Mharo Rajasthan - Places to Explore in Rajasthan

The colorful state of Rajasthan is one of my favorite states. I am in love with the culture, food and history of this amazing state. It all started with one trip to the Rat Temple in Deshnoke and then there was no turning back. Rajasthan has a mystic charm to it that has completely magnetized me and has compelled me to explore more and more.

Here are some of the places I liked very much:

The Rat Temple – Deshnoke : One of the most unusual temples with thousands of rats. An ideal place for reckless souls seeking some thrill. A never-to-forget experience!

Bharatpur : Home to the famous Keoladeo National park , this place is a paradise for bird watchers,  photographers and nature lovers. 

Bikaner : The beauty of Bikaner is that it offers a variety of historical sites- the astounding Rampuria Havelis, Junagar Fort, Lalgarh Palace , Gajner Lake etc. This place is a must go for history buffs. 

Jaisalmer : This Golden city of Rajasthan is my favorite. The Jaisalmer fort is the ONLY living fort in India. Camping in the desert and to experience a sunset there is a memory to cherish forever. Jaisalmer is an ideal place for an adventurous camping trip.

Udaipur : This White city of Rajasthan is the city of lakes and offers a variety of places to visit. The beautiful Lake Pichola and Fatehsagar Lake , the gigantic City Palace , the heartwarming Chetak Smarak and famous Jagdish and Eklingji temple- Udaipur offers something for everyone.

Jodhpur : This Blue city of Rajasthan possesses the mighty Mehrangarh fort with one of the most well kept museums I have been to so far. The ruins of Mandore fort , the architecture and tranquility of the Jaswant Thada mausoleum and shopping amidst the hustle-bustle of the city market- Jodhpur has a lasting impression on everyone.

Jaipur : This Pink city of Rajasthan is one of the most popular tourist places in India. Jaipur is very convenient for kick-starting the Rajasthan trip because of its location and accessibility. Several visitor attractions like Nahargarh Fort, Hawa Mahal, Birla Mandir , Chokhi Dhani , Amer Fort etc make it an ideal place for an amazing vacation.

Lohagarh Fort Resort - Jaipur

Well, I am not a big fan of resorts. I wanted to revisit just some places in Jaipur but did not want to stay in Jaipur as it’s too swarming for my taste.  The Lohagarh Fort Resort seemed as an ideal option location wise. With only this much research and relying once again on my gut feeling, we booked the Lohagarh Fort Resort for a long weekend in August. 

Away from the hustle-bustle of Jaipur, this resort is located in a village called Kacherawala on the Jaipur-Delhi highway. Main city of Jaipur is around 40 mins from this resort. It is around 220 km from Gurgaon. It took us around 4 hours to reach there with two breaks.

It was raining when we reached the Lohagart Fort resort. Grand entrance with stone pillars and antique gate imparted an actual Rajputana fort like feeling to the resort. It looked from the outside as if we were actually entering a fort. On the inside however, the ambience is more of an eco-friendly type rather than a heritage one. So yeah, the name doesn’t really go with the theme.The resort spreads over a huge area and is surrounded by the Aravali hills. The property is well guarded by many huge trees which add to the natural beauty of this place.

What I liked the most is that this resort has something in store for everyone. A pool, some cute animals, cycling, many outdoor and indoor games and above all a scenic environment to stroll around- no one would get bored here. We went there with 11 month old KU and it was manageable to roam around with her stroller.

They have a variety of unique rooms. We stayed at the cottage with private garden & an outdoor tub on Day 1. It was a huge room. Little KU enjoyed herself running around the garden and splashing in the tub. Everything went as planned and we had a lot of fun.

On Day 2, we thought of checking out the luxury suite and we were taken aback with the grandeur of the room! Even though it was a little pricey, we booked it for that day and it was worth every penny. Everything about this suite screamed luxury! The white marble stone bed was a statement piece and a matching center table gave an aristocratic feel to the room. The Jacuzzi was simply jaw-dropping! The wooden closest however seemed to mar the refined look of the room. It simply didn’t go with the theme of the room and looked out of place. The private garden outside had a cozy hammock and it was a relaxing experience to sit there under the stars.

The food was another plus point- The breakfast had a lot of variety and the staff was very courteous and helpful. They voluntarily made some dishes that even our baby could enjoy- This was a very sweet gesture. In all, we ended up spending more time at this resort than Jaipur as we had initially planned.  We had a quality time and enjoyed every bit of our stay here!

My 2 Cents:

-          It’s a huge property; don’t forget your walking shoes.

