It was August, my birthday month and just like the last year, we decided not to travel anywhere for the sake of our safety. But it was too hard to not think about the mountains and the beaches, the travel craving was at its peak. Surprisingly, this time even Nemit was missing the travel too much, he kept asking us when we will go on a vacation. And, we kept ignoring our inner voice until we could no longer control it. And, finally, we decided to keep all our fears aside and planned this family road trip from Delhi to Lansdowne.

However, this time the planning was next level and we had only 3 days to finalise everything.

Hello friends, welcome back to my blog. If you have been following us for quite some time now then you know that our travels are mostly to the less explored, quiet, and peaceful destinations. We try to avoid crowded tourist destinations as much as possible since that is not our style of travelling.

And, this time again we chose the destination which is not too famous among the tourists.

Planning for The Trip

The moment we decided to travel, we had to choose the destination. The beaches or the hills?

Since we felt we were not yet ready to resume air travel, we chose the hills. Next question was, Himachal or Uttarakhand?

Check out – Weekend Getaway from Delhi? Where to go, Himachal or Uttarakhand?

And, because we had only the weekend with us, we wanted to visit a nearby hill station.

By the evening, we zeroed upon two places where we could go, Rishikesh or Lansdowne?

I don’t have much experience of driving in the mountains but both Rishikesh and Lansdowne are known to me. We visited Rishikesh in 2019 and I drove to Lansdowne with my parents in 2013. So, now the final decision had to be made based on the place we like for our stay.

Check out our Rishikesh Road Trip Vlog from 2019, here-

Where to Stay?

We wanted to be very careful while booking the place to stay. Even though the coronavirus cases have drastically reduced in numbers, we still can’t take the risk. So, our best bet was to look for Airbnb properties like cottages with a bedroom, hall, and kitchen.

Check out – Why You Should Book an Airbnb when Traveling with Kids?

We didn’t like the Airbnb properties in Rishikesh, the ones we liked were out of our budget. So we called the resort where we stayed the last time. There the manager told us that weekend is not the right time to visit as it gets a bit crowded. Even that resort was fully booked for the weekend. We took the cue and dropped Rishikesh from our list.

It was Wednesday morning, I was sitting with Nemit for his online class. While he was busy doing his work, I was busy scrolling through the Airbnb app. And, just then I found this beautiful property by the name Blue Pine Orchards, 30 mins from Lansdowne. It looked really good. They had private 2 bedroom studio villas with a front yard. And, from the pictures, it looked perfect, just what we were looking for.

We booked it!

Source – Blue Pine Orchards

One tip – You may avoid booking through the 3rd party websites if you are looking for some discount. You can call the property first, and talk to the senior personnel, there are high chances they will offer you a good discount for booking directly.

Travel Guidelines to Visit Uttarakhand

Most asked question – Is the RT-PCR report mandatory for travel? Yes!

Before traveling to any place, do check the travel guidelines of that state. When we checked it was mandatory to carry a travel e-pass, vaccination certificate, or the RT-PCR negative report along with the hotel booking receipt.

All these documents were checked at the border and our details were registered. It took around 15-20 mins for the whole procedure at the check post.

Source – euttaranchal

The day we booked the hotel, we went for our RT-PCR test, the test was not mandatory for the kid. After that, we were just hoping that we get our negative report by the next day so that we could start our packing.

All our stars were in favour of this trip, we got the report within 12 hrs and we spent our Thursday packing our bags and daydreaming about the mountains & the pine trees.

Preparing for the Road Trip – Delhi to Lansdowne

No matter where you are travelling to, when you have kid/s with you, plan everything very carefully. I want to talk about packing for kids here.

• Always pack warm clothes even if the temperature shows not too cold. Go prepared.
• Always carry an umbrella and raincoat. The weather in the mountains is quite unpredictable.
• Carry a lot of dry snacks for munching on the go.
• During the road trips, we usually pack sandwiches and masala idlis, favourite of our son.
• Don’t forget to pack your child’s favourite toy.
• The car seat is a must for the safety of your child.

