A sojourn in the Kumaon and Garhwal Himalayas : Glorious Gwaldam - (Part 6)

Day 7 - Oct 8th , 2015

It was a long drive from Munsiari to Gwaldam. The distance was around 250 kms , but the journey took a long time.. really long.

We departed from Munsiari around 9.30 AM , and reached Choukori by lunch time. Had a sumptuous lunch at the same hotel where we used to eat during our stay there. The hotel guys still remembered us :)

The same old menu, bread toast - bun makhan , lassi and paratha was our lunch.

Around evening , we reached a place called Bageshwar.

Bageshwar

Bageshwar is a city in Bageshwar district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is also the administrative headquarters of  district.
Situated at the confluence of rivers Sarayu and Gomti, lies the holy township of Bageshwar. It is also revered as the pious land associated with Lord Sadashiva, the redeemer of all sins. As the puranas state, this  place is undoubtedly capable of liberating one from the eternal bondage of births & deaths. This land of Lord Shankar is of great religious, historic and political significance.

Bhageshwar temple

We then travelled to Baijnath dham, which is another Shiva temple with a great historic importance.

Baijnath Dham

The temples at Baijnath are situated on the left bank of the Gomti. It has no inscriptions , and the main temple, dedicated to Baijnath or Vaidhyanatha (a name of Shiva), which gives its name to the present village is situated near the Gomti. The temple is approached from the riverside by a flight of steps made of stones. 

Baijnath Dham

Gwaldam

The winding roads and the starry sky welcomed us at Gwaldam. We reached there by night, and our hunt for lodging began. Checked into KMVN, but found it was not that clean enough.

Few locals suggested another place called "Nature's Treat", which is around 1km from KMVN. This place looked quite good, and we halted there.

It was dinner time and few local delicacies were savoured.

Gwaldam is a sleepy little town, on the border of Garhwal & Kumaon hills. Set amidst green woods and apple orchards, it is located at an altitude of 1629 mt. 40 Km from Kausani, Gwaldam offers a fascinating view of Himalayan peaks Nanda Devi (7817 mt), Trishul (7120 mt) and Nanda Ghuti (6309 mt).

Gwaldam is 22 km beyond Baijnath, The highway that goes to Bageshwar, branches off to take you through a fascinating route amidst thick pine forests, against the backdrop of the Himalayas.

From Gwaldam, the road winds it’s way through dense forests and terraced fields dotted with cottages of Tharali upto the Ranikhet road.

Day 8 - Oct 9th , 2015

The next morning , we set off to a nearby view point to see the Trishul mountains during sunrise. 

This was very near to the SSB training centre.

Gwaldam offers its visitors one of the finest views of the Trishul and its sister peaks.

After seeing the mighty Trishul and Nandaghunti peaks, myself and Ambika remembered the amazing trek to Roopkund we had done an year back.

The link to my Roopkund blog is here incase you have missed it:

 Trishul at dawn

Trishul  is a group of three Himalayan mountain peaks of western Kumaoun, with the highest (Trisul I) reaching 7120m. The three peaks resemble a trident - in Hindi/Sanskrit, Trishula, trident, is the weapon of Shiva. The Trishul group forms the southwest corner of the ring of peaks enclosing the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, about 15 kilometres (9 mi) west-southwest of Nanda Devi itself. The main peak, Trisul I, was the first peak over 7,000 m (22,970 ft) to have ever been climbed, in 1907.

 Tishul and Maiktoli peaks

 First rays touching Trishul

 Trishul , Maiktoli and Mrigthuni peaks

 Distant town as seen from Gwaldam

 Trishul I , II

 Nanda Ghunti

Nanda Ghunti is a 6,309-metre-high (20,699 ft) mountain in Garhwal, India. It lies on the outer rim of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary.

 Trishul and Maiktoli(R)

To the west of the Pindari Glacier, situated on the southern slope of the Sunderdhunga Khal, is the 5 km long Maiktoli Glacier. The west of Maiktoli Glacier, is the Mrigthuni Glacier situated on the southern slope of the Mrigthuni, Devtoli peaks. Along the western side of the Sunderdhunga, one reaches at a point from where the Maiktoli and the Mrigthuni Glacier becomes approachable. 

 Trishul and Nanda Ghunti

Nanda Ghunti , Trishul , Maiktoli and Mrigthuni

 Tricolor flag

The very sight of these incredible mountains leaves you spellbound as you admire the beauty of Nature and lose your mind and soul there.

