• Glenmore Forest Trail TravelWithacouple
    Adventure - Hikes - Nature's Wonders - Places - Sanctuaries - Treks

    Glenmore Forest Trails

    November 4, 2023 - By 

    The welcome and information board at Glenmore Forest Park visitor centre says ‘Ancient forests, high mountains and golden shores’. We had just returned from the not-so-high mountains (Cairngorms Trek) and was now looking forward to a forest trail walk. Glenmore is one of the largest forests within the Cairngorms National Park. Forest parks are well maintained by the ‘Forestry and Land’ division of the Scotland government. And there are many trails for hikes and treks. Scotland, interestingly has the ‘Scottish Access Rights’, which gives the individuals the freedom to go anywhere and enjoy the outdoors in Scotland. This is completely…

  • Cairngorms TravelWithaCouple
    Adventure - Hikes - Nature's Wonders - Places

    Trekking @Cairngorms Mountains

    October 22, 2023 - By 

    “In every walk with nature one receives far more than one seeks” – John Muir John Muir, adventurer, explorer, naturalist, and considered to be the Father of National Parks (his life long efforts are behind the conservation of many a National Park in the United States), was a Scottish national. At the age of 11, in 1849, he migrated from Scotland to Americas along with his parents and siblings. It was a fitting tribute when in 2003 Cairngorms was declared a National Park, it was inaugurated by his great-great-grand daughter, Liz Hanna. “For all its tempestuous nature, the Cairngorms is…

  • TravelWithacouple Unny Bindhu Koyna Tapola Satara
    Adventure - Hikes - Nature's Wonders - Places - Sanctuaries - Treks

    Travel in 2020: The End

    January 10, 2021 - By 

    (Also read Travel in 2020: The Beginning and Travel in 2020: The Middle) We often hear in literature or in general about how insignificant we feel as a tiny speck in this vast cosmos. Travellers speak about that especially in the context of the Himalayas or other mountain ranges. One doesn’t need to go that far to feel our cosmic insignificance. All one needs to be at any spot by the banks of the huge Shivsagar lake, the backwaters formed by the mighty Koyna dam. More on Koyna later. The final trip of 2020 was the perhaps the most looked…

  • Hampi Itinerary Travelwithacouple Unny Bindhu
    Adventure - Heritage - Hikes - History - Nature's Wonders - Places - Sanctuaries

    A Hampi Itinerary – Something for Everyone

    January 6, 2019 - By 

    Never perhaps in the history of the world has such havoc been wrought, and wrought suddenly, on so splendid a city, teeming with a wealthy and industrious population in the full plentitude of prosperity one day, and on the next seized, pillaged, and reduced to ruins, amid scenes of savage massacre and horrors begging description. –Robert Sewell, A Forgotten Empire. History and mythology intertwines effortlessly as local guides narrates the story of Hampi,  once a world class city and trade centre of 14th century, built and ruled by the kings spanning four dynasties starting with Harihara and Bukka. The mythological…

  • Khuri Jaisalmer Travelwithacouple Unny Bindhu
    Adventure - Desert - Nature's Wonders - People

    A Night Under The Stars: Khuri Desert

    November 27, 2016 - By 

    Out first night at Jaisalmer was a disaster. With little thought, we had booked Club Mahindra resort to use up a free room offer from MakeMyTrip. Loud music till 11 p.m., a room with no privacy (what purpose does windows serve if they open to a common corridor), and finally an enforced buffet dinner (no information on this at the time of check in) left us with a bad taste. Luckily, the desert camps at the Sam dunes hadn’t piqued our interest, so we hadn’t booked anything there. A friend suggested spending a night at Khuri, in the open desert…

  • TravelWithaCouple Havelock Islands
    Adventure - Beaches - Hikes - Nature's Wonders - Treks

    Havelock Has It All

    April 2, 2016 - By 

    (Originally published in Mid-Day, April 2016) A complete non-touristy guide to Havelock Islands “Four days in Havelock?” Travel agents will likely give you a bewildered look if you say that you plan to stay 4 days in Havelock. They would not recommend more than one night in Havelock. Unless you are on a diving training course or a self-planned extended honeymoon. In typical tour packages, the island is just a morning-evening affair. Named after the British General Henry Havelock, this tiny island is towards the north-east of Port Blair (capital of Andaman & Nicobar Islands) and about an hour by…