Check out – 5 Simple Packing Hacks for Traveling with Kids.

PIN IT!

Delhi to Lansdowne – The Trip Begins

It was Friday morning, surprisingly that day we woke up even before the alarm. Our bags were ready, all our documents in place, the food was packed and we were all set to go on a road trip from Delhi to Lansdowne. We started at 6.30 am from Noida and reached our destination at 2.30 pm. We took 2 long breaks only after crossing Kotdwar. Since it was raining the whole night and some of the road patches were not in good shape, we wanted to cover most of the distance without stopping. Thankfully, our son, Nemit didn’t make any fuss this time, he was totally enjoying the road trip.

This is the route we followed-

Noida – Meerut – Bijnor – Najibabad – Kotdwar – Lansdowne – Chundai (Blue Pine Orchards)

Source – Google Maps

When it comes to hill stations, not many tourists prefer visiting Lansdowne probably because it’s not that commercialised and there are not many things to do here.

But if you prefer quiet, serene, and peaceful surroundings with not many tourists around then Lansdowne is a perfect place for you. It offers an unspoiled beauty to its visitors.

And, if you want to show your children how it feels to be closer to nature, then nothing can beat this place.

Check out our Day 1 Lansdowne Vlog here –

One Request– Avoid going to any hill station during monsoons especially when you are travelling with kids.

Lansdowne is still the safest of all hill stations during the rainy season.

We travelled in the last week of August. Usually, the rains stop by this time. But this year we can clearly see the impact of climate change since we are getting more than normal rainfall in the Northern regions. And the day of our travel we got to know that it will be raining heavily for the next 3 days.

Though there were small landslides at few places around Lansdowne the roads were still accessible. Mainly because this area is maintained by the army.

Luckily, we didn’t face any problem during our trip and there were only light showers which in fact enhanced the beauty of the place and made it more scenic.

Check out – 26 Best Tips for Traveling with Kids.

That’s all for this travel blog – Delhi to Lansdowne Road Trip. See you next time!

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My theme for #MyFriendAlexa is All under one roof called Parenting. And, this is my second post under the category Travel #TravelingWithKids.

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Whenever the summer heat gets unbearable all I dream of is escaping to the beautiful hills. We, North Indians are in so much love with nearby hill stations that many of us refer these as our summer home. We are soon going to enter the hottest months of this season. And all I can hear is the buzz around for planning a perfect weekend getaway from Delhi.

In fact, we are also in the vacation planning mode for the next month. It’s been 3 months since our last holiday. And, now we badly need a quick escape from all the city chaos and stress to recharge our mind & body. The other day I was discussing the options for a weekend trip with my husband. And, we were shortlisting the places we could consider for our little getaway.

But this time we ended up in an argument on where to go. And, this has happened for the first time that we were having clashing ideas for shortlisting a destination. I want to explore some new place in Himachal Pradesh this time whereas hubby dearest has his heart in Uttarakhand.

I reminded him of our last couple of hill vacations in Uttarakhand. To which he refreshed my memory of visiting Manali on last New Year’s Eve. Ok, but I don’t think that counts. It was too cold and we could not explore Manali at that time.

Where to go on a Weekend Family Trip? Himachal or Uttarakhand?

It’s not that I don’t like Uttarakhand, it is as dearest to me as Himachal. But Himachal is more lively and is full of adventures. I mean if I think of it now, I feel the choice of place depends on what kind of vacation you are looking for. As you know, I am a die-hard adventure lover and that’s my biggest calling while deciding a place to visit.

Pic from our Trip to Kausani

Sumit is also an adventure enthusiast but this time he’s looking for a leisure trip. And, he successfully convinced me for another weekend getaway from Delhi to Uttarakhand. I agreed only on one condition that we will stay at an Airbnb like our last family trip to Mukteshwar. I will be revealing the place in my Instagram stories next week so catch me there for all the fun.

Our weekend getaway is almost sorted. But if you are still confused about whether to go to Himachal or visit the unexplored Uttarakhand, check out the below points.