-          As there are many trees and a lot of greenery, mosquitoes are inevitable. Do bring extra mosquito repellent, especially if you are with kids.

-          They also have a village tour thingy but we did not go for it.

-          They do not serve alcohol- Stock accordingly!

-          Amer fort is nearby.

-          To know more about ‘Mharo Rajasthan’ do visit my other blog posts on Rajasthan.

Places to Visit In NCR - Day Visit

Many people have asked me to suggest some places to visit within NCR for a day visit or just for a couple of hours.Even though there are many places to visit within Delhi itself, I've mentioned only my favorites here. These are the places you could go to for a couple of hours and come back home.

This is an ongoing post. I will keep on adding places as I remember and as I explore more myself.

1.       Kingdom Of Dreams - Gurgaon

2.       Tikli Bottom – Gurgaon

3.       Sheetla Temple – Gurgaon

4.       Sultanpur Bird Sanctuay - Gugaon

5.       Damdama Lake – Sohna

6.       Hoho Bus – New Delhi 

7.       Chattarpur Temple – New Delhi

8.       Humayun Tomb – New Delhi

9.       Hauz Khas Village – New Delhi

10.   Badkal Lake – Faridabad

11. St. Stephan's Church - New Delhi

12. St. James Church - New Delhi

13. Lodi Gardens - New Delhi

14. Gurudwara Bangla Sahib- New Delhi

15. Niwamuddin Dargah - New Delhi

Offbeat Weekend getaways from Delhi NCR

Here are some quiet weekend getaways from NCR. These places are neither for shopping-centric travelers nor for party-centric travelers - no fancy shops and no posh pubs here.

These are the places that explorers and nature lovers will enjoy the most. These are the places that solitude lovers will enjoy- away from the chaos of city life and into the lap of nature. All these places offer a feeling of oneness with nature and gave me a purpose to remain travelored.

Consider these places as base camps from which your weekend expedition will start. There is a lot to explore around these places.

·         Chakrata

·         Kanatal

·         Chamba Tehri

·         Jamta

·         Chail

·         Lansdowne

      Bharatpur

Lohagarh Fort Resort- Jaipur

Chail Himachal Pradesh

Chail is a quiet hill station in Himachal Pradesh. The reason for choosing Chail for our summer break was that it is conveniently located near many famous tourist spots like Kasauli, Shimla, Solan etc. so most people flock to these known spots over quieter places like Chail.

Chail is around 370 km from Gurgaon, around 9 hours of drive with breaks. We did not want to overexert KU so we decided to stop whenever it was enough driving for her. With only this much planning and no prior reservations, we started our road trip on a cloudy May afternoon. We were traveling on a weekday so we took our chance with reservations. We left Gurgaon vowing NOT to stop at Murthal for paranthas.­­

 (Read here what happened when we halted unnecessarily at Murthal during our Jamta trip! We lost our way into the sugarcane fields at night)

It was drizzling by the time we reached Panchkula after around 5-6 hours of driving and Panchkula seemed to be a very comfy place to take a break before driving further. As we were sipping tea in the famous Aasma Revolving restaurant, we decided to call it a day and checked into Ana Clarks Inn itself. Chail in one stretch is easily doable from Gurgaon but we decided to spend the evening in Panchkula as it looked so colorful from the restaurant top.The Choki Dhani Resort was right across the road and it was a fun experience to spend some time there.

We left for Chail after breakfast the next day; it is around 100 km from Panchkula. As we drove towards Chail, the wind turned cooler and mountains grew bigger. The road was rugged most of the time. By the time we crossed the turn for Kasauli at Dharampur , traffic began to fade. There were hardly any tourist cabs or even local vehicles. We had begun to worry that Chail would be a crowded place – now we were relieved. We reached Chail after 4 hours of relaxed driving.

Chail is a little hamlet in the laps of nature surrounded by pines and deodars. We noticed many newly constructed hotels in Chail but surprisingly we did not see any tourists (I was really happy about it though). It could be because we were there on a weekday.

As we were traveling without reservations, we decided to check out some of the famous hotels there. Chail Palace topped this list so we decided to go there for lunch and see if we could get a room. We had heard a lot about Chail Palace- the ambience was royal, the food was great too but the hotel rooms were a downer for us. The rooms were damp and stunk. Disappointed with the rooms, we decided to just enjoy our lunch there and left after that.

