Chopta’s Enchanted Pathways: Trekking Through Nature’s Wonderland

The Allure of Chopta

Chopta – The Trekker’s Haven

Tungnath-Chandrashila Trek: The Spiritual Ascent

Deoria Tal Trek: The Mirror Lake Trek

Roopkund Trek: The Mysterious Lake Expedition

Conservation and Responsible Trekking

The Soulful Connection



Things to Buy in Kuwait

Best Destinations for Solo Travelling across India

shimla, railway station, travel, india

Pilgrimage sites, golden deserts, historical monuments, attractive beaches, foggy hill stations and enriched wildlife, there are a lot many things that make India a worth visiting destination. Visitors from across the world come to India to explore all these things, but a solo tour gives you ample opportunities to explore beauty solely in India. Explore new places, meet new people, overcome your fears, discover yourself and enjoy the freedom with a solo tour in India. Book your flight today using Ixigo flight coupons and save money on your next travel booking.

Shimla

Shimla is the best destination in India for solo travellers. Spend quality time alone in the lap of the great Himalayas and explore the other attractive destinations, markets and hotels that can make your solo tour delightful and memorable. Solo travellers can explore the destination by walking along the Mall road or enjoying the best dining experience at the popular restaurants dotted across the city of Shimla or taking some snaps or indulging in shopping at local markets.

Leh-Srinagar Highway

Adventure seekers can go for biking on the Leh-Srinagar highway, which is the next prominent destination for solo travellers in India. The location is bordered beautifully by most scenic landscapes and offers travellers an enthralling experience of cycling through this silent valley. The location is the ultimate venture for all backpackers as it offers the needed thrill and excitement for a memorable trip. Get a chance to explore the highways of Leh and Srinagar all on your own.

Rishikesh

Rishikesh is another popular tourist destination in India, and most of the solo traveller adds this destination in their itinerary for many good reasons. It is the destination for both adventure seekers and nature lovers. It is the destination for solo travellers, especially for those interested in adventure and outdoor activities like river rafting, trekking, bungee jumping, cliff diving, rock climbing, kayaking, and more. This destination is also popular for its Ayurvedic spa, meditation and yoga. Located on the Garhwal Himalayan region’s foothills, Rishikesh is best known for its white water river rafting in the Ganges and the best destination for solo travellers.

Tawang Monastery 

Tawang is the beautiful destination located in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The prime attraction of the city is the Twang Monetary, which is bordered beautifully by snow-capped mountains and clam streams and lakes. It is the only largest monetary in India that attracts thousands of backpackers every year, and solo travellers from across the world visit this place to enjoy the camping options and several trekking activities. Here travellers can find their inner peace and get the opportunity to rediscover amid serene environment, which offers a unique culture of Monpa people.

Goa

Whether you want to enjoy the plunge in deep blue water or soak into the hot sunlight or groove to trance the music numbers at pubs, Goa is the destination where you can spend several refreshing hours in your solo tour. Get indulged into the exotic drinks, attend rave parties or taste the continental cuisines at the Goa seaside restaurants, the vivacious and rich lifestyle in Goa combines the adventure water activities on beaches with several Spa and Ayurvedic sessions to provide you a reviving vacation. Different private beaches can be explored by solo travellers and experience the ultimate deep-sea fishing and other beach activities like scuba diving, jet-skiing, snorkelling, surfing, windsurfing and water skiing.

Alleppey

Alleppey is the beautiful destination located in the southern state of Kerala, and it reminds us of the picturesque canals, mesmerizing backwaters, stunning lagoons, exotic beaches and more. It is the best romantic destination best suited for honeymooners, but thousands of solo travellers visit it to experience the best of Mother Nature. Enjoy the backwater cruise in a houseboat, music festivals, dance shows and resort-style accommodation with a variety of spa treatment at Alleppey.

With so many amazing destinations across India that offer great hospitality, friendly atmosphere and comfortable accommodations, solo travellers would be more than happy to explore these incredible sights all on their own. Plus, they can use the Goomo Coupon Code to book their solo tour at discounted rates. After all, it is your solo tour, and you must look for options to save money wherever possible.

 


This is a guest post by Shruti Gopche. Thank you for this wonderful article, Shruti!

Where is safe to travel to during the Coronavirus Pandemic?

lisbon, portugal, travel

The Coronavirus pandemic has spread like a wildfire since the last few months. This has affected many sectors and the economy at large. One of the worst affected sectors is the travel and tourism sector. But with the aviation sector opening up slowly, the globetrotters across the world are positive that traveling will be on their agenda soon. However, some countries were not much affected by this crisis. So, which are some of these safe destinations to travel during the Coronavirus pandemic?

Portugal

Sintra, Portugal
Image via Flickr by brimidooley

This Southwestern country is a fantastic place with regions such as Lagos, Madeira Islands, The Azores, Algarve, and Alentejo almost Corona free. This is your chance to reconnect with unspoiled nature and indulge in activities such as hiking, whale and dolphin watching, wine tasting, savoring local products, and enjoying the golden sandy beaches. Add rich history, splendid vistas, and unbelievable art to this mix, and you have an unparalleled destination.