Pic from our Manali Trip in Himachal

• Why choose Himachal Pradesh as a perfect weekend getaway?

1- Himachal is undoubtedly a more developed state as compared to Uttarakhand with better infrastructure.

2- It is also the preferred choice of tourists due to the many facilities it offers to them.

3- The roads are much better from Delhi to Himachal as compared to roads leading to Uttarakhand.

4- Huge adventure opportunities for tourists of all ages.

5- There’s a wide variety of stay options in Himachal as compared to Uttarakhand.

Pic from our Mukteshwar Trip in Uttarakhand

• Why choose Uttarakhand as a perfect weekend getaway?

1- Uttarakhand is more serene and peaceful. It is an explorers delight as not many tourists are seen in this part.

2- People of Uttarakhand are extremely helpful & friendly.

3- Their hospitability is beyond comparison. They can go out of their way to make you feel comfortable.

4- Many hill stations are not yet commercialized & offers an unspoiled beauty to its visitors.

5- Garhwal and Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand are known to be the safest places in India. Hence, a perfect getaway option for solo travelers and families.

You may also read – Weekend Getaway to Kausani in Uttarakhand!

I hope I cleared up some confusion about where to go this summer holidays. So, what are your plans for a weekend getaway with the family? Do share with me in the comments below.

That’s all for now, see you guys tomorrow with another travel related post.

Today is Day 23 of #BlogchatterA2Z and the letter of the day is ‘W’. My theme for the challenge is ‘Traveling with kids’ & I have chosen W for Weekend Getaway. 

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Reference – https://www.quora.com/Which-is-a-better-state-Himachal-Pradesh-or-Uttarakhand

The post Weekend Getaway from Delhi? Where to go, Himachal or Uttarakhand? appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

Hello to all my lovely readers! Today, I am going to write the last post of our Kausani getaway. And as I mentioned in my Part-2 post, I will be telling how we discovered the caves at Nainital. Also, what all we did on our way back from Kausani.

Kausani is a hill station and village situated in Bageshwar district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is famous for its scenic splendour and its spectacular 300 km-wide panoramic view of Himalayan peaks. –Wikipedia 

In my previous post, I had shared some of the exciting things one can do in Kausani with lots of pictures of our splendid time there. After spending two memorable days in Kausani, it was time to bid adieu to this heaven. 

We decided to take the route from Bhimtal and Nainital so that we could have a view of these beautiful places as well.

Kausani -> Almora -> Bhimtal -> Nainital -> Bazpur -> Moradabad -> Hapur -> Noida

You can catch up on our whole journey through our Instagram stories, here!

Weekend Trip to Kausani (Part – 3)

On our way to Nainital, we found some picturesque locations while crossing through Almora. We made pitstops to bask in the beauty of the surroundings and take some pictures to add to our memory box.

It was a beautiful morning not too hot in the month of May, just perfect. The highway road was smooth and made for the perfect long drive.

Pit stop on the way to Bhimtal

It was not just my husband and me, who were having all the fun, our little man was as exhilarated as we were. For a 2-year-old, it was all mesmerizing and perfect.

Pit stop on the way to Bhimtal

Just when we were about to reach Bhimtal, we saw a billboard that had an advertisement about paragliding, organized by Sky Track Paragliding. We thought of adding a pinch of adventure to our leisure trip.

However, upon reaching there we find out that they had halted their activities due to the strong winds around that time. Moreover, they were not sure when the activity would resume.

So we dropped the idea of paragliding and started on with our journey without wasting much time there.

Paragliding spot

Just a couple of kilometers ahead, we saw the Bhimtal viewpoint area. It was well maintained, had tables & chairs to sit, relax, and enjoy the Himalayan view.

On the opposite side of the road, there were a couple of tea stalls. We ordered Maggi and tea for us and spent some 30 mins there before resuming our further journey.

Clicked this picture from the Bhimtal viewpoint

Finally, we reached Nainital at around 1 pm. Although it was a Monday, the mall road was jam-packed with people and vehicles. It was too noisy with the chatter babble of the uncountable number of tourists swarming the only famous road.

