© Lonely Planet Publications 443 Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal) For a small state, Uttarakhand (formerly Uttaranchal) packs in an incredible amount. You can be taking yoga classes at an ashram in Rishikesh and white-water rafting down the Ganges one day, trekking in the shadow of the Himalayas the next. Walk with pilgrims to ancient (UTTARANCHAL) (UTTARANCHAL) UTTARAKHAND UTTARAKHAND temples near the source of Ganges and Yamuna Rivers, or take puja (offering or prayers) with thousands of devotees on the ghats at Haridwar. Put your feet up and relax in Raj-era hill stations, or ride an elephant and take your camera on a hunt for tigers at Corbett or Rajaji National Parks. If you get your timing right, it’s all possible in Uttarakhand. This is a region where nature takes control – rolling forest-clad hills, snow-topped 6000m peaks, rivers, waterfalls, lakes and glaciers. The state is 90% hills and 80% forest. The sacred Ganges River, which rises at Gaumukh Glacier in the far north, winds its way down to the plains via the significant pilgrimage centres of Gangotri, Rishikesh and Haridwar. The British, fleeing the oppressive heat of the plains in summer, built enduring hill stations in the Himalayan foothills with Raj-style houses, hotels, churches and boarding schools that still exist. Mussoorie and Nainital have a real holiday atmosphere year-round and distant Himalayan views. Further north, the high Himalaya attracts trekkers, mountaineers and skiers as well as pilgrims on the Char Dham and Hem Kund routes. But it’s Rishikesh that draws most foreign tourists for its ashrams, yoga, meditation and all-round spirituality. Whatever your interest, square for square, this is one of India’s richest regions for travellers. HIGHLIGHTS Grab a backpack and trek ( p445 ) to remote, pristine glaciers and passes, surrounded by the mightiest mountain range on the planet Mana village Join the Char Dham ( p468 ) and Hem Kund Hem Kund & Valley of the Flowers ( p470 ) pilgrimages to remote temples, holy Mussoorie rivers and sacred lakes Rishikesh Scout for tigers from atop an elephant in Corbett Tiger Reserve ( p472 ) Get your asanas and chakras sorted at Corbett Tiger Reserve Rishikesh ( p459 ), the yoga capital of the Nainital universe Cool off in a scenic Raj-era hill station in Mussoorie ( p450 ) or Nainital ( p474 ) in the Himalayan foothills Trek into the sublime Valley of Flowers ( p470 ), a mosaic of natural colour, then visit charming Mana village ( p471 ) in the shadow of the Himalayas 444 UTTARAKHANDὄ (UTTARANCHAL) •• History lonelyplanet.com 0 40 km UTTARAKHAND (UTTARANCHAL) 0 20 miles Govind Osla Lamkhaga Pass National Park (5284m) Har Ki Jamdar C H I N A River Dun Glacier Taluka Mana Pass T I B E T Tons Sankri Harsil Kalinda Gangotri (Saur) Yamunotri Parvat Bhojbasa Janki Chatti Mana Mahla Gaumukh Saraswati Rv Kamet (7272m) Hanuman Chatti (4590m) (7756m) Dodi Kedar Tapovan Purola ὄὄὄJaonliὄὄὄGangotri ὄὄὄ Tal Tal River (6630m) Glacier Yamuna Barkot Bhatwari Kedarnath Valley of Flowers Malla (6970m) Nilkantha Mana National Park (6558m) Lakhmandal Kedarnath Hem Uttarkashi Badrinath Kund Dunda Sonprayag Madmaheshwar Malari Ghangaria Trijuginarayan Gaurikund Dharasu Bhagirathi Kalpeshwar Govindghat Milam Thati Rudranath Joshimath Glacier Kempty Falls Kathur Burphu Ukhimath Nanda Devi Nanda Glacier Auli Sanctuary Milam Rv Anasya Devi Mussoorie ὄὄRv ὄὄὄLataὄὄ Devi Kuari Pass (7816m) Dhalnotri Nanda Khat Chotta Kailash Tehri Ghamsali Gopeshwar (3640m) akini (6611m) Nanda Devi East (6191m) nd Chamoli Roop (7430m) Darma Nandaprayag Ramni Kund Dehra Dun Ma Trisul (7120m) Pindari Rv Mangtoli Nanda Kot nda Rudraprayag Ghat Glacier Ganga Alakna Karnaprayag (6800m) (6860m) Jolly Srinagar Phurkiya Narendranagar UTTARAKHAND UTTARAKHAND Grant Sundardhunga (UTTARANCHAL) (UTTARANCHAL) Pauri Adi Badri K U M A O N Airport Deoprayag Glacier Pindar Tharali Munsyari Rishikesh ὄὄὄRiver ὄ Song Chilla Gwaldam Gomti Haridwar Rajaji Baijnath Kapkot River National Dharchula Park Chaukhutiya Garur River Bageshwar Khankhal Kausani Didihat Lansdowne Kanda Ganges G A R H W A L Takula Sallya Dwarahat Ramganga To Delhi Binsar (250km) Kotdwar Ramganga Gangolihat Sahanpur Reservoir Jageshwar Pithoragarh ὈὈ Ranikhet Bare S i w a l i k Kosi Katarmal Almora Dhikala Corbett River Tiger Reserve Kosi River Sarju R a n g e Dhangarhi Gate Mukteshwar Kali Kalagarh Bijrani Amdanda River Gate Nainital N E P A L Jhirna Bhowali Gate Bijnar Nihtaur Ramnagar Bhimtal Champawat Naukuchiyatal Kaladhungi Kathgodam ὈὈSeohara Kashipur Haldwani Gola Chandpur River U T T A R P R A D E S H Tanakpur Rv Nanak Sarda Bhojpur Sagar Banbassa Mahendranagar Dhanaura To Moradabad (15km); To Delhi Khatima (210km) To Nepalganj (200km); Delhi (215km) Sitargani Kathmandu (600km) History Climate Uttarakhand consists of the culturally distinct The hill stations can be visited all year, al- Garwhal (in the west) and Kumaon (east) though winters (December to February) are districts. Over