Croatia

Dubrovnik, Croatia
Image via Flickr by Ekaterina Valinakova

One of the least explored places, Croatia is brimming with rich culture, mouth-watering cuisine, splendid nature, and exciting watersports. Enjoy an amazing beach holiday in the crystal-clear waters of Rijeka or explore the lush green parks of Zagreb. There are plenty of opportunities to indulge in shopping, soak in the history and culture, and admire the incredible architecture.

Georgia

Georgia, Georgia travel

Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, looks stunning in spring and summer. There are many beautiful attractions at the top of Tbilisi such as the Metekhi Church, the Sulfur baths, the Kartlis Deda statue, Clock Tower, and the Peace Bridge. This destination offers culture, architecture, food, and amazing diversity. Batumi is another destination with awe-inspiring beauty, pristine lakes, cultural monuments, trekking, shopping, gastronomy, and more.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Burj Khalifa, Dubai

Emirates is one of the most popular destinations frequented by travelers. Sharjah boasts of outstanding historic architecture, heritage structures, and the largest art museums in UAE. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE is the perfect place for theme parks, shopping, culture, and much more. And finally, the icing on the cake is the most famous destination – Dubai. It is home to opulent lifestyle, vast desert, luxurious malls, extravagant architecture, deep-rooted culture, and delicious food. So, don’t you think it’s time to apply for your Dubai visa?

Cambodia

Battambang, Cambodia
Image via Flickr by Stig Berge

Cambodia boasts of exotic temples, rich heritage, brilliant landscape, and spotless beaches. It has the perfect balance of ancient and modern that will leave you spellbound. Some of the most scenic attractions include Sihanoukville Beaches, Battambang, Kratie, and Kampot. The cherry on the cake is the magnificent temple town of Angkor Wat which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Myanmar

Bagan, Myanmar, balloon ride
Image via Flickr by unerevuer

Myanmar is one of the most fascinating and mystical places in Asia. Some of the most famous attractions are Shwedagon Pagoda, U Bein Bridge, Mandalay Hill, Inle Lake, and Ananda Temple among others. With beautiful pagodas and monasteries, untouched beaches, impressive architecture, sacred temples, and captivating history, this should be one of the places on your travel bucket list. The street food in Myanmar is delicious and another reason to visit this Golden Land.

Conclusion

Many countries are opening their borders now and are trying to attract tourists with freebies and attractive deals. While it is important to follow safety measures, maintain social distancing, implement high hygienic standards, and take adequate precautions, looks like slowly but surely all the avid travelers can embark on a journey soon.

‐———————————————————————-

This is a guest post by Kritika Panase. Thank you for this wonderful article, Kritika!

Top Beaches in Bali You Need to Visit

padang-padang beach, bali

The island of Bali offers almost every kind of beach you can think of, ranging from the white sand and black sand beaches to rocky volcanic beaches. Whatever you like to do at the beach, there is one here for you. Use the same caution that you would at any beach and be careful when swimming, surfing or enjoying any other activities in or out of the water. The following are some of the top beaches in Bali you need to visit if you have opted for travel package to Bali from India.

Nusa Dua Beach

Nusa Dua beach is surrounded by luxury hotels and lush tropical vegetation including mangroves, orchids and palm trees. With golden sand dunes and exceptionally clear, blue waters, Nusa Dua beach is a paradise for swimmers and snorkelers. The currents are relatively mild and the waves tend to be low; surfers may want to head to the north or south ends of the beach to catch a wave.

Kuta Beach

A little further down the coast near the city of Kuta is Kuta beach. If you’re a surfer, this beach is a must-visit destination with strong currents and high waves. Unfortunately, this also means that this isn’t the ideal spot for swimming. It’s also something of a party spot and Kuta Beach tends to get a bit crowded at times. However, if you enjoy the nightlife, you’ll love the multitude of beach parties, clubs and visiting the Hard Rock Cafe Bali right by the beach.

Sanur Beach

You’ll find this beach by the village of Sanur in the south of the island. It’s a huge beach, running several km along the coast, featuring golden sand. If you’re a shell collector, chances are you’ll find quite a few here and it’s also a great place to swim and snorkel, with mild waves and currents and crystal clear water which allows you to admire the ocean life up close.

Balangan Beach

Located near Uluwatu, Balangan Beach definitely deserves a place on any list of top Bali beaches. The trip to Balangan Beach is a treat in itself, taking you past small villages and beautiful rustic scenery. It’s a small beach and is generally very quiet, perfect if you’re hoping to avoid the crowds. It’s more of a beach for enjoying the sun and the sights than for swimming, since there are high waves and strong currents here, although surfers may want to pay Balangan a visit for that reason.

Padang-Padang Beach

Another Uluwatu area beach, Padang-Padang is a beautiful beach surrounded by a tropical forest (and monkeys). To get there, you’ll need to take a narrow trail and steps down to the beach. Padang-Padang is a rocky beach and also features caves which you can explore at low tide – it’s also a good swimming spot at high tide, but be careful not to step on sea urchins or sharp coral! Padang Padang beach became something of a hot spot for a while thanks to being featured in Eat, Pray, Love, but the crowds have thinned to some extent and it’s still a wonderful beach to visit.

