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In
the days of the British Raj, Uttaranchal's cool setting at the foot
of the Himalaya served as sanctuary and respite from the searing
summer heat of Delhi and the plains below. Tourism has only lately
arrived- in a guise that embraces the simple, quite pleasures of
village life.
The Kumaon Village walk is a seven-day circuit linking a series of
home-stay: villagers in the Kumaon region have formed a partnership
with Indian-owned travel company Shakti, to refurbish their
traditional homes to accommodate travellers. The accommodation is
basic - you'll sleep on traditional charpoys (string beds) and mud
floors are covered with hand-woven durries - but it's clean,
comfortable, and the owners welcome you in to taste a slice of
village life as it is.
In Kumaon, days are punctuated by the toll of the temple bells, the
seasons run to the rhythms of the harvest - and the Village Walk
cuts a similar pace. It begins in the 500-year-old market town and
cultural centre of Almora, where the streets are cobbled, houses are
roofed in slate and facades and windows are decorated with ornate
wooden carvings.
The walk skirts rice terraces where their brilliant emerald meets
the sombre deepness of cedar and pine forests, follows snow-melt
streams and climbs through forests to ridgelines with jaw-dropping
views of India's highest peaks, stretching to the Tibetan border.
the intense green is splashed with the pinks and oranges of saris as
the women tend the rice fields and, in season, the crimson blooms of
the rhododendron forests.
Paths are shared with village traffic; there are teashops along the
way for a refreshing chai (spicy tea), and your local guide can
explain the workings of the mill or the medicinal uses for
trail-side plants. The walk also passes several important temple
complexes, including Jageshwar, a pilgrimage site dating from the
8th century.
 At
the end of each day, you'll be welcomed into a village home, to a
home-cooked meal redolent with the spices of traditional cuisine.
The last evening of the trek at Jwalabanj kicks off with sundowners
in the rose garden followed by a traditional Kumaon dance performed
by the villagers, to the rapture of both trekkers and the local
children.
The walk is book-ended with a stay at the more luxurious, but
eco-conscious, Kalmatia sangam or Deodars guesthouses, with some
fine cuisine - and perhaps a message for wary walking muscles. |
RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL
CREDENTIALS
There is virtually no environmental
impact on the villages or trails. Village houses have been minimally
and authentically refurbished, using traditional materials and
crafts, and food and supplies are sourced locally. There is no
electricity and ablutions are by bucket shower.
The guides and porters are from the local villages and so act as
conduits for conversations between travellers and the local people
along the trail, as well as interpreting customs, history and
folklore.
Few tourists reach this remote region. Your visit brings in
much-needed income, and contributes to the maintenance of the
traditional farmhouses. Monies spent along the trail go directly to
local businesses.
WHEN TO GO
Year-round: each
season has its own charms.
GETTING
THERE
The walk starts from Almora, which is an eight-hour drive from
Delhi. Car transfers from Delhi to Almora return cost US$300 per
person.
The home-stay have Western style loos and bed linen and crockery is
suplied by Shakti. You'll be a guest of the family-it's a great
insight into rural Indian life.
Day walks are around 10km or five hours in length, and range up to
2200m-but the pace is lesiurely and anyone of moderate fitness will
cope.
A seven-day package, including three nights in a guesthouse and
three nights in village home-stays, including all meals, guide and
porter services, costs form US$885 per person in a group of four. |
