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Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh, India is a heaven for those seeking for gorgeous landscapes, high-altitude freshwater lakes, ancient monasteries, rich culture, and quaint little villages. In spite of the rise in tourism, several places in Spiti Valley still remain offbeat and unexplored. One such hidden gem is Pin Valley. Pin Valley is a cluster of 17 villages in the Spiti district that houses not more than 2000 people. It is largely popular for its Pin Valley National Park and the snow-laden unexplored higher peaks like Pin-Parvati Pass and Pin-Bhabha Pass. Unlike other villages of Spiti Valley, Pin Valley has a lot more greenery and vegetation. If you want to quickly analyse if Pin Valley is worth-visiting, watch the song named ‘Intezaar’ from the Bollywood movie ‘Paap’. In this blog, we provide you with a travel guide to visit and explore Pin Valley. Read our previous blogs on Spiti Valley by clicking on the links or images below: 1. Introduction to Spiti Valley 2. Plan your trip to Spiti Valley 3. Travel guide to Kinnaur Valley 4. Travel guide to Gue and Tabo 5. Travel guide to Dhankar Lake and Monastery 6. Travel guide to Pin Valley (This blog) 7. Places to visit around Kaza (Key, Kibber, Chicham, Hikkim, Komik, Langza) 8. Travel guide to Langza and Buddha statue 9. Travel guide to Chandratal Lake Location of Pin Valley: Mud, the last village of Pin Valley is located at a distance of about 50 kilometres from Kaza, the headquarters of Spiti Valley. If you are driving from Kaza, Pin Valley is situated on the road towards Dhankar. About 16 kilometres from Kaza, you will reach Attargo bridge towards the right side. You enter Pin Valley right after crossing this bridge over the Spiti river. Pin Valley can be easily visited as a day-excursion from Kaza ensuring that you start early from Kaza. How to reach Pin Valley: The best way to reach Pin Valley is by hiring a car or bike from Kaza. The frequency of government buses from Kaza to Pin Valley is erratic and might not suit your timings. Moreover, the road to Pin Valley is also not in very good condition. It is mostly a bumpy, untarred dirt road, full of loose gravel. As you enter Pin Valley, the Pin river flows right next to you and it accompanies you till Mud, the last village of Pin Valley. After a 35-kilometre drive from Kaza, you will come across the first village of Pin Valley – Sangnam. Sangnam is the largest village of Pin Valley. It has well-built houses, large open fields, a school and a post-office. Another 15-kilometre drive from Sangnam will take you to Mud village. The entire drive from Kaza to Pin Valley is filled with breath-taking scenery. It will be too difficult for you to take the eyes off your vehicle’s window. Things to do in Pin Valley: 1. Visit Kungri monastery: Several monasteries in Pin Valley are worth a visit but Kungri monastery (or Kungri gompa or Pin gompa) is the most popular amongst them. After crossing Attargo bridge, if you continue driving for 16 kilometres, you will reach Gulling village. After crossing Gulling, you will see a road towards right going uphill. This road will take you to Kungri monastery. Kungri monastery was built in the year 1330 and is believed to be the second oldest monastery of Spiti Valley, first being the Tabo monastery. Kungri monastery is the only monastery that follows Nyingmapa Buddhism. Kungri means ‘snow mountain’ in the Tibetan language. And the monastery is located right below the snow mountains. The monastery is believed to be founded by Guru Padmasambhava or the second Buddha. During your visit to Kungri monastery, make sure that you visit both the old as well as the new monastery. The entrance to the old Kungri monastery is via a narrow door that leads through a dark narrow passage to a central hall. There are not many wall paintings or clay images here, unlike the other rich monasteries. Manuscripts are stacked on all four walls in wooden racks. In a side room is a beautiful 10-feet high prayer wheel. This monastery has a portrait of Demchhog (or Demchhok) and Phangmo clinging to each other in close embrace. Demchhog is a form of Lord Shiva and Phangmo is Parvati. It is interesting to find forms of Hindu deities in a centuries old Buddhist monastery. The statue signifies the union of male and female. The burnt condition of some of the murals in the old Kungri monastery is attributed to the Sikh invasion of Spiti in 1841 or it may be the work of Ghulam Khan in the earlier times when he plundered all the monasteries in Spiti. Adjacent to the old monastery building is the new Kungri monastery. It has a central image of Tandupa, a form of Buddha, studded with precious stones. The central image is said to be brought in a glass case from Shimla, carried by humans at most places due to the uncertainty of the roads. The frescos on the walls of the new Kungri monastery do not seem too old. But according to scholars, the carved wooden specimens are definitely ancient. We met a monk at the Kungri monastery who took us around both the old and new monasteries and was happy answering our curious questions. In fact, all the monks were very warm and welcoming. One is even allowed to stay overnight at the monastery’s monks’ quarters if one wishes to. 2. Venture into the Pin Valley National Park: Pin Valley National Park is an animal wildlife sanctuary located within Pin Valley. It was declared as a National Park in the year 1987 and is considered as home to the ‘grey ghost of Himalayas’ i.e. the snow leopard. Great Himalayan National Park and Rupi Bhabha sanctuary sandwiches the Pin Valley National Park from two sides. Spread over an area of 9800 square kilometres, Pin Valley National Park is believed to house as many as 12 snow leopards. Apart from the snow leopard, the National Park is also a natural habitat to several other rare and endangered animal species like Siberian ibex, red fox, weasel, Tibetan gazelle, bharal, marten, woolly hare, Himalayan brown bear, and Himalayan marmot. Several rare birds like snow pigeon, Himalayan snowcock, bearded vulture, golden eagle and raven can also be found in the Pin Valley National Park. The altitude of the National Park ranges from 11,500 feet to 19,500 feet. The park also has many unexplored high-altitude peaks and slopes. You will have to hire a local guide to venture through the park. 3. Visit the Mud Village: Mud village is the last inhabited village on the Indian side of Indo-Tibet border. As you enter the village, a huge chorten will welcome you. The monotony of the Spitian landscape is broken by the abundant greenery and flowering plants around Mud village. The ferociously flowing Pin river flows right beside Mud village turning the entire landscape into carpets of green with snow-capped mountains in the background. Strong winds cause rhythmic movements of clouds that create shadows in specified areas over the landscape. We never saw a place as beautiful and colourful as the valleys around Mud village. God had painted the landscape using various shades in his palette. Club this with ethereal silence and miles of isolation – Mud village was truly a paradise. 4. Help the locals with peas/ potato harvesting: The fertile land of Pin Valley is ideal for potato and peas farming. On our way to Mud village, all the fields surrounding the roads were filled with peas plantation. And to our surprise, it was the harvesting season in August. We stopped at one of the farms to watch the locals harvest fresh peas from the soil. They let us enter their farms, where we helped them with harvesting. The farmers were very warm and welcoming and let us taste the sweet and delicious peas. Their taste was totally different from the peas that we get in the cities. 5. View the confluence of Spiti river and Pin river: The Pin river originates from the southwestern part of Spiti Valley, whereas the Spiti river originates from Kunzum range. Both these rivers meet at a confluence point right after the Attargo bridge. The best view of the confluence of the Spiti and Pin rivers can be had from the Dhankar village. However, you can also stop by after the Attargo bridge to click some wonderful pictures of the confluence. 6. Visit the Pin River Bank: Close to Mikkim village in Pin Valley, we came across a suspension bridge over the Pin river. It was laden with colourful Tibetan flags. We stopped our car by the bridge and crossed over one of the small tributaries of the Pin river to the other side. The thrill of crossing the dwindling bridge and dipping our feet in the ice-cold water is indescribable. The vast expanse of the Pin river bank, surrounded by the brownish high mountains made it one of the most picturesque spot of our trip to Spiti Valley. 7. Trek the Pin-Parvati Pass: The trek to the high-altitude Pin-Parvati Pass starts from Mud village in Pin Valley. Pin-Parvati Pass is the mountainous range that divides the Pin Valley from the adjacent Parvati Valley. The Pin-Parvati Pass trek is one of the most challenging treks in Himachal Pradesh. It reaches an altitude of 17,500 feet covering a distance of 100 kilometres. The trek is 11-day long and requires prior experience of at least two high-altitude treks. 8. Trek the Pin-Bhabha Pass: Mud village is a base camp for trekkers willing to trek the Pin-Bhabha Pass. This trek crosses over the Bhabha Pass at an altitude of 15,900 feet to the Bhabha valley. Bhabha Pass is the ridge between Pin Valley and Kinnaur Valley. Pin-Bhabha Pass trek covers a total distance of about 50 kilometres which can ideally be done in 7-8 days. This is again a high-altitude trek requiring prior trekking experience and good physical fitness. PIN THESE IMAGES Trip to Pin Valley does not offer a lot of activities or tons of places to visit. The trip is rather relaxing and calming and should be done at a slow place while enjoying the stunning vistas. Though Pin Valley can be covered as a day trip from Kaza, we highly recommend spending a night at Mud village. Several basic homestay facilities are available at the Mud village. Staying with the locals will give you a marvellous insight into their culture, tradition and hardships. #India #NorthIndia #HimachalPradesh

Dhankar, the former erstwhile capital of Spiti Valley, was home to royal family 300 years ago. Today very little remains in this town except a beautiful ancient monastery perched on a hillside cliff and a fort. Dhankar is also a heaven for trekking enthusiasts who often visit this village to trek to Lhalung village or the Dhankar Lake. Dotted with little hamlets, Dhankar village sits on the top of a hill surrounded by nothing but barren mountains. The village literally lives on an edge overlooking the confluence of Spiti and Pin rivers. In this blog, we will provide you with a detailed guide on visiting Dhankar village which tips and recommendations on places to visit. Read our previous blogs on Spiti Valley and Kinnaur Valley by clicking on the below-mentioned links/ images: 1. Introduction to Spiti Valley 2. Plan your trip to Spiti Valley 3. Travel guide to Kinnaur Valley 4. Travel guide to Gue and Tabo 5. Travel guide to Dhankar Lake and Monastery (This blog) 6. Travel guide to Pin Valley 7. Places to visit around Kaza (Key, Kibber, Chicham, Hikkim, Komik, Langza) 8. Travel guide to Langza and Buddha statue 9. Travel guide to Chandratal Lake Location of Dhankar Village: Dhankar village is located between the towns Tabo and Kaza. It is stationed at an altitude of 12,780 feet above sea level. Located right at the meeting point of the two major rivers of Spiti Valley – Spiti river and Pin river, Dhankar village rises about 1000 feet above the river confluence. Dhankar is 31 kilometres away from the town of Tabo and 33 kilometres away from Kaza. It is easily approachable by a motorable road. While driving from Tabo, you will have to take a right turn a little before the Sichling village. This uphill road stretch of 8 kilometres will directly take you to Dhankar village. We visited Dhankar as a day-trip while travelling from Tabo to Kaza. Dhankar Village: Dhankar is a medium-sized village of Spiti Valley with less than 100 families residing in the small settlement. Dhankar used to be the capital of Spiti Valley for many years till it shifted to Kaza after the administration realised the needs of the modern-day. Located at the ridge, Dhankar must have been an easy task to defend the then capital city. Spitians had developed an elaborate system of defence since ancient times and Dhankar was very much a central part of such defensive schemes. The entire village is built on the dangerous inclines, so much so that one false step can risk an ugly fall down the cliff. The houses are perched in inconvenient positions against the slopes. The Spiti river and Pin river meet and then break into several channels forming a wide expanse of flat land. As you near the village, you will easily identify and locate the Dhankar monastery from far away. It is painted in white and is distinctly in contrast from the barren brown background. History of Dhankar Village: Generally, Spitians avoided fighting most of the wars with the wisdom of the Lamas (monks). They would desert the entire village and escape to higher, uninhabited plateaus with their valuables during a war-like situation. They even hid inside forts like the one in Dhankar to keep away from enemies. However, in 1776, the Bushahris conquered Dhankar and ruled for 2 years. Again, in 1819, the King of Kullu ruled over Dhankar. During the year 1840, Gulam Khan conquered Dhankar and plundered the Dhankar monastery and fort and destroyed many idols. Since then, the monastery and fort are mostly in ruins and are merely blocks and columns. But none of these has taken away from the charm of Dhankar village and the spiritual faith that the Spitians still have in Dhankar monastery. Places to visit in Dhankar Village: Dhankar Monastery Dhankar Gompa or Dhankar monastery is located above the Dhankar village. The ancient monastery belongs to the Gelugpa sect of Buddhism. Dhankar monastery is constructed of mud, timber and stone. The outer façade is painted in bright white colour. The monastery was once a part of a fort. In fact, the word Dhankar itself means ‘Fort on a cliff’. The strategic location of the Dhankar monastery offers panoramic views of the Spiti Valley and the confluence of Spiti and Pin rivers. Dhankar monastery houses an idol of Vairochana Buddha and brilliant wall murals depicting the life of Buddha. Due to its fragile condition, only 20 people are allowed inside the monastery at a time. Several corridors are cut in rock face inside the Dhankar monastery that leads to various small chambers that are mostly empty. The cliff base of Dhankar monastery is highly vulnerable to soil erosion mainly due to heavy wind and now with the rain. In 2006, the World Monuments Fund selected Dhankar monastery as one of the 100 most endangered sites in the world and has initiated to attempt its conservation. To protect its sanctity, a new monastery has been constructed at the base of the cliff which is now used as the practising monastery by the monks and lamas. Dhankar Fort/ Palace Dhankar fort is located just above the old monastery. It can be accessed by a short hike from the old monastery over a narrow path. The fort mostly lies in ruins and there’s not much to see except the stunning views of the vast expanse of the Spiti Valley. Dhankar fort once sheltered entire valley’s population during times of invasions and attacks. Dhankar Lake or Dhankar Tso Dhankar Lake or Dhankar Tso is located at a height of 13,580 feet above the sea level. It is a beautiful freshwater lake situated in the middle of the barren mountains. A moderately difficult trek of 3 kilometres, up a steep slope, from Dhankar village will take you to the Dhankar lake. It will take you around 2 hours to hike up the lake from the village. The trekking trail though not very properly defined is easy to identify. Make sure you wear shoes with good grip as there are a lot of loose pebbles scattered all along the narrow trail. Just 15 minutes into the trek and you will be offered with breath-taking views of the Dhankar village. The sight of Dhankar monastery clinging to the mountainside and the confluence of Spiti and Pin rivers - all surrounded by barren mountains and a few snow-peak mountains in the backdrop, is just amazing. Remember to capture these beautiful moments every now and then as you trek along. You wouldn’t imagine a landscape as beautiful than this cold desert. After climbing a steep hill that would take you about an hour and a half, you will reach the top of a ridge from where the trail flattens and an easy walk of another half an hour takes you to a no man’s land. Here, the entire stretch of land is surrounded by thorny bushes. Treading along, huffing and puffing, we reached the much-anticipated Dhankar lake. The first sight was however disappointing. We expected turquoise blue coloured water in the lake with brilliant reflections of the sky, but it was green and muddy and had shrunken in size due to less snowfall and rain. Maybe the time we visited was not ideal. Nevertheless, sitting there by the lakeside, silently gazing the reflections of the snowy mountains (Manirang Pass) in the water, we felt at peace. We started descending after an hour of photo clicking and exploring areas around the Dhankar lake. The descend was not that difficult but we had to be really careful of maintaining a good grip to ensure that we don’t slip down. Note: Trek to Dhankar lake is high-altitude trekking. You will get tired and out-of-breath very easily. Do not opt to visit Dhankar lake if you aren’t physically fit, else you may suffer from AMS due to sudden altitude gain. Remember to carry your water bottles, dry fruits and eatables to keep yourself energized. In fact, we advise you to visit Dhankar lake only if you have a night stay planned in Dhankar village. That will help you acclimatize to the high altitude. Also, the trek takes up almost your entire day and you won’t be able to make most of the monastery and the fort if you are on a day-visit to Dhankar. For us, the trek to Dhankar lake was too much effort for too little gain. However, we highly recommend a small hike of 15 minutes over the trail just for the captivating views. Stay options in Dhankar Village: If you could squeeze out some time from your Spiti Valley itinerary, we highly recommend spending a night in Dhankar village. There are plenty of low-range homestay options available for stay. Homestays are the only choice of stay available in Dhankar village, thus keep your expectations low. Just have a word with the locals and they will be happy to allow you to stay at their house or will help you out finding a homestay. PIN THESE IMAGES Very few tourists venture in Dhankar’s direction, making it an offbeat place. So, if you are visiting Spiti Valley, Dhankar is the place you must not miss out on. Though the list of places to visit in Dhankar is not long, the natural beauty and tranquillity of the place will melt your heart. #India #NorthIndia #HimachalPradesh

