Uttarakhand: suggestions needed

Shajara

Hi all,
I'm new here and in August I'll go to India for the first time ever. I know it might not be the perfect month to go around, but it's the only one we (my husband and I) can take off from work!WE're likely spending 10 days in Uttarkhand and 8 in Uttar Pradesh. I don't know even if you would recommend these 2 states during monsoon, or if it would be better to travel more northern (Himachal Pradesh and so on).
There are too many things I would like to ask to all kind users, but exspecially:

1 - Do you think road conditions will be extreme in accounts of heavy rainfall and landslides? Going around with local buses on slippy and muddy lanes frightens me a little, you know...

2 - I've no idea of what a monsoon weather in August could really mean in these regions; if it'll be dark and cloudy all the 2 weeks, if it's just rain and sunshine alternating during daytime, if rainfall will force us to change all sightseeing programs and stay inside...or what... Do we need heavy wool, waterproof, windstopper ? Touristic sites say "No problem at all", but perhaps it's that they have to sell their tours all year long.

3 - Does anyone know a mountain spot from where we could have a great view of majestic Himalaya peaks? we're not likely going on hard trekking as I'm not trained at all, but we enjoy hill hiking and taking pictures.

4- Last but not least, does anyone know about some social projects we can visit there, like Navdanya for example, or artesans' cooperative, organic farming etc.?

You'd probably think "goddess, she doesn't have an idea!"... and yes, so it is! But thanks in advance to all who'll spend a minute in asnwering.

amit2821

-road conditions will be extreme in accounts of heavy rainfall
=UTTRAKHAND – The Roads are god all across UT there is no problems at all, more important is where in UT u want to so in the rainy season i.e.

Mussoorie, Dhanolty, Lansdowne, Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh
=All ok in any season as the roads are good
=Even in Rainy season these places are good to visit, the weather changes very fast from clear to cloudy sky and vice versa.

Auli, Chamba, Devprayag, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Yamunotri
=Not recommended in rainy season as landslides are the main issue.

- Mountain spot from where we could have a great view of majestic Himalaya peaks?
= That would be from himachal Pradesh, only one place comes to my mind for that
Mcleodganj (Upper Dharamshala)
= It rains heavy there but still a wonderful & unique experience in the rainy season.

Social projects no idea – but mcleodganj should have some.

lorenza

Best place you can go is Ladakh, we were there in July and no rain. If you like I can write in Italian and give you some tips. Send your e-mail.

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lorenza

Dilliwala

Hi Shajara,

I recommend NO days in UP and split them between UA and Himachal, but that's just me.

1. Maybe, maybe not. 3 out of the last 4 monsoons, August has seen the heaviest rainfall with attendant landslides and road-blocks. But things get moving after a day or so, mostly after a few hours. You just have to be mentally prepared for this without letting it weigh on you. Otherwise it'll be imposs to travel.

2. All of what you depict are possible, no one can predict in advance what any one August will be like. E.g. I've had 3 days of luck at a stretch in Mussoorie where the rains eased up for the duration but no sunshine. In Nainital, rain before lunch 3 days in a row, eased up after lunch every day, moved to Ramgarh valley thereafter and even got warm sunshine.
But you can consider going into the rain-shadow areas of HP like Kinnaur or Spiti. You'll have to pass thru the heavy-rain areas of Shimla district, with possible attendant road-blocks, but once you're clear, it'll be much better. You can think of Kalpa for snow views directly in front, almost touching distance. Kalpa does get more rain than Spiti though, for instance. The Baspa valley is also good.
Other than that, the rains can also clear the sky long enough anywhere along the entire line so as to allow spectacular views. It's a lottery though, as you can understand.

3. Refer above. Take your pick, it's a lottery. But at a pinch, I'd say go to Kalpa or the Baspa valley, or both - you'll have the time. Spiti is also a good idea, there's this big fair in the middle of the month which you might find interesting. Centuries old, people come from all over the district to trade, dance and generally have a good time

4. Navdanya's main setup is in Dehradun. They also do organic farming there. Also in a few villages in Garhwal, but I can't name them (there's one or two in the Har-ki-dun area).
There's also a thread in the HP sub-forum about 'Home stay in Spiti' giving info about an NGO organising this in the area, in cooperation with the local people. Do take a look.

