• Hikes - Nature's Wonders - Places - Treks

    Keep Walking: Naina Range and Naina Peak Trail

    April 20, 2024 - By 

    Its only after 3 or 4 days into our Uttarakhand stay (Shyamkhet), we had the wisdom to search Google for ‘trekking trails near Nainital’. We had initially dismissed Nainital as a crowded tourist destination. While it might be true, there are a few trekking trails one can enjoy away from the crowds. Naina Peak (earlier called Cheeni Peak) trek was one such. The trail starts from a point at the Nainital–Kilbury Road, which itself is a narrow road that leads to Kilbury and Pangot Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary. The forest department team issued an entry ticket at the entrance and…

  • 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…

  • Meghalaya TravelWithACouple
    Hikes - Nature's Wonders - People - Places - Treks

    Augustin’s Question

    November 18, 2021 - By 

    ‘Sir, do you think we are expensive or cheap?’ When Augustin asked this question, we thought it was a generic question about the cost of food, travel and stay. And we said it is neither, but reasonable and moderate. We were on our seventh day of our trip to Meghalaya, and Augustin, our taxi driver and self-appointed guide, was leading us through a short trek to yet another stunning waterfall, the Prut falls. He then explained what he meant was about the entry fees to all these magnificent natural locations, which combines natural beauty and potential adventure. These fees ranged…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Old Manali, Goshal Village, TravelWithaCouple, Unny Radhakrishnan, Bindhu Unny
    Hikes - Nature's Wonders - People - Places - Treks

    Hike to Goshal – Losing Ways and a Happy Ending

    November 9, 2014 - By 

    The friendly hotel owner suggested we take a rickshaw to Old Manali. We insisted on walking the 3-odd kilometres from new Manali (model town). Most of the route was uphill but we had no specific plans for the day, so we walked leisurely. A small bridge connects Old Manali and new Manali. A left turn from the bridge takes you to a narrow lane that goes up to the Manu temple. Restaurants and cafes flank the lane, offering a range as wide as Israeli to Korean food. We walked up to Manu temple; the last stretch was a stiff climb.…

  • 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…

  • Ilaveezhapoonchira, Kottayam, Kerala
    Hikes - Nature's Wonders - Places - Treks

    An Unplanned Hike to Nowhere!

    March 9, 2014 - By 

    The nephew and niece have a painting competition to attend at Pala, Kottayam. Mom wants to visit temples around Pala but could not go due to health issues so we decide to go. So, attired in clothes suited for visiting temple, we set out in the morning. And end up going for a hike, without reaching anywhere. That sums up our attempted hike to Ilaveezha-poonchira near Thodupuzha, Kerala. We finish the temple visits and reach back to Pala, pick the kids and their mother, and have lunch. Instead of driving back home, we head to Ilaveezhapoonchira, about 40 km from…

  • 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…

  • Wayanad Forest trail
    Places - Treks

    The ‘Hartal’ Hike in Wayanad

    November 11, 2013 - By 

    One week in Kerala. There has to be a ‘hartal’ or ‘bandh.’ During our one-week Wayanad trip, there was a ‘hartal’ in the district, to mark protest against Kasturi Rangan Report and/or Gadgil Committee Report on Western Ghats conversation policies. (More on this later.) Since this affected our travel plans, we were a little disappointed at first. But not for long. Our resort owner Gopa suggested a walk through the forests, paddy fields, and tribal villages to get a sense of the real Wayanad. He and his friend George, resort manager Shinoj, and a local farmer Karunan chettan took us…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Birdwatching - Places - Treks

    A Short Trek to Vyagreshwar

    October 13, 2010 - By 

    An ancient Shiva temple on a hilltop. Reaching there involves a medium trek. A waterfall atop adds to the excitement. The trek, organised by Nature Knights, had the added attraction of birding at Uran. Taking more time than expected at Uran meant a delayed start for the trek. Our bus driver was not sure if the minibus would climb the narrow, steep roads to the base village. So we got out to reduce weight and walked one kilometer or so to the village. After shedding our weight, the bus also made it to the village. After a short photo op…

  • Treks

    Pouring Rains, Lashing Winds, Gushing Streams, Slippery Rocks, Slushy Pathways … Monsoon Is On. Treks Are On

    July 16, 2009 - By 

    The hills and mountains that cover the entire western part of Maharashtra have many forts. Most of them have seen hectic activities from 1400 to 1900 AD (an average, and an assumption). After the Mughals, the Dutch, the Portuguese, the Marathas and the Britishers finished their party, what was left were more often only rubbles of forts. Except in very few cases, where the government has taken up maintenance for archeological reasons or those maintained as places of worship. From 21 century onwards, it was the turn of city slickers to lay hands (and legs) on these forts. People who…