Creating an annual travel calendar is one of the first things we do as the new year starts. It not only gives us a clear picture of what our travel plans look like, it also ensures we maximize the opportunities to travel. In other words, designing a yearly travel calendar helps us travel more. If you have always dreamed of travelling more, if travelling is important to you, don't let your hunger for travel just be a dream. Make it a plan. In this article we guide you on how to go about converting your travel dreams into plans by creating an annual travel calendar. 0. What is your travel appetite? The first thing, step zero, is to understand what your travel appetite is. Different people tend to have different amount of hunger for travelling. Some are okay travelling once or twice a year while others prefer travelling once a quarter and some like us need to be on the road every month. There are no right and wrongs here. It is just a question of personal preference. How many times in a year do you want to travel? Let's assume you absolutely love travelling and want to maximize the number of times you can travel. Now that you have high travel appetite, below is a simple framework that will help you move forward. All you need to answer is these 3 questions - 1. Time Time is always a constraint which limits the number of days you can travel in a year. You would already have an idea about the number of leaves you can take from your job. The whole idea is to utilize your leaves efficiently in order to maximize your travel gain. 1.1 What does your holiday calendar look like? We assume you have some sort of job/business/college - full time, part time or freelancing. This means your free time is in some ways governed by your company or college or customers. So the first task is to see how your holiday calendar looks like. What days and dates in the year do you have holidays? Your holidays would typically be religious festivals, government holidays, bank holidays etc. 1.2 What are the travel times that pop up from your holiday calendar? There will be times in your holiday calendar where you ought to take leaves and travel. Identify such must-travel times from holiday calendar. In the table below, we have highlighted some situations that you will see once you study your holiday calendar. Based on these it is easy to see which holidays from your holiday calendar will be right for which type of trip. 1.3 Set your potential travel calendar Now you should be in a position to create your potential travel calendar. One that has weeks and weekends marked for travel. For example in below calendar - Jan 14th & 21st Feb are holidays so 11-14th and 21-23 become your potential travel dates. At this stage you can also mark specific times when you know there is a holiday but you would not prefer to travel for any reasons. The reasons could be things like kid's school or a critical time in your job or exams etc. So you will be left with potential travel dates through the year. 2. Destination Now that you know when you can travel, its time to figure out where to travel. This decision can be influenced by many things such as - Your bucket list - There would be some places in your heart you always wanted to go Wanna go list - There would be places you have heard are really good and would love to visit Researched list - If the list of above 2 is not big enough, you need to research and create a list 2.1 Create your Destination repository Based on the above 3, you need to create a laundry list of places you would like to visit. This is a repository of destinations with reference from your home base. The list should look like - As they say - when you are thirsty, it is too late to think about digging a well. You know you are going to be thirsty to travel, you know you are passionate about travel, then you should always have a wanna visit list of destinations handy and update it at least once a year. Of course you want to travel the world, but not in next couple of years. So this destination repository does not include every place in the world! It only includes places you are interested in travelling sooner. There will be less number of 1 or 2 weeks leaves that you can take through the year. So don't go overboard with far away places which would be longer trips. If you can take 4 full weeks off in a year, its okay to have say 8-10 destinations in your list which you can prioritize and plan to cover in couple of years. Ensure you have enough places listed which are day trips/ weekend trips/ long weekend trips as these would be much more frequent opportunities than full week or 2 week trips. Ideal time to visit may need some basic research and can be decided based on your preference. For example a beach destination in India like Goa or Andamans may be preferred in winter months of Nov-Feb but not so much in summer/monsoon or you might want to specifically avoid them in December due to excessive crowd and exorbitant costs. Similarly Himalayan destinations like Uttarakhand, Spiti Valley or Bhutan may be preferred in Dec-Jan-Feb if you want to experience snow or may be preferred in Apr-Aug if you want to avoid cold. Its your personal choice. Write your ideal time to visit in this column. 2.2 Set your travel calendar Now all you need to do is perform a simple mapping exercise. Based on ideal months, which destination fits which month in your potential travel calendar. For example, if ideal time for Goa and Andamans is Nov-Feb and let's say it is a 3 or 4 day long weekend trip for you, check when in those months do you have 3 or 4 day long weekend from your potential travel calendar that you created earlier in step 1.3. It is better you start with longer holidays such as 1 week or 2 weeks holidays and set them in your calendar first. Once this is done, you can then try fitting shorter holidays such as 3 or 4 day long weekends. You can set weekends and day outings during time periods when you don't really have a holiday for an extended time period. Let's say there is no holiday in whole of July and August, set your weekend trips and day trips in these months. Another suggestion is to do with 'Features of the destination' column from your destination repository. We prefer mixing up the features. For example, we tend to avoid consecutive mountain trips or beach trips and mix things up. So a mountain trip is often followed by a beach trip, which is often followed by a cultural trip etc. We also try to have one village experience, one high altitude trek and do one adventure sport every year. This ensures a variety of unique experiences through the year which we crave for. We also try to have one repeat destination in our calendar every year. We realized that first trip to any destination is usually about exploring the key, important, most popular places in a destination. However there is a lot more which we realize during the first trip which we miss out on because there is little to no information about it on internet. So few years later, we like visiting the same destination again to explore the offbeat side of that destination. This may not apply to every destination but is true for many of them. 3. Money Now that you know when do you want to travel and where you will be travelling, it is time to get a basic idea on 'How' part of things. At this stage you need not create a detailed itinerary and figure out all costs involved. This stage is about figuring out a vague estimate of how you would like the trip to be. Do you want it to be budgeted, moderately priced, luxury or say a mixed one. 3.1 What is your Annual Travel Budget? The first step is to understand how much you can spend through the year on travel. We can write a separate article on how to do your budgeting exercise but here is a quick brief on what to do - What is your estimate annual income? What are your estimated annual expenses? Expenses could be fixed costs such as your rent, household expenses, mobile bills, internet cost, grocery etc. Expenses could be variable costs for which you may have a vague idea such as clothes, electronics and gadgets, books, movies, medical, gifts etc. What are your estimated annual investments? Annual Travel Budget = (Annual Income) - (Annual Expenses) - (Annual Investments) If travelling is really important to you and you want to maximize its budget, you cannot impact your income much and you should ideally not tamper with your investment plans, so the only option is to narrow down your annual expenses. So it is okay to use an android phone or repeat your clothes every other week or not to see the latest movies. All such things that you miss out on will be compensated by what you get when you go on an additional trip. 3.2 Do a basic research There are various decisions which can influence the overall cost of your trip and you need to choose which option is best suited for your comfort and cost. It is again advisable to start from longer 1 week or 2 week trips and then go for estimating costs of smaller trips. An easier way to do this is to simply search for packages offered by travel agencies. You might see a range of packages from cheaper to costlier ones and this would give you a rough idea of what the costs could be. If you are referring to popular and well known companies which offer holiday packages like SOTC, Thomas Cook or MakeMyTrip, reduce atleast 25% from the costs they offer as you can simply plan on your own and prevent yourself from paying the profit margins these big companies tend to add. 3.3 Add vague cost estimates to your travel calendar No matter what your annual travel budget is, you should be able to pack in enough trips to feed your travel hunger. How? There are all sorts of options available when you go on a trip. Lets say in terms of transportation - You can hitchhike, book Non-AC/AC trains or buses, share rides, drive your own/ rent a car or motorbike or fly. The transportation costs would vary widely based on the option you choose. Similar is the case with accommodations - there are plenty of options with wide range of costs. Your trip costs are solely dependent on your choices. You can now add a 'Type of Trip' column to your travel calendar that says - Budgeted/ Moderately priced/ Luxury/ Mixed and also add estimated cost if you want to. For us, over the years we have mastered the art of meeting our annual travel budget so we do not really do much research on the money part early on the year. We know that whatever the destinations be, we will be able to make it budgeted or luxurious type of trip based on what we plan to do. For example if a destination has lovely luxurious resorts or boutique hotels that we really want to experience, it becomes a luxurious trip. If we are going to do sightseeing whole day, we prefer budgeted/medium priced accommodations. There is no point paying higher amount and not staying in. We even do mixed trips where couple of days we spend in a luxurious property followed by few days in budgeted ones thus ensuring that the overall cost of trip is averaged out. Points to note There are some other things you might want to keep in mind - While this exercise will ensure you travel more, note that ultimately it does not matter the number of countries or places you visit. Quality of your trips matter much more than how many trips do you have in a year. What matters is how well did you experience the places you visited. How enriching is your understanding of people, culture and everything else the destination has to offer. It is perfectly fine to have 'TBD' (To be decided) in few places in your travel plans especially for smaller trips. For example its okay not to finalize which destination you will travel to on a weekend 5 months later. It is just a weekend, you have your destination repository, so sooner or later you can finalize it. It is okay to modify your travel calendar as you progress through the year. Life happens and there will be unforeseen circumstances which will force you to change or cancel your current plans. However you should still be able to achieve something like 70% of your plans which is great. We have many times changed our plans through the year due to situations like friend or relative's wedding which was not known early in the year, self or family's health issues, work, unpredictable political situation or simply bad weather. We have personally always felt planning a trip maximizes your knowledge of the destination and ensures you make the most of what a place has to offer. Unplanned trips while fun are many a times governed by ignorance. For example you suddenly decided to go a to a place and packed your bags. When you reached the destination, you realized you should have brought some nylon clothes as there is also a waterfall to visit where you will get wet or you should have got your tripod along to click flowing water. What is even worse is when you come back and chat with a friend who tells you that a small diversion would have taken you to a gorgeous waterfall which you missed. However, 'spontaneous' could be your style of travel and if you feel it suits you, go ahead. Hope the above exercise helped you plan your travels for full year. If you have been implementing suggestions in this article so far, your dream of travelling more is now a plan and one step closer to being a reality. Did you know that our annual calendar is always published on this website and you can join us on any of our trips. Checkout our annual calendar for this year in 'Travel with us' section and feel free to get in touch in case you want to know more about any of the trips. If you enjoyed reading this article, share it with your friends. You can pin below images. PIN THESE IMAGES #TravelPlanning

The true beauty of Spiti Valley lies in its several small villages and towns. Gue village and Tabo town are few such gems of Spiti Valley. In our previous blog, we wrote about the places to visit in Kinnaur valley. Nako is the last village in Kinnaur and lies very close to the border where Kinnaur merges with Spiti Valley. One enters Spiti Valley at a village named Sumdo where the Pare Chu river re-enters India after a journey in Tibet and merges with Spiti River. The road from Sumdo to Kaza (headquarters of Spiti Valley) is built along the banks of Spiti River. We immediately saw the difference in terrain as we entered Spiti Valley. Whatever patches of greenery were seen in Kinnaur Valley disappeared and there were only grey and brown hills all around in Spiti Valley. This is typical Spiti Valley - greenery is only around the villages where there are fields; otherwise one sees only the stark barrenness. Gue village is located at a distance of 12 kilometres and Tabo village at a distance of 28 kilometres from Sumdo. In this blog, we provide you with a travel guide to visit two beautiful places in Spiti – Tabo and Gue. Read our previous blogs of the series 'Surreal Spiti' by clicking on the links or photos below: 1. Introduction to Spiti Valley 2. Plan your trip to Spiti Valley 3. Travel guide to Kinnaur Valley 4. Travel guide to Gue and Tabo (This blog) 5. Travel guide to Dhankar Lake and Monastery 6. Travel guide to Pin Valley 7. Places to visit around Kaza (Key, Kibber, Chicham, Hikkim, Komik, Langza) 8. Travel guide to Langza and Buddha statue 9. Travel guide to Chandratal Lake GUE Gue is a tiny hamlet located almost on the Indo-Tibet border, between Sumdo and Tabo in Spiti Valley. It is stationed at an altitude of 10,500 feet above sea level. Mountains engulf the entire Gue village from all the sides. The village is untouched by commercialisation and makes for an excellent offbeat destination. Gue village barely comprises of 50-70 houses and a temple with a quirky history. It is famous for housing India’s only naturally preserved mummy of an old lama/ monk. Location of Gue village: Driving on NH-505, about 30 kilometres from Khab one enters Spiti at Sumdo. Just 4 kilometres after crossing Sumdo, is a bridge over the Spiti River. A right turn and a slight detour of about 10 kilometres from here will take you to Gue village. It will take approximately 40-45 minutes on the rough road to reach Gue from the bridge. The way to Gue is guarded by a narrow gorge and the village is rather difficult to approach. Driving straight till the end of the road, atop a hillock, is the last structure in the village –The Gue mummy lama temple or The Gue monastery. History of Gue mummy lama temple: According to the locals, the mummy is believed to be 500 years old and that of a lama named Sangha Tenzin, who supposedly sacrificed his life for the betterment of his village. The mummy is remarkably well preserved, with intact skin, teeth visible through lips, growing nails and hair. It is said that, in 1430 AD, the village was hit by a plague of scorpions. This is when the lama requested his disciples to naturally mummify him to free the village from the plague. Just when he passed away, it is believed that a rainbow appeared towards the horizon following which the plague ended. Natural mummification is a ritual that was conducted by Buddhist monks of Japan. In this process, the spiritual masters used to starve themselves to slow death by meditating. The monks were made to eat a solely tree-based diet to deplete their body’s fat reserves. They ingested poisonous nuts to vomit to remove moisture from the body. By the time of their death, the body would be devoid of fat and their organs would be shrunken. During this phase of slow starvation, candles were run along the skin of the monks to dry it out. Hence the body wouldn’t decompose after their death but start getting preserved by the process of natural mummification. Interestingly, in the earthquake of 1975 in Spiti Valley, the tomb housing the mummified body of Sangha Tenzin was exposed. In 2004, the Indo-Tibetan border police excavated the tomb, removed the mummy and displayed it in the Gue mummy lama temple, 4 kilometres from where it was excavated. In 2002, a famous scientist from Oxford University of California, with the help of carbon dating, concluded that the mummy is 500 years old. Gue mummy lama temple: The Gue mummy lama temple is dedicated to the lama – Sangha Tenzin. The mummy of the monk is however kept in a separate room. The mummy is protected by a rectangular glass enclosure and is in a squatting position dressed by silk robes. It sits with the chin resting on its knee and a hand around one leg. Despite having no artificial preservation, the mummy is still intact and shows no deterioration. The clean air, low humidity and cold in the region may have contributed to its excellent state. The Gue mummy lama temple is strikingly colourful against the barren backdrop. The entire Gue village is visible from the temple complex. The panoramic view of dry mountains on all the sides is picturesque. A small river originating from the melting snow on the mountains flows through the village. There is a small shop in a corner of the temple complex that serves basic eateries. TABO The village of Tabo is in a valley situated in a bowl-like flat round. It is located at an altitude of 10,760 feet above sea level. Just like other valleys in Spiti, Tabo is surrounded by barren hills and mountains on all the sides. Owing to the increase in tourism over the last two decades, Tabo serves as a pit-stop for tourists travelling to or from Kaza. The village is famous for its 1000-year-old Tabo monastery and some ancient caves. Location of Tabo village: Tabo village is not very off-the-road and lies on the highway from Nako to Kaza. It is at a distance of 64 kilometres from Nako, 48 kilometres from Kaza and 35 kilometres from Gue. Tabo village is right on the banks of Spiti River making the place very scenic and picturesque. As soon as you enter Tabo, you will be surprised to see the green patches of fields against the backdrop of Spiti desert. The drive from Gue to Tabo is rough but is highly picturesque. History of Tabo monastery: Tabo monastery is the second most important seat of Buddhism in the entire Himalayan region after the Tholing monastery in Tibet. It was established in 996 AD by the ruler of Guge kingdom from western Tibet and the great translator Rinchen Zangpo. Since the establishment of Tabo monastery, it has been a centre for Buddhist philosophy and learning. Tabo monastery is famous for its wall paintings, murals, statues and sculptures. Because of these ancient arts, it is also known as the Ajanta and Ellora of the Himalayas. Tabo monastery: The Buddhist monastery complex in Tabo consists of 9 temples, 23 chortens and chambers for monks – everything made of mud and clay. After the earthquake of 1975 in Spiti Valley, the original Tabo monastery was damaged, hence a new modern monastery was built in the same complex. His Holiness, The Dalai Lama visited the Tabo monastery in 1996 to commemorate its millennium celebration and that is when the Kalachakra festival was initiated. The festival is when Dalai Lama gives a session of his teachings to a huge public audience. Tabo monastery is currently home to some 70 Buddhist monks. The entire monastery complex is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. One can visit both, the old Tabo monastery and the new Tabo monastery, as well as wander around in the complex to marvel at the gardens and chortens. Old Tabo monastery: The Tabo monastery complex has multiple structures made entirely of sand and clay. All the structures are mostly square in shape and the walls are pretty wide. That must be the reason how it has survived for 1000 years. We entered the old Tabo monastery through a narrow and short door and it took a while for our eyes to get used to the darkness inside. Natural light came in only through a ceiling window. The paintings inside the old Tabo monastery still retain their bright colours. There are many independent chambers inside the monastery – all having paintings on the walls and sculptures of Buddhist Gods. The old Tabo monastery temples also house innumerable books and manuscripts stacked on high wooden racks. We visited all the temples one after the other and gazed in wonder at the skill of the anonymous artists. Photography is prohibited in the old Tabo monastery and temples, however it is allowed inside new Tabo monastery. New Tabo monastery: The new Tabo monastery was easy to identify owing to its colourful architecture and the colourful Buddhist flags surrounding it. This monastery is quite big with a lot of seating area. It houses a huge golden-coloured Buddha statue. It’s walls, again, is painted with bright paintings. Multi-coloured tapestries hung from the walls and along the columns and pillars. The Tabo monastery complex: Apart from the temples, the Tabo monastery has several chortens made of mud, haphazardly grouped together. We were intrigued at how they have weathered by years of heat and cold and are now crumbling and chipping around the corners. Beautiful small flowering plants bloomed in spaces around the chortens and the temples. Tabo caves: Tabo caves are scattered on hills adjoining the Tabo village. These can be easily seen as tiny dots on the hills from the Tabo monastery complex. There is a well-defined trail to reach the caves, however, the entry inside the caves is restricted. These caves are used by monks for meditation. If you see a flag outside a cave, it would mean there is a monk meditating inside and should not be disturbed. Entire Tabo village alongside the Spiti River can be seen from the caves. How to reach Gue and Tabo: There are no government buses that run to the Gue mummy lama temple, whereas the frequency of bus running to Tabo is erratic. Hiring a cab or taking your private vehicle is the best way to reach Gue and Tabo. You can either hire a cab for your entire Spiti Valley trip as we did or take one from Nako village. We booked a vehicle for our trip from Spiti Valley Tours. It is a highly rated travel agency that specialises in trips to Spiti Valley. Their drivers are experienced and know their way around with the locals. Spiti Valley Tours also helped us in charting out a perfect itinerary for our trip by suggesting unique and offbeat places such as Gue. To book your trip with Spiti Valley Tours you can directly contact them through their website. The best time to visit Tabo monastery and Gue mummy lama temple is from May to September when the roads are clear and the weather condition is pleasant. While Gue is a destination that can be covered as a day excursion on your way to Tabo or Kaza, we highly recommend spending a night in Tabo. Tabo is like a modern town and has several decent guesthouses and homestays. PIN THESE IMAGES Hope that the above information on Gue and Tabo is of help to you. Kindly drop in any questions you have or your views and opinions in the comment section below. We would love to interact. #India #NorthIndia #HimachalPradesh

