Himalayan Village Tour
It is solitude what the heart
desires once in a while, to get away from the hustle & bustle, to breath
fresh air and to get soaked in the beauty of nature.
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Sari Village, Uttarakhand, India
Photo courtesy: Café Buransh FB post |
For such yearnings, I suggest one of the most breath-taking Himalayan Villages to you –Sari Village in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand, India.
Why Sari Village?
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| Sari Village Photo courtesy: Café Burannsh FB post |
At an altitude of 6601 ft., with its rustic charm, Sari village is just right for the nature lover in you. A perfect getaway from the maddening rush of the city life and the hectic daily routines.
Just to get immersed in pure and pristine nature, to experience the ‘pahadi’ village culture and hospitality, to enjoy local cuisines, to hike and trek and just to be a part of a different community for a few days..........Oh! there are many more reasons why you must visit Sari village.
Time slows down a bit here, let your mind too slow down to savor the quiet moments.
Trust me… It’s cool, quiet and
refreshing!
Life in a ‘Pahadi’ (Mountain) village
The mountain village life is very different from the ones you see on planes.
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| Photo courtesy: Cafe Buransh FB post |
The ‘pahadis’, especially the women folk, are
very strong, brave and hardworking.
The villagers go about with their
day to day activities undisturbed by tourists or any other kind of
commercialization.
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| Photo courtesy: Cafe Buransh FB post |
Farming, livestock rearing, small
businesses and tourism are villagers’ major sources of livelihood. The young educated boys join army too.
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| Photo courtesy: Cafe Buransh's FB post |
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| Ajay with a villager's dog |
Pets are a part of the ‘pahadi’ household,
in fact mules are their lifeline and dogs are the permanent companions!
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| Photo courtesy: Cafe Buransh's FB post |
Sari Villagers are excellent hosts,
they are warm and pleasant. While visiting, please respect them and also, pay
respect to local customs and beliefs too.
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| Brij bahi's shop enroute Deoria Tal |
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| View from Brij bhai's shop |
The small shops on the village
paths are excellent refreshment points where you can enjoy local flavours like ‘Buransh
sharbat’ (Buransh flower syrup) or fresh ‘Malta’
fruit juice. The buransh sharbat has a
sweet unique mild flavour whereas the malta juice is ‘Khatta, Meetha, Namkeen‘
( Sour,sweet & salty) .Yummy and refreshing, you must try it!
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| Malta Tree |
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| Burans Tree( Rhododendron) |
Though many home stays and lodges
available in Sari village, I strongly
recommend, Café Buransh , named after Uttarakhand’s state tree, Burans (Rhododendron),for an authentic Himalayan village experience. They are
just about a fifteen-minute hike from Sari Village, the starting point of the Deoria Tal hike.
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| Photo courtesy : Cafe Buransh's FB post |
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| View from Cafe Buransh |
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| Photo courtesy : Cafe Buransh FB post |
Rajani & Randheep, the
co-owners of the facility are excellent hosts and same is the case with their staff
Rakesh, Hanumant & Nitin.
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| Nitin & Hanumant, the CB boys |
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| Rakesh , the chief cook |
“We'd love for you to arrive a traveler and leave as family” is what they say and they mean it!
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With Rajani , Randeep and other guests
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Even their doggies make you feel at
home, yes, it’s true!
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| With Choko and Phooli , the CB doggies |
Their curated trips will help you
explore the mountains and their culture, at a pace that suits you, which ‘am
sure, will let you slow down to savour every moment of your stay there.
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| Courtsey : FB post, Randeep Hari |
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| Courtsey : FB post, Rajani Muraleedharan |
For more details about the facility
please visit www.cafeburansh.com or WhatsApp
/call @ 09526053669 . They will assist you with end to end logistics at a
moderate/ affordable cost.
How to reach Sari Village?
Dehradun Jolly Grant airport is the
nearest airport and Haridwar is the nearest railway station. Taxis and buses are available from
Rishikesh.
Sari village is about 192 km by
road from Rishikesh and it takes about 7-8 hrs. The route is Rishikesh > Devprayag
> Srinagar> Rudraprayag (take Kedarnath route) > Agustmuni >
Ukhimath > Sarivillage.
On your way to Sari, take a break at
Devprayag, the confluence of Alakananda and Bhagirati rivers.
It's Ganga (The Ganges) from here onwards
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| Dr Brinu, a gifted photographer |
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| Dr Brinu at work |
What can
you do for a week in the mountains?
