I have an amazing opportunity this November for fellow travellers to join me on an incredible adventure, trekking in the mesmerising Himalayas and celebrating Diwali in a quaint Himalayan Village.
This journey will be supporting the Fernweh/Bachan empowerment project for underprivileged
women and untouchable tribes through the use of responsible tourism initiatives like community based tourism, home-stays and immersive travel experiences.
Experience authentic Indian Himalayan traditions, cultures, food, handicrafts and a general way of living, while uplifting the lives of the local people.
Prepare to step into another world filled with wild flowers, butterflies, stunning mountain trails, lush green forests, sparkling waterfalls, peaceful meadows and towering peaks.
What do you say? Would you like to join me?
Read on to learn more detail about this incredibly impactful journey to the Himalayas.
Itinerary
The official tour starts in Gopeshwar on November 3rd however if you’d like to join me from Delhi I have some options for you as well. Otherwise meeting in Gopeshwar is also an option if you wish.
31st October New Delhi
– Meet in New Delhi any time
– Explore the city (time permitting)
– Accomodation in a Hotel
1st November
– A day exploring New Delhi
– Accomodation in a Hotel
2nd November – Delhi to Rishikesh
– Experience a train ride through India
– Explore Rishikesh, in the Himalayan foothills beside the Ganges River
– Accomodation in a Hotel
3rd November Gopeshwar Into the deep Himalayas plus trekking to the peak
Into the deep Himalayas plus trekking to the peak
– Car from Rishikesh to Gopeshwar
– Arrival at Peaches and Pears an eco-friendly B&B 3 km out of Gopeshwar. This is going to be our home for next 7 days. We stay with a Himalayan family and enjoy organic homemade food- Vegetables, grains, rice, milk, eggs and fruits from the family’s garden/animal shed.
– Traditional welcome to the Himalayas.
– After refreshments we will relax a bit and then late afternoon will go for a hike to a neighbouring village and to the top of the hill behind the house to enjoy the stunning sunset and the views of Gopeshwar area. ∙ Home cooked organic dinner.
4th November Gopeshwar (B, L & D ) Local Gopeshwar Discovery and Gopinath Temple
– Local Gopeshwar Discovery and Gopinath Temple
– Breakfast and then a walk around the homestay and the gardens to understand the eco-friendly practices plus learning more about the organic farming. Guests are free to have fruits, vegies and herbs from the gardens.
– After lunch free time for yourself.
– Late afternoon visit to Gopeshwar to discover Gopinath temple made in 9-11 century AD plus a typical colourful mountain village market. Local cloths can be bought for the village visits.
– Dinner under the stars.
5th November Gopeshwar – Doongri ( B, L & D ) Village Program and hidden waterfalls discovery
– Village Program and hidden waterfalls discovery
– After breakfast we go for our village program to discover beautiful old architecture and to see the village life where underprivileged villagers are employed and an income is generated for them via this program. We will speak to few villagers and exchange stories (they are also curious) ∙ Visit to the local school to see the simple education system.
– Lunch at a local lady’s house she is supported by our project.
– Village and farm walks.
– After our village program we go to discover the hidden waterfalls and swimming holes. This is a beautiful nature discovery trek; we will talk about Fauna and Flora of the area. ∙ We will have our freshly prepared home-made organic dinner around the fire.
6th November Gopeshwar (B, L & D) Ari muni cave and Ansuiya temple Trek
– Handicraft program and Ecology project
– Handicraft village program- Trek to Tibetan and local handicraft villages. We meet the artisans and will be able to participate in making the handicraft plus buy the products directly from the artisans.
– Lunch at a young widowed lady supported by our empowerment project. A house in middle of green farms.
– Trek down to visit a project run by retired Army men to save the ecology by planting new plants/trees. We have lent them our land (rent free) to continue this project.
– We do a bonn fire in the evening and sit around enjoying our farewell dinner with our host family and listening to the local legends.
7th November Gopeshwar (B, L & D) Cooking course and Diwali celebration
– Cooking course and Diwali celebration
– After breakfast we head to the local market to buy the ingredient for our cooking course plus getting the fresh veggies and herbs from the house gardens.
– After this we are going to have our Indian Himalayan cooking course with our host. We all will cook and enjoy our fruits of labour together.
– We will prepare some sweets and rangoli (colourful pattern on the floor with flowers, spices and colours) for our Diwali celebration.
– In the evening we will all celebrate Diwali with the family and villagers. We will be bursting fire crackers, lighting diyas / candles, eat local delicacies and dance the traditional Himalayan dance with the locals.