Most tourists believe that state of Himachal Pradesh in India = Shimla + Manali. Few have thought beyond this notion and ventured to the unknown paradise named ‘Spiti Valley’. In our previous two blogs of the series ‘Surreal Spiti’, we introduced you to Spiti Valley, its location, places to visit in Spiti valley, an ideal itinerary and how you can plan your trip to Spiti Valley. As mentioned in the second blog - Plan your trip to Spiti, Spiti Valley can be reached either from Shimla-Kinnaur route or Manali route. We recommend the complete circuit route while planning a trip to Spiti Valley, i.e. reach Spiti Valley from Shimla-Kinnaur route and exit via the Manali route. So before writing about places to visit in Spiti Valley in-depth, we decided to pen down a travel guide to Kinnaur Valley. Kinnaur Valley has some beautiful hidden gems that not many travellers know about. These hidden gems of Kinnaur can be visited before proceeding to Spiti Valley or a tour to Kinnaur Valley can be planned as a stand-alone trip. This article will give you an in-depth understanding of Kinnaur valley, places to visit in Kinnaur and ideal itinerary for Kinnaur. 1. Introduction to Spiti Valley 2. Plan your trip to Spiti Valley 3. Travel guide to Kinnaur Valley (This blog) 4. Travel guide to Gue and Tabo 5. Travel guide to Dhankar Lake and Monastery 6. Travel guide to Pin Valley 7. Places to visit around Kaza (Key, Kibber, Chicham, Hikkim, Komik, Langza) 8. Travel guide to Langza and Buddha statue 9. Travel guide to Chandratal Lake Location of Kinnaur Valley: Kinnaur valley is located in the northeastern part of the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is one of the 12 districts of the state. It is considered as an offbeat location as few travellers care to visit it before moving on to Spiti Valley. Kinnaur Valley is known for its abundant apple orchards, thick forested hills and mountains, beautiful tiny settlements, and of course the ever-adventurous roads. It is surrounded by greenwood mountains, ranging in altitude from 7,610 feet to 22,360 feet. Sangla, Chitkul, Kalpa, Khab and Nako are the main attractions to visit in Kinnaur Valley. How to reach Kinnaur Valley: Reckong Peo is the administrative headquarter of Kinnaur Valley district. Jubbarhatti airport in Shimla (250 kilometres) and Shimla railway station (230 kilometres) is the closest airport and railway station to Reckong Peo/ Kinnaur Valley. From Shimla, you can opt to reach Kinnaur Valley either by hiring a taxi or via private/state-run buses. Chandigarh airport/ railway station are the best places to start your journey to Kinnaur Valley if you are not from the north India and are arriving from other parts of India. Chandigarh is well connected through all modes of transportation with rest of India and is approximately 350 kilometres away from Kinnaur Valley. The Hindustan Tibet Highway (NH-5) from Shimla to Khab passes through Kinnaur Valley and is considered as one of the most treacherous/ deadliest roads in the world. The route to Kinnaur Valley is as follows: Shimla – Narkanda – Karcham. From Karcham, the route bifurcates where one goes to Reckong Peo and Kalpa and other goes towards Sangla and Chitkul. Best time to visit Kinnaur Valley: March to July and October - November are the best time to visit Kinnaur Valley. During this time, the weather is cool and pleasant and all the roads are open. October - November are colder but this is when apple orchards are harvested. August to mid-September is monsoon and road closures due to landslides can be common. December to February are peak winter months when Kinnaur Valley witnesses snowfall. Roads to Sangla and Chitkul often close down due to heavy snow and most hotels and guest houses remain closed. Places to visit in Kinnaur Valley: Sangla Valley (Altitude: 8600 feet) Sangla Valley is one of the most captivating valleys in the entire Kinnaur Valley district. It is also popularly known as Baspa Valley as it is located right on the banks of the scenic Baspa River. Sangla Valley is a major base camp for several trekking trails in the Himalayas. The valley is blessed with cedar and fir trees, red apple orchards, evergreen forests, apricots and walnuts. There is a perfect amalgamation of Hindu and Buddhist culture in Sangla Valley. In fact, the two most visited attractions – Bering Nag temple and Sangla Buddhist temple are located right opposite to each other in Sangla Valley. Bering Nag temple is completely made out of wood and has a remarkable architecture with fine wooden carvings. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Bering Nag temple is just a 15-minute hike from the plains of the Sangla Valley. Sangla Buddhist temple is located in the same courtyard as that of Bering Nag temple. The sight of intricately carved wooden dragons at the entrance of the Buddhist temple is eye-catching. The architecture of these structures are distinct Kinnauri style. Kamru Fort is another 5-minute hike from the Bering Nag temple complex. The fort aka temple is multi-storeyed and looks like a tower. Entry inside the fort is not allowed but you can visit its courtyard and appreciate the fort from outside. The caretaker outside the fort will provide each one of you with a Himachali cap and a holy thread to tie around your waist and you are allowed entry only after wearing these. The Kamru Fort is some 1500 years old and is entirely made of wood which still remains fresh and intact. Its architecture is truly appreciable. Kamru Fort is set at a picturesque location and you will get a panoramic view of the entire Sangla Valley from the courtyard of the Kamru Fort. Hike to all these above-mentioned places is through Sangla village and the ascent is gradual. Do not forget to stop and admire the view every now and then during your hike. The path is filled with scenic landscapes, apple and apricot laden trees and cute Himachali houses. It is recommended you visit these places early in the morning for best scenic views. Rakcham (Altitude: 9510 feet) Rakcham village is located on the way from Sangla to Chitkul just about 40 mins from Sangla. During our visit in August month, the fields surrounding the village were covered with striking pink-coloured flowers. We learnt that those were Buckwheat plantations. Strolling through the narrow lanes surrounded by beautiful wooden houses and storage spaces, we reached the Rakcham temple. The temple was closed but looked amazing from outside. Nevertheless, we got an opportunity to interact with kids and locals in the temple complex. We learnt from locals that Rakcham was awarded the title of best modern village by President of India in 2010 though we did not find any concrete evidence of this online. Rakcham village is a must-visit while on your way to Chitkul. It also has some homestays and camping options if one chooses to stay overnight. Spend some time here to appreciate its beauty. Chitkul (Altitude: 11320 feet) Chitkul village is located at a distance of 25 odd kilometres (1 hour) from Sangla Valley. Just like Sangla Valley, Rakcham and Chitkul are also located at the banks of Baspa River. Chitkul village is called as India’s last village as it is the last inhabited village located close to the Indo-Tibet border. Without any doubt, it is the most beautiful village in Kinnaur Valley. Chitkul is a starting point to many short and long treks such as Lamkhaga Pass trek, Flag peak trek to name a few. The sight of the Baspa River with spellbinding views of the Kinner Kailash mountain range in the backdrop was the highlight of our trip to Chitkul. As it is located in the Baspa basin, the soil of Chitkul is very fertile. Chitkul’s high-quality potatoes are well-known and are sold at very expensive rates in North India. The Mathi Devi temple in Chitkul is said to be 500 years old. The temple is built in traditional Kinnauri style and is dedicated to Goddess Durga. It has a big courtyard and can accommodate a large crowd during celebrations and festivals. Most villagers in Chitkul live on agriculture and tourism. The walk in the village is extremely pleasing and awe-inspiring. It is perfect heaven if you seek to run away from Delhi’s or Chandigarh’s crowd for a few days. There are number of accommodation options in Chitkul from homestays, campsites to hostels. However do not expect any luxury accommodations here. Kalpa (Altitude: 9710 feet) Kalpa is often treated as a transit town by travellers en-route to Spiti Valley. The town, however, offers the best views of the Kinner Kailash mountain range. The Kinner mountains are visible from any point in Kalpa and hence this town is known for its spectacular sunrises and sunsets in the wake of snow-covered mountains. Do not miss visiting the suicide point in Kalpa during the evening to catch a stunning sunset. The Shiva Linga peak at 20000 feet amidst the Kinner-Kailash ranges is worshipped and held high amongst Hindus. If you have time in hand, also visit Roghi village that is located 8 kilometres from Kalpa. Roghi is well-known for the ancient Sapni fort that opens once in 7 years and is surrounded by the Himalayas. Khab (Altitude: 8000 feet) The Hindustan Tibet Highway, referred as one of the world’s most dangerous roads, ends at Khab. Khab is basically a place where the Satluj River and Spiti River meet. A motorable bridge is constructed over the confluence of the two rivers. Just ahead of the bridge, there is a section which is carved out of the mountain with a road running through it, almost like a one wall tunnel. The NH-505 highway starts from Khab and takes one to Spiti Valley. Khab is just a 15-20-minute pit-stop to view the river confluence and photograph the surrounding before moving on to Nako. Nako (Altitude: 12010 feet) Zig-zag roads, also known as the Kah loops (series of hairpin bends), leads one to Nako village from Khab. The ascend is almost around 3000 feet and suddenly the surroundings start changing while on this route. The mountains start becoming barren and the slopes become scree. Nako looks more a part of Spiti Valley than Kinnaur Valley but it is technically located in the latter. Nako is considered as Upper Kinnaur Valley but its landscape and topography match that of Spiti Valley. Nako Lake is a man-made lake surrounded by barren hills with willow and poplar plantation. The water in the lake is believed to change colour depending on the time of your visit. During the dawn, it looks like a pond of blue water, during day-time it turns green and by dusk you can see the water change colour to orange. There are some fully grown trees in the lake. The lake is considered extremely holy as Guru Padmasambhava (also known as 2nd Buddha) is said to have meditated here, hence no swimming or fishing is allowed inside the lake. Entire Nako village is built around Nako Lake and you will have to ask for directions to reach here as the route is through multiple narrow lanes. Nako monastery dates back to 11th century and is a primary attraction of the Nako village. The monastery is set in a picturesque location with a view of scenic mountains in the backdrop. The old monastery was slightly knocked down during an earthquake and hence a new one was built beside it. Both are painted with striking red colour from outside. Photography is not allowed in the old monastery but is allowed in newer one. The old monastery is generally kept closed but still can be visited. We were lucky to meet a monk who opened the old monastery for us. It is dark from inside and has a small opening at the roof which is the only source of light. The walls of the monastery were profusely painted with colourful idols and mandalas. The monastery housed a statue of Guru Padmasambhava and Lady Tara. The red-robed monk who accompanied us was kind enough to explain to us the names of God and Goddess and meaning of different colours, paintings, flags and idols. The new monastery was inaugurated by His Holiness Dalai Lama. It is bigger than the old one has a lot of openings for light and ventilation. There are some hotels and homestays in Nako if you would like to stay overnight. Ideal itinerary for Kinnaur Valley: Itinerary for your Kinnaur Valley trip would be purely based on the amount of time you have in hand. We feel that a minimum of 7 nights and 8 days are required to cover the most popular attractions if you fly in and out of Chandigarh. Day 1 – Arrive Chandigarh and drive to Narkanda. Night stay in Narkanda Day 2 – Narkanda to Sangla. Night stay in Sangla Day 3 - Sightseeing in Sangla and Rakcham. Drive to Chitkul. Night stay in Chitkul Day 4 - Chitkul sightseeing. Night stay in Chitkul Day 5 – Chitkul to Khab to Nako. Night stay in Nako Day 6 – Sightseeing in Nako. Nako to Kalpa. Night stay in Kalpa Day 7 – Sightseeing in Kalpa. Kalpa to Chail. Night stay in Chail Day 8 – Chail to Chandigarh The above itinerary is recommended if you are on a week long trip to Kinnaur valley. In case you would like to touch upon Kinnaur valley while travelling to Spiti Valley, you can spend couple of nights in Kinnaur valley - Day 1 - Arrive Chandigarh and drive to Narkanda. Night stay in Narkanda Day 2 - Narkanda to Sangla. Night stay in Sangla Day 3 - Sangla to Rakcham to Chitkul to Kalpa. Night stay in Kalpa Day 4 - Kalpa to Khab to Nako to Gue to Tabo. Night stay in Tabo You will enter Spiti valley after Nako at a village called Sumdo. Post this you can resume your Spiti itinerary and head towards Tabo. Permit requirements to visit Kinnaur Valley: Indians, as well as foreign nationalists, do not require any permits for places to visit in Kinnaur Valley. Indians do not need a permit to visit Spiti Valley as well. However, foreigners who are interested to venture beyond Nako village to Spiti valley are required to obtain a permit. How to get those permits? Read about it in our previous blog – Plan your trip to Spiti Valley. PIN THESE IMAGES We hope this article covers most of the information for you to successfully plan a trip to Kinnaur Valley. If you feel we have left out any details, do let us know in the comment section below. Also, feel free to ask any queries or doubts you have about Kinnaur Valley. Adios. #India #NorthIndia #HimachalPradesh

Our trip to Spiti Valley in state of Himachal Pradesh, India has left us with picture-postcard memories of pristine lakes, dry desert, barren mountains, stunning landscapes and precariously perched monasteries. Not only did we visit the highest post-office in the world, the highest motorable village in the world and highest suspension bridge in the world, we also got to see some of the oldest monasteries of the valley that survived floods and earthquakes. Spiti Valley is probably the most peaceful places in India like Rudyard Kipling once described it – ‘A world within a world’. In our last blog ‘Introduction to Spiti Valley’, we wrote about the valley’s location, its history, its culture and the best time to visit to Spiti. In this blog, we will brief you on how to reach Spiti Valley, places to visit in Spiti Valley, ideal itinerary and some important tips and recommendations that will help you plan your trip to Spiti Valley. Happy reading! Read our previous blogs on Spiti Valley by clicking on the links or images below: 1. Introduction to Spiti Valley 2. Plan your trip to Spiti Valley (This blog) 3. Travel guide to Kinnaur Valley 4. Travel guide to Gue and Tabo 5. Travel guide to Dhankar Lake and Monastery 6. Travel guide to Pin Valley 7. Places to visit around Kaza (Key, Kibber, Chicham, Hikkim, Komik, Langza) 8. Travel guide to Langza and Buddha statue 9. Travel guide to Chandratal Lake How to reach Spiti Valley: Kaza is a major town and administrative headquarter of Spiti Valley. When one talks about visiting Spiti Valley, they are usually talking about visiting Kaza or some nearby village. You can reach Spiti via road only. There are no airports or railway stations in Spiti due to high altitude and rough terrain. There are two different routes to reach Spiti Valley i.e Kaza – one from Manali and the other from Shimla-Kinnaur. Both the routes are scenic, beautiful and full of adventure. You could decide which route you want to opt for depending on the time of travel and the number of days you have in hand. You can get state transport bus to reach Spiti from Shimla or Manali but we would suggest taking a private taxi so that you can visit many other scenic places on the way. Reaching Spiti Valley via Manali route From Manali, Spiti Valley can be reached by taking the Rohtang Pass – Gramphu – Kunzum Pass – Kaza route. The total distance is just 200 kilometres but it takes around 10-12 hours of travel due to bad road conditions. Remember: Manali route stays open only from mid May - October. The route to Spiti Valley is cut-off from Manali side for rest of the months as the high-altitude passes (Rohtang pass and Kunzum pass) are covered with heavy snow. Pros of taking Manali route to reach Spiti Valley: It will take you just 2 days to reach Spiti Valley i.e. Kaza – One day to reach Manali from your base and another day to reach Kaza from Manali. Hence, this route is shorter. Cons of taking Manali route to reach Spiti Valley:​ You have to start very early from Manali to reach Spiti Valley as the snow from the high passes (Rohtang and Kunzum pass) starts melting post 10 AM and leads to slushy and slippery roads. You should cross the passes before it is too hot and before the snow melts. ​The road from Gramphu to Kunzum Pass is in extremely bad condition. There are some areas where no road exists at all and you will have to get down from the vehicle and walk through the water-crossings on foot. This makes the journey tiring. Once you pass Kunzum Pass, the road conditions become better. ​You gain an altitude of 6000 feet in a day on this route, which is massive. If you are not healthy and fit or if this is the first time you are going to such high altitude, there’s a big chance that you may suffer from Acute mountain sickness (AMS). ​You need an entry permit from the Manali administration to cross Rohtang Pass from Manali side that has to be obtained from Manali town, either online or in-person a day or two before your trip, which is a troublesome task if you are travelling on your own. Reaching Spiti Valley via Shimla-Kinnaur route From Shimla, Spiti Valley can be reached by taking the Sarahan – Sangla – Nako – Tabo - Kaza route. The total distance is 450 kilometres and it takes around 3 days of travel to reach Spiti Valley. Remember: This route is open throughout the year (except during heavy snow/rains and landslides) Pros of taking Shimla-Kinnaur route to reach Spiti Valley: ​The roads to Spiti Valley from Shimla side are much better in condition than those from Manali side. You will feel less tired of travelling on this route. ​No permits, whatsoever are needed while travelling on this route (For Indians only). ​The day-wise altitude gain is gradual; hence the body gets time to acclimatize better. Hence, there are fewer chances that you suffer from Acute mountain sickness (AMS). Cons of taking Shimla-Kinnaur route to reach Spiti Valley: It will take you minimum 3 days to reach Spiti Valley – One day to reach Shimla (or nearby areas) from your base, second day to reach Sangla from Shimla and the third day to reach Kaza from Sangla. Hence, this