Planning trip to Munsyari

MAS

Hi Friends
I am planning to go to munsyari with my family (myself (52 year old), my wife, my son (14 year old)and a young driver) by my Santro car some where around 15th June, 2008 for 10 to 12 days. Anyone would be the kind enough to suggest me the best itinerary, in the sense of scenic beauty and nothing else. I am very fond of snow. I may go for some trekking also after munsyari if recommended.
Don't forget to suggest me things required for this type of trip, especially for trekking.
Thanks.
MAS

Almoraboy

check this:
http://almoraboy.blogspot.com/2008/0...nter-2008.html - for road trip till munsyari from kathgodam.

http://almoraboy.blogspot.com/2006/1...kend-trek.html - for nearby treks to munsyari

http://almoraboy.blogspot.com/2007/0...home-page.html - for really tough treks from munsyari

http://almoraboy.blogspot.com/2007/0...st-kumaon.html - for how the area looks like in winters..before and after snowfall.

http://almoraboy.blogspot.com/2006/0...formation.html - if you need contact details for trekking in the munsyari area.

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Almoraboy

day 1 - morning, leave from kathgodam. reach chaukori by evening.

day 2 - morning, leave for munsyari. reach by afternoon.

MAS

Hi Almoraboy:
I am completely awe stuck looking at the pictures in the links you have provided me. I am extremely thankful to you. But still so many confusions are lingering in my mind.
I) Can I go up to munsyari by Santro car which is in good condition?
II) During 2006, you have been there and further you have trekked some more distance with two porters (Ganga and Triluchan Sing) and you camped there near Gadhera stream. Please, let me know which season it was and how far this place is from munsyari which you have trekked. And, how long does it takes to reach there. Would it be worth going there in this season?
III) I can miss the trekking as I will be with my wife and child if you recommend. In that case, I can dare to go further ahead of munsyari for chasing more scenic views if it is feasible by Santro car.
Your blogs have filled me with lot of enthusiasm and thrill. So, now please help me out.
MAS.

Almoraboy

ok, i will answer your questions one by one.

1). absolutely, you can easily go by santro.

i have gone to munsyari/come from munsyari in bus, jeep, alto, maruti, toyota, etc

the road is a bit rough beyond kalamuni, which is around 14 kms before munsyari...but very much driveable. Dilliwala (another member of this forum) can give you the best help on the roads and travel routes in kumaon.

Almoraboy

2). the trek in 2006, which you are referring to, is the khalia top trek. i went there with Ganga Ram and Laxman Singh (sorry for the wrong name).

khalia top is the highest point near munsyari. it is almost 3000 mtres plus.

i went there in october, during the gandhi jayanti holiday. the route for khalia top is as follows ->

Start from munsyari, towards balanti farm on the outskirts of munsyari (around 10-15 mins driving).

from balati farm, the trek begins. khalia top is approx 7 kms away from this place. it can be done in 1 day, but we decided to do in 2 days, so we can enjoy the sunrise and sunset.

on day 1, we just went up 5 kms, a little above the tree line and camped next to the gadhera (stream). as the tree line finishes, the bugyals start. these are grassy meadows and you will find soem shepards and lots of sheep and vultures, soem leopards, bhotia dogs, etc. we helped the shepards collect their sheep and bring them back to their camp. in return, they gave us their kitchen to use for the night. you can easily see the Api peak in nepal from here.
the next day we took a 3 km walk to catch the post sunrise sunshine on nanda devi. on a celar day, the best views are around 9:00 to 9:30 am.
then we came down quickly (going downhill is faster) and had lunch in munsyari.


i think the monsoons have hit india. in this case, the chances of getting clear weather are not good. however, if you are a real nature lover, thsi is a very good time, since the bugyals are going to be lush green. the greenery is going to hit you and there will be small yellow, white and blue fklowers growing out between every second blade of grass. it will be liek a vast green carpet full of little yellwo designs.

i would rate khalia top as an easy trek. if you want to go or not, you can decide after reachign munsyari. you can ring up and ask Ganga Ram if he can make horses available to take you guys up to Khalia? his brother in law is the horse man.

Almoraboy

3). absolutely, lots of good places around.

while in munsyari, do visit the nanda devi temple. wionderful views of the panchchuli range and the johar valley, going all the way dowen to gori ganga cvalley.

you can take your car down, all the way to the gori ganga valley. take a driver who is experienced in driving in the hills. the valley is really beautiful

then you can go uptil jauljibi, where gori ganga meets kali river. nepal is on the other side. around 30 kms upriver lies dharchula, one of the bases for the kailash mansarover trek. if you wanrt to go further by santro, then you can go all the way upto narayana ashram, one iof them ost beautiful temples int he world. the road might be a bit rough, but we were able to manage it in 2007 winters.

here are the pics of N Ashram: http://almoraboy.blogspot.com/2007/0...an-asharm.html

pas2005

Fantastic info Almoraboy as usual. I have followed your blog since long. your exploits are awe-inspiring.

Almoraboy

great to know that it is helping the rest. that is what this forum is for ...you get to know about everything from toilet facilities in johar valley to national insurance rebates for expats

Almoraboy

btw, if you decide to spend the night in khalia top, you would need to go to loo behind the bushes.

Piyush

thats 100% acceptable....

MAS

My dear Almoraboy
I am deeply thankful to you for giving me such nice information regarding my quires. Please, permit me to contact you in case of any emergency being in munsyari.
Thanks a lot.
MAS

Almoraboy

uskaa mazaa hee kuch aur hai

Almoraboy

Yup sure. I will PM you the details, but am not in India currently.

You can tell the folks in Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam in Munsyari that you got this info through me (Prashant Joshi from Almora).

It is better to ring up Kumaon Mandal Vikas nigam prior to travelling, otherwise you might have to face reservation issues. Everyone plans to hit the hills at this time of the year.

The receptionist at KMVN Munsyari will either be Narendra (chubby guy with moustaches) or Leena madame (girl with short height). If you want to get guides/porters, then most probably you can contact Ganga Ram, Laxman, Nath, Kalyan, Kushal, etc... (all from Martoli/Milam village).


KMVN Munsyari contact number is - 05961-222339


Ganga Ram (guide) house phone number is - 05961-211418

05961 is the STD code of munsyari.

shahronakm

Certainly yes, I had done my full Uttaranchal trip in a Maruti Van covering Nainital, Binsar, Pithorgarh, Munsyari, Chaukori, Kausani, Joshimath etc., Since you have already taken you car all the way to Leh this should not be a problem.

Ronak.

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