In the days of yore, the Kumaon region, Almora and its surroundings used to be a quiet, sleepy Himalayan outpost blessed with magnificent Himalayan vistas and a trading hub. The eerie silence of the Himalayas and the pristine mountain environment has for a long time been luring writers, poets and artists to rejuvenate themselves. It goes without saying that creative people find the Kumaon Himalayas (Almora and beyond) particularly conducive for creative pursuits and have found fulfilment here.
Of late, the stupendous cultural diversity, aka Indigenous culture of the Kumaon region, has touched the chord of today’s discerning traveller. Needless to say, a journey through the rugged Kumaoni mountain landscape is a stellar experience, an assault on your senses through culture, cuisine, history, heritage and dance.
In a world reeling under global warming and climate crisis, the Indian state of Uttarakhand comes as a breath of fresh air. With the snow-capped high Himalayan peaks like Nanda Devi(7816m), Chaukhamba(7138m), Panchchuli(6904), and Trishul(7120m) standing like sentinels, the peace-loving people of Uttarakhand along with the state government’s nodal Tourism department have taken a vow to protect the state’s fragile Himalayan ecosystem through a series of eco-friendly measures like encouraging homestay options in lieu of the commercially profitable multi-storied apartment hotels, promoting immersive holidays with the stress on taking tourism to the villages and hamlets; the idea is to make tourism ecologically sensitive and thereby offer high-value experiences.
In the post-COVID world, visitors worldwide have unequivocally shown a preference towards visiting carbon-neutral destinations where nature is pristine, the culture unscathed by modernity, and distinctive cultural traits are well preserved.
No wonder the Kumaon Himalayas (Almora & surroundings) is the melting pot of tribal/indigenous people – Tharus, Bhutiyas, Jaunsaris, Buksas and Rajis, whose fascinating lifestyle, belief systems, cuisine, jewellery design and folklore have all endeared themselves within the minds of today’s discerning travellers.
Embarking on a Janjati Tour of the Kumaon Himalayas could be life-changing and transformative. Out here, travel is slow. The essence is on immersion and engagement with the local folks. The roads are intimidating, yet the natural vistas, flora and fauna are just fabulous. Sometimes, you keep hiking for hours together with not a soul to be seen!
Each Janjati is unique, with its own set of belief systems in place. For Instance, the Tharus are matrilineal, and women are the torchbearers of society. The colourful Jaunsaris, on the other hand, are one of the world’s last remaining Polyandric societies. The Bhotiyas are distinctive with their Tibeto-Mongoloid features and are expert weavers.
My good friend Juhi Koranga, who hails from the bewitching hill station of Almora, has been guiding visitors from affluent Western countries like the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and Germany through her company – Kumaon Safar and Oh God! Most of her guests are repeat visitors to Kumaon, which speaks volumes about the region’s astonishing beauty and surreal charm.
Visitors from abroad who come in search of peace and solitude are provided high-quality accommodation in rugged Kumaoni Wooden cottages on a self-service basis.
Julia Koranga’s itineraries are quintessentially curated for Slow Travel/Conscious Travel. She takes extra care when choosing cottages. All the windows and balconies offer 360-degree uninterrupted views of the stunning snow-covered Himalayan peaks. In the cozy confines of these Kumaoni Mountain Huts, the good old times resonate gracefully. As the red molten ball dips across the Himalayan vistas, it is time to huddle together beside the crackling fireplace, strumming your Guitar, and indulge in your favourite tipple. The all-pervading peace inside and the snowfalls outside is nature’s invitation to you, reminding you yet again of those immortal words of Roger Ebert – “The very fact of snow is such an amazement”.
Juhi Koranga’s untiring efforts to showcase not just the Kumaoni Himalayas but also the stupendous Janjati diversity of the region is beginning to have a positive rub-off effect on the village folks, particularly Sitlakhet and Balsa Gaon. These picturesque villages receive a regular stream of visitors from abroad, which has metamorphosed into a precious bond of friendship.