route is rather long. Nearest railway station to Spiti Valley – Shimla railway station is the closest from Spiti Valley. However, the rail-line to Shimla railway station is a narrow-gauge line from Kalka which is located 30 kilometres away from Chandigarh. Chandigarh railway station is the second closest from Spiti Valley. From Chandigarh, you can either reach Shimla or Manali and then make an onward journey to Spiti Valley. Nearest airport to Spiti Valley – Bhuntar airport (also called Kullu - Manali airport) in Kullu district is the nearest from Spiti Valley. From the airport, you can reach Manali (50 kilometres away) via road and then make an onward journey to Spiti Valley. The second closest airport to Spiti Valley is Jubbarhatti airport, which is 24 kilometres away from the town of Shimla. Both Bhuntar and Jubbarhatti airport are connected with regular flights from Delhi and Chandigarh. However, the frequency of flights from these airports are less and the airfare is high. Chandigarh airport is the third closest airport from Spiti Valley and is well connected by flights from major airports across India. How did we reach Spiti Valley? We chose Chandigarh airport as our starting base to travel to Spiti Valley. We wanted to experience the perks of both the Shimla-Kinnaur route and the Manali route, hence we planned to enter Spiti Valley via Shimla-Kinnaur and exit via Manali completing a round circuit. From Chandigarh airport, we travelled via road on Narkanda – Sangla – Nako – Tabo – Kaza route. We also visited Kalpa and Chitkul in Kinnaur valley on the way. While returning, we took the Kaza – Chandratal – Kunzum Pass – Rohtang Pass – Gramphu – Manali route. This way we avoided the acute mountain sickness (AMS) to kick-in by gradual altitude gain and got an opportunity to visit some beautiful places in Kinnaur valley/ district as well. Note: Sangla, Chitkul, Kalpa, Reckong Peo and Nako lie in the Kinnaur valley/ district. In our upcoming blogs, we will highlight places to visit in Kinnaur valley as well as Spiti valley. Places to visit in Kinnaur Valley: Kinnaur is a separate district in Himachal pradesh that lies on the way while travelling to Spiti Valley from Shimla. As we travelled, we saw a stark difference between the Spiti and Kinnaur valleys. Kinnaur valley is full of forest-covered mountains and lots of greenery while Spiti Valley is the opposite. The Kinnaur belt is less frequented by tourists, and that’s what makes it so raw and serene. Read in detail about all the places to visit in Kinnaur valley in our separate blog - Travel guide to Kinnaur Valley. Sangla (Altitude: 8600 feet) Sangla is a tiny valley surrounded by evergreen forest slopes and green mountain peaks. It is located right on the banks of Baspa River and thus has very fertile soil. If you visit Sangla from June to August, you will find the entire valley laden with red cherry trees and apple orchards. The picturesque snow-cladded mountain peaks in the distance add to its charm. Kamru fort and Bering Nag temple are the top tourist attractions in Sangla valley. Chitkul (Altitude: 11320 feet) Chitkul village is located 28 kilometres away from the Sangla valley. It is the last inhabited village in India before the India-Tibet border. Again, located on the banks of Baspa River, Chitkul village overlooks the snow-clad peaks of Nee-La Himalayan range. Typical Himachali architecture in the houses of the village, Mathi temple and Chitkul fort are the major tourist places to visit in Chitkul. Kalpa (Altitude: 9710 feet) Kalpa overlooks the Kinner Kailash Himalayan range and is known for its spellbinding views of the sunrise. As soon as you will enter Kalpa, you will be welcomed by captivating views of a high rock formation resembling a Shiva Linga. Kalpa is popular for some scenic viewpoints and a couple of Tibetan monasteries. The town is also known for various small trail and treks. Reckong Peo (Altitude: 7510 feet) Reckong Peo is the main headquarter of Kinnaur district and is located 8 kilometres away from Kalpa. Reckong Peo is a Buddhist hub and is known for ancient monasteries. As it is a major headquarter, it has a big market from where you can buy all your Spiti Valley tour necessities like medicines, clothes, winter wear, trekking gear and electronics. This is also the last point where your phone signals will work. Nako (Altitude: 11890 feet) Nako village is located almost at the border of Kinnaur and Spiti Valley and you will see a stark contrast in the topography of the region once you enter Nako. The hills and mountains slowly turn barren and the terrain becomes rough and dry with no to negligible vegetation. Sightseeing options in Nako includes Nako lake and old as well as a new monastery. Places to visit in Spiti Valley: Gue (Altitude: 10,500 feet) You will find the monastery in Gue village intriguing. There’s a fascinating supernatural story attached to the monastery which houses a 500-year old mummified body of a Tibetan monk. It is said to be the only mummy in India. The monastery is certainly worth visit as it also offers a panoramic view of the Gue valley and the village surrounded by colourful patterned mountains. Read in detail about Gue mummy lama temple in our separate blog - Travel guide to Gue and Tabo. Tabo (Altitude: 10,760 feet) Tabo is a town located on the banks of Spiti River. The 1000-year-old Tabo monastery is the main sightseeing attraction in Tabo. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. The monastery complex is big and dotted with several small and big mud stupas. You can also opt for a short hike to Tabo caves. Read in detail about Tabo monastery in our separate blog - Travel guide to Gue and Tabo. Dhankar (Altitude: 12,780 feet) Dhankar literally means ‘fort on a cliff’. Dhankar monastery, sitting on a hilltop cliff right above Dhankar village, can be seen from a distance. The mud-walled monastery overlooks the confluence of Spiti and Pin River. It is one of the most endangered sites in the world. Another attraction in Dhankar village is Dhankar Fort and an hour hike to the strikingly pleasing Dhankar Lake. Read in detail about Dhankar monastery and lake in our separate blog - Travel guide to Dhankar. Demul (Altitude: 14,170 feet) Demul is a small village that roughly has 40 odd houses spread out over a hill. Each house takes a turn to host guests for a night stay that economically benefits everyone in the village. There is a beautiful monastery at the highest point of the village that provides beautiful landscape views of the valley. Lhalung (Altitude: 12,000 feet) The monastery in Lhalung village is supposedly the oldest monastery of Spiti Valley. The monastery is adorned with colourful sculptures of deities, thangkas, mandalas and coffered ceilings. It is said that the hills and mountains surrounding the monastery change colour based on the mood of the deity residing in the monastery. Pin Valley (Altitude: 12,530 feet) Pin valley is the largest valley located in Spiti. The valley is dotted with lush green pastures and each curve on the road offers majestic views of the surrounding mountains. Mudh village lies at one of the ends of the valley and acts as a base for the trek to Pin-Parvati Pass or Bhaba pass. Also, visit Kungri monastery and spend time at the banks of Pin River on the way to Pin Valley. Read in detail about Pin Valley and Mudh village in our separate blog - Travel guide to Pin Valley. Kaza (Altitude: 12,470 feet) Kaza is the major headquarter and the biggest town of Spiti Valley. It is often used as a base to visit nearby villages like Dhankar, Demul, Lhalung, Pin valley, Ki, Kibber, Hikkim, Komic and Langza. Kaza town is the commercial hub of Spiti valley and has a big market and a few quaint cafes. Sakya Tangyud monastery is one of the most sought-after destinations in Kaza. Hikkim (Altitude: 14,440 feet) Hikkim is a small village that houses the world’s highest post office. It is located 15 kilometres away from Kaza. The post office is a steeply inclined walk down a hill. Writing postcards to friends and family and posting them in an old-fashioned way will be a highlight of your trip. Read in detail about Hikkim village and other such beautiful villages around Kaza in our separate blog - Places to visit around Kaza. Komik/ Komic (Altitude: 15,050 feet) Komik is the world’s highest village connected with a motorable road. It is located at a distance of 19 kilometres from Kaza. Komik village is housed in a bowl-shaped depression. Tangyud monastery is a major tourist attraction in Komik. Also, do not forget to stop and eat at the world’s highest restaurant situated on a hill in Komik. Read in detail about Komik village and other such beautiful villages around Kaza in our separate blog - Places to visit around Kaza. Langza – (Altitude: 14,500 feet) Langza is a remote village located 16 kilometres away from Kaza. It houses a giant, colourful statue of Lord Buddha overlooking the breathtaking valley and mountains. Langza is also popular for the remnants of marine fossils and the spellbinding view of the Chau Chau Kang Nelda (CCKN) mountain peak. Read in detail about Langza village our separate blog - Travel guide to Langza. Ki / Key / Kee (Altitude: 13670 feet) Ki village is located 14 kilometres away from Kaza. Ki monastery is considered one of the most iconic buildings in Spiti Valley. The 13th century-built monastery overlooks the Spiti River and has been featured in several Bollywood movies. The monastery has various temples inside that are adorned with beautiful murals and paintings. Read in detail about Key monastery and village and other such beautiful villages around Kaza in our separate blog - Places to visit around Kaza. Kibber (Altitude: 14,010 feet) Kibber is a scenic village that is located 20 kilometres away from Kaza. The village houses a local monastery and a wildlife sanctuary. The small village has around 100 houses – all painted in white with red rooftops. Kibber is the base for hiking, trekking and adventure activities. You can also go to highest suspension bridge in the world at Chicham near Kibber. Read in detail about Kibber village and other such beautiful villages around Kaza in our separate blog - Places to visit around Kaza. Chandratal (Altitude: 13,940 feet) Chandratal Lake is a 2.5-kilometre-wide fresh-water lake located 90 kilometres away from the town of Kaza. The emerald-coloured lake is surrounded by snow-covered Himalayan mountains. It takes 30 minutes of an easy hike to trek to the Chandratal Lake. Read in detail about Chandratal lake in our separate blog - Travel guide to Chandratal Lake. Ideal Itinerary for Spiti Valley trip: Itinerary for your Spiti Valley trip would be purely based on the amount of time you have in hand. While we felt a month is less to cover Kinnaur-Spiti region and absorb what it has to offer, a minimum of 10 nights and 11 days is recommended to cover the most popular attractions if you fly in and out of Chandigarh. Day 1 – Arrive Chandigarh and drive to Narkanda. Night stay in Narkanda Day 2 – Narkanda to Sangla. Night stay in Sangla Day 3 – Sightseeing in Sangla, visit Chitkul and drive to Kalpa. Night stay in Kalpa Day 4 – Sightseeing in Kalpa, visit Nako, visit Gue and drive to Tabo. Night stay in Tabo Day 5 – Sightseeing in Tabo, visit Dhankar, Lhalung and drive to Kaza. Night stay in Kaza Day 6 – Day trip to Pin Valley, Kungri and Mudh village. Night stay in Kaza Day 7 – Day trip to Key, Kibber and Chicham. Night stay in Kaza Day 8 – Day trip to Hikkim, Komik and Langza. Night stay in Langza Day 9 – Kaza to Chandratal Lake. Night stay in camp near Chandratal Day 10 – Chandratal to Manali / Mandi. Night stay in Manali / Mandi Day 11 – Manali / Mandi to Chandigarh. Fly back or night stay in Chandigarh and fly back the next day Add a few more days to your itinerary if you plan to visit Lahaul valley as well. The above itinerary can be shortened based on the number of days you have in hand and choose to take Manali route while going towards and returning from Spiti Valley. Permit for Spiti Valley: Indian citizens do not require to obtain any permits to visit Spiti Valley. Special permits were required to enter Spiti Valley from 1962 to 1993 due to Chinese Aggression. The permit rules have been abandoned since 1993 and now there are no permit requirements for Indians to visit Spiti Valley. Note: The permit mentioned earlier in this article was to cross Rohtang pass from Manali and not to enter Spiti valley. Foreign nationals visiting Spiti Valley are required to obtain an Inner Line Permit. These can be obtained by submitting necessary documents (a filled Inner Line Permit application, itinerary of travel, copy of passport and visa and passport size photographs) at District Magistrates office in Shimla, Kullu and Reckong Peo, or at Sub-District Magistrate office in Shimla or Kalpa. The entire process of getting a permit takes 2-3 hours and the permit is valid for 2 weeks. Note: Inner Line Permit is not required to visit places in Kinnaur Valley like Sangla, Chitkul, Kalpa and Nako. Important things to remember while travelling to Spiti Valley: Mobile and Data connectivity – You will not have any mobile or data connectivity (Airtel & Vodafone) beyond Kalpa/ Reckong Peo. BSNL SIM carriers would get some connectivity in Kaza but not in nearby smaller villages or Chandratal. But BSNL too would only have network connectivity. Data connectivity would be close to non-existent. We heard that Jio network towers were being erected in Kaza and may be ready by end 2020. ATM/ Money withdrawal - The last ATM that you will come across will be in Reckong Peo/ Kalpa. Though Kaza and Tabo have SBI ATM, they are not reliable. Credit cards are not accepted by any shopkeepers or hotel owners in the Spiti region. Fuel – The last petrol pump is in Reckong Peo/ Kalpa. There is only one fuel station in Spiti valley in Kaza which is the world's highest fuel station. This petrol pump may or may not be functional and tends to have long queues, hence you are recommended to tank up at Kalpa. Shop – Apart from postcards, magnets, warm clothes and souvenirs, do buy sea buckthorn jam, juice and slush from Spiti Valley. You can buy all the souvenirs at a cheaper rate from Kaza. In other villages they are a bit expensive. Spiti Valley Tours: As you may have noticed, planning a trip to Spiti Valley is not very easy. There are plenty of places to visit and the roads are not very good in condition. Road to Spiti Valley is considered one of the most dangerous roads in the world. Also you will have to spend a lot of time identifying the right hotel / homestay / guesthouse. Not every accommodation is listed on travel websites and it is difficult to contact via phone as network is poor. We also read about experiences other travellers had where they booked hotels online and upon reaching were refused accommodation as they had no information about any bookings. Having looked into all these hassles, we decided to book our tour with Spiti Valley Tours. Spiti Valley Tours is a travel agency located in Kaza and is owned by a Spitian. They offer customised itineraries based on the number of days of travel and budget. They have a fleet of experienced drivers and a network of hotels and homestays. Mr. Lara and Mukesh from Spiti Valley Tours helped us design our trip to Spiti Valley ensuring our specific needs are met. Their efforts in sustainable and responsible tourism echoed our values. We highly recommend booking your trip with them. You can book your trip to Spiti Valley with Spiti Valley Tours through their official website. PIN THESE IMAGES In the last few years, infrastructure in Spiti Valley has improved a lot from roads to bus services. Spiti now has enough facilities to have a comfortable trip. And it is still a decade or so away from commercialisation as seen in Leh. It is hence the right time to plan a trip to Spiti before it loses its rawness and purity. Hope this article helps you plan a trip to Spiti Valley. If you need any further information, feel free to ask us in the comment section below or you can directly contact us via mail. In our upcoming articles, we will detail out places to visit in Kinnaur and Spiti Valley. Stay tuned! #India #NorthIndia #HimachalPradesh #TravelPlanning

To us, Himalayas always meant lush-green forests, snow-capped high mountain peaks and hills covered with greenery. A trip to Spiti Valley, India changed that perspective. Spiti Valley, located across the main range of the Himalayas, is full of barren hills, bare mountainsides, rough terrain, and more like a dry desert. We fall short of words in describing the captivating beauty of Spiti Valley. It is a land lost in time, like a place that humanity forgot about. Spiti valley is so tranquil that you could hear your heartbeat, skies so clear that you could spot Milky Way with naked eyes, people so amazing that they touch your heart and soul, and the land so old that you could still find evidence of Tethys Sea that existed during Mesozoic era. This blog – Introduction to Spiti Valley, will give you a peek into the location, geography, history, culture and weather of Spiti valley. Read our previous blogs on Spiti Valley by clicking on the links or images below: 1. Introduction to Spiti Valley (This blog) 2. Plan your trip to Spiti Valley 3. Travel guide to Kinnaur Valley 4. Travel guide to Gue and Tabo 5. Travel guide to Dhankar Lake and Monastery 6. Travel guide to Pin Valley 7. Places to visit around Kaza (Key, Kibber, Chicham, Hikkim, Komik, Langza) 8. Travel guide to Langza and Buddha statue 9. Travel guide to Chandratal Lake In this travel series – ‘Surreal Spiti' we give you a glimpse of the people, the culture and the ways of life in Spiti Valley in detail. This series will serve as a one-stop travel guide which will give you all the information required about Spiti Valley along with recommendations on stay, activities and itinerary so that you can plan your own trip to Spiti Valley. The first article in the series – ‘Introduction to Spiti Valley’ is where we introduce Spiti Valley to you and give you a basic understanding of location, history, people and culture of this valley. At the end of this article, you would be convinced that Spiti Valley is worth travelling to and can move on to the next article where we show how you can plan your trip to Spiti Valley. Location of Spiti Valley Where is Spiti Valley? Most of the metro-city dwellers would have never heard the name ‘Spiti’, let alone know its location. The fact that it is unknown to most tourists makes it so heavenly. Spiti Valley is located high in the Himalayas in the northern part of India in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The spectacular valley is situated on the India-Tibet border. Spiti Valley is a high-altitude, trans-Himalayan land which is a dry and cold desert, has snow-capped mountain peaks, ancient monasteries, rough terrains, coloured face-rocks, pristine emerald lakes, narrow passes and frozen glaciers. The valley originates from the 16,000 feet high Kunzum pass and is often referred to as ‘the middle land’ – meaning the land between India and Tibet or the land surrounded by mountain ranges on all the sides. Spiti River, originating from the east of the Kunzum Pass, flows through the centre of Spiti Valley, giving its name to the valley and the district. Spiti Valley lies in the remotest part of Himachal Pradesh. Let us give you an idea about Himachal Pradesh. Towards the south of the state is Shimla, towards north-west lies Dharamshala, McLeodganj (Kangra district) and Dalhousie (Chamba district), Manali (Kullu district) is located in the centre, and towards the north-east lies Lahaul and Spiti Valley. Lahaul and Spiti district is the largest district in terms of area in the state of Himachal Pradesh. As per Census 2011, district of Lahaul & Spiti is 3rd least populated district in India (approx. 31k is the population) and the 2nd least densely populated district in India (approx. 