Our hunt for hotel rooms ended as soon as we halted at the Ekant Retreat Resort. The location was lovely, the rooms were comfortable and the food was yummy!  It was very refreshing to sip our evening tea in the balcony, overlooking the valley. Cool breeze washed away all the tiredness. Our time here was totally chilled out. It was very rejuvenating to stroll around the village and visit nearby places.

Places I visited:

Kufri: Kufri is just 30ish Km from Chail and it took us around 1.5 hours to reach there. It is a cute little hill station perfect for 1 day outing specially with kids. It was a lot of fun to walk around the Kufri Zoo. We visited a few more places like Chini Bunglow , Tourist park etc. Kids would definitely enjoy the yak and horse rides easily available in that area.

Shimla: We visited Shimla just for old times’ sake. Chail to Shimla is almost 2 hours’ drive. We were told that we were lucky to be there on a weekday as it gets really crowded on weekends. It was nostalgic to walk down the famous mall road. We just had some coffee and came back.

Janedghat Market: It is not a tourist spot as such but a small village market that offers delicious local food. There are a couple of dhabas that offer fresh food. Ideal place for rajma-chawal lovers!

Kali Ka Tibba: To me ‘Kali ka Tibba’ is the USP of Chail. It is a temple situated at the hill top but to me this place has something in store for every kind of traveler- A beautiful temple for the religious ones, a thrilling place for the adventurous ones because of the 5km of awesome trek to this temple, a first gear drive on the bumpy road for the daredevils (specially in rainy season), a photographer’s paradise for the most amazing sunset and breath taking views and above all it offers tranquility, that sense of oneness with nature for all us solitude lovers for which we go to these offbeat places. We witnessed one of the best uninterrupted sunsets at this place.

My 2 Cents:

1.      Bag packers can stay in Junedghat as well. There were many cheap bagpackerish hotels there and it would cost peanuts.

2.      It is important to reach Kali ka Tibba before sunset to enjoy this place to the fullest.

3.      Take out some time to visit Chail palace, the cricket ground etc.

4.      A toy train ride from Shimla is highly recommended. It is an experience in itself.

Chamba New Tehri Uttrakhand

Yes, there is a Chamba in Uttrakhand as well! It is a beautiful town in Tehri district of Uttrakhand. We visited Chamba and New Tehri as part of our new years’ road trip. Details are mentioned here in my previous blog. After spending 2 relaxed days in Kanatal, we visited Chamba just 20ish km from Kanatal. Our main motive was to visit the Tehri Lake and Tehri Dam but most of the tranquil hotels are in the Kanatal - Chamba route so we stayed in Chamba. Also, it was my wish to stay and experience a quiet New Years at the famous Classic Hilltop Resort in Chamba.

The ancient town of Tehri was submerged by the construction of Tehri Dam; New Tehri was built to relocate the township. Tehri dam and Tehri Lake are the key attractions of New Tehri. As we were driving towards New Tehri, I recalled my childhood memories of this town, when it was just being constructed. I would have never imagined what a decent place it turned out to be.

We were momentarily speechless as we caught the first glimpse of the Tehri Lake. ‘Wow’ was all we could say. It was a spectacular sight. It has to the best man-made lake in India. The gigantic Tehri dam is one of the highest dams in the world built on the Bhagirathi River. The dam is open for public tour but we need a permit from the local authority in advance. Without a permit it is not possible to visit the dam. I would recommend touring the dam- it is an engineering marvel.

Tehri has emerged as an adventure destination. There are a variety of water activities to enjoy like Jet Skiing, Kayaking, Rafting,l para sailing etc.

My 2 Cents:

1.       If the motto is to exclusively indulge in watersports in New Tehri, it is better to stay in New Tehri itself. We could always go for a drive towards Chamba or Kanatal for a change.

2.       If the motto is to spend some quiet time then we could stay either in Chamba or Kanatal. It doesn’t really matter as both these places are just adjacent to each other and offer the same feel- only 20ish km apart. There are many resorts and hotels in both these places, so choose a place with the best deal. Roads are in good condition so it’s very comfortable to drive around.

3.       For Tehri dam permit, talk to the hotel people. They would help in arranging the permit.

Kanatal Uttrakhand

We never miss a vacation around new years’, this has become like a ritual for us. To bid goodbye to 2016, we decided to go on a road trip and explore the Garhwal Himalayas, plus it had been a long time since we visited hills during winters. Our itinerary was Gurgaon – Lansdowne - Rishikesh - Kanatal - Chamba/Tehri - Haridwar- Gurgaon.