Are you a person who enjoys nature? Are you happy with the basic
amenities? If so, the mountains offer everything you ask for- hiking, trekking,
camping out, photography, reading & writing, just lazing around, yoga &
meditation or work (yes, I did attend to some unavoidable routine work) …. you
just name it.
Below are some of the activities I did during my one week
trip to Sari village in February 2021.
i)
Rishikesh: Temple, ashrams, boating, food and shopping
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| Rishikesh, Photo courtesy : Brinda |
The city is synonymous with its grand temples, rituals,
architectural marvels and yoga ashrams. The twin Ram & Lakshman Jhulas
are outstanding architectural feats in themselves. The Ganga Aarti
is a pleasant ritual of worshipping the Ganga.
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| Laxman Jhula |
There are many good restaurants and cafes in Rishikesh and the
Laxman Jhula market is a good place for shopping. Rishikesh has its share of
offbeat and adventure activities too.
ii) Hiking: Deoria Tal/Khiri top (option of camping)
Deoria Tal
is a natural freshwater lake in Sari Village. The hiking to this lake is comparatively
a moderate to easy one, would be an ideal trial session for those who are
stepping into the world of Himalayan hiking/trekking for the first time. The hike rewards you with an incredible view
of snow clad Chaukhamba, dark forest covers along the way up, and an abundance
of open space with patches of snow around the lake. Top it all up with numerous
spots to meditate, read a book or just take a nap and to get refreshed with
malta juice J.
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| Rajani & Brinda |
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| Dr Brinu as shephered |
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| Trekkers.. |
iii)
Trekking: Chopta/Tungnath/Chandrashila
Chopta is about
an hour’s drive from Sari village and is the starting point for the 5 kms long
Chandrashila trek. The trek offers
excellent views of snow clad Himalayas and passes through Tungnath-the highest
Shiva Temple in the world, forests and vast ‘snowy’ meadows.
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| How do I explain this majical moment... |
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| Wow! what a sight.. |
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| Moments from the trekking |
While
climbing up, the snow covered areas of the trek path was quite slippery and was
a bit hard to manage. A big thank you to
Nitin, the 17 yr old pahadi boy, who assisted me with a helping hand to manage
the tricky patches. But while descending, we were blessed with a mild to strong
snow fall. The fresh snow transformed the already beautiful mountains to a more
pleasing and picturesque landscape.
The best trekking experience I ever had in my life, an unforgettable experience, indeed!
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| Thunganath Temple |
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| At Thunganath Temple |
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| Dr Brinu enjoying the fresh snow fall |
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| Nithin, the local boy, at Thunganath |
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| Ha...Chandrashila.... |
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| Brinda |
Photos courtesy: Abhi, Ajay, Fariz , Dr Brinu, Brinda & Rajani - Thank you my dears for these beautiful captures.
iv)
Village tour: Local trails, Pahadi hospitality, temple
visit
Just walked up with Rajani to Brij
bhai’s shop on the way up to the Deoria Tal to enjoy the ‘Khata,Meeta , Namkin’ wala malta juice ( couldn’t resist itJ ) . On our way up, met many localites
and interacted with them.
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| Omkareshwar temple , Sari Village |
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| Ajai, Abhi & Fariz with Babaji |
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| With Babaji |
While returning, visited the Omkareshwar Ratneshwar Shiva temple, just above the Café Buransh and listened to the wisdom of Babaji. He presented me a bag full of malta fruits which I brought home and replicated Brij Bhai’s techniques to make the juice.
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| Baba's gift - Malta fruits |
v)
Ukhimath visit: temple visit, mini shopping in the local
market
Ukhimath is a small town, about 12 km away from Sari Village.
It is here the famous Omkareshwar temple, the winter abode of Kedarnath,
Thungnath and Madhyamaheshwar, situates. Mythology says that this temple was
the venue for the wedding of Usha (Vanasur’s daughter) and Anirudh (Lord
Krishna’s grandson).
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| Entrance to Omkareshwar temple, Ukhimath |
There are no markets in Sari village. The nearest one, for shopping
of any kind, is in Ukhimath only.
Experience of a lifetime
Everyone experience places differently , but this one, for all of us, was an experience of a life time! Sari village is a place which challenged us, changed us and standing out in our minds even today.
Thank you Sari Village , Thank you Café Buransh...!💖💖💖
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| With Ajay , Abhi, Fariz, Brinda , Randeep & Rajani |
Without great solitude, no serious work is possible (Pablo Picasso).