The whole scenario was a setback for us. We were coming from a place that was filled with nature’s magical flora and fauna. And here, nature was all hidden behind commercialization.

You may also read: Plan a birthday trip to Andaman!

The temperatures were soaring high, we were in no mood to even get out of the car. But our driver wanted to have lunch before moving on with the drive.

So, we decided to take a stroll on the road towards Bazpur to breathe in some fresh air.

About 1 km ahead of the mall road, we saw a small entrance on the left side of the road alongside a ticket counter. There was a curved board above the entrance which read ‘Eco Cave Park‘. We thought it to be a small garden and decided to take a walk inside.

The entrance of Eco Cave Park

As soon as we stepped inside, we realized it was not any normal garden park. In fact, it was a house full of adventure. Exactly what we were looking for. The caves at Nainital!

Way to Cave

There were 6 natural caves named after the animals on the basis of resemblance to their natural habitat. These were tiger cave, panther cave, porcupine cave, bat cave, ape cave, flying fox cave, all with different dimensions.

One has to bend down and crawl to pass through the narrow passage of the caves. It was a full-on adrenaline rush activity for us.

Cave Entrance

We couldn’t take proper pics and our videos came out a little hazy since it was quite dark inside. However, I still want to show you how much we enjoyed the caves at Nainital. Check out the videos below.

You may also read: Pool essentials to pack in the travel bag for kids!

The 3 hours spent at the caves at Nainital made our visit to Nainital worthwhile! To watch all our pics and videos from the Kausani getaway, check here! If you happen to visit Nainital, don’t miss trying out the adventure at Eco Cave Park. You will have a great time for sure!

Part 1 of Kausani Diaries – When to visit? How to reach? Where to stay?

Part 2 of Kausani Diaries – 7 exciting things to do in Kausani!

Have you been to these caves at Nainital? How was your experience? Tell me in the comments below!

Don’t forget to share this post!

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The post The caves at Nainital, Eco Cave Park – Kausani Diaries appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

We, Delhites, are famous for taking impromptu weekend trips to nearby hills whenever we feel strangled by the city stress or the ever-increasing workload. Even on the weekends, I find myself finishing off my previous week’s pending tasks. I try to complete my work on the weekend so that I can have relaxing weekdays. However, that’s a vicious cycle and there’s no rest in our lives, we all know that. The only time I feel rejuvenated is when I am somewhere far away from the city life with my family. Those few days, make me feel alive. And that’s the rule of our family, we work hard and rather than partying, we travel to new places to rewind ourselves. Long trips or short trips, don’t matter but we try to take at least 2-3 trips in a year.

We had a great weekend trip last month to Kausani and here’s the Part -2 of our Trip. So, by now, you know how we planned a weekend getaway road trip to Kausani. If you still haven’t read the previous post, do check it out, here!

Things to do in Kausani

In today’s post, I am going to share about some exciting things you can do in Kausani. But before anything else, I want to mention that please don’t confuse Kausani with Kasauli. Kasauli is another beautiful hill station but is located in Himachal Pradesh whereas Kausani is located in Uttarakhand.

When you have come so far to a beautiful destination which is surrounded by Himalayan peaks, sightseeing is a must. There’s one best thing about Kausani and that is you can have a picturesque view of the beautiful snow-clad mountain ranges from anywhere in Kausani. Although, we were on a leisure trip for a day and wanted to relax in our hotel. But when the weather changed in the evening and it started raining we wanted to go out and enjoy it.

1) Anasakti Ashram

In 1929, Mahatma Gandhi visited Kausani and stayed at this place for 2 weeks. During his stay, he practiced Anasakti yoga, due to which this place is named as Anasakti Ashram, also known as Gandhi Ashram.

Anasakti Ashram

Gandhi Ji was so mesmerized by the beauty of this hill station that he named it the ‘Switzerland of India’ due to the resemblance in landscape and beauty.