This trip taught me that hills are always a better choice for road trips during winters. While the Northern Plains of India are choking with fog during winters all day long, the hills are basking in the bright sun! Also, as the hills are fog free, it is always a very safe and enjoyable drive.

Kanatal is a scenic village tucked away in the majestic Garhwal Himalayas. Thankfully not many people visit this place. This could be because it is located quite close to famous tourist spots like Mussoorie, Rishikesh etc. so most people would prefer the known spots over quiet places like Kanatal or Chamba. May Lord bless them for sparing such places for us solitude lovers!

Kanatal is around 350 km from Gurgaon but as we went there from Rishikesh, for us it was a 3 hour drive (around 80ish km).  We crossed Chamba to reach there, but decided to halt at Kanatal first and then come back to Chamba for the New Year’s Eve. We stayed at the Club Mahindra Resort in Kanatal which in itself is a little hamlet. We had left quite early from Rishikesh and reached our resort in the morning, super fresh from the amazing drive. It would snow anytime, we were told. Our 2 days in Kanatal were totally laid-back. It was very relaxing to stroll around the village and visit nearby places.We also came to know that Kanatal is emerging as a favorite camping spot.We did not know this prior to our trip, perhaps next time

I woke up very early in the morning. The room was warm and cozy. How would it feel to be outside, I thought to myself. With trembling hands I opened the balcony door. A chilly breeze numbed me – It felt as if an ice bucket was suddenly poured on my head. I shrieked and jumped. That was frenetic - I couldn't stop laughing. The sun had started to beam above the beautiful Garhwal peaks- It was a sight to behold. I closed my eyes, trying to capture that moment in my memory forever. It was absolutely blissful.

Places I visited:

Kodia Jungle: The Kodia forest range is just opposite the resort. Jeep safari into the jungle is available but we did not opt for it. It was a great experience to wander around leisurely. The trek is very easy with tremendous beauty. It is a great place for photographers.

Surkanda Devi, Kaddukhal Village:  A drive of around 10 km led us to Kaddukhal village where we halted for tea on our way to Dhanaulti. From Kaddukhal, a trek of around 2 km would lead to the famous Surkanda Devi temple. Dedicated to Goddess Parvati, this temple is revered as a legendary shaktipeeth. As we were with our 15 month old baby, we decided not to hike up this time. I have trekked to this temple before. The panoramic view from the top is just breathtaking and makes up for all the lost calories. It provides a 360 degree view of the Himalayas. A paradise for nature lovers!

Dhanaulti: We drove to Dhanaulti for lunch, just for old times’ sake. It had snowed there 2 days back and the last traces of snow had begun to fade. The freezing breeze brought back fond memories of childhood picnics and college bunking. Even though there is not much to do here, I would anytime prefer Dhanaulti over Mussoorie to spend some quiet time. The lush green deodar forests provide some excellent hiking trails. There are some nice camping spots as well. There are two Eco parks at Dhanaualti and they arrange for some adventure activities.

Chamba/New Tehri: Chamba is just adjacent to Kanatal. It was our wish to stay in Chamba as well so we drove back to Chamba after Kanatal and visited New Tehri from there.

My 2 Cents:

1.       For a weekend trip, we could stay either in Chamba or Kanatal. It doesn’t really matter as both these places are just adjacent to each other and offer the same feel- only 20ish km apart. There are many resorts and hotels in both these places, so choose a place with the best deal. Roads are in good condition so it’s very comfortable to drive around.

2.       If you are fond of camping, here is another place to head for.

3.       Do read my Tehri blog, you wouldn’t want to miss it!

Chakrata Uttrakhand

At times it becomes imperative to just pause our chaotic life, look around, appreciate little things around us, acknowledge the people who love us and love them back, do things we love to do and thank God for blessing us with this beautiful life. With these introspecting thoughts in mind, I planned a trip to Chakrata and this place proved to be one such (much needed) beautiful pause for me.

Chakrata , famously known as the Jaunsar area, is a small cantonment town in Dehradun district. From Dehradun it could be reached via Mussoorie or Vikasnagar. Our Chakrata trip was supposed to be a secret mission- With my HUGE close-knit family scattered all over Dehradun it is almost impossible to sneak through without being known. “ Chakrata?  What’s there in Chakrata? Stay here in Dehradun”, they would have said for sure. “I won’t tell anyone we’ll be crossing Dehradun and no we won’t halt there”, I vowed to my partner before booking the ‘Himalayan Paradise Hotel’ in Chakrata. Now did the trip remain a secret after all? Of course not!