The stellar element of this unique friendship bond is that there is no superfluous demands imposed on the village communities. Discerning visitors appreciate the fact that the Kumaon Himalayas is earmarked for “Slow Tourism/Immersive Tourism”, and they want the villages to retain their original, centuries-old charm. Although transportation and roads remain below par, there are no complaints; the cultural immersion into the Kumaoni folklore, legends and traditions are far more important.
Indeed, what a joy it is to see local folks engaged in serving HNW guests from abroad, some of whom are millionaires in their own rights, partaking in the local food prepared so lovingly by the womenfolk while the men are busy guiding visitors on the trek, hiking to remote hamlets and offering them every possible help enroute.
With fulfilment writ large on her face, apart from overseeing the Indigenous Tourism operations from her cosy mountain home in Almora and the wellbeing of her team, Juhi is focused in ensuring a “No Nonsense” approach when it comes to the question of preserving Kumaon’s fragile Himalayan eco-system and Indigenous diversity.
According to Juhi, “In spite of the onslaught of modernity, the Kumaoni people have fiercely kept their biodiversity protected, vehemently forsaking attempts to commercialise the tourism phenomenon. I come from a Fauji family and my step grandfather Late Dewan Singh Koranga and later on Shri Nandan Singh Koranga, the later in particular served with great distinction in one of Indian Army’s oldest and most decorated infantry unit – the Kumaon Regiment.”
On a typical jungle safari to Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Juhi can be seen in excited mode – crafting the itinerary, the route to be followed during the Safari, Kumaoni villages to visit, checking the condition of the 4×4 Wheel drive vehicles, arranging the logistics like tents, food etc… In short, Juhi’s pre-Safari preparedness is worth emulating as she leaves nothing to chance, knowing fully well that one mistake on those treacherous wilderness trails in Binsar could be disastrous!
The Kumaon region might not be on the bucket list of travellers, yet, it is unputdownable and off the beaten track. No other Himalayan zone in India offers the kind of Himalayan spectacle – an uninterrupted sight of a 300 Kms. stretch with powdery peaks like Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot, Kedarnath, Panchachuli…… all lined up as if a beauty pageant was on!
The Kumaoni culture and adventure experience is very well summed up by Juhi herself – “My late step grandfather Shri Dewan Singh Ji was fortunate to enough to spend a lot of time with Jim Corbett at a time when the entire Kumaon Himalayas was infested and terrified with dangerous Maneaters (Tigers and Leopards). We grew up listening to stories about Corbett’s courage in confronting the Big Cats. However, for us Kumaonis, we do not consider Tigers and Leopards as predators; rather, we believe that their presence is an indication that our ecosystem is healthy. Perhaps, this attitude originated from the great Hunter-turned – Conservationist Jim Corbett himself, who first instilled in us the need to be sympathetic to the Big Cats”.
10 Stellar Reasons to Visit Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand is India’s spiritual capital and blessed with countless pilgrimage sites like Dev Haridwar, Rishikesh, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri.
Rishikesh is considered to be the Yoga Capital of the world.
The highest peak of India – Nanda Devi (7816m) is in Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Valley of Flowers and Nanda Devi National Park.
“Lake District of India”, Nainital is India’s very own Lake District.
There are two famous mountaineering institutes which are in Uttarakhand – The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, situated in Uttarkashi, and Pandit Nain Singh Surveyor Mountaineering Training Institute, situated at an altitude of 2200 m in Munsiyari, Uttarakhand.
The state is home to two of the most sacred rivers in Hinduism – the Ganges and the Yamuna. The origin of the Ganges is the holy mountain Gangotri, while the origin of the Yamuna is the holy lake Yamunotri. The two rivers originate from different parts of the state.
Jim Corbett National Park of Nainital district is the oldest national park in India which was established in 1936 for the protection of the Royal Bengal Tiger. The park is situated at the foothills of the Himalayas in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand.
The first Agriculture University of India, “Govind Ballabh Pant University”, which paved the way for the Green Revolution of India, was established in 1960 in Pantnagar.
Geo-strategically very important as Uttarakhand shares its international border with China in the northeast and Nepal in the southeast. The length of the international border shared with China is 463 Km, and that along Nepal is 303 Km. The total international border length of Uttarakhand is 766 Km.
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