The Uttarakhand Edition
A recap of a Knowhere Travel 'work trip'.
(Before we begin, we just want to let you know that this is definitely Knowhere Travel Co and we just moved our newsletters to Substack.)
Hey folks! How’ve you been?
For most of January, we have been exploring the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand to find you incredible (and responsible) experiences. We hope you enjoy reading about our journey!
After meeting up in Delhi cantonment, we took an overnight train to the entryway of Kumaon - Kathgodam - and ended up sharing our coupe with a couple who had heard of (or pretended to have heard of) Knowhere Travel Co. Either way, it felt like a good sign.
By 6 AM, we had reached the first part of our destination. Move over trains, it was all about the humble share taxis of Uttarakhand now. Masked up and freezing, we got into a share taxi. From the minute we started our journey, we noticed just how intricate the network of share taxi drivers is across the Kumaon region. It always went like this: a person needs an item (like daily rations) and it will reach its destination almost wordlessly through this taxi cartel. Perhaps this constant, almost telepathic behaviour is a remnant of a time before cell phones?
Our first stop: The Lodge from 1886
After a quick aloo paratha brekkie, we walked a little bit and were soon picked up by Tara Ji, one of our partner hosts. Due to the more discreet locations of our Knowhere Travel homestays, reaching some of them may involve a short hike like the walk we took to reach The Lodge from 1886. Walking on the side of an empty trail, we could see Griffon vultures circling us from above. Chirpine trees (some say they’re native, others say they aren’t, but they’re pretty and catch the light beautifully anyway) dotted the landscape.
The Lodge from 1886 feels like a meticulously preserved dollhouse. But it expands inside to reveal spacious rooms with mud-plastered walls. The sun blessed our room through the window overlooking the courtyard (‘patangan’). Books lined the shelves (mystery novels, a Salim Ali bird book, etc).
This place is truly a stellar example of Kumaoni architecture - an embellished doorway indicates the former owner was a wealthy Kumaoni. ‘Likhai’ are the carved wooden decorations on the door and window frames, and they were more detailed than other traditional Kumaoni homes we saw later.
The ‘machan’ that extends from the courtyard has views of the valley below - mixed forests and two or three small villages with colourful homes. There’s something very romantic about this place - a couple might enjoy a simple but comfortable experience or an artist might find inspiration from the beautiful details around the house.
A lot of the time we talked about how lovely it would be to give this as a gift to someone who would really appreciate it. Not to so blatantly plug, but this is our newsletter after all - and yes there’s a way to do it.
Next up: Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary
From the moment we hit Binsar, we could see the forest getting denser. We saw a fox that looked a little lost, and some langurs checking us out from behind dense foliage.
Binsar, a protected sanctuary, became our home for the next five days. For us, it was an important stop because of our grand plan to create the Binsar Forest Trail (thanks for signing up so quickly, peeps who did!). Before we spammed you with this epic new trail, we had to experience it. And experience it, we did.
We first reached Khali Estate, a colonial manor house built by Lord Henry Ramsay, the former Commissioner of Kumaon in the 1870s. Dinesh Ji who greeted us told us all about how Ol’ Henry was well-loved by the Kumaoni people and was dubbed the King of Kumaon. After him, the Estate was visited by many Indian leaders like Mahatma Gandhi (it was a Gandhi ashram at one point), and the Nehru family.
After a quick chai, we commenced our walking trail and this is when we met two amazing humans - Khim ji and Deepak ji - our guardian angels guides for the duration of our Binsar journey.
Over the next few days, we went from village to village on foot, stopping in comfortable guesthouses for meals, chai, and a warm bed. Each guest house was comfortable, clean and collectively owned by independent village communities.
We walked through rhododendron and oak forests, learning how to identify lichen, epiphytes, and numerous birds along the way. We heard the call of barking deer, we found leopard scat (it’s hairy), we saw giant bracket mushrooms and trees growing out of other trees. We chatted with our guides who didn’t just know all the bird sounds and the animal calls but actually gave a shit about the forest. They had a passion that cannot be faked. When you meet them, we promise you’ll agree.
On our last day, we returned to Khali Estate and spent the evening with blessedly good wifi in front of a fire with our friends, Jan and Suchie, who joined us on day 2 of the trail. They run a sublime lodge in Ladakh, and Jan told us many tales of his travels. They invited us to spend a day or two at their home in Ranikhet before we departed from Uttarakhand.
Our third stop: a quick pause in Kasar Devi
Jan and Suchie dropped us at Kasar Devi from Binsar the next morning. Here we stayed at a small but pretty place called Tranquility Guest House. If you’re on a budget and you’re roaming around these parts, Tranquility is worth checking out. We spent a good four days here, working on the design and the launch of the Binsar Forest Trail. Kasar Devi was once a stop for George Harrison (yes, the Beatle), Swami Vivekananda, Timothy Leary (the famous LSD dude), and several Beat poets. Kasar Devi later became part of the ‘hippie trail’.
We checked out a couple of cafes and restaurants, munched on delicious cakes from Baba Cake and ate fresh, hot mutton momos from Dolma restaurant.
O’er the Hills and Far Away
Kharku bhai, our next host, gave us a ride from Kasar Devi and brought us to his tiny hamlet perched on the side of the mountain. O’er the Hills is an off-the-grid property with small stone cottages and a common dining area. Every cottage is on a different level because of the slopey terrain.
As mentioned earlier, the approach isn’t as simple as jumping out of the car and entering your room. We walked through the village to get to this offroad area. There is no internet and no electricity here. There are the bare essentials, but the morning showed us just how little we needed anything but. We were in extremely close proximity to the Nanda Kot, Nanda Devi, and Trishul peaks and had uninterrupted views.
Here are some pictures that can do all the talking:
After this, we went to Ranikhet
Remember Jan and Suchie? We decided to make good on their invitation and headed there after a quick stopover in Chokouri. This took us back southward and by evening, we were at Ranikhet in their cute little family home. We spent two days hanging out with them and their five doggos, checking out mount Trishul from their sit out, and using the few hours of sun to drink Godfather beer. Suchie and Jan cooked up a storm, making apple caramel cake, fish bake, delicious tomato soup, and mooore.
Jan and Suchie run a travel company of their own - and they also work with us. They have an incredible lodge in Ladakh - set in a region that was once part of the old Silk Route, and is a true example of community-led responsible tourism. Check it out here.
Btw, Ladakh season is coming up, and we’re taking bookings, so start making your plans now!
Finally - our last recce
Our final destination before heading back was a 140-acre plot of protected forest land owned by an erudite but eccentric (but wonderful!) gentleman. With four adorable cottages filled with framed photos of the family, maps, and a large collection of books, this place is brimming with character.
We’ll soon talk about this new homestay - we’ve been here just a day and it’s already won our cold, dead hearts - so stay tuned!
In conclusion
Wow, if you’re still reading, you’re a patient one.
We managed to visit three districts in UK - Almora, Bageshwar, and Pithoragarh and we were welcomed with open arms by every single person we met.
As always, our way of selecting and identifying our partners is directly linked to our shared commitment to sustainability and responsible living.
We are ready to come back to the balmier parts of the South. Thanks for following our journey. We’ll be posting about it over the coming weeks, but until then - why don’t you plan your trip to this beautiful state? We’re here to help you out.