  • Triund, Dauladhar Ranges, TravelWithaCouple
    Adventure - Hikes - Nature's Wonders - Treks

    Triund Through Snow

    April 19, 2015 - By 

    Rarely do we repeat a trek, because we prefer to cover new places as much as possible. But when it is a place where seasons compete against each other to decorate the landscape uniquely, it is as good as a new destination. Unlike Maharashtra, where post-monsoon, the setting is devoid of all greenery, Himachal Pradesh is never gray or brown. It’s either green or white or sometimes both, as we found out as we trekked up to Triund. A few years back, we did the Triund trek in pouring rains, all drenched, with mist, clouds, streams, and exquisite greenery for…

  • Mount Batur Volcano Trek, Indonesia
    Adventure - Hikes - Nature's Wonders - Places - Treks

    The Sunrise Trek to Mount Batur Volcano and Other Adventures

    September 27, 2014 - By 

    After exploring Lombok for a couple of days, we reached Ubud, Bali, with no definite plans. We only had a day left before flying back to India. On the way from Padang Bai, our vehicle got caught in the traffic jam in Ubud town. As we inched ahead, a small hoarding caught our attention. Sunrise trek to Mount Batur volcano. Wow! Plans for next day started taking shape. Soon, we reached our resort amidst paddy fields in a village in Ubud. The first thing we did even before completing the checking-in formalities was to register for the sunrise trek. The…

  • Kerandangan Nature Reserve, Lombok, Indonesia
    Adventure - Nature's Wonders - Places - Sanctuaries - Treks

    Hiking Through Kerandangan

    July 16, 2014 - By 

    A trek to the Rinjani volcano peak was in the original plan. Soon we were to realise – sadly, that it requires a minimum of two nights and three days. Beach hopping, snorkelling and long walks did its bit to quell the disappointment of giving up on Rinjani. Yet there was something amiss. Until we heard the call of the wild. Not far from the Holiday Resort at Senggigi, where we were staying, was the Kerandangan Nature Reserve. Hardly mentioned in the regular tourism destinations in Lombok, we stumbled upon this natural treasure while browsing a local magazine. During the…

  • Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Indonesia
    Adventure - Beaches - Places

    Why Go to Gili Trawangan?

    July 13, 2014 - By 

    Gili Trawangan is the largest of the three islands off the north-west coast of Lombok. One can reach Trawangan crossing the blue, alluring sea in small or big boats like these.. Trawangan is a melting pot of all kinds of people (though mostly backpackers) from all parts of the world. And inviting them is a bunch of hotels, motels and homestays. Some offering yoga, meditation and a pool – even if it is 5ft by 5ft. while many others are full.. Motor vehicles are banned in Trawangan. Cycles and horse carts provide the best alternative.. to roam around the street…

  • Meenmutty Falls, Banasurasagar, Wayanad
    Adventure - Nature's Wonders - Places

    The Other Meenmutty Waterfalls in Wayanad

    June 1, 2014 - By 

    For some strange reason, ‘Meenmutty’ seems to be a common name for many waterfalls in Kerala’s western ghats. We have heard of at least three—two in Wayanad and one in Thiruvananthapuram. “Meen Mutty’ roughly translates to ‘fish blocked.’ However, we did not know that there are two Meenmutty falls in Wayanad till we reached the picturesque Banasura Sagar dam. We were earlier told that the famous Meenmutty falls near Kalpetta, a three-tired waterfall and the second largest in Kerala, has been closed for safety reasons. And we had reconciled to it. As we drove into the parking area of Banasura…

  • Adventure - Nature's Wonders - Places - Treks

    Irpu Falls: Crowded but Charming

    December 14, 2013 - By 

    Going to Irpu Falls was one of the spur-of-the-moment decisions that occur far too often in our trips. As with most of them, this too turned out to be a good one. Wayanad has plenty of waterfalls, so we did not consider Irpu in Coorg, Karnataka (close to the border of Wayanad) as a to-do destination. But we had time to kill till the safari starts at Tholpetty Wildlife Sanctuary, and Irpu is just about 10 km from Tholpetty. The road turns narrow and bumpy as we approached Irpu and contrary to our expectations, the parking lot was full. But we did not feel the crowd during the…