Each falling rays of the sun, creates an irreversible magic, which makes you wonder what happens next !!

We then set off towards Badrinath from Gwaldam. 

Kumaon was completed and we were entering Garhwal.

Many landslides on the way and Pindar valley welcomed us to Garhwal - the land of gods.

We could feel the Pindar river below us waiting to meet Alaknanda, as we approached Karnaprayag.

Karnaprayag :

The lunch at a hotel near the confluence of Alaknanda and Pindar rivers was very refreshing. The sight of the gushing river and the sound it makes was a pleasant scene.

 Alaknanda and Pindar river (beneath the bridge)

Alaknanda river

Karnaprayag is a city in Chamoli District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Karnaprayag is one of the Panch Prayag (five confluences) of Alaknanda River, situated at the confluence of the Alaknanda, and Pindar River.

Karnaprayag is one of five sites where the confluence of rivers occurs. The five prayags are Vishnuprayag, Nandprayag, Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag and Devprayag. Karnaprayag is believed by many to be the place where Karna of the Mahabharatata is said to have worshipped the Sun God. 

From Karnaprayag, we travelled along the banks of the Alaknanda river as we headed to Badrinath.

We could not make it to Badrinath the same day, however, we managed to reach Joshimath by night,and halted  there.

Getting there (Gwaldam & Karnaprayag) ...

1) Gwaldam is well connected by roads, as it is easily accessible from Kumaon and Garhwal sides.

By Air : Dehradun

By Railways : Kathgodam (180 kms)

By road : Well connected with major towns like Almora , Bageshwar , Nainital and Kausani

2) Karnaprayag is also well connected by roads from the Garhwal region.

By Air : The nearest Domestic Airport is Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun, roughly three hour drive from Karanprayag. This airport is well connected to the other important cities like Delhi, Amritsar and Mumbai. The second nearest Domestic Airport from Karanprayag is Pantnagar Airport, roughly 255 Kms from Karanprayag.

By railways : The nearest Railway Station is Rishikesh which is connected by  all major cities of Uttarakhand. It is situated on the New Delhi-Dehradun railway line and is linked with the place like, Haridwar and Rudraprayag.

By road : Being located on National Highway 58, it connects Delhi with Badrinath and Mana Pass in the state. Karanprayag is 32 Kms from Rudraprayag, 41 Kms from Gopeshwar, 67 Kms from Srinagar, 95 Kms from Pauri, 99 Kms from Devprayag, 173 Kms from Rishikesh, 193 Kms from Haridwar and 400 Kms from New Delhi through Uttarakhand State Road Transport Corporation (USRTC) and some private travel services.

Our Route ...

i) Munsiari - Choukori - Bageshwar - Baijnath - Gwaldam (approx 250 kms)

&

ii) Gwaldam - Karnaprayag - Nandaprayag - Chamoli - Pipalkoti - Joshimath (approx 160 kms)

Next Pitstop -> Badrinath ...

Part 5 - Munsiari

Part 7 - Badrinath

A sojourn in the Kumaon and Garhwal Himalayas : Magnificent Munsiari - (Part 5)

Day 5 - Oct 6th , 2015.


The route from Choukori to Munsiari is covered with Pine forests and couple of waterfalls. Though it is only 95kms, the time taken to reach is more, because of the altitude and mountain roads.

Munsiari is a very famous destination in the Kumaon region as it is a starting point to many treks such as Milam glacier trek , Dharma valley trek etc.

 Women carrying heavy bundles of grass

Birthi falls :

You can see Birthi Falls from a long distance and as we got closer and closer, the sight was gradually beginning to unfold, till we finally reached the base of the falls. One can see the KMVN's TRH at Birthi from a long distance and the plan was to have a lunch stop.


A small iron bridge is constructed at the base of the falls.

Birthi falls

Jogging in afternoon- Ambika and Satish uncle 

The landscape changes every few kilometres. The pine forests were then changed to grassland vegetation, and then again changed back to shrub jungle.

We could see the vegetation changing as we gained altitude.

 TRH - Birthi

Kalamuni top

Kalamuni top is a sharp bend which is located about 5 kms from Munsiari. This place offers tourists the closer view of the mountain peaks of Panchachuli range. 