 We left early in the morning from Gurgaon, and only after we left Gurgaon I called my mom and told her about the trip requesting her not to tell anyone in Dehradun. No sooner I hung up the call,  dear mother called and told my nani, my nani told my aunt, my aunt told my other aunt , she told my uncle and so on. Soon everyone was calling us to visit and we promised to visit them on our way back from Chakrata. It was funny that I even thought of keeping it a secret.

We reached Dehradun by afternoon and took the Vikasnagar route. The drive after Vikasnagar was very scenic but after Kalsi the roads were in pathetic condition. I have heard Mussoorie route is better. As we were driving through the narrow rugged roads, I kept thinking why I never visited Chakrata earlier when it’s so close to Dehradun and about the hardships of life (I was in a sulking mode, yes) My thoughts were interrupted with a sudden jerk; a gigantic black snake was lazily slithering right in front of our car. It took its own sweet time in crossing the road and soon disappeared into the thick jungle. From Dehradun it took us around 3 hours to reach Chakrata.

The beauty of Chakrata is simply breathtaking. Lush green forests with oak, rhododendron and conifer trees are a sight to behold. It is a paradise for solitude lovers as well as adventurous souls. There are some amazing treks in and around Chakrata. Bird watching is another lesser known activity in Chakrata. The thing that I loved the most was that there were hardly any tourists around- tranquility at its best!  We stayed there for 3 days and every moment spent there was soul-refreshing. What an experience it was to wake up to the chirping of beautiful birds, spend the day in the arms of nature and sleep listening to the lullaby of the gurgling stream. There were so many awesome things to do, yet to do nothing and gaze into the majestic Himalayas was equally refreshing.

We trekked to some most picturesque too-beautiful-to-be-true meadows, visited nearby attractions, strolled around the villages, played in the waterfall and lost our way into the jungle! Chakrata trip was no doubt one of my most happening trips and this makes it my favorite weekend getaway so far.

As promised we visited my folks in Dehradun. As I hugged my nani she said, "What’s there in Chakrata to visit? You should have stayed here in Dehradun". We burst out laughing.

Places I visited:

Tiger falls:  Tiger falls are the cutest waterfalls for me so far. A moderate trek of around 4 to 5 km from Chakrata amidst dense forest and spouting streams would lead to these pretty waterfalls. By the time we reached Tiger falls, the sun had begun to set and the temperature dipped significantly.  Although we wanted to hop right in, the chilly breeze was holding our daring thoughts back. We were in a dilemma to step in or head back but the small crystal clear pond that the waterfalls formed was too pretty to ignore-without thinking further we jumped right in. It was crazy! The water was ice cold. It was absolutely hysterical, silly and purely refreshing. With chattering teeth and shivering hands we sipped our tea afterwards and just couldn’t stop laughing at our stupidity.

On our way back to the resort I thought how I’d been wasting my time worrying over petty things in life- All that stress I burdened myself with since so many days seemed so pointless. I tried to remember the reason behind all the chaos but I couldn’t – I was that happy. This was an absolute joy of life.

Budher Forest and Caves: The place is for adventurous souls. Budher meadows are beautiful. We drove up till the forest outpost which was around 30 km from Chakrata and then trekked our way to the caves. It was a moderate trek and took us around 3 hours to reach there. These limestone caves have a narrow entrance and to crawl in for around 150 meters was a lot of fun. There are some temples nearby. We had our lunch at the outpost and headed back to the resort.

Devban:  We drove around 15 kms to reach Devban and trekked a small distance to reach Vyaas Shikhar. Being the highest peak in Chakrata , it offers a breathtaking view of the Himalayas. It was a serene experience, exactly what I had expected and was very glad to be there.

My 2 Cents:

1.       Foreigners are restricted to visit Chakrata. Beyond Kalsi to be precise.

2.       Do NOT visit Chakrata if you tend to get bored after sometime looking at the mountains or you do not enjoy solitude because that’s the best thing this place offers.

3.       A comfortable pair of walking shoes is a must. You have to trek through the forests to reach all the beautiful places. No other option.

4.       Changing room is available at Tiger Falls. Do not hold yourself back from taking a dip.

5.       A pair of binoculars if you’re a bird watcher.

6.       Do carry your food along when you leave from the hotel for your excursions. There are hardly any options available.

7.       There is no help/ first aid of any kind available at the caves. Would not suggest for kids.

8.       We missed going to ‘Bittoo Cave’. The owner of our hotel discovered this place. Have heard it is an awesome adventure activity. Do take out some time to visit.

9.       Do buy some famous Chakrata Rajma and kulath daal.