Lovina Beach

Lovina Beach is a more obscure destination in the north of the island. It’s a volcanic black sand beach near Mount Agung and is a wonderful place to swim, with low waves and calm waters and very few tourists. There’s also a charming fishing village nearby and thermal hot springs to enjoy. Other than at sunrise, when tourists come to see dolphins, the beach is generally very quiet.

Dream Beach at Nusa Lembongan

Lembongan is actually a separate island located about 7km off of Bali, but Dream Beach is well worth the trip. This island is still mostly undeveloped and offers natural beaches and a lot of beautiful scenery to explore. Allow yourself a day for Dream Beach, since you’ll want to see the rest of the island once you’ve spent some time at the beach.

Virgin Beach Bugbug Karangasem

20 minutes north of Candidasa, Virgin Beach Bali(also known as Pasir Putih Beach among other names) is a little off the beaten track and rarely crowded by tourists. The beach is located in Bugbug Village, Karangasem. If you’re looking for a quiet day at the beach in Bali, make sure to visit Virgin Beach. Diving, snorkeling, fishing, and some water activities are perfect to do in Virgin Beach, Bali.

Amed Beach Karangasem

Amed Beach is well known among divers and snorkelers as one of the best places in Bali, if not the world for diving and watching ocean life. Amed is a small fishing village in the northeast of the island, but has become a significant draw for tourists in search of underwater adventure. Despite its out of the way location, nearly 3 hours from Ngurah Rai International Airport, Amed Beach is well worth the trip. The best way to get to Amed is by hiring a car and driver from a Bali car rental service since there is no public transportation available to this top Bali beach.

Weekend Trip to the Sundarbans – the Land of Tigers

sundarbans, mangrove forest

It’s been a long time I haven’t posted anything on my blog. Well, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t traveled anywhere. 🙂 I kept my resolution of visiting at least one new place every year. The year 2020 started with a refreshing trip to the Sundarbans, which is a 3-hour journey from Kolkata.

Last year, I went to Nepal and Kodaikanal. In 2018, it was Mayapur ISKON and then Chikmagalur. In 2017, I visited Ooty and Coonoor with my family. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time…rather enthusiasm to blog about those trips as I have become lazy these days.

Anyway, there is no point repenting on what I could do and did not do. Let’s start with our Sundarban trip.

Located on the delta of the confluence of Ganges, Meghna and Bramhaputra rivers, the Sundarbans is the world’s largest mangrove forest and the natural habitat of Royal Bengal Tigers. The core area of the Sundarban Tiger Reserve was named the Sundarban National Park in 1984 and it became a Natural World Heritage Site in 1987. Only 40% of this huge mangrove forest lies within India. The rest belongs to Bangladesh.

mangrove forest, sundarban

The main attraction of this trip is the boat safari. It is all about sailing along the rivers and creeks with dense mangrove forest on both sides and being watchful if you can catch a glimpse of the tiger or other wild animals. We spotted crocodiles, wild boars, spotted deer, monitor lizards, eagles, cranes and few other types of birds. It was 2 nights and 3 days conducted tour, which is, perhaps, not enough for exploring the rich flora and fauna of the place. But it’s not very safe either to go deeper into the wilderness.

Well, it’s sheer luck to catch a glimpse of the king of the jungle. And fortune did not favor us this time.

In those three days, we visited Sajnekhali watchtower and Mangrove Interpretation Centre, Sudhanyakhali and Dobanki watchtowers. The watchtowers offer a 360-degree view of wide-open forest land and swamps. There are a few sweet water ponds near watchtowers. If you are lucky, you can spot animals that come to drink water.

We took time out to explore the nearby village in the morning on the third and last day of our Sundarban tour and bought some fresh honey from a local village shop.

How to reach:

It’s about a 3-hour journey by car from Kolkata to Godkhali launch jetty. You can also take the train Canning Local from Sealdah and take a taxi or auto-rickshaw to Godkhali. Whether you go by car or by train, finally you have to take a ferry from Godkhali port and cross the river to reach Sundarban. Our tour company arranged an AC Volvo bus. Starting at 8:45 in the morning from Esplanade, Kolkata we reached Godkhali port at around 1 pm.  

Where to stay:

There are a few good resorts in Sundarban. Located on the riverfront, Tiger Roar Resort offers a pleasant stay and good food. We booked two luxury rooms for my family. You can read my detailed review of the accommodation on Tripadvisor.  

Untouched National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in Uttarakhand

Valley of Flowers, Uttarakhand

Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, the land where spirituality meets the pristine natural Himalayan beauty. Replete not only with a sense of devotional aura the place is home to some of the most impeccable collection of flora and fauna. The biodiversity of Uttarakhand is so magical that the national parks here are well preserved and maintained to save the habitat. It is also a safe refuge for a number of endangered and rare wildlife species which make this state even more stunning. If you wish to