Anasakti Ashram viewpoint

The ashram has a small museum and a prayer hall and also offers an accommodation facility to its guests. The place is very peaceful and attracts many tourists due to its historical attachment to Gandhiji.

Entry to the Ashram is free.

2) Trek to Pinnath

If you are an adventure junkie and trekking is your game, then you must check out this trek to Pinnath. It’s a small, beautiful village about 5 Km from Kausani and is reachable only by trekking. The trek is not too difficult hence even first-timers or amateur trekkers can do it too. This trek may take up to 5 hrs to and fro, hence keep a full day in hand to enjoy its beauty to the fullest. We skipped the trek as we were traveling with a toddler, but this is still on our list for the next time.

Trek to Pinnath
Image Source – daaju.com

You may also want to read Top 5 travel essentials when traveling with kids!

3) Baijnath Temple

Just like any other hill station, Kausani is also famous for its old temples. One of them is, Baijnath temple located in the Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand, some 16 Km from Kausani. This temple is dedicated towards Lord Shiva and is a delight for religious people as well as for admirers of great architecture.

Baijnath Temple
Image Source – doonmozaic.com

4) Rudradhari Falls and Caves

In case you do not want to opt for the 5 hrs trek to Pinnath, but still want to experience the fun of trekking, consider visiting Rudradhari falls. This is situated at a distance of 12 Km from Kausani. First, you have to reach Kantali village and from there start the 2 Km trek inside the village to reach Rudradhari falls.

Rudradhari Falls
Image Source – trawell.in

The best time to enjoy the falls is during monsoon when the water flows with full might over a vertical drop. There is also a small temple of Lord Shiva situated near the falls. The overall experience of trekking and the sight of falls along with the natural caves will leave you mesmerized.

5) Visit the Shawl Factory

Kausani is also famous for its handmade woolen shawls. You can see many small shawl factories in Kausani. The shawl factory is an initiative taken by local people to help create employment and growth opportunities for the people of Kausani. Since we started exploring the marketplace in the evening, the shawl factory was already closed when we reached there.

Shawl Factory Kausani

However, the factory owner was so humble and opened the door for us so that we could have a look at the machines and how they make shawls and other small woolen garments. The person who accompanied us to the factory also showed us how the shawl is made. We couldn’t resist ourselves from buying shawls from there.

These shawls have beautiful embroidery work done on them and their price depends upon the type of wool used and the fineness of the embroidery.

6) Space Museum at Stargate Observatory

If you like science as much as you adore nature, and if have always been curious to know about space and celestial objects, then you should definitely visit Stargate Observatory. It is just a walking distance from Anasakti Ashram. Yes, an observatory with a space museum on a hill station.

Stargate Observatory

They charge a fee of INR 100/- if you want to observe celestial objects using professional equipment.

Unbelievable, isn’t it? Check out the below pics from the museum which left me awe-struck.

Stargate Observatory – Museum

7) Kausani Planetarium

Just opposite the Stargate observatory, across the road, there is a small cafe with a small board which says Kausani Planetarium since 2001.

Kausani Planetarium

So, basically, this one is the old planetarium and is operated by one man who is an amateur astronomer and his name is Mr. Kiran Khulbe. And he’s also from Delhi, coincidence.

I consider myself lucky that I got to speak to such an amazing person who knows so much about the objects in our universe. And he’s doing his part by sharing his knowledge with the people who visit his planetarium. And he charges only INR 50/- for an evening and morning live planet show. Unbelievable!

Night Planet Show

Check out the pictures and you will know how much we enjoyed watching planets so close to us. We saw the moon, Venus, Jupiter with its moons, and Saturn with its ring. It was an extraordinary experience and I highly recommend visiting this place to everyone if you are in Kausani.

Morning at Kausani Planetarium

That’s all, for now, guys, hope you liked reading this post. Do share it with your friends and family. In my upcoming post on Kausani, I will share about our next day of the trip and how we found the amazing caves in Nainital. So, stay tuned and keep watching this space.

The post 7 Exciting Things to do in Kausani – Weekend Trip appeared first on Growing With Nemit.