the centuries various dynas- freezing cold, with snowfall likely in January, ties have dominated the region, including so make sure your room has heating. Further the Guptas, Kuturyi and Chand rajas. In the north the main trekking and pilgrim season 18th century the Nepalese Gurkhas attacked runs from April to late October or early first the kingdom of Kumaon, then Garwhal, November, with a break in July and August prompting the British to step in and take most when the monsoon rains arrive and landslides of the region as part of the Treaty of Sigauli block roads. As in all mountainous regions the in 1817. weather is fickle and can vary greatly during After Independence the region was merged any season. Look at the altitude to get an idea with Uttar Pradesh, but following a vocal sep- of likely temperatures. aratist movement, the present-day state of Ut- taranchal was formed in 2000. In 2007 the state Information was officially renamed Uttarakhand, a trad- Most towns have an Uttarakhand Tourism itional name meaning ‘northern country’. office, but the main responsibility for the lonelyplanet.com UTTARAKHAND (UTTARANCHAL) •• Activities 445 cheap, basic accommodation is available in FAST FACTS private guesthouses, ashrams and GMVN Population: 8,479,562 or KMVN tourist bungalows and dormitory huts. Camping is another option and porters Area: 51,125 sq km are not expensive to hire. Dhabas (snack bars) Capital: Dehra Dun serve up rice, chapatis, vegetables and instant Main languages: Hindi, Garhwali and noodles. Kumaoni Government-run GMVN (www.gmvnl.com) and KMVN (www.kmvn.org) organise all-inclusive treks When to go: May to July and September for Rs 1500 to 3000 a day, but there are pri- to November; in lowlands (ie Rishikesh, vate trek companies offering much the same (UTTARANCHAL) (UTTARANCHAL) Corbett and Rajaji National Parks) thing for Rs 1000 to 4000 a day depending UTTARAKHAND November to March on group numbers and the level of food and service required. However, it’s easy to or- ganise your own trek – guides costs around region’s tourism rests with the Garhwal Mandal Rs 500 a day, cooks Rs 500 and porters Rs Vikas Nigam (GMVN; www.gmvnl.com), which covers 300. Ponies may also be available for hire on the western Garhwal district; and Kumaon Man- some treks. On yatra (pilgrimage) trails and dal Vikas Nigam (KMVN; www.kmvn.org) covering the on popular treks a guide is not necessary, eastern Kumaon district. The two manage but on more remote treks it is recommended a network of tourist bungalows throughout for safety reasons and to support the local the state. subsistence economy. Porters make any trek easier and more enjoyable. Trekking maps Activities are available from the Survey of India (www TREKKING .surveyofindia.gov.in) For a more in-depth cover- Whether walking through the hills and forests age of treks, see Lonely Planet’s Trekking in of Kumaon or tackling a 3500m mountain the Indian Himalaya. pass, Uttarakhand provides some of India’s finest and most accessible trekking country. In RAFTING & KAYAKING the Garhwal district, the Char Dham pilgrim White-water rafting on the fast-flowing Gan- routes ( p468 ) mean that public transport to ges and Alaknanda Rivers is fast growing in many treks is excellent. But you can also get popularity, with a dozen or more companies away from the crowds and head to spectacu- setting up riverside rafting camps during the larly remote places like Har ki Dun Valley or season (October to May). Rishikesh is the the magical Nanda Devi Sanctuary, which has main place to organise rafting trips ( p463 ) a limit on the number of walkers allowed in but agencies in Joshimath also arrange trips, at one time. Trekking the Kuari Pass brings usually starting from Rudraprayag. Kayaking sublime views of Nanda Devi, India’s second is also gaining a foothold and there’s a recom- tallest peak, and follows in the footsteps of mended outfit in Rishikesh ( p463 ). Viceroy Lord Curzon. In the eastern Kumaon region, nudging up against the Tibetan bor- der, you can tackle challenging Pindari or TOP TREKS Milam Glacier treks. The best (safest) time to trek is either the Kuari Pass ( p471 ) premonsoon period (mid-May until the end Valley of the Flowers & Hem Kund of June), or the postmonsoon season (mid- ( p470 ) September to mid-October). In July and Au- Pindari Glacier ( p483 ) gust the major problem is landslides that cut roads to the trailheads and cause long delays. Milam Glacier ( p484 ) The Char Dham temples and other high- Nanda Devi Sanctuary ( p471 ) altitude treks close in winter (late November Gangotri ( p467 ) to March). Clothes and equipment can be purchased Yamunotri ( p468 ) new or secondhand or hired from local shops Har ki Dun Valley ( p468 ) or from GMVN. On these treks and trails 446 UTTARAKHAND (UTTARANCHAL) •• Dehra Dun lonelyplanet.com FESTIVALS IN UTTARAKHAND Makar Sakranti day (Jan; Uttarkashi, p467 ) Religious images are borne aloft on palanquins and carried into town from outlying villages.