maintaining the highways.

After a couple of pit stops to recharge our appetite we reached Jagdalpur hotel by 4pm (8 hours). After rest and freshening up in a couple of hours we left to see the Massive Chitrakote Falls aka Niagra falls of India. The beautiful waterfall is about 40 kms from Jagdalpur city and is located on Indravati River. The height of the fall is about 30 meters and it is the widest waterfall of India. The lights made the falls look even more mesmerizing and it was truly a sight to watch.

Next morning, we left for Kanger Valley National Park – One of the densest forests of India. Spread over an area of approximately 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi) consisting mainly of hilly terrain, the park derives its name from the Kanger River, which flows throughout its length. Trust me I have never seen a forest so green in the month of May when it’s the peak time of summers in India.

My father works for Central Government and hence he could get us a booking in forest resort located right in the middle of Kanger Valley.

The major attractions are:

  • Tirathgarh waterfalls – Tirathgarh Waterfalls can be termed as “Milky Fall” because of the white colour of the water as it descends down the rocky slope giving an impression as if milk is falling. You can have a bath with small fishes around you in the clear water of this magnificent water fall. The water flowing through the various streams and crossing numerous paths along the way in a zigzag manner and finally ending up in the falls is a treat to watch. Besides the natural beauty associated with this place, Tirathgarh Falls is also an important religious place featuring a temple which is dedicated to Shiva Parvati.
  • Kotumsar caves – These Natural caves are about 35 meters below ground level and around 1371 meters long. You can witness the stalactite and stalagmite formations. There is lack of oxygen when going deep into the caves. In view of which, for safety reasons, entry beyond certain points has been restricted. The cave is closed from 15 June to 31 October during rainy season. The caves are pitch dark and the fishes found here are naturally adapted to be blind as they cannot see even if had eyes.

Baster is called the land of Whispering Mountains because when you are here you will continuously hear a whispering sound created by amalgamation of sounds made by bats, frogs, snakes, crickets, spiders.

Visit Credible Chhattisgarh and experience a divine connection with soil, soul and nature.

This post was shared on Chhattisgarh Tourism Board’s  FB Page

–Abhimanyu@yatripandit

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