Any more Q's, fire away. Cheers.

Almoraboy

hello and welcome to indiamike.

as Dilliwala stated, skip UP and spend all the days in the hill states of HP and UK (uttarakhand) -- but people like us belong to the mountain lovers' club and hence offer such advice

1). ok, the monsoon would well and truly be in force in the UK area in august. yes, roads can be bad....but transportation still moves on. usually, if one route to a place is blocked, people use the other alternative route. but that will be in a few isolated spots. about 90% of the roads will still function normally. however, for your own travelling comfort, i would recomment that you guys hire a cab for your travelling.

2). monsoons can inhibit views of snow clad peaks, but on the other hand, the hills are lush green at this time. also, you can enjoy lots of fruits which come during this season, like plums and apricots. you should also get strawberries, etc around bhowali, nainital and ramgarh.

3). ahh..love this question. you can get good views from chaukori and munsyari (provided the clouds part) in kumaon. the best time to catch them is early morning or late evening. the hills are covered with clouds for the rest of the time, even if it is not raining. you can also try narayan ashram if you have time to travel further up. it is a lovely place - though it might be a bit crowded as the pilgrimage season will be going on.

Check this for trip reports on UK: http://almoraboy.blogspot.com/2006/0...himalayas.html

You can check out the links to bedni bugyal. it is one of the most beautiful places in the monsoon season (though you might have to trek around 11 kms for this place from the road head). a lush green meadow streching for kilometres and kilometres, full of grass and wild flowers.

you can check the milam trek report - as it was also done in monsoons : http://almoraboy.blogspot.com/2007/0...home-page.html

or if you want to check the views from chaukori: http://almoraboy.blogspot.com/2008/0...nter-2008.html


4) well, not much idea on this, but am sure the others can help. last time, when i was visiting UK, i took 3 big bags full of old clothes, which i gave to lots of kiddies on the way. definitely better than letting them go to waste at home.

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Trek blog over here

Shajara

Thanks to all! You've been really kind and your suggestions all precious and welcome.
I'm kinda relieved, and now I know many more places worth a visit than my Rough Guide suggested - my fear was to get on a mountain spot and then spend all the week inside my hotel becoz of bad weather conditions... that's also the reason for I added Uttarpradesh (more city-focussed area) to my itinerary, considering "if it rains all the time, we can visit museums there at least". But I see most of you are so passionate mountain lovers that made me changing my mind!
Thnaks again. Every more suggestion will be welcome, indeed...

Almoraboy

do take one raincoat and umbrella per person, as it WILL rain most of the time. torches will come in handy if you go on a hike. if you want to contact some local drivers/guides/porters, then you can check this out: http://almoraboy.blogspot.com/2006/0...formation.html

also, check out the tourist agencies of the state goverment, i.e., Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (for kumaon region) and GMVN for Garhwal region. Their sites are: http://www.kmvn.org/ and http://www.gmvnl.com/

In fact, when you plan your itenerary, do plan to ring them up and ask for the current room status. the busiest months are in April-June and October-November. The inbetween period is not so busy but still, many nature lovers hit it out during this time of the year.

Other good attraction can be the valley of flowers, etc, which are in the same district as Bedni bugyal. However, in 2006, during monsoons, bedni was awesome. we even met a leopard in the jungles...face to face, which is a totally different experience from seeing them in zoos are in national parks, where you are in some protective jeep.

The major cities like Dehradun, nainital, kathgodam, mussorie, etc will be booked. however, the interiors should be relatively less crowded. and beware of some ppl who might just see that you guys are from abroad and might to sell you stuff for higher rates.

Dilliwala

'Rain in the Mountains' is better than a museum in UP any day.



BTW, that's a real book . By "Himalayan author" Ruskin Bond.
Even reading it while it's raining outside is better than a museum in UP.
But as Almoraboy hinted, we're biased.