2.3 people per Sq. Km). For those who are still confused, Spiti and Lahaul are two different places separated by high mountain ranges like Rohtang Pass (13051 feet) and Kunzum Pass (15059 feet). Spiti Valley is vastly different from Lahaul Valley and has distinctly different terrain, area, history and culture. Previously, these were two separate districts with Kardang as the capital of Lahaul district and Dhankar as the capital of Spiti district. The two districts were merged in the year 1960 and presently the administrative quarter lies in Keylong, located in Lahaul Valley. The Spiti sub-division is more barren and difficult to traverse, with an average elevation of 14,000 feet; whereas the Lahaul sub-division is greener, more fertile and comparatively easy to reach. Understanding the Geography of Spiti Valley Spiti Valley is situated in the rain shadow area; hence there is no to negligible rain as the mountains exclude the valley from the monsoon rains. In fact, Spiti Valley only receives an average annual rainfall of 170 mm. Though there is plenty of ice water in the glaciers above and the rivers below, the flatlands of the valley are dry. With almost no rain and excessive snowfall, Spiti seems to be a land of contrasts – a vast expanse of barren area encircles green patches of cultivation and cedar tree orchards. The terrain is dry and rough and the erosions carve in most amazing shapes and colours. The barren hills, grey slopes and steep gorges in Spiti Valley often amaze the travellers. However, these days due to changes in climate and the sudden rush of rain in Spiti Valley, the weather is no more dry or arid. People are now able to grow vegetables like green peas, potatoes, cabbage and radish. Snowfall serves the purpose of field irrigation. Owing to the constraints due to geographical, climatic and topographic extremes, Spitians live in the most difficult living conditions. Brief History of the Spiti Valley As mentioned earlier, history of Spiti can be traced to Mesozoic Era. Around 150 million years ago, the landmass on earth was split into two continents – Laurasia and Gondwana. Tethys Sea, the only ocean, used to be between these continents. These two continents started drifting towards each other resulting in a collision and formation of the Himalayas. Tethys Sea disappeared and the once-living creatures of the sea died and turned into fossils. Spiti Valley is the part of the trans-Himalayan range where the Tethys Sea used to exist and the fossilized creatures can still be found in few areas of the valley. Fossil imprints on stone are easy to find and you will come across shops selling them when you travel to Spiti Valley. A lot of history related to Spiti Valley has been lost. The earliest reliable information dates back to AD 1055. Spiti Valley used to be under the rule of Lhasa and the Tibetans. Till the 17th century, Spiti Valley remained under the rule of Tibet and hence a distinct Buddhist culture is clearly evident. In early 18th century, King Jamya of Ladakh established Ladakhi rule over the entire territory of Spiti valley. By end of 18th century, Spiti Valley was under the rule of Raja Mansingh of Kullu. In the 19th century, Spiti Valley changed hands to Tibetan rulers and again to Ladakhi rulers. It is during this period that the valley was plundered and the monasteries were looted. In 1846, Spiti Valley was annexed to the British empire. With Indian independence in 1947, Spiti became part of Indian Republic. The capital of Spiti was changed from Dhankar to Kaza during this time. Spitians did not take part in the first and second Indian general elections of 1952 and 1957 due to difficult terrain and lack of roads. However, post this when it was time for members of parliament to elect Indian President, one of the members filed a court case as there was no representation from Spiti despite having 2 seats allocated. Hence, the court forced the government to hold elections in Spiti Valley. This was the first time democracy was introduced in this region and till date Tashigang village in Spiti Valley holds the record for being world's highest polling station. It recorded 36 votes in 2019 elections. In 1962, due to Chinese aggression, Spiti was put within the ‘inner line’. The fruitful consequence of 1962 war was the building of roads. Two roads were built for defence needs – one from Shimla-Kinnaur-Sumdo to Kaza and second over 2 high passes, the Kunzum Pass and the Rohtang Pass. As a consequence of the inner line, no foreigner was allowed and Indian national required special permits to enter Spiti Valley. This lasted till 1993 when these rules were abandoned. Tourism to Spiti Valley started only after this and hence it is still raw, authentic and untouched by mindless commercialisation. Culture in Spiti Valley People of Spiti Valley: Due to high-elevation, heavy snow, less vegetation, harsh terrain and being cut-off from the outside world for 4-5 months due to road closure in winter, the people of Spiti valley have to face a lot of hardships. Still, they always have a smile on their face and brave all the difficulties diligently. Spitians are extremely simple, innocent and highly spiritual. Some loss in cultural value is seen in the present days with progress and modernization. Traditional communities in Spiti Valley observe inheritance system similar to Tibetans. The family in Spiti community is headed by a senior male member who is known as Yunda, while his wife is known as Yundamo. They gain these titles by being the oldest member in the generation. After the parent’s death, the eldest son inherits family property, the eldest daughter inherits the jewellery, while the other siblings get nothing. Religion in Spiti Valley: Spiti Valley often referred to as the ‘land of Lamas’, is a Buddhist land. Spitians follow Vajrayana Buddhism, similar to that found in neighbouring Ladakh and Tibet. Spiti Valley is dotted with several ancient monasteries and is a research and cultural centre for Buddhists. 62% of the population of Lahaul and Spiti Valley are Buddhists, 36% are Hindus and the rest is divided amongst Muslims, Christians and other religions. Before the spread of Buddhism, Spitians were followers of ‘Bon’ religion – where animal and human sacrifices were made to please the Gods and spirits. It is said that some Lamas residing in the remote areas of Spiti Valley still practice Bon religion. Buddhism in Spiti became popular between 8th-10th century. In the 8th century, the second Buddha (Guru Rinpoche) stayed and meditated in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh for several years. In the 10th century, the Kings of Tibet sent a few Tibetan scholars across the Himalayas to spread Buddhism in the areas of Lahaul and Spiti Valley. Hence, you will find the monasteries of Spiti Valley to be similar in architecture, design and paintings as found in Leh-Ladakh, Zanskar, Tibet or Bhutan. Languages spoken in Spiti Valley: People in Spiti Valley speak Bhoti, Hindi, English and Sanskrit language. Bhoti is the local language and is similar to the Ladakhi and Tibetan languages. During our visit, we found everyone speaking and understanding the English or Hindi language quite well. The medium of education in schools of Spiti Valley is in the English language. Festivals of Spiti Valley: Losar festival, also known as Halda in the local Bhoti language, is one of the major festivals celebrated by the people of Spiti Valley. An elderly member of every household burns an incense stick in their house, thereafter few members of the family bring that incense stick into the open courtyard and piles it over the rest brought by other households of the community, making a bonfire. The bonfire is worshipped and the Goddess of Wealth is invited to bless the community. Losar festival is celebrated in January or February, depending on an auspicious day decided by the Lamas. Occupation of locals in Spiti Valley: Tourism and agriculture are the main sources of livelihood for the locals of Spiti Valley. Guesthouses, hotels, homestays, restaurants, delis, travel agencies and souvenir shops have sprouted in the areas where a boom in tourism has begun. Green peas and potato farming are common. Radish, cabbage, leafy vegetables, carrots and tomatoes are also grown in the vast fields of Spiti Valley. Other occupations include government jobs, business, artistic and craftwork, animal husbandry and private jobs. As the entire area is mountainous and prone to earthquakes, houses are generally single or double-storeyed and constructed in Tibetan architectural style. During snowy winters, transportation is largely affected due to landslides and roadblocks and the locals have to go through a lot of hardships. Spitians dry the grains, vegetables and pulses in summer months, preserve and store them, and survive on these stocks during winter. Best time to visit Spiti Valley The duration between the months of mid-May to mid-October is the best time to travel to Spiti Valley. This is when the roads open after being blocked by snow during winter. The temperature remains well within 15-20 degree Celsius along with a gentle breeze. The valley is dotted with vibrant flowers and green vegetation. However, light woollens are recommended as the nights are cold. During winter, between November to March, it snows heavily in Spiti Valley. The average annual snowfall in Spiti Valley is about 7 feet. Though tourists do not prefer travelling to Spiti Valley in the winters, there are some set of travellers who fancy visiting the valley when it is completely covered in white snow. Wildlife enthusiasts often travel to Spiti Valley during winter in search of snow leopards. The road from Kullu/ Manali is closed during this time, nevertheless one can travel from the Shimla-Kinnaur route if the weather conditions are not very extreme. With changes in climate due to global warming, the weather in Spiti Valley is rather puzzling in the present time. Summers are scorching, winters are icy-cold but shorter and rainfall has increased in the valley. The sun feels hot, shades feel cold and nights are usually chilly. Spiti Valley Tours Choosing a travel operator is a tough decision. While we plan all our travels on our own, planning a trip to Spiti Valley was tormenting. We were travelling during the peak season (August), and it was a nightmare looking out for experienced drivers (who are acquainted with driving on the most dangerous road of the world) and decent accommodations (very few are listed on the travel websites and most were unavailable). That is when the tour operator ‘Spiti Valley Tours’ came to our rescue. Spiti Valley Tours is located in the heart of Spiti Valley and hence we were saved from the ties of the middlemen commissions by agents operating from other areas. They have a network of hotels and experienced drivers with whom they have been maintaining a healthy relationship since the past 10 years; hence decent rooms at best rates are guaranteed. Mr. Lara Tsering and Mr. Mukesh from Spiti Valley Tours planned and organised an excellent customised tour to Spiti Valley within our budget. The best part is that they believe in responsible and sustainable tourism that coincides with our travel style. We highly recommend booking your trip to Spiti Valley with them. You can book your tour with Spiti Valley Tours through their official website by leaving them a query or by directly contacting them via e-mail or call. PIN THESE IMAGES Spiti Valley is to be enjoyed in all its aspects – culture, people, barren mountains, scree slopes, history and now coming of modernity. In the next article – Plan your trip to Spiti Valley, we will give you a brief idea on the places to visit in Spiti Valley and how to go about planning your trip to Spiti Valley. So, stay tuned! Do let us know if you found our article on ‘Introduction to Spiti Valley’ useful and interesting. Drop your thoughts in the comment section below. #India #NorthIndia #HimachalPradesh

Jog Falls in Karnataka is the second-highest plunge waterfall in India (the first being Nohkalikai Falls in Cherrapunji, Meghalaya), with a drop of 830 feet. It is by far the best waterfall we have been to. The mighty waterfall compelled us to think that the water and rocks have so much persistence that they keep working uninterruptedly all day long. In this article, you will find complete information to travel to Jog Falls, guidance on how to reach, understand various viewpoints to best capture these majestic waterfalls, places to see nearby Jog Falls, and places to stay. If you plan to travel to Jog Falls, Karnataka, you can easily combine it with trips to Gokarna and Places to visit near Gokarna. Location of Jog Falls, Karnataka - India Jog Falls is tucked amongst natural settings in the Western Ghats of India in the northern part of the state of Karnataka. It falls in the Sagara taluka of Shimoga district. Jog waterfalls is formed by the waters of the Sharavathi river, which originates at a place called Ambuthirtha in Karnataka state. From this point, the Sharavathi river flows north-westerly for about 130 kilometres to join the Arabian Sea at Honnavar in the Uttara Kannada district. On its way, the water of the river drops down from a height of 830 feet, forming Jog Falls. Checkout other articles which will help you plan a trip around Jog Falls in Karnataka - India: 1. Gokarna - Travel Guide 2. Best places to visit near Gokarna 3. Kahani Paradise - Reviewing a luxury villa in Gokarna 4. Murudeshwar- Travel Guide How to reach Jog Falls, Karnataka - India Air: Hubballi Airport is the nearest airport to Jog Falls, Karnataka (about 130 kilometres away). From Hubballi airport, you can either hire a taxi to Jog Falls or catch a state-run bus to Jog Falls from the Hubballi bus stand. Rail: Talaguppa railway station is the nearest railway station to Jog Falls, Karnataka (about 14 kilometres away). The Talaguppa rail line is well connected to Bengaluru (Bangalore), Mysore, Shimoga and Sagara. The meter gauge rail track between Shimoga, and Talaguppa was laid by the British in the late 1930s. The Sagara railway station, 30 kilometres away from the Jog Falls, is the second closest railway station. If you are coming from northern parts of India, you can catch a train to Hubballi railway station in Karnataka. From Hubballi, Shimoga can be reached via road, from where you can take a train or taxi to Talaguppa. Road: Jog Falls, Karnataka, is nicely connected by well-laid smooth roads from both sides – Honnavar and Shimoga/ Sagara. It is located 85 kilometres away from the temple town of Murudeshwar and 111 kilometres away from the beach destination Gokarna. Gokarna, Murudeshwar, and Jog Falls make a wonderful combined road trip. Jog Falls also makes for an amazing road trip from Bengaluru (Bangalore), which is located at a distance of about 410 kilometres from the falls. We drove on a rented 2-wheeler from Gokarna to Murudeshwar and then to Jog Falls in Karnataka. The roads from Murudeshwar to Jog Falls are excellent in condition and gradually ascend around the hills of western ghats. As we visited Jog Falls during the end of the monsoon in early September, we saw plenty of pretty rain-fed waterfalls on the way. Driving through the beautiful Sharavathi valley, we stopped at many viewpoints – the best being the Sharavathi suspension bridge over the ragingly flowing Sharavathi river. We drove through foggy roads surrounded by dense forests with picture-postcard gorgeous views. It was an adventure to drive through low visibility (just a couple of metres) due to heavy fog and rain. The Jog Falls, Karnataka - India Jog Falls plunges from a height of 830 feet into a deep gorge in four different segments/ streams. Each of these segments/ streams is given a separate name. Raja (King) pours in a single continuous stream to the base. Rani (Queen) has a stream that is curvy and zigzag, just like a female dancer. It has the most fascinating milky flow, just like a sheet of foam. Roarer crashes on a lot of rocks during its fall and violently rushes downwards to meet the base making a lot of loud noise, hence the name. Rocket streams out of a small opening at lightning speed and shoots downwards in a series of jets. The waterfall is mostly rain-fed, and you can see it in its full glory during the monsoon (from May to September). In the dry season, two out of the four streams of Jog Falls dry out, and the waterfall is tapered down to a pair of thin streams trickling down the cliff. In 1964, Karnataka's biggest dam – the Linganamakki dam, was built across the Sharavathi River. Since then, the water inflow of the falls has decreased considerably every summer as the gates of the dam are closed during the summer months. Best time to visit Jog Falls, Karnataka - India Monsoon season is undoubtedly the best time to visit Jog Falls in Karnataka. We heard from locals that the gates of Linganamakki dam are usually opened on the 15th of August (Independence Day in India) every year. So, August to October is the best time to visit Jog Falls, Karnataka. The weather will remain rainy, foggy, and misty during this time, so keep your raincoats and umbrellas handy and be patient for the clouds to move away from the waterfall. You may find only a thin stream of water trickling down the hill if you visit the waterfall in any of the other months. We would not recommend anyone to visit them during the summer months due to the hot and humid weather and thin stream in the waterfall. Tourist places near Jog Falls, Karnataka - India 1. Jog Falls Viewpoints: The best thing about Jog Falls is that it offers stunning views from different viewpoints. Here, we have listed the 3 best viewpoints to see the lovely plunge of water. A. Jog Falls viewpoint near Hotel Mayura, Gerusoppa: This is the main viewpoint that offers a fantastic view of Jog Falls, Karnataka - India. You will need to pay an entrance fee of INR 10 per person and INR 20 per two-wheeler or INR 50 per four-wheeler at the entrance to this viewpoint campus. The Hotel Mayura, Gerusoppa, run by Karnataka Tourism Department (KTDC), is situated here. The parking lot inside the campus is huge and easily accommodates hundreds of vehicles. The viewpoint is wide and big with plenty of tin-roofed sheltered areas in case it rains (which is mostly the case!). This viewpoint is a semi-circular concrete platform providing a stunning view of the waterfall from various angles. You will find plenty of shops nearby selling umbrellas, raincoats, towels, food packets, beverages, freshly prepared Maggi, tea, coffee, and small meals. Mayura restaurant is also located on the campus. Common toilet and bath facilities are available inside the campus. If you catch a bus from Talaguppa railway station or Sagara to Jog Falls, it will drop you at this particular viewpoint. We were able to hear the roar of Jog Falls from far away while approaching the Hotel Mayura viewpoint. The entire area of the falls was covered with mist and clouds as we neared the waterfall. The winds cleared the clouds and mist every now and then, and the falls kept playing hide and seek the whole time. It drizzled or rained for a few minutes after every 20-30 minutes. But the sight of the waterfalls kept us captivated and awed. The water was at its maximum flow during September, and we weren’t able to keep our eyes off the majestic falls even for a second. It is said that 3.4 million tonnes of water fall down the cliff every second! Can you imagine?!!! We also walked to the other end of the semi-circular viewpoint, where there is one of India’s largest hydroelectric power stations, which has been operational since 1948. You can easily spend about an hour or two at this viewpoint admiring the waterfall and photographing. B. Viewpoint at the base of the Jog Falls: Right inside the campus of Jog Falls viewpoint near Hotel Mayura is a flight of around 1400 steps leading to the base of the waterfall. The steps are neatly made of concrete. The descent is easy and takes around 30-40 minutes; however, you would require a decent amount of fitness to climb back. It generally takes tourists about an hour and a half to ascend back. The authority opens the way to the base at 9 AM and closes it at 4 PM. Do remember to carry your water bottles, energy bars, and snacks if you opt to stroll down to the base of Jog Falls, Karnataka. This viewpoint to the base of Jog Falls is closed during monsoon or when the gates of Linganamakki dam are opened due to the heavy inflow of water in the falls. We were not able to venture down this viewpoint as it was closed. C. Viewpoint from the Inspection Bungalow: This viewpoint is right opposite to the Jog Falls viewpoint near Hotel Mayura. It can be accessed through British Bungalow (also called PWD – Inspection Bungalow) and gives the best view of the point where the water from the Sharavathi river starts falling down the hill into the valley. The view of the Jog Falls was quite different from here. We observed that this viewpoint was seldom covered by mist and clouds, providing us with an unobstructed view of the waterfall. There was so much water in the falls during our visit that it was almost scary to venture very close to the viewpoint. The water fell with such great intensity that it made a loud roar. The heavy wind carried sprays of mist, making the surrounding atmosphere extremely humid. We highly recommend visiting this viewpoint. Note: Look for ‘Jog IB’ on the map to locate this viewpoint. 2. Linganamakki Dam The Linganamakki Dam is located in Sagara town, which is about 11 kilometres away from the Jog Falls, Karnataka. The dam was constructed in the year 1964 across the Sharavathi River. The reservoir receives water mainly through rainfall and the other tributaries of the Sharavathi River. The dam is approximately 3 kilometres long and has 11 gates. Boating facilities are available in one part of the reservoir. Special permission is required to visit the main dam; however, all visitors are allowed to see the dam from the viewpoint. The entire surrounding area of the Linganamakki dam is full of lush green plantations and incredible natural beauty. When the dam overflows during peak monsoon season, the gates are opened, and all that water then flows down the Jog Falls in Karnataka. 