Kausani: An Offbeat Trail

1
Kausani An Offbeat Trail

• www.ticketgoose.com

2

• The weekend was coming up and we wanted to get
  away to the hills nearby, but not to the crowded
  hill stations.
• After looking up for some offbeat destinations,
  we zeroed down on Kausani, which is tucked away
  atop a ridge at an altitude of 1,890 m in the
  Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.
• Located about 460 km away from Delhi, it is a
  good over nine hours drive.

3

• We set out around 4 pm, but as the long weekend
  was just coming up, the streets were jam packed.

4

• The traffic was not moving beyond Ghaziabad. It
  was a bad decision to start so late in the
  evening.
• Finally, around midnight, after dinner in
  Ghaziabad, we could resume our journey as the
  traffic starting easing.
• We drove through the mountainous terrain of
  Kashipur, Ramnagar and Ranikhet, for over 6 hours
  before we reached our destination.

5

• As we entered the town, its greenery was
  refreshing.
• The terrain was laden with towering pine trees,
  emerald green meadows, streams and waterfalls.
• The silent valleys were full of beautiful
  cottages. We passed by vast expanses of pears
  orchards. It had rained the previous night, so
  the mist was everywhere.

6
Around Town

• Mahatma Gandhi had aptly called this place the
  Switzerland of India. He took refuge in this
  picturesque hill station to pen his Bhagavad Gita
  treatise Anasakti Yoga in 1929.
• The Anashakti Ashram (2 minutes drive from the
  main town) stands testimony to his presence in
  this place.

7

• If the valley is not shrouded with mist, you will
  be lucky to see the glistering snow-capped
  peaks??Trisul, Nanda Devi and Panchchuli??from
  several points.
• The tea gardens in this town are alluring.
• You can drive down or simple enjoy a walk through
  the valley to the tea gardens (5 km).
• Do not forget to buy some tea leaves that are
  exported across the world.

8

• Next, you can head to the Rudradhari Falls and
  Caves, located 9 km away on the Kausani-Almora
  Road.
• However, if you are not up for trekking, then
  this place is not meant for you.
• The 2-km trek will not be an uphill task for
  those who are fit and up for adventure.
• The small brooks on the way make the landscape
  even more beautiful.

9

• However, for me this is the place where you will
  simply love to just sit back and look at the
  darting clouds, changing every minute, till the
  evening sets in and the entire valley lights up.
• After a while, you will enjoy the game of
  hide-and-seek the entire valley plays as it gets
  engulfed in the mist.

10
(No Transcript)
11
Getting There

• If you are travelling from Delhi, you can hire a
  cab or take a bus. There are no direct buses to
  Kausani.
• The best option is to take a bus till Haldwani
  (over five hours journey) from where you will
  get a direct bus to Kausani.
• The Bus travel operator providing service from
  Delhi are Paulo Travels,National
  Travels,Greenline Travels,Hebron Travels,SVR
  Travels and Jabbar Travels.

12

• Book your bus tickets from any of the online bus
  ticket booking portals.It will hardly take you
  four hours from Haldwani by state-run buses that
  cater to passengers travelling on this route.
• You can check out for bus tickets to Haldwani
  at www.ticketgoose.com.

13

• After spending three days in the pine-scented
  cottage, it was time to leave.

14

• It was pouring when we left Kausani around 10
  am.
• Driving through the long winding roads amidst the
  rain-soaked pine trees, gushing waterfalls at
  every bend and lush green forests was not a
  dampener at all.
• Though we had to tread carefully, and there were
  long jams on the road, we were not complaining as
  we couldnt take our eyes off from the beautiful
  surroundings.