This blog is to enlighten the general public about cheap adventure trips that the Youth Hostel Association of India (YHAI) offers. (Disclaimer: This is not advertisement. Just my good deed of the day.)
I have been on two YHAI treks till now. And on both of them the number of Delhiites or for that matter North Indians were not more than 5. Which is surprising because Himachal pradesh is much closer to Delhi than it is to the southern states. Probably, we Delhiites aren't as adventurous as them.
YHAI offers a number of treks, i have been on Mountain Biking (Jalori Pass) and Dalhousie Trekking.
The Mountain Biking program is a 6 day program which starts at Aut in Himachal Pradesh. It costs Rs.2700 and includes stay, food, cycle and gear. I took a Volvo to Aut which cost me 800 bucks itself so if you want to save more, go for state buses. But remember state buses are no Volvos and nor are Tata ACs. I realized the importance of double axle when i sat at the last seat on the way back in a Tata AC, which looks like a Volvo.My neck has never been the same.
The first day they take you for an acclimatization trek which is in no way an indication for what is in store for you in the next 5 days but is still tough. When i went on this trip i wasn't a cyclist and nor was i physically active. So, this is how it went.
On the 2nd day we cycled from Base camp (Aut) to Fagupul (22 kms). The incline in this ride was moderate and there were many downhills so you could happily go wheeling downwards. But the few uphills and long long ride especially when you have zero stamina kill you. After reaching the camp, which is situated on the most beautiful riverside, i realize there is no option of taking a bath and the toilet is a hole in the ground with a tent around it. The food is simple and it feels like a feast just because you are so hungry. The best part about YHAI is that even in the most difficult of conditions, they still give you bed tea, evening tea, before-dinner soup and after-dinner bournvita. It gets really cold in the tents so you have to make sure you are covered properly.
The further schedule of this program goes like this
Day 3: Fagupul to Jhibhi (10 kms)
Day 4: Jibhi to Sojha (7 kms)
The number of kms to be done in a day is inversely related to how difficult the incline will be.
I am embarrassed to admit that i had to drag my bike through most of Day 3 & 4. It was impossible for a non-cyclist to do. But the scenery was so breathtaking that it was all worth it. All those planning to go for this, make sure you find the hidden waterfall in Jibhi, you'll love yourself.
The Winter Trekking Expedition in Dalhousie which i recently went to due to my paid holiday of a job is more doable. A group of 50 people trek together. Within 4 days you will walk 40 kms- climb up a mountain and climb down a mountain and then climb a mountain again. If you are lucky or unlucky, it will snow when you are there. The snow increases walking time by 3 times. The first day of trekking is so easy you'll think its a joke. You have to walk from Banikhet (Base Camp) to Dalhousie which is hardly 6 kms. The Banikhet Camp is a sad hotel where 15 girls had to squeeze into one tiny room and the bathroom stank. But at Dalhousie, we were made to stay at the Youth Hostel, which if I may say is like a 5 star minus room service. The hostel had beds whereas everywhere else we had to sleep in sleeping bags.
The next day we trekked to Kaala Top, which was the highest point on the trip. At this camp, we were made to stay in rented rooms, but it was too cold to be able to sleep properly. Dinner was served at 6 pm, again because of the cold. At 6 in the morning, a member of the staff woke us up so that we could brush and wash our faces with the water he was heating. And that is all the cleaning you can do. From Kalatop you can see the Pir Panjal ranges as if you were looking at them from the clouds. The trek moved on to Khajjiar, which is also known as Mini Switzerland. The trek from Kalatop to Khajjiar is the most difficult as it is 14 kms through the jungle paths which are strewn with fallen trees, but someone has taken the trouble to cut through some of them to make passage. The next day we trekked downhill to Chamba. The trek is quite harsh on the knees. The house where Taal was shot is kind of a tourist spot in Chamba, but it was too far from the camp to visit.
The Dalhousie trek is an endurance test to see how much cold you can bear. And it wasn't even snowing when i went. The surroundings are pretty and you just wanna hold your cup of tea and stare at them. Sadly, the tea turns cold quite fast. This trek cost me Rs. 2750 for the program. And the Rs. 430 I paid for the state bus till Banikhet. If you decide to take the state bus, wear as many clothes as you can.
These trips count for memorable experiences and crazy stories. You meet a number of people from all over India (especially Maharashtra). So, if you are not very hoity toity and don't mind attending your nature call in the wild, then the youth hostel treks are perfect for you.
The two that i have attended are actually not the most popular ones. Snow treks at Sarpass and Sarkundi are highly sought after. That's where i will be going next.
No comments:
Post a Comment