Kalamuni temple

 Valley

 Paramount pictures

Panchachuli peak

Lammergier / Bearded vulture

Munsiari

Atlast, the most awaited place of the trip had arrived. The sheer beauty of the place and its surroundings made us enthralled. It is surrounded by Himalayan Peaks of the Panchachuli range , thick forests , streams and rivulets , potato fields , waterfalls etc.

It is a tailor made destination for landscape photographers.

Munsiari is  a small town, in the Pithoragarh District of the hill-state of Uttarakhand.

It lies at the base of the great Himalayan mountain range, at an elevation of about 2,200 m (7,200 ft) and is a starting point of various treks into the interior of the range.

The cool breeze welcomed us at Munsiari and the sun had almost set. We were in search of accommodation and finalized "Milam Inn" . It is a beautiful hotel which offers an amazing view point of the Panchachulis.

The night had set in, and I was ready with my camera and tripod to shoot stars. Shooting night sky with hot pakoras and bread toast with some chai in the Himalayas is a divine feeling.

Milkyway

The milkyway is seen along the Panchachuli peaks in the backdrop. 

Day 6 - Oct 7th , 2015

We all woke up to the tunes of small birds around us and were very eager to watch the sunrise with the peaks in front of us. This was a great moment that we witnessed.

Each ray of the golden sun falling on the majestic peaks at varying times is a phenomenon on its own, and the spectacle is mind blowing.

Within no time, the sun rises over the mighty peaks and the light is spread all over.

Satish uncle had shot some pictures  last time when he had visisted this place (around 10 years back) in a farm nearby. We thought of trying out similar pictures this time as well, and headed towards the farm.

The people over there recognized him, and thus were very hospitable.

 Majestic view of Panchachuli ranges

 Panorama

 Farming

There is a beautiful tribal museum at the town centre which has a wide collection of old dresses, tools , herbs , photos  etc. This is worth watching when you are at Munsiari, and all the items are single handedly collected by Dr. Pangteyji.

It was a privilege meeting him at the museum.

After a while, we decided to go towards Kalamuni, to try our luck in shooting the Lammergier (as we had seen it the previous day). Though we could not spot the bird, we spotted couple of endemic birds such as Plumbeous redstart , Yellow billed blue magpie , and the majestic Himalayan Monal itself.

 Yellow billed blue magpie

Plumbeous Redstart

All of us were eagerly watching for birds, and all of a sudden Teju spotted the Monal. It was a first timer for all of us (except Satish uncle), and the very sight of the magnificent bird gave me goosebumps. The colors of it has no match.

Shepherd with his sheep herd

The sun was about to set, and we could see the colors eventually changing to Gold.

We rushed to a viewpoint as we drove down from Kalamuni.

The clouds were covering the mountains very quickly, and we could manage to get only few photograohs, before the clouds played spoilsport.

Once back at the hotel, I started to do astro photography again :)

Day 7 - Oct 8th , 2015

 Woodpecker

 Woodpecker

Early in the morning, we went towards the gate of Khulia top (entry point) , and could spot few Himalayan Griffons. These birds gave us a lot of opportunity for photographing them with varied compositions.

Himalayan Griffons :

The Himalayan vulture or Himalayan griffon vulture (Gyps himalayensis) is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae. Closely related to the European griffon vulture (G. fulvus) and once considered a subspecies of it, this species is found along the Himalayas and the adjoining Tibetan Plateau. It is one of the two largest Old World vultures and true raptors.

 

 

We then left the place and headed towards Gwaldam. 

Below pictures were shot enroute :

On the way back, there was a small waterfalls. The cascading water between the rocks and the algae formation on the rocks, gave me good opportunity to try slow shutter speed photography.

Milam Inn :

The hotel is situated in a very scenic location that offers magnificent views of the Panchachulis.

Website : http://milaminnmunsiyari.com/index.html

Tariff : Depends on the season, we paid around Rs. 1400/- per room per night.

Hotel Milam Inn

Getting there (Munsiari) :

Nainital to Munsiari - 300 kms (via Pittoragarh) - Cabs are available from major cities in the state like Nainital , Almora , Pittoragarh etc

Choukori to Munsiari - 95 kms

Our Route :

Choukori - Birthi - Munsiari (approx 95 kms)

Next Pitstop -> Gwaldam ....

Part 4 - Choukori

Part 6 - Gwaldam