Hey fellow, writing a detailed travelogue. Request you to bear with me if I get carried away while composing it!
Well, it all began when the yearning for heading to the mountains became too overpowering for us to overlook. Kept waiting for Good Friday since mid March and kept thinking of which place to go. The top agenda was to find a place which provides good views of snow capped peaks. More so since my trip to Chaukori last winter had been pretty disappointing as clouds had obstructed the views for 3 whole days I was there. Wife suggested Binsar and the more I read about it, the more I liked it. Soon KMVN rest house was booked and the wait for that weekend become agonizing. Some days went by too fast and some too slow!
Friday the 10th arrived, and there I was running with our travel bags towards the car, 4 AM in the morning, with wife in tow with smaller bags. By 4:15 we’re all set for the journey, and had no idea about what wonders were in store for us. Noida-Nainital was a breeze via Hapur-Gajraula-Moradabad bypass-Bazpur, and it took us ~5 hours to get to Nainital. I really like the Tibetan food in there and soon was enjoying a steaming bowl of hot ‘n spicy Thupka. After devouring the food it was time to hit the road again, and the zeal to get to Binsar had reached a feverish pitch. It took us ~3 hours for Nainital-Binsar.
We’re on the road to Almora, not very far from the town and that was when I had to apply the brakes in a hurry. No no, everything was fine, just that there were a few snow capped peaks in front of my eyes! I didn’t want to drink (in the view) and drive, so decided to take a break for a few minutes to enjoy & take in the view. The closer we’re getting to Almora, more of the Great Himalayan range was coming into view. The town came and went by, and a local pointed a road going uphill as the route to Binsar on asking. Then came a fork and I instinctively took a left. We decided to check with a local if we’re on the right way and he told us that the road to Binsar is the other one, though this one would also lead us to it. It turned out to the less used one with some bad stretches & steep inclines. And we’re on the wrong side of the mountain blocking the views of the peaks. Then came the check post for entering into Binsar. Binsar is a wild life sanctuary and entry is restricted till 6PM (maybe earlier). One requires registering the vehicle and its occupants with the forest officials at the post. I was asked about the number of people with me, where I’d come from, my car’s registration number, how many days would I be there in Binsar and asked to pay Rs. 130. Got back a receipt which serves as your ticket into the place. One needs to pay only once for the time period mentioned while getting it. You can move in and out of Binsar WLS multiple times (but you won’t) using the single receipt.
Anyways, our journey continued into the Jungle on a thin road, which wasn’t enough to let 2 cars pass side by side at most of the places. We did run into a couple of cars coming from opposite direction, but luckily both times on a turn. The condition of the road was good mostly with a few bad patches of potholes and muddy track.
Suddenly there came a sharp incline, which led us to the KMVN rest house. It is build pretty high on the mountain; we’re just 40 odd metres below the mountain top. We checked in, got the luggage to our room, and appreciated the room for some time. It was pretty rustic and dark. Rustic look we loved and darkness was taken care of by opening the curtains. And what a view we had from the window. Chaukhamba looked like a stone’s throw away, and clouds were just starting lift from Trishul. But I knew that the real view was from the terrace, of the rest house, about which I had read and heard such good things. Had a couple of pegs of good ol’ Old Monk for the chill, yeah it was kinda chilly even at 2PM with sun shining, picked up the camera bag, and rushed to the terrace accompanied by wifey. There’re already lotta people there amazed by the view that was there. A 350Km stretch of snow clad Upper Himalayas was clearly visible with so many peaks. I stared naming the peaks to my wife and later came to know that I had done quite well; I’d been wrong about 2-3 only! While returning to the room, we’re met by Mr. Khan (working for the rest house), and he politely told us that he’s overheard us and kindly pointed out my mistakes. I’d termed Nanda Devi & Nanga Ghunti as Trishul and had no clue where the real Trishul was. But he rectified my mistakes and now we knew which peak was which. He also suggested taking a trek, through the forest, to the Zero Point which provides great views of Sunset and the peaks. For people who have more of time at hand, there are plenty of longer treks. The details can be obtained at the reception of the rest house.
While checking in, the manager told us to keep a few things in mind, which were:
1. You only get 2 buckets of hot water per room per morning.
2. The timings for breakfast, lunch & dinner are fixed. And believe me, it was like following a time table for the meals. But the food was pretty good. We’d some amazing Rajma, Daal & Egg curry during our stay. Since the place is run by a small staff, there is no room service. Also that you can’t order anything unless it’s “Snack Time” on the time table, which was 4PM – 7:30PM. Also since it’s a WLS, no non-veg (other than eggs) food is prepared.
3. The charge for accommodation includes daily breakfast and dinner, but you gotta pay extra for lunch which was Rs. 170 + taxes.
Whenever you go there, make sure to pack all required provisions with you as it’s cut off from any kind of market. We did find a small shop close to a temple though and had yummy masala noodles and omelet in it. There were also some day to day provisions (wafers, kurkure, biscuits, etc.) available there. We also bought a bottle of Rhododendron concentrate from there.
If you’re looking for a getaway from the daily rush of cities, amazing views of snow capped peaks, long walks in the forest, not a long travel time from Delhi, Binsar is the place to go!