  • Adventure - Nature's Wonders - Places - Treks

    Mighty Harischandragad and Magnificent Konkan Kada

    October 30, 2013 - By 

    We have heard a lot about Harischandragad and Konkan Kada. The former is a temple and hill fort at over 4,500 ft above sea level. At one end of the Harischandragad plateau, the land suddenly drops to over 1,800 ft. This semicircular cliff, Konkan Kada, offers an unhindered, spectacular view of plains all the way to Konkan. Sunset at Konkan Kada is a view to behold, so we were told. Harischandragad has been on our trekking bucket list for a few years. Last time when Nature Knights organised this trek, chickenpox stood in our way. This time, we did it!…

  • Adventure - Nature's Wonders - Places - Treks

    Adventure of the Season − Siddhagad in Monsoons

    August 31, 2013 - By 

    A couple of years back when we did the Gorakhgad trek, we thought it was a mighty mountain. (Read about the Gorakhgad trek here – The Motely Crowd and Mighty Mountain). Mighty it was then. At that time, we had set our eyes on Siddhagad peak, seen at a distance, engulfed in dark clouds. Little did we realise then that Siddhagad (3223 ft) was taller than Gorakhgad (2137 ft). If Gorakghad was thrilling, Siddhagad was beyond that. Rains lashing with vengeance and water gushing down through the trail added to the excitement. Siddhagad is in the Malshejgat region, but along…

  • Dhoni Forests
    Adventure - Nature's Wonders - Places

    Romancing Rainforests: Never Enough (Dhoni Waterfalls, Kerala)

    July 20, 2013 - By 

    This monsoon, the craving to relish the nature’s magic goes up a notch every passing day. With no major trips planned, we try to make use of all possible weekends. Khodala happened like that. So was the trek inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park to Mumbai’s highest point (more about it later). We manage to squeeze in a short getaway while on a 3-day trip to Kerala for a family function. A lazy Sunday morning at Palakkad. We get up late; relax with tea and newspapers; enjoy breakfast; and then comes the irresistible urge. The low ranges of the vast…

  • Adventure - Fun - Places

    The Road to Khodala

    June 26, 2013 - By 

    The road to Khodala is not paved with gold. Neither Khodala is a city of gold that awaits you. But for over 4 months in a year, when the sky brims with monsoon clouds, when the parched earth soaks up the rainwater and turns vibrant green, and when the hills and valleys are adorned with tiny streams and roaring waterfalls, the road to Khodala becomes much more than that. The best thing that can happen to someone itching to get out of the city on a Sunday morning while the clouds waiting to burst is perhaps Khodala!! Not known to…

  • Adventure - Nature's Wonders - Places - Treks

    Triund: Walk Above the Clouds

    June 5, 2013 - By 

    It’s time to get ready for monsoon treks. What better time than now to reminisce one of the awesome monsoon treks we did! Triund in McLeod Ganj is a popular trek in all seasons. It was pouring when we did this trek. About 4 hours of walk and climb, peering at the path ahead through raindrops, trying to admire the beauty of the misty valley below, listening to the guides explaining how seasons change the look of this wonderful landscape—painting it red when the rhododendrons bloom, spreading a white sheet when it snows, and of course turning it all green…

  • Adventure - Heritage - History - Places

    The Cliffhanger @Takmak Tok

    December 9, 2012 - By 

    Hang at about 1000 ft and have a 360-degree view of the landscape down. Thrilling and spine-chilling! Slowly move down until you reach a ledge at 300 feet. One misstep and it is a straight drop of 700 feet. Carefully trudge along the ridge and trek back to the top. That’s all about rappelling at Takmak Tok, Raigad. Raigad Fort, near Mahad, Maharashtra, was Shivaji’s capital. It was at Raigad that he was titled Chathrapathi. Attacked and destroyed by the British, the fort is now in ruins. The queen’s quarters, durbar hall, and marketplace are still discernible among the ruins.…