3. Honnemaradu Honnemaradu is a place located atop a hill that overlooks the Linganamakki reservoir. It literally means ‘A Golden Lake’ and is known for the spectacular sunrises and sunsets. It is situated about 25 kilometres away from the Jog Falls, Karnataka. Right in the middle of the Sharavathi River’s backwaters, there is an island that is popular amongst campers and tourists. The island offers a variety of water adventure activities like kayaking, canoeing, and rafting and is a good spot for a picnic. Honnemaradu is famous amongst the trekkers and birdwatchers who can spot rare species of attractive birds here and indulge in trekking nearby peaks. 4. Sharavathi Valley and Suspension Bridge Sharavathi valley viewpoint and suspension bridge lie on the way from Honnavar to Jog Falls in Karnataka. It is situated in the Honnavar taluka, Uttara Kannada district, 35 kilometres away from the waterfalls. The bridge is built over the ferociously flowing Sharavathi River and connects two nearby villages. The locals often use the bridge to cross over to the other village. The locals even ride 2-wheeler vehicles on the bridge. Hotels near Jog Falls or Places to stay near Jog Falls, Karnataka - India 1. KSTDC Hotel Mayura Gerusoppa, Jog falls Karnataka Tourism's Hotel Mayura Gerusoppa is hands down the best place to stay near Jog Falls, Karnataka. It is by far the best hotel managed by KTDC that we have stayed at. We had a wonderful stay with Hotel Mayura Gerusoppa and would rate our stay as luxurious. They have 10 double rooms and a separate 10-bedded dormitory. All the rooms overlook the mighty waterfalls, and we were able to view the streams of water from our room’s big glass window. The hotel’s campus was open to tourists during the day, but post-sunset, when the tourists left, the whole campus was ours, and we were able to enjoy the beauty of Jog Falls till it got dark. Also, early in the morning, you have the whole campus to yourself till tourists start arriving. The heavy roar of the waterfall was audible in our room as well, but it was like music to our ears. They have a restaurant, and though the menu is limited, they serve mouth-watering food and provide room service. Check out the current prices for KSTDC Hotel Mayura Gerusoppa, Jog falls by clicking the below links - 2. Prakruthi Yatri Niwas Lodge, Near Rani falls Prakruthi Yatri Niwas is the second-best place to stay near Jog Falls, Karnataka. It is a budget hotel located right next to the waterfalls. The hotel premises does not provide any great view of the waterfall. The image on the right is what you will see from here. You can see the point where water falls, but the actual waterfall is not visible. However, you will be able to hear the loud roar of the fall. They have an in-house restaurant that serves good food. The image below shows the location of Prakruthi Yatri Niwas. 3. Sharavathi Adventure Camp, Jog falls Sharavathi Adventure Camp is located about 6 kilometres away from the Jog Falls, Karnataka. It is a nature camp along with adventure activities. It is located on a hillock overlooking the Talakalale Reservoir near the Linganamakki Dam. Their tariff is a complete package including accommodation, meals, and adventure activities. The nature camp is a property of Jungle Lodges and Resorts and provides excellent hospitality. Check out the current prices for Sharavathi Adventure Camp, Jog falls by clicking the below links - 4. PWD Guest House, Jog Falls This guesthouse is located on an elevated portion near Hotel Mayura and offers a breath-taking view of the Jog Falls in Karnataka. However, it can be booked only if you have any contacts with the Public Works Department or if you could visit the PWD office personally. There are no online bookings possible. If any of the above-mentioned accommodation is not suitable as per your requirements or is unavailable, there are some homestays in nearby villages. You can check out some of them in links below - You will also find plenty of hotels and homestays in the nearby town of Sagara which is 30 kilometres away from Jog Falls in Karnataka. PIN THESE IMAGES Have you been to Jog Falls in Karnataka or any such majestic waterfalls in India? How was your experience? Do let us know in the comment section below. #India #SouthIndia #Karnataka #BengaluruWeekendOutings #HyderabadWeekendOutings #MumbaiWeekendOutings #PuneWeekendOutings

Murudeshwar, a coastal town located in Karnataka state, India, is a fantasy land for staunch devotees of Lord Shiva. This temple town is famous for the gigantic statue of Lord Shiva situated atop a small hill overlooking the Arabian Sea. Another famous landmark in Murudeshwar is a 22-storey tall Rajagopuram. Besides the temples and mythological chronicles ascribed to Murudeshwar, this town is also ideal for tourists seeking adventures like trekking and water sports, including snorkelling and scuba-diving. We realized that even if you are non-religious, Murudeshwar is a fantastic place to visit. Murudeshwar is a must-visit place near Gokarna and is often clubbed with other places to visit near Gokarna. This blog will serve as a complete travel guide to Murudeshwar and will highlight all the things to do and places to visit in Murudeshwar. How to reach Murudeshwar, Karnataka Murudeshwar is a coastal town in Karnataka in the Uttara Kannada district. It is located about 200 km south of Goa and 140 km above Mangalore city. A protrusion called Murudeshwar Island (though technically not an island) is a major attraction of this town as it houses some lovely monuments. By air: Mangalore Airport, located about 140 kilometres away, is the nearest airport to Murudeshwar. From Mangalore, you can easily hire a taxi, take a state-run bus or take a train to Murudeshwar. By rail: Murudeshwar railway station is connected to all trains running on the Western Rail lines or the Konkan Rail line. Hence, it is well connected to Bengaluru, Mangalore, Pune, Mumbai, and Goa. By road: Several government and private buses operate from major cities to Murudeshwar. Private taxis can also be hired from the surrounding major towns to reach Murudeshwar. We drove to Murudeshwar on a rented scooter from Gokarna. The road from Gokarna to Murudeshwar is a national highway and hence, excellent in condition. The distance of 78 kilometres can be easily covered in a couple of hours. We also stopped on the way to visit the beautiful Apsarakonda waterfalls, garden, and beach. Best time to visit Murudeshwar, Karnataka For temple visits, trekking to nearby hills, and sight-seeing the places to visit in Murudeshwar, October to March is the best time to visit Murudeshwar. April and May are hot and humid summer months, and June to Mid-September is the rainy season. For water adventure activities or sports like snorkelling and scuba diving, March to May and October are the best months to visit Murudeshwar. Even November to February is a good time for water sports, but the water will be cold, so depending on your body sensitivity, you can choose when to visit Murudeshwar. Water sports are closed during the monsoon months (June to September). Water sports and underwater activities can be clubbed with other places to visit in Murudeshwar. For the Shiva devotees, the festival of Maha Shivaratri in March is the best time to visit Murudeshwar. It is celebrated with great pomp and cheer in this temple town. Checkout other articles which will help you plan a trip around Murudeshwar - 1. Gokarna - Travel Guide 2. Best places to visit near Gokarna 3. Kahani Paradise - Reviewing a luxury villa in Gokarna 4. Jog Falls - Travel Guide Places to visit in Murudeshwar, Karnataka Here is list of 7 places to visit in Murudeshwar - 1. Lord Shiva statue of Murudeshwar A gigantic statue of Lord Shiva stands tall on a hill named Kanduka, which is surrounded by sea on three sides. This statue is the second tallest statue of Lord Shiva in the world (the first being in Nepal). This majestic piece of art is 123 feet tall and can be seen from a long distance. Shivamoga Kashinath and several notable sculptors took 20 years to build this statue. It was financed by a renowned businessman named R.N. Shetty, at a cost of INR 5 crore. This Shiva statue, located in the centre of a temple complex, has become an esteemed landmark in Murudeshwar and is a must-visit place to visit in Murudeshwar. Taking a parikrama (circumambulation) of the statue is highly recommended. The statue can also be viewed from the top of Rajagopuram situated just beside it. Note: The statue can be viewed from a distance at any point in time. However, for a close-up view, you will have to follow the temple complex timings from 6 AM to 1 PM and 3 PM to 9 PM. Checkout these cool Shiva T - Shirts 2. Raja Gopuram The 22-storeyed Gopuram in Murudeshwar is the second tallest Gopuram in the world (the first being in Tamil Nadu, India). It is the only Gopuram in the world that has an elevator. It was inaugurated in May 2008. The Gopuram is 249 feet tall and is guarded by two big elephants at the entrance. In case you are new to this term, Gopuram refers to a huge structure at the entrance of the temple built in Dravidian style architecture. Gopurams are commonly found in temples of Southern India. Tourists have access to the 18th floor, from where they can view the life-size statue of Lord Shiva with the Arabian Sea in the backdrop. The four windows located in four different directions on the 18th floor provide breathtaking panoramic views of Murudeshwar town, the Shiva statue, and the sea from various angles. The entire Gopuram is intricately carved with figures of heavenly beings, Gods and Goddesses. It is lit up with beautiful yellow lights during the evening time. We highly recommend you to experience the view from the 18th floor of the Gopuram. We regard the Gopuram to be the best place to visit in Murudeshwar. Note: The entrance to Gopuram is free of cost. You will have to remove your footwear on a stand outside the Gopuram. If you wish to enjoy the views from the 18th floor of Gopuram, the charge for the elevator is INR 10 per person. The elevator operates from 6 AM to 1 PM and 3 PM to 9 PM. Views from 18th floor of Gopuram (Click to enlarge) 3. Murudeshwar Temple Murudeshwar Temple is located between the Shiva statue and the Gopuram. The temple and the Gopuram have the same entry points. The granite temple is built in age-old Dravidian style architecture and is also known as the Kethappa Narayan Temple. While the temple is modernized, the sanctum sanctorum is still dark and ancient. The main deity in the Murudeshwar temple is Sri Mridesa Linga, also called as Murudeshwar. A piece of Atma-linga believed to be thrown here by Ravana is buried 2 feet below the ground level in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Thousands of pilgrims and Lord Shiva devotees flock to this place to visit in Murudeshwar daily. Note: Entrance to the temple is free of cost. However, if you want to perform any Abhishek (religious ritual), you will be charged for that. You will have to remove your footwear before entering the temple. Do not forget to buy the tasty laddus (sweet) as prasad (food offering) sold outside the temple (INR 20 for 1 big laddu). 4. Murudeshwar Statue Park Besides the Lord Shiva statue, there are a series of other statues and sculptures that narrate various folktales from the past. These folktales are mythological stories of significance. The Murudeshwar statue park houses life-size statues of Lord Ganesha receiving Atma-Linga from Ravana, that of Lord Krishna, and Arjuna in a golden chariot from Mahabharata (Geetopadesha), various statues of sages meditating in different poses, and a statue of a Surya Chakra. The statue park is an ideal place for photographers who can try their hands by clicking the statues from various angles. All the statues are surrounded by lush green, well-manicured lawns. Note: Entry to the Statue Park is free of cost. The park remains open from 6 AM to 1 PM and 3 PM to 9 PM. 5. Artificial Cave A cave or rather a museum located beneath the Shiva statue is named ‘Bhukailash’. Wonderfully sculpted statues depict the story of Atma-Linga and the importance of Murudeshwar. Light and sound effects are used to narrate the story in Kannada, Hindi, and English language. You have to move clockwise while listening to the story to relate it to the sculpted statues. All the sculptures are built and coloured beautifully with clear expressions on the faces of the statues. We rate the caves as one of the best places to visit in Murudeshwar for those interested in understanding the history behind this temple town. Checkout these insightful books on Shiva The story is – Mother of Ravana (Demon King of Lanka) was a strict devotee of Lord Shiva and expressed her desire to worship the Atma-Linga (the soul of Shiva). Hence, Ravana went to Kailash and worshipped Shiva. Lord Shiva, impressed by Ravana’s penance, appeared before him and gave him a boon. Ravana asked for the Atma-Linga as a boon, which he received on the condition that he would carry the Atma-Linga directly to Lanka without placing it on the ground, failing which the Atma-Linga will get embedded permanently wherever placed. Sage Narada knew that if Ravana took the Atma-Linga successfully to Lanka, he would become indestructible and immortal. Hence, he approached Lord Ganesha and Lord Vishnu for help, and they together devised a plan. When Ravana was nearing Gokarna, Lord Vishnu masked the sun with his Surya Chakra giving the appearance of evening time. Seeing this, Ravana believed that it was time for his evening ritual that he performed without fail each day; hence he started looking for someone who could hold the Atma-Linga for him till he completed his evening prayers. At this time, Lord Ganesha appeared in front of him disguised as a shepherd and agreed to help him. Handing over the Atma-Linga to Lord Ganesha, as soon as Ravana went to perform his evening ritual, Lord Ganesha placed the statue on the ground in Gokarna, permanently embedding it on the earth. Lord Vishnu then removed his Surya Chakra away, and it was daylight again. Ravana realising that he had been tricked and cheated, tried to uproot the Atma-Linga, but it failed to move. Due to the force exerted by Ravana, some pieces of Atma-Linga were scattered, which were thrown by Ravana in four different directions. Murudeshwar is one such region where a part of Atma-Linga was thrown. The other places are Surathkal, Gunavanthe, and Dhareshwara. Murudeshwar temple stands on the very spot where the scatters of Atma-Linga fell. Note: An entrance fee of INR 20 per person is collected to enter the cave/ museum. The cave is open to visitors from 6 AM to 1 PM and 3 PM to 8 PM. 6. Murudeshwar Beach Murudeshwar beach is a long stretch of clean, white sandy beach. The water at the beach is shallow and is safe for swimming. The view of Murudeshwar temple, Shiva statue, and Gopuram from the Murudeshwar beach is spectacular and is a delight for photographers. The hues in the sky during sunset time add extra charm to the whole environ. With the night lights turned on, the Shiva statue and Gopuram look stunning from the beach at night, and you can endlessly marvel at its beauty. During summertime, a range of water activities is operated on Murudeshwar beach, including banana boat ride, jet-ski, water scooter, speed-boat ride, water-skiing, and boating to Netrani Island. Murudeshwar beach also houses a fast-food centre and a flea market selling little trinkets and souvenirs at a cheap rate. Note: The beach is best visited during sunset time. 7. Netrani Island Netrani Island is located about 10 Nautical miles or 19 kilometres away from Murudeshwar temple. It can be reached by boat from Murudeshwar beach. Several local water sports operators will arrange for a boat for you to reach Netrani Island. The island is heart-shaped and is often referred to as ‘Pigeon Island’ owing to the presence of a large number of pigeons on the island. The sea-be surrounding the island is rich in marine biodiversity, and plenty of rare varieties of corals, fishes, and other aquatic species have been spotted here. Due to the crystal clear water, Netrani Island is considered the best snorkelling and scuba diving site in Karnataka state. Several scuba and snorkelling operators manage these water sports on the island. October to March is considered the best time to visit Netrani Island for water sports. Note: The diving packages start from INR 5000, inclusive of underwater photographs. Do carry proper attire and accessories if you plan to experience the water activities. Checkout these must have snorkelling gear Duration of visit to Murudeshwar The first 5 places listed above are on Murudeshwar Island and can be covered in a couple of hours. The amount of time you spend on Murudeshwar beach and Netrani island purely depends on your interest. So in terms of itinerary, if you start in the morning from a place like Gokarna, Udupi, or Mangalore, you can reach Murudeshwar before noon and cover all places, including adventure sports, on the same day. You can also visit any pending place the next morning. Hence a one-night stay is recommended for Murudeshwar, not just to ensure you have enough time for all activities/places, but also to see the majestic Shiva statue and Gopuram at different times of the day. If you are into photography, you will understand the importance of varying lighting conditions. Here are some of our favourite shots from Murudeshwar clicked at different times of the day - Checkout these cool Shiva themed gifts This article on Murudeshwar will be incomplete without mentioning the name of the person behind all this developmental progress. Mr. R.N. Shetty (RNS), a native of Murudeshwar, has played a big role in modernising the temple town of Murudeshwar. He holds the credit for creating the various monuments like the Shiva statue and Gopuram and the various sculptures in the Murudeshwar temple complex by financing their built-up. Everything that exists on the Kanduka Hill is developed and maintained by Mr. R.N. Shetty. As you roam around Murudeshwar town, you would also find hotels, hospitals, and colleges in his name. Stay options in Murudeshwar, Karnataka While there are plenty of basic accommodation facilities, there are a very limited number of reliable and good options to stay in Murudeshwar. RNS group of hotels owned by Mr. R.N. Shetty provides good accommodation options next to the Murudeshwar temple complex. We stayed at the RNS Residency hotel in a cosy room facing the sea. Our room was comfortably large, with a big balcony overlooking the Arabian Sea. The views from the balcony were breathtaking. Though the hotel is more than 20 years old and you might read mixed reviews on the internet, we highly recommend the RNS Residency as a stay option for all tourists travelling to Murudeshwar. Its location right on the edge of Murudeshwar Island was enough for us to book it. And the facilities we experienced were good enough for the price paid. Also, the restaurant in the hotel serves amazing vegetarian food. If you have a limited budget, you can try the RNS guest house which is right next door to RNS residency and is a little cheaper with lesser facilities. Check out the current prices for RNS Residency, Murudeshwar by clicking the below links Murudeshwar turned out to be a much better place to visit than what we had expected. We are not really much into temples or religion, but the aura of the Shiva statue, the interesting stories behind the place, the well-maintained area, and the location of Murudeshwar Island and our hotel made it for us. We could not help but feel awed by the magnificent structures and sea around us. PIN THESE IMAGES We hope you found our blog on 'Places to visit in Murudeshwar' useful. Have you been to Murudeshwar? How was your experience? Let us know in the comment section below. #India #SouthIndia #Karnataka #BengaluruWeekendOutings #MumbaiWeekendOutings #HyderabadWeekendOutings #PuneWeekendOutings

