The Traveller: Munsiyari, Kohinoor of Kumaon

After Chaukori we headed towards Munsiyari. We were lucky to see the beautiful Kumaon range from Chaukori and now we are moving even farther towards north.This time we hope to see the Panchchulli from up close and personal.

As usual we road is beautiful and hilly. We were accompanied by Ram Ganga and we could not help ourselves but stop the car at Thol, a place on the way and got down. We went till the river beautiful bank, breathe some fresh air before taking some shots. Remember one thing, if you are lucky you can see the Panchchulli from Thol and it looks so beautiful.

RamGanga at Thol

See the Panchchulli at the extreme top right in this photo taken at Thol.

RamGanga at Thol

At the river bed

What better way to achieve Nirvana

After Thol we crossed a town called Nachni and from here the road took a different look. Nature is more untouched but rough.We saw several landslides that had happened in the last few months.BRO is active very much in these regions and they always make a constant effort to keep the roads smooth in these rough terrains. It feels so good to see that your hard earned money given as tax to Government is used in making things better.

Treacherous roads

Mountain Roads

Jivan also showed us the place where the cloudburst of 2009 happened. He told that before August 2009, when he used to come to Munsiyari with tourists, this place was a small village with houses, people, small grazing patches.Women used to wash clothes and children used to bath in a small stream nearby. But now there is absolutely nothing except the horrible signs of a landslide that will give anyone a shiver. We really felt how helpless we are when natural calamities struck. Mother Nature is so benevolent yet at times she can be utterly fierce.

There are many falls in this region but the most notable among them is the Birthi Falls where KMVN has also set up a guesthouse.We stopped our car in KMVN Birthi stretched our legs and arms and took some photos.

Birthi Falls

KMVN Birthi

Next we reached Kalamuni Top that falls on the way. Jivan stopped the car. From here one can get a beautiful sight of the Panchchulli. There is also a temple dedicated to Kalamuni and a small tea stall nearby. The good thing about Kalamuni top is you do not have to trek, it is just on the way.

Panchchulli peak from Kalamuni

Kalamuni Temple

We reached KMVN Munsiyari at around 2 pm. We were greeted by a very sweet lady who showed us our rooms. KMVN Munsiyari has one of the best properties.We had booked a super deluxe room online and the best thing about super deluxe rooms in any KMVN guesthouse is you can see the Himalayas from your balcony. We had a very clear view of the Panchchulli for the next two days.

KMVN Munsiyari

View from the room window

Remember one tip: Always leave your last destination before any other guests and try to reach the next one before any other guests,.That way once you reach the next KMVN guesthouse you get the option to choose. When I say try to reach the nest destination before any other guests, please be very clear that I mean DO NOT HURRY or DRIVE RASH. Respect the Mountains and you will be save. Never ever disrespect the mountains or litter anywhere in the mountains.

Three other good hotels in Munsiyari apart from KMVN are Pandey Lodge,Milam Hotel and Vijay Mountview. They have good location advantage, but about the rooms and facilities I don't know.

The full day we just saw Panchchulli from our balcony. The sunset was amazing. Watching the rich hues of sunset reflected on the Panchchulli will definitely act as a natural smoother. However as the Sun sets, the chill starts at double the pace.

Sunset at Munsiyari

We also took some star trails at night, even though the night temperature was sub zero.If you are planning to visit Munsiyari any time of the year please pack woolens clothes.

Next day is our sight-seeing day. Wherever we go we try to leave early so that we can see the places when the crowd is less.Here also we were no exception.

First is the Nanda Devi temple.Just as we left the town I noticed a small patch of land on my left where I told Jivan to stop the car.The place looked so amazing.There was a few horses grazing on a meadow with green mountains on the back with the Panchchulli overlooking them.

Somewhere on the way

We climbed a few easy steps to reach the temple premise. The place is amazing and will blow you away.The Panchchulli looks to stunning against the temple backdrop. This place is not to be missed.
Since we love to take landscaped so we stayed here more than any normal tourists. The view and the photos that we got was rewarding.

Nanda Devi Temple

Next we went to the tribal museum. It is private owned I suppose since I did not saw any government board or anything.The entry cost is minimal, its just 10 bucks if I am not wrong. This place has some old tribal artifacts, utensils, models, coins and photographs. Also there are some books for sale.

Tribal Museum

Pottery in Tribal Museum

Entrance of Tribal Museum

@Tribal Museum

There is a small grocery shop near to the Tribal Museum. If you love rajma then never ever forget to buy specific "munsiyari rajma" from there or any local shop. This special rajma is only grown locally
only for local consumption and you will not get it anywhere outside Munsiyari.

If you want to be sure whether to buy or not, then a clever way is ask the KMVN restaurant guy to prepare the local rajma dish for you either for lunch or dinner. If you like the rajma, buy it else not a problem.

Jivan understood that we were crazy about the Himalayas, so he told us that in the evening he will take us to a place from where we will be able to get the best view.He took us to a helipad very close to KMVN from where we got some of our cherishable shots. This is the difference between an experienced and inexperienced driver.

Sunset from the ground near the Helipad

Watching Panchchulli

:):)

Sunset from Helipad

From Munsiyari a lot of people opt from the Khaliya trek. It's an easy to moderate trek and very much worth doing.Guide assistance is needed for this trek and guides can be arranged from KMVN reception. Just let them know and they will arrange for you.

There are some more places within 40-50 km radius from Munsiyari like Dar Kot village,Maheshwari Kund but we just wanted not to include them in our trip this time.

Next day's journey will be a long one. We will be heading to Kausani.

Some more snaps from Munsiyari