8th November Gopeshwar – Sari ( 60km B, L and D) Deoriyataal trek and Chopta Camp in National park
– Deoriyataal trek and Chopta Camp in National park
– After breakfast we will head off to our next destination to Chopta. We will drive through beautiful green villages and the beautiful Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary to Chopta, and will see plenty of birds and wild life on our way. Here we will stay in a fairy-tale spot next to a beautiful stream. Just by being at this spot you will feel energized and start dreaming. – Chopta is the most Picturesque spot in Uttarakhand and still quite untouched. Accommodation choice tents and rooms, but staying in the tent in this area is magical.
– We will head to Sari for our Himalayan lake trek. We will trek from Sari village to Deoriatal situated at 2438 mts, it is a beautiful lake with its pristine waters captivating the eternal beauty of Chaukamba 43-2, Kedar and Neelkanth peaks. – – The area is surrounded by forests and green-lands and is one of the most scenic spots to catch breath-taking views of majestic peaks of Garwal Himalayas, Chaukamba being 7138 mts.
– Back to Chopta camp for dinner under the stars.
9th November – Chopta (B, L & D) Tungnath temple, Chandershila peak and clean run
– You will wake up to a breath-taking view of forest. Forest fairies are supposed to be in Chopta
according to the local beliefs.
– After Breakfast we trek to Tungnath means “Lord of the peaks”, it’s a stunning trek of 3.5 km which
takes us to the snow clad peaks and the Tungnath temple. Magnificent in its architectural and artistic
structure, Tungnath is considered to be more than 1000 years old. Once here you have a feeling of
peace and to be in a different era. Located at a high altitude (3,680 m) in the midst of forests, this
place is mostly unexplored by travellers. This area is famous for its rich flora-fauna and serene beauty.
Magnificent in its architectural and artistic structure, Tungnath is considered to be more than 1000
years old. Once here you have a feeling of peace and to be in a different era.
– We will have lunch here and enthusiastic trekkers can climb another 1.5km steep climb to the
Chandershila summit (4000 m) to have majestic view of Himalayan snow peaks including Trishula,
Nanda devi(7816 mts highest peak in India) and Chaukhamba. We will start from 2700 m (Chopta) to
4000 m (Chandershila).
– On our way down from Tungnath to Chopta we will be armed with gloves and garbage bags. This will
be our contribution to the Himalayas we will collect the rubbish on our way down, this clean drive will
be organised by Fernweh Fair Travel and our host Peace trips project.
10th November – Chopta – Gopeshwar (40 km B, L & D ) Bird/wild life watching and Relaxation
– Early riser can have a bird and animal watching trip with us before the breakfast. The wild life is
stunning here.
– We drive back to our home stay with stops at the national park and women NGO where these women
make jams, juice and pickles; everything is sourced from the local farmers. We will taste their wares
and can buy directly from them.
– Late afternoon is free for you to relax or for a trek around the house.
11th November Gopeshwar (B, L & D) – Handicraft program and Ecology project
– Handicraft village program- Trek to Tibetan and local handicraft villages. We meet the artisans and
will be able to participate in making the handicraft plus buy the products directly from the artisans.
– Lunch at a young widowed lady supported by our empowerment project. A house in middle of green
farms.
– Trek down to visit a project run by retired Army men to save the ecology by planting new
plants/trees. We have lent them our land (rent free) to continue this project.
– We do a bonn fire in the evening and sit around enjoying our farewell dinner with our host family and
listening to the local legends.
12th November Gopeshwar – Rishikesh ( 160km B & L) – Sightseeing and drive to Rishikesh
– After breakfast we start our drive towards Rishikesh. On our way we do sightseeing, one of our stops
will be Devprayag- Ganga the sacred Indian river officially starts at this point. Here you will see
beautiful shades of blue colour of river Bhagirathi and river Alaknanda uniting to form river Ganges.
– Drop off to Rishikesh.
Inclusions
Includes-
– Accommodation on twin share basis
– Full board. All meals as mentioned
– 10 nights accommodations
– Entrance fee to the monuments and national parks
– Private taxi travel
– Train journey
– Cooking course
– Private English speaking guide
– All the activities organised (village program, Handicraft program, school visit, nature walks, treks etc.)
Excludes-
– Drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic)
– Visa
– Personal expenditure
– Flights
– Travel insurance
What to bring-
– Good walking shoes
– Comfortable/warm clothing and a hat
– Sun cream
– Light jacket
– Camera
Fitness Level-
Mid fitness level is needed
Weather-
Temperatures in November can vary from 12 to 20°C.