Perched on a hilltop overlooking the endless sea in south Gokarna (north Karnataka state, India), right where the Western Ghats plummet into the Arabian Sea, lies a magnificent luxury villa named Kahani Paradise. Built on a remote and unexplored location, Kahani Paradise is a boutique luxury villa hidden amongst lush green vegetation in the vast expanse of coconut, banana and palm trees. This 20-acre estate is most likely the only luxury villa between Goa and Mangalore, which is a 350-kilometre stretch. Finding such a property in the land of beaches and temples, often frequented by pilgrims and backpackers, was a pleasant surprise. We wrote about the hippie town of Gokarna and the places to visit there in our previous article and we mentioned Kahani Paradise as a recommended place to stay in Gokarna. In this article, we review this beautiful property and will convince you why this is the best place to stay in Gokarna. Location of Kahani Paradise, Gokarna Kahani Paradise is located at the end of a winding dirt track in Gokarna. It is literally located in the middle of nowhere. In a way, it is located directly above the Paradise beach but still hidden in an oasis of nature and tranquillity. The last 15-minute stretch of road to reach Kahani Paradise is narrow, bumpy and deep into the hills. We were driving by ourselves and would have got lost in the never-ending trails in the hills, had they not sent a person to pick us up in the market. But once we reached Kahani Paradise, we exactly felt like having entered a paradise. Checkout other articles that may help you in planning a trip to Gokarna and nearyby places - 1. Travel guide to Gokarna 2. Best places to visit near Gokarna 3. Travel guide to Murudeshwar 4. Travel guide to Jog falls Tip: Ask them to arrange for pick-up from the airport or railway station if you are arriving by one of those ways. Finding Kahani Paradise in those endless twisting roads is tricky. If you are driving by yourselves, ask them to send someone towards the market to guide you. Do not trust Google maps, it will take you to a different route altogether. If you want to use Google maps, choose the option of walking to see the correct route to Kahani Paradise (Not the option of driving). Upon arrival, we were greeted traditionally with refreshing fragrant face towels and a flower band. Our luggage was taken care of by the staff. As we settled in the seating area of Kahani Paradise, sipping the fresh fruit juice, we were awestruck by the 360-degree views of the lush green tropical forest with the Arabian Sea in the distance. We felt like entering a fairytale castle when our host and manager of the property, Vicky, was taking us down to our suite. Layout of Kahani Paradise, Gokarna We were extremely impressed by the layout of Kahani Paradise. Entering the main gate, we drove through the paved pathway surrounded by beautifully landscaped vast gardens that gave way to an orchard of coconut, betelnut, palm and banana trees. The walkway was lined with pebbles surrounded by beautiful exotic shrubs and flowering plants. We could hear the forest coming alive with the chirping birds and blooming flowers. We first arrived at the open seating area through an antique Rajasthani door and were welcomed by the breath-taking view where the land meets the sea at a distance; just out of a picture postcard. The seating area at Kahani Paradise is dotted with a hanging antique swing decorated with candles, a huge Naga boat coffee table, plenty of vintage knick-knacks, comfortable sofas and lots of books and magazines. The seating area overlooked a natural-rock infinity pool that further overlooked the forest scape and the Arabian sea in distance. The pool was surrounded by comfortable canopied sunbeds. An open-air massage and spa were located at one of the quietest spots below the infinity pool. The pan-Asian style villa has three buildings in total. In the centre is the seating area with 3 suites - Blue suite depicting ocean on the left, Green suite depicting forest on the right, and Master suite providing a panoramic view of the forest and ocean on the top of the seating area. All these 3 suites have a stunning view of the land meeting the sea. The second building towards the left of the central seating area houses 2 suites for wildlife lovers (Peacock suite and Elephant suite). These 2 suites had a common patio providing an amazing view of the jungle and ocean and is ideal for families. The third building towards the right of the central seating area houses the luxurious Queen suite. Above the Palace suite is the open dining area with an enormous 12-seater Teak wood dining table. The dining area also accommodated an antique pair of wooden horse sculptures that were intricately carved. The entire outer structure of Kahani Paradise is made up of local red laterite rocks which gives a castle-like appearance to the villa. The interiors housed limited furniture, beautiful artefacts, soft and subtle colours, and lots of natural light and space. Though all the 6 suites are different, they share the same aesthetics. Uniquely, each suite at Kahani Paradise has a huge antique door sourced from different parts of India. And each suite is so spacious that they can easily take an extra bed for a family to stay comfortably. The highest point at Kahani Paradise, also popular as ‘Secret Place’, is towards the backside of the villa overlooking the Paradise beach. You will have to walk on the pebbled pathway surrounded by tall tress to reach Secret Place. It is beautifully created sunset spot along with a smaller infinity pool and a stylish shack. It certainly is a secret spot as every time we went there, we found no sign of human existence. The staff can arrange for a small cocktail party near the pool where you can just sit, relax, sip the drinks and watch the sun melt in the sea. The Queen suite at Kahani Paradise, Gokarna We stayed in the Queen suite at Kahani Paradise. As we unchained the padlock of the huge Rajasthani door, we were welcomed inside the gigantic suite with large floor-to-ceiling windows, tall arches and exceptionally stylish décor. The marble-floored suite was spacious and had a king-size bed with plenty of comfortable pillows, a pair of antique bedside lamps, two wooden closets, a sofa, a work table, a full-size antique mirror and various other ancient treasures. The en-suite bathroom was enormous with a big marble bathtub, a rain shower with 24-hour hot and cold-water supply and a separate toilet area. The yellow lights provided a romantic appeal to the suite and owing to the large windows we were blessed to have lots of natural light as well. A personal note written to us explained how the air-conditioning and Wi-fi worked and detailed out the whereabouts of other amenities like hair-dryer, bath-robes, safes, tea/ coffee maker, mini-refrigerator stocked with beverages, and the complimentary products like chemical-free toiletries (of Ayca brand - which we totally loved) and disposable slippers. Every single detail in our suite, right from the contemporary décor, curated spaces, authentic Indian textile, and the colour palettes, was thought with precision and created with love. The suite also had a Bluetooth enabled Bose speaker so that we could play our desired music. Books and magazines all over the place turned out to be a great evening time reads. Television is intentionally left out to keep the daily world away. Overall, the suite seemed like an ancient royal palace with modern luxuries. Kahani behind Kahani Paradise, Gokarna: Just when we were discussing and debating over who would have planned to construct such a luxurious villa in this remote area of south Gokarna, we were fortunate to meet Mr. Leric Reeches, the managing director of Kahani Paradise, who told us the story behind this project. The owner of Kahani Paradise, a British family, were looking for a holiday home in India. They handed the task of searching for a suitable place to build their home to Leric. In 2005, Leric came across this isolated piece of agricultural land and within months it was bought. All the antiques were picked and sourced from different parts of the world by the owners in the initial few years. But the project was delayed due to various reasons and the construction of the villa started only in 2015, 10 years later. Philip Syborn, a British architect, assisted in designing the villa. His wife, Sarah Syborn, did the gardens and landscaping. Saloni Sharma from Delhi curated the furniture and textiles. No compromises were made in the villa’s creation and no detail has been overlooked. And it was combined hard work and efforts put by several passionate people, that this villa, with 6 suites, was ready in October 2017. The luxury villa was named ‘Kahani Paradise’ by the owners and it remains true to its name. Kahani Paradise opened its doors to its first guests in January 2018. Every year, the British family visit their Indian home during the Christmas holidays. Today, the luxurious villa can be booked by guests in its entirety or room-by-room. Kahani Paradise, Gokarna – An eco-friendly luxurious villa: The British family put up a great deal of thought and money to make Kahani Paradise an eco-friendly villa. Below the 3 buildings of Kahani Paradise is a water tank with a capacity of 1 million litres. The roof of all the buildings is connected to pipes, that lead the rainwater to eventually get stored in this underground tank. The water is filtered through various technologies and then used for different other purposes making Kahani Paradise the only self-sufficient property in Gokarna. Food at Kahani Paradise, Gokarna: We were treated with delicious local and international cuisines at the restaurant of Kahani Paradise. The food at Kahani Paradise is freshly made with all the ingredients sourced from the local market. The seafood is bought fresh each day from the local fishermen. There is a set menu but the chef is anytime happy to cook anything based on the guest’s preferences. The menu includes Indian, Continental, Italian and local Gokarna cuisines and everything that they made tasted yummy. They also have a wonderful selection of drinks. The breakfast included exotic fruits, fresh juices, teas, coffees, an Indian dish or an English breakfast to choose from. The chef recommended his signature dishes during lunch and dinner and they were incredible and never went wrong. The staff at the restaurant were humble and polite and stood on their toes to cater to any of our requirements. Staff at Kahani Paradise, Gokarna: The staff at Kahani Paradise was warm and welcoming and catered to all our needs and requirements with a smile. Each one of them was knowledgeable and friendly. They worked hard to make us feel at home and always greeted us when we met. They went out of their way when we asked one of them to accompany us for a property tour and to explore the nearby village and Paradise beach. Most of the staff were local but still were very well trained and spoke fluent English. Their service was brilliant and the staff provided us with our personal space, they were never too obtrusive nor inattentive. Special mention to Vicky, Sandhya, Ganesh and Devender to make our stay a memorable one. Our experience at Kahani Paradise, Gokarna: We visited Kahani Paradise during the end of monsoon and unfortunately, we weren’t able to venture out much due to continuous downpour. But we treasured every minute we spent at the villa. We loved our suite and spent our time listening to our favourite peaceful music (using their Bluetooth Bose speakers) or reading books and magazines. We were grateful that the rooms were not equipped with any television and we got an opportunity to spend ample time with each other. The strong Wi-Fi signals kept us connected to the outside world – not that we needed it! We spent most of our time in the seating area of the villa, either indulged in reading or admiring the spellbinding views. We never enjoyed the rain as much as at Kahani Paradise; we saw nature become lively and lush green. We ate the delicious meals prepared by the chef to our heart’s content. We caught up on our sleep, thanks to the peaceful silence, and woke up to the pleasant chirping of birds. We spent a lot of time at their secret hideout with a hope that clouds would clear and we shall be greeted with a wonderful sunset (but it did not happen). However, to our surprise, we did see little bit of sunrise on one of the days! We also visited the Paradise beach and went on a stroll to Belekan village to interact with the locals. We went photographing the rare birds in the surrounding jungle and were lucky to spot a Hornbill couple. We went for a relaxing dip in the infinity pool and watched the ferries making trips in the sea and the sun setting down behind the clouds. We also took a walk in the villa’s tropical gardens and sprawling surroundings and appreciated the beauty of nature in the beautiful flora and fauna that had come alive because of rain. We walked down to the villa’s meditation ground to catch up on some peaceful time and sat around the big pool specially made for harvesting and storing water. We also had an option to rent Kahani Paradise's own Royal Enfield motorbike or a vintage jeep and visit the nearby beaches, temples or Gokarna market, but it was raining all the while and we did not feel like leaving this piece of paradise to roam around in Gokarna. Other things that we would have loved to do but did not because of rain is playing outdoor sports such as badminton, table tennis or cricket with other guests or locals in their open grounds, or calling a yoga expert on request to try yoga and meditation besides the pool or in one of the gardens. We felt so relaxed while at the luxurious villa that we did not require any holistic treatment to be at ease, but their open-air massage centre overlooking the green landscapes surely piqued our interest. During the evening time, the villa lits up with romantic lighting and that used to be our favourite time of the day. We let ourselves be pampered by the luxury and the impeccable service of the staff. All in all, we had a marvellous time at Kahani Paradise and a 2-night stay left us with a feeling of attachment to the people and aura of the place. Nonetheless, we were rejuvenated to return to our old life. Kahani Paradise is highly recommended for people looking for peace and privacy; away from the noise, crowd and hustle-bustle of the city. It is ideal for solo travellers, couples and families who want to spend quality time. It is not a place for friends looking for a destination to party as tranquillity is the USP of this place. Do not expect a resort-level service. Kahani Paradise is more of a homestay with luxurious amenities. The staff will pamper you and arrange for whatever you ask for within reach. It is certainly a paradise and the owners will certainly like to keep it like that way. PIN THESE IMAGES Kahani Paradise is one of the most beautiful properties we have stayed at. If you would like to book a stay at Kahani Paradise, you can check their official website or click on below sites to find the current prices - How did you like our review of the luxury villa? Would you like to stay here? Do let us know in the comment section below. All opinions expressed above are our own based on our experience and are not influenced by Kahani Paradise's management. #India #SouthIndia #Karnataka #BengaluruWeekendOutings #MumbaiWeekendOutings #HyderabadWeekendOutings #PuneWeekendOutings #Accommodation

Gokarna is a coastal town located in the state of Karnataka in Southern India. For most local visitors, Gokarna is a town of ancient temples and a sacred pilgrimage. But for youngsters and international travellers, Gokarna is a hippie town complete with pristine white-sand beaches and a laid-back lifestyle. In our previous article, we wrote about Gokarna, its temples, and beaches. However, apart from these beaches and temples, there are several other places to visit near Gokarna that are worth exploring. If you have already been to Gokarna and crave more, then head to these other destinations within a 100-kilometre range from Gokarna. Here are the 5 must-visit places near Gokarna: Checkout other articles that may help you in planning a trip to Gokarna and nearby places - 1. Gokarna - Complete Travel Guide 2. Kahani Paradise - Luxury villa in Gokarna 3. Travel guide to Murudeshwar 4. Travel guide to Jog Falls Places to visit near Gokarna Here is a compilation of places you must visit near Gokarna and club it with your Gokarna trip. 1. Mirjan Fort Mirjan Fort is located about 22 kilometres away from Gokarna town. It falls on the Gokarna-Kumta highway. Mirjan Fort is a 16th-century fort believed to be built by Queen Chennabhaira Devi, the queen of Gerusoppa (a small town near Jog Falls), which came under the Vijayanagara empire. During the medieval period, Mirjan Fort served as an important port for overseas trading of spices (especially pepper). Hence the queen was also regarded as ‘Pepper Queen’. After the fall of the Vijayanagara empire, Mirjan Fort went successively into the hands of Bahamani Sultans, Portuguese, Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan, and finally Britishers. Mirjan Fort is mostly in ruins but whatever is left is very well maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The fort looks magnificent from the outside, and since we went right after the monsoon, the fort’s walls were covered in thick green moss, which was a feast to our eyes. We were, however, able to see the red laterite stones that were used to build the entire fort. Mirjan Fort has 4 entrances, and the entire structure is surrounded by a deep moat which must be filled with water in its prime time. Inside the fort, there are several huge courtyards. From the watchtower or the flag hoisting tower, you will be able to have a panoramic look at all these courtyards. There are a few wells in the courtyard, which are now closed. We walked towards the other end of the fort, where River Aghanashini flows by. You can climb up other higher decks in the fort and get amazing views of the fort from the top. You can easily spend 1-1.5 hours exploring this majestic place to visit near Gokarna. Note: No charges are levied to enter and visit the Mirjan Fort. Clicking photographs from DSLR cameras is prohibited; however, you can click photos on your cell phone. 2. Yana rock caves Yana caves are located about 50 kilometres away from the town of Gokarna. Yana is a small village situated between Kumta and Sirsi, which is famous for its naturally formed rock formations. Yana rocks are basically 2 gigantic black limestone rock formations within the Western Ghats that seem alien to this otherwise ordinary place. The 2 peaks are named Mohini peak (300 feet tall) and Bhairaveshwara peak (400 feet tall). These names come from an ancient belief. After years of penance, Lord Shiva granted a boon to a demon named Bhasmasura that whosoever’s head he touches will convert to ash (Bhasma in the Hindi language). The demon attempted to touch the head of the boon-giver Shiva itself, who ran to Lord Vishnu for help. To help Shiva, Vishnu gained the form of glamorous Mohini and tried to woo Bhasmasura. Mohini accepted to take Bhasmasura’s marriage proposal only on the condition that he dances with her and matches her steps. As the dance progressed, Mohini touched her head, and Bhasmasura duplicated her, soon turning into thick solid black ash stone as per the boon. Sadly, these incredible rock formations cannot be viewed from outside, and you will have to hike for at least half an hour (15-20 minutes walk and 350 stairs to ascend) through a thick forest to see the rocks. Inside the rocks are the caves where idols are installed, and temples are built (Goddess Parvathi temple in Mohini caves and Lord Shiva temple in Bhairaveshwara caves). There is a path through Bhairaveshwara caves that starts by climbing some steep steps, enters the dark caves, and ends towards the other side. The caves are beautiful from the inside, with differently patterned rocks and sunlight filtering from a few openings, making Yana caves amongst the best places to visit near Gokarna. Note: You will require around 2-3 hours to completely explore the Yana rocks and caves after you reach the parking lot. There are 2 different routes to reach Yana caves from Gokarna (both the same distance-wise). If you take the Kumta route to reach the Yana parking lot, you will have to hike for 2 kilometres to reach the caves, and if you take the Sirsi route, you will have to hike for 0.5 kilometres. The Sirsi route is highly recommended if you want to club Vibhooti Falls and Yana caves. The drive from Gokarna to Yana caves is deserted, and you should return before it gets dark, so start early. Very few people visit Yana caves on regular days (weekends can be crowded), and the hike is through a thick forest; hence travelling in a group is preferred to being solo. The parking charges are INR 10 per 2-wheeler and INR 20 per 4-wheeler. INR 5 per person has to be paid as an entrance charge near the parking lot itself. 3. Vibhooti Falls Vibhooti Falls is located about 42 kilometres away from the main town of Gokarna. The majestic falls are just 9 kilometres from the Yana caves. Tourists generally club visiting both Yana caves, and Vibhooti falls together. Make sure you take the Sirsi route to reach both these places. After parking your vehicle at the parking lot, you will have to walk for 0.5 kilometres and then hike on rocky terrain for another 15-20 minutes to reach Vibhooti Falls. The falls are multi-tiered and surrounded by greenery. The best time to visit Vibhooti Falls is the post-monsoon season. A pool is formed by all the water collected from the falls, and youngsters generally come here to plunge into the water. Even a lifeguard is posted at the location to ensure the safety of travellers. The falls certainly make up for a great place to visit near Gokarna. 4. Murudeshwar Murudeshwar is located at a distance of 78 kilometres from Gokarna town. The drive from Gokarna to Murudeshwar is smooth and scenic. The place is a pilgrimage centre and is famous for the world’s second tallest statue of Lord Shiva. It is believed that Ravana threw one of the scattered pieces of Atma Linga in Murudeshwar (Read our previous blog on Gokarna to understand better). Murudeshwar also houses the tallest Gopuram, which is 250 feet in height. Murudeshwar temple is surrounded by sea on three sides, and the Shiva statue is set in a beautiful setting on top of a small hill right beside the temple. Murudeshwar beach is another attraction that is quite well-maintained and offers gorgeous views of the Shiva statue and Gopuram. Read our blog on Murudeshwar, where we highlight the history, the temples, gardens, statues, caves, and other places of interest in Murudeshwar in detail. You can also try snorkelling and scuba diving at Netrani Island near Murudeshwar. You will find a number of scuba diving companies in Murudeshwar, and Netrani island is a popular destination for underwater adventure sports when the weather is clear and suitable. Of course, the experience might not be as good as Scuba diving in Andamans or snorkelling in crystal clear waters of the Umngot river in Meghalaya. However, for those looking to get a first-time experience of underwater activities, Netrani Island is a good beginning. We also visited Apsarakonda on our way to Murudeshwar from Gokarna. Both the waterfalls and garden at Apsarakonda deserve a quick visit. The garden is made on top of a hill that provides a good view of Apsarakonda beach. Apsarakonda waterfalls provides an opportunity to take a refreshing dip and is a great place to visit near Gokarna. 5. Jog Falls Jog Falls is located approximately 111 kilometres away from Gokarna. It is the second-highest plunge waterfall in India and falls from a height of about 820 feet. Jog Falls is best visited right after the rainy season. The falls are basically formed by the water of the Sharavathi River that plunges down the tall hill. There are various viewpoints from where the visitors can see the falls, all the viewpoints providing spectacular views of the mighty falls. To learn more about Jog Falls, the different viewpoints, and recommendations on stay options, read our dedicated blog on Jog Falls. The journey from Gokarna to Jog Falls is a 4 lane highway till Honnavar and is then a forested area, but the roads are well laid, and the drive is extremely picturesque. On the way, you can take quick halts at the Sharavathi valley viewpoint, Sharavathi suspension bridge, and gaze at the Gerusoppa waterfalls far from the road. Suggested itinerary for Gokarna and nearby places You will not be disappointed by any of these above-listed places near Gokarna. In terms of itinerary, you can try out the following - 3 days Gokarna and places to visit near Gokarna - Plan to spend around 3 days in Gokarna, which can include: 2 days of beach hopping and cultural exploration of temples with 1 day excursion to Vibhooti falls, Yana caves, and Mirjan fort. 1 day in Murudeshwar - You can then head towards Murudeshwar with a pitstop at Apsarakonda. One day in Murudeshwar should give you adequate time to visit the temple, Shiva statue, and explore underwater activities on Netrani Island. 1 day at Jog Falls - You can then head to Jog falls and halt at Sharavathi viewpoints, suspension bridge and see Gerusoppa falls on the way. Spending a night at Jog falls would give you enough time to see it from various vantage points though we preferred spending 2 nights here. Plan your vacation for at least 5-6 days to cover Gokarna and all of these places to visit near Gokarna. PIN THESE IMAGES Have you been to any of these above-mentioned places near Gokarna? How was your experience? Let us know in the comment section below. #India #SouthIndia #Karnataka #BengaluruWeekendOutings #MumbaiWeekendOutings #HyderabadWeekendOutings #PuneWeekendOutings

Have you ever visited a place with some preconceived notion but then discovered a totally different side to that place? Gokarna, located in coastal Karnataka (India), was one such place for us. We planned to travel to Gokarna thinking that it is an easy-going, laid-back beach destination, but never did we imagine that Gokarna is so much more than just being beach, booze and hippie life. With all of the above, Gokarna has an interesting drawn-out historical story that gave us a completely new perspective of the place. Read on to know more about Gokarna, places to visit and our experience. Location of Gokarna: Gokarna is located on the western coastline in the Indian state of Karnataka. The small-town falls in the Uttara Kannada district under Kumta taluka. It is located about 150 kilometres south of Goa. Gokarna’s location is flawless, with the Aghnashini River to its south and the Gangavalli River to its north. Both these rivers meet the Arabian Sea, and Gokarna stands in dignity between both the confluences. How to reach Gokarna: You can reach Gokarna in one of the following ways: Air: Dabolim airport in Goa is the nearest international airport (approx. 150 kilometres) to Gokarna. Whereas, Hubballi airport in Hubli is the nearest domestic airport (approx. 145 kilometres) to Gokarna. From Dabolim airport, you can either take a train, bus or taxi to reach Gokarna and from Hubballi airport, you can either take a bus or a taxi to reach Gokarna. Rail: Gokarna Road station is connected to all trains running on the Western Rail lines or Konkan rail lines. Hence, Goa, Mumbai, Pune, Mangalore, and Bengaluru (Bangalore) are well connected to this rail line. Gokarna town is 6 kilometres far from the Gokarna Road railway station, and you will easily get an auto that will take you to the main town. However, being a small station, not all trains might stop at Gokarna Road station. Ankola station to the north of Gokarna and Kumta station to its south are the major railway stations where you can get down. After that, you can easily take a bus or a taxi to reach Gokarna. Road: Several government and private buses ply from major cities like Bengaluru (Bangalore), Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Goa and Mangalore to Gokarna. Private taxis are also available from these cities that can take you to Gokarna. However, most of the buses will drop you at Madangeri cross or Gokarna cross, which is about 10 kilometres from the main town of Gokarna. How to reach Gokarna from Madangeri cross or Gokarna cross: The main Gokarna town is located 12 kilometres away from Madangeri cross or Gokarna cross. You can hop on into a government bus coming from Kumta (Kumta-Gokarna-Kumta route bus). All buses heading to Gokarna from down south will stop at Madangeri cross or Gokarna cross. You can also take an auto from Madangeri cross or Gokarna cross to reach Gokarna. Remember to bargain with the auto drivers. As of 2019, the bus charges are INR 15 per person, and auto charges are INR 250 (can easily accommodate 3 people) from Madangeri cross or Gokarna cross to Gokarna main town. The autos will charge more if you ask them to drop you at the beaches. Best time to visit Gokarna: Gokarna can be travelled to throughout the year. However, October to February is an ideal time to visit Gokarna as the weather is pleasant and humidity is at its least. March to May are summer months, and it becomes too hot to chill on the beaches. June to early September is the monsoon when the beaches are either closed or too desolate and unkempt. If your main purpose of visit is to see the lively temples, then the Shivratri festival in March and the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in August is the best time to visit Gokarna. Ideal duration of visit to Gokarna: Gokarna is known for its temples and beaches. It can be easily covered in a 3-day duration. However, plenty of interesting destinations near Gokarna are worth visiting like Yana caves, Vibhooti Falls, Mirjan Fort, Murudeshwar and Jog Falls. If you plan to cover each of these places, a 6-day trip duration will be ideal. Check out other articles of places you can visit along with Gokarna - 1. Best places to visit near Gokarna 2. Kahani Paradise - Luxury villa in Gokarna 3. Travel guide to Murudeshwar 4. Travel guide to Jog Falls History of Gokarna: There are several interesting stories and folklore about how Gokarna got its name. Gokarna, meaning ‘Cow’s ear’, is derived from two Hindi language words, Go = Cow, Karna = Ear. Interestingly, even the zoomed-out map of Gokarna town seems to be like an ear (ear-shaped confluence of Aghnashini and Gangavalli rivers to Arabian sea). It is believed that Lord Brahma, who considered himself superior and creator of the universe, was cursed by Lord Shiva for his arrogance. Lord Brahma penanced and asked for forgiveness from Lord Shiva at the very place where Gokarna exists. Impressed by Brahma’s penance, Lord Shiva appeared in front of him from the ear of a cow. Hence, the place came to be known as Gokarna (cow’s ear). As per another folklore, the mother of Ravana (demon King of Lanka) was a loyal devotee of Lord Shiva and wanted to worship the main ‘Atma linga’ (Soul of Lord Shiva). Hence, Ravana went to Mount Kailash (abode of Lord Shiva) and performed rigorous penance to please Lord Shiva to offer him the ‘Atma linga’ as a boon. Lord Shiva finally appeared and granted Ravana the ‘Atma linga’ on the condition that he should directly take it to Lanka without placing it on the ground, failing which the linga will permanently embed where it is placed. Ravana started his journey back to Lanka after receiving the boon. Lord Vishnu knew that Ravana was evil, and he would attain immortality and invincibility if he successfully took the ‘Atma linga’ to Lanka. He also knew that Ravana was punctual in performing his evening prayers. So, he took the help of Lord Ganesha and devised a plan so that Ravana had to place the ‘Atma linga’ somewhere on his way. When Ravana was nearing Gokarna, Lord Vishnu hid the sun with the help of his ‘Sudarshan chakra’, giving an impression of dusk. At this time, Ravana looked out for someone who could hold the ‘Atma linga’ for him till he performed his evening rituals. Lord Ganesha disguised as a Brahmin boy herding his cow and appeared in front of Ravana. Ravana persuaded him to hold and protect the ‘Atma linga’ without placing it on the ground. As soon as Ravana went for performing his rites, Lord Ganesha placed the linga on the ground and vanished. The ‘Atma linga’ got permanently embedded at that place. Agitated, Ravana tried chasing Lord Ganesha and his cows. He hurt Lord Ganesha’s head in the process, but the Lord was successful in disappearing. As one of the cows started disappearing underground, he grabbed hold of just its ear. Hence, the place was given the name Gokarna (cow’s ear). Ravana tried to uproot the ‘Atma linga’, and due to force exerted by him, some scattered pieces got detached, which he threw in different directions. The scattered linga fell in Dhareshwar, Shejjeshwar, Gunavanthe, Surathkal and Murudeshwar, respectively, but the main ‘Atma linga’ refused to move. After the pieces scattered in these places, the remaining linga gained the shape of a cow’s ear. Hence, the place was named Gokarna (cow’s ear). Failing to uproot the linga, Ravana called it ‘Mahabal’ (i.e.. Extremely strong). Later, a temple was built here and named as ‘Mahabaleshwara temple’. Since then, Gokarna has been a pilgrimage centre, but recently due to the influx of tourists to its unspoilt beaches, the eminence of the town has changed to a ‘beach destination’. Gokarna has a laid-back vibe that attracts many foreign tourists, owing to which many shacks, hotels, resorts and restaurants have come up to cater to the incoming crowd. Nonetheless, a large number of devotees still flock to this temple town to offer prayers. All in all, Gokarna is blessed with two types of places to visit – Temples and Beaches. Places to visit in Gokarna: Gokarna Religious Sites or Temples: If any of you plan on visiting the below-mentioned religious sites or temples in Gokarna, remember to respect the local traditions. Wear fully covered clothes, be quiet and do not touch objects or idols on the premises. 1. Sri Mahabaleshwara Swamy Temple The temple was built entirely of granite in the 4th century in Dravidian architectural style. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple houses the ‘Atma linga’, which is worshipped by hordes of pilgrims visiting Gokarna. The Mahabaleshwara temple is regarded as the ‘Dakshin Kashi’ (i.e.. Kashi of the South). It is located very near to the main Gokarna beach. The Hindu festival of Shivratri is celebrated with a lot of pomp and cheer at Gokarna, where a chariot procession or Rath Yatra is held. 2. Maha Ganapathi Temple This temple was built in honor of Lord Ganesha, who played a pivotal role in saving and installing ‘Atma linga’ in Gokarna. A 5-feet tall granite idol of Lord Ganesha adorns the sanctum sanctorum of Maha Ganapathi temple. You can still see the blow (in the form of a hole) on the head of the idol caused by Ravana. The temple is located next door to the Mahabaleshwara temple. It is a custom to worship Lord Ganesha before the ‘Atma linga’ in the Mahabaleshwara temple. 3. Kotiteertha This is a man-made pond-like water body that is used for the holy immersions of idols. Kotiteertha literally means ‘Thousand Springs’. Staunch devotees also bathe in Kotiteertha before visiting the temples. 4. Shiva Caves These caves are also called ‘Gogarbha’ (womb of a cow). It is said that the cow which Ravana caught hold of escaped and made a cave on a nearby hill. Locals believe that by entering Gogarbha, a devotee can reach the holy city of Kashi in Varanasi. Sadhus (saints) and devotees often visit the caves and use them as a resting place while visiting Gokarna. Gokarna Beaches: Gokarna could be easily called a hilly destination with pretty beaches beyond the hills. It isn’t that you will drive/ walk on a flat road to reach the beaches; you will have to trek or drive through the winding roads on the hills to get to them. There are 5 beaches of interest in total– 3 towards the south and only 2 facing west. All the beaches are interconnected via trails through hills and forest and can be trekked starting from the Gokarna main beach to the Paradise beach or vice versa. The beach trail trek is quite popular amongst youngsters. 1. Gokarna main beach This one is probably the longest stretch of beach in Gokarna. As it is closest to the temples, it is frequented by pilgrims more than tourists. The waves at Gokarna main beach are subtle and are best to learn surfing. You can easily reach this west-facing beach via an auto or a rented bike/ scooter. 2. Kudle beach This beach is not accessible directly via road. It is a 10-minute downhill trek over rocky terrain from the parking area. Kudle beach is popular with hippies and foreign tourists. The beach shore area is extremely broad, with lots of space to sit, relax, practise yoga or play volleyball. The water isn’t deep, and the waves are not violent; hence it is best for non-swimmers. The beach is lined with several shack restaurants and huts for accommodation. The backdrop of Kudle beach is beautifully covered with coconut and palm trees over the hills, and you will be able to see stunning sunset from this west-facing beach. However, we found Kudle beach extremely unkempt and dirty during our visit. 3. Om beach Om beach is again not directly accessible via road. It can be approached by descending some 100 paved stairs from the parking lot. The drive to Om beach from the main Gokarna town is through hills and is quite scenic. This is the most popular beach in Gokarna and is named so as it is naturally shaped like the sacred Hindu symbol ‘OM. It is amongst the most visited place in Gokarna. Om beach is well maintained and kept clean. It is a south-facing beach, but still, sunset can be viewed from the rocky part in the middle. The beach is lined with trees providing much-needed shade on the shore during hot days. It also has several colourful boats anchored to its shore belonging to the local fisherman. Om beach is dotted with popular upscale cafes that serve freshly prepared seafood. To get a perfect view of the symbol ‘OM’, you will have to trek to a hill towards the rightmost end of the beach. 4. Half-moon beach Half-moon beach is named such as its shape resembles that of a half-moon. It cannot be accessed via road. You can reach it only after a 30-minute trek either from the leftmost end of Om beach or through a trail starting from the main road leading to Om beach. The trek to Half-moon beach is through a forested area and is easy to moderate in difficulty level. The trek from Om beach to Hal-moon beach will provide you with awesome views as the trail runs along the hill overlooking the vast Arabian Sea on one side. It’s best to trek to Half-moon beach in a group or with someone experienced with the trails as there are plenty of chances that you will end up on the wrong trail or get lost on the many zig-zag paths. This south-facing beach is small, just like a lagoon, but clean and beautiful, just resembling a paradise. Half-moon beach is totally cut off from the world and has close to no amenities. Tourists have also claimed to witness bioluminescence in the sea at night-time at the beach, but it's best to visit it before sunset unless you plan to spend the night there. 5. Paradise beach Paradise beach is another south-facing beach that can only be accessed by trekking. The beach can be reached after a 30-minute trek either from Half-moon beach or from Belekan beach (which can be reached via road). The beach is mostly rocky with some sandy patches in between, and it is dangerous to swim as the waves are extremely strong. Paradise beach is again a small beach hardly resembling a paradise. We did not find anything special about the beach except getting ourselves clicked with ‘Para Para Paradise’ written over the rocks with spray paint which was amusing in a way. There are no shacks or restaurants (which is good), but the beach is popular for illegal camping. 6. Cliff viewpoint This, of course, isn't a beach but a viewpoint. Towards the right from the Kudle beach parking lot goes a trail up a hill. This takes you to the cliff viewpoint, from where you can see the entire stretch of Kudle beach from a cliff. If you walk some more towards the left, Gokarna main beach is visible. The viewpoint is best visited during sunrise or sunset. Not many people know about this viewpoint; hence it is extremely peaceful and devoid of crowds. Note: During peak season and good weather conditions, you can hop beaches in a boat if you are not interested in trekking. The boats are operated by local fishermen that take you from one beach to another. Even water sports are available at most of these above-mentioned beaches during peak season. There is also a ferry line that operates from Belekan to Kumta. You can take this ferry, which operates almost every half an hour, to visit the beaches in Kumta like Nirvana beach and Heaven beach. Gokarna market: Gokarna's main market is another good place to visit in Gokarna. The market is located near the temples and the Gokarna main beach. Most of the shops sell clothes or items used in temples for worship. You can shop for cheap incense sticks, beads, printed T-shirts, hats, dresses, imitation jewellery, utensils, picture frames of God and Goddesses, souvenirs, and other religious items. Gokarna Thursday market is also quite well known. Place to stay in Gokarna: Being a place popular with youngsters and teenagers, we very soon realised that Gokarna lacked the proper infrastructure for a luxurious stay. We found low-budget shacks, huts, cottages and hotels that completely failed to impress us. What we were seeking out was a clean, comfortable, environment-friendly, away-from-crowd, luxurious accommodation with good views, great food and friendly staff. Thus, we spent a lot of time researching such a place, and we are fortunate that we came across the luxury villas of ‘Kahani Paradise’. It ticked all our boxes and was much more than what we had expected. We highly recommend travellers heading to Gokarna to check them out. Perched on a hill in the middle of forest, Kahani Paradise is a perfect place to leave your world behind and relax. Read more about our experience of staying at Kahani Paradise, Gokarna. Gokarna left us speechless with its beauty and history and taught us many things. Our trip to Gokarna turned out to be exceptional, not just because it is a great beach destination, but because we got a chance to unearth the rich history behind the magnificent temples, something that very few people tend to explore in Gokarna. PIN THESE IMAGES If you love such places, then Gokarna should be your next travel destination. And if you have been there already, do let us know about your thoughts on this magical place in the comment section below. #India #SouthIndia #Karnataka #BengaluruWeekendOutings #MumbaiWeekendOutings #HyderabadWeekendOutings #PuneWeekendOutings