Kumaon in Sep: Kausani or Munsiyari

shubha_r

hi,

I have just joined this forum which looks really helpful. I am planning a honeymoon trip to Kumaon in September for about 7 days. I will be in Jilling (Padampuri, near Nainital) for 3 days. For the other 3 days I want to base myself in some place and do a bit of sightseeing and lots of walking - no trekking, not too much crowds. I don't want a wildlife area as we will get that in Jilling so I ruled out Binsar and Corbett (which also would be closed).

I am considering Kausani as I heard it is not too touristy (is that so?) and at the same time not too isolated. Is Munsiyari a better bet? We want a place with good mountain views, walking and trails, relaxing, local culture and sights (e.g villages) and little local shopping.

Would the KMVN place in Kausani be good to stay in? Does it ahve electricity? Also, is there a place to stay for one night in Naukuchiatal (sp??) as I want to visit it?

What do you suggest?
thanks
Shubha

jyotirmoy

Try the Lake Resort at Naukuchiatal. Beautiful set up & nice walks.
Tel: (05942) 247183/84

Styler

I have stayed at the KMVN Guest Houses in Naukuchiatal and Kasauni.
The One in Naukuchiatal was good with balconies overlooking the lake. The one at Kasauni was really bad. There was a drain just next to it and there was a stink in that property when i went.

Styler

capt_mahajan

Second styler on Kausani, though maybe I was lucky with the stink.

Kausani is one of the few places where KMVN does not seem to have got the best locations, anyway.

Sadanand Kamath

I stayed in KMVN, Kausani just a fortnight back. The property is located in the top most ridge of Kausani. We were in the ground floor rooms but still we had a paronomic view of himalyan peaks. The dormitory room has got the best view since it is located in the upper most area of the property. But the sad news is that it has already been converted into a Conference Room. May be that delegates who get bored with the conference proceedings can now divert their mind to himalayan peaks and the Garud valley visible from the Room .

By the way, I did not find any drain near the property.

Sadanand

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shubha_r

Thanks, all of you, for the replies. 3 queries:

1. Ok so the KMVN in Kausani does not sound too good. What are better, good-view, low-ish budget places in Kausani?

2. Importantly, is mid-Sep a bad month for Kausani? Will the views be clear? Or will it be raining or foggy?

3. Can you suggest any other place than Kausani? Hill-station, with sights, but I DON"T want the crowds of Nainital.

thx
S

shubha_r

Thanks guys. After reading so much in India Mike about it I am tempted to go to Binsar and/or Chaukori. They sound better than Kausani, also because the KMVN GH in Kausani is not that good, right? What say? My fiance though also wants some general sight-seeing. Where would we get that? Can we base somewhere and look around Nainital for a day or so? Or any other nice hill-station which is good and safe in mid-Sep?

Pls help...

EOS

Shubha

Came back from a road trip to Kumaon a month back. here are my 2 cents

Kausani

Stayed at KMVN. Found it to be OK. The property is not that well maintained. But the rustic look adds to the charm. You get a feeling of living in a forest. The room interiors are also pretty much Ok and in off season value for money. Its a bit secluded but makes for nice walks to the market. I didn't notice any stink may be they must have rectified it. Yes it has electricity and cable TV in rooms and cottages.
Kausani as a place is lovely and i think an ideal place for honeymooners . very less crowd, fantastic views, beautifull walks ...throw in some shopping , a visit to tea gardens , Baijnath and Gwaldam and you are set ...
There are many hotels and in september you can bargain some good discounts. Many of the hotels are concentrated near the Anashakti Ashram.

However if your idea about honeymoon if just you and your partner cut off from outer world then the place to be is Choukori. Amazing place. some pics of Choukori
http://www.flickr.com/photos/indradh...57605653206768
At present there is only KMVN there. It has electricity but no Tv in the rooms. (who needs it anyway)

Munsyari will be a long haul from jilling and i feel is for the more adventorous souls. Stayed there for 2 nights. Should have been a minimum of 4 nights there. Its a superb place with great hikes in 3 to 6 kms range.

BTW why have you chosen Jilling. I think there is only Jilling estate there. In my opinion KMVN Binsar will be better and cheaper option with excellent views...

shubha_r

Thanks a LOT, EOS. I was beginning to really break my head about this. So Kausani in mid-Sep should be fine right? I liked your review of the KMVN there. Sounds decent to me and really I don't need a very fancy place. We are getting that in Jilling!
How does one get to Choukori? I don't want to pack too much - we just have 7 days and don't want to be hopping from one place to another every day. So we thought of basing ourselves in 2 places mainly, one being Jilling. I thought Jilling Estate would be nice - heard a lot about the estate and we thought we could just unwind and relax, walk, bird-watch, etc there. I am tempted by Binsar's KMVN, but how much to pack in 7 days? Will ask my fiance if we can extend our trip by a day or two :-)
Yes I too ruled out Munsiyari - sounds great but too far and hard to reach. Will keep it for a pure adventure trip later.
Ideally I would like to have a 7-day itenerary like:
Jilling (3 days), Kausani (2 days), and Binsar (2 days) but still not be travelling too much. Oh yes and also Naukuchiatal. Tall order? Pls help! How long does it take to reach these places? Can anyone help with itinerary pls?

earth.anon

Shubha - I just returned from a wonderful (but short) trip to Chaukori. I HIGHLY recommend it. You may want to consider that instread of Binsar. Some pictures from my trip at http://picasaweb.google.com/hardikar...15417103139842

Regarding getting to Chaukori - (thanks to folks over here for helping me!) - Ranikhet Express to Kathgodam, Get a good driver and car - and leave the rest to him to take you to the right places. If you need recommendation of a good driver - read the recommendation letter I wrote for the driver that I used in my pictures above. Anil was awesome. He came recommended from a fellow IM member here and I highly recommend him also. Let me know if interested and I'll get you his cell# etc.

Chaukori KMVN is nice. Decent hot - but basic - desi food. For me coming from the US - I wasn't looking for butter chicken, malai kofta, naan etc - I just wanted daal, aloo, roti!

I would recommend the cottages rather than the rooms at KMVN Chaukori. Let me know if you have more questions.

In sept you will get MUCH better views than what I got in end of May!

Jay

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Dilliwala

shubha, drop Jilling and spread yourselves over Kausani, Binsar and Naukuchiyatal (2 KMVNs here). Alternately, replace one with Chaukori. If it's a matter of views in the monsoon, I think Chaukori stands a better chance.

shubha_r

Now am really quite confused. Choukori and Binsar are alluring but I don't want to do too much. Pls help with travel time for:
Kathgodam - Kausani
Kathgodam - Choukori
Kathgodam - Binsar
Binsar - Kausani
Kausani - Choukori
Binsar - Choukori

We have decided to keep just two places (3 + 3 days) plus 1 day in Naukuchiatal. Total 7 days.

Jilling was nice as a different and relaxing place to generally walk around and not do much. Isn't it nice? We usually never splurge like this!

Maybe we can stop by Binsar on the way to Kausani...

earth.anon

Shubha - I haven't been to Binsar but did consider going there when I opted for Chaukori. I did go to Kausani also. From my experience, you have a huge thing going in your favor when it comes to planning. I think ALL of these places are perfect for doing nothing and simply chilling out!

Another thing - don't sweat too much over having to miss out on one of these places on this trip - because once you visit Kumaon, it is guaranteed that you WILL be back again! Having been to this area once, now that I have already figured out exactly where I am going on my next trip there, I am not sad about the places I did NOT get to see.

Wouldn't you agree - Dilli, Piyush et al?

capt_mahajan

Off the top of my head, driving time, may be out a bit (and somebody will correct me )

Kathgodam - Kausani: 5 hrs
Kathgodam - Choukori: whole day (suggest break at Binsar
Kathgodam - Binsar (4.5/5 hrs)
Binsar - Kausani 3.5 hrs
Kausani - Choukori 5/6 hrs go slowly
Binsar - Choukori 4/5 hrs go slowly

earth.anon

Kathgodam to Kausani the roads are great - thanks to Sonia Gandhi building an estate somewhere there.

On the way back, I left Choukori around 9:30 am. Stopped a few places here and there for views and breaks, stopped for lunch for about 45 minutes at Hotel Hill View in Dhaulchinna (awesome food! dont miss the Jholi) - and reached Kathgodam around 6:45pm (try the new South Indian restaurant just as you are entering Kathgodam from the north - very good food, good service, nice atmosphere, and cheap... and caught Ranikhet express for a good night's sleep.

All that said - I must say - even the 6 or 8 hour car rides didn't feel like I wanted them to end. Time is meaningless in Kumaon! But yes - indeed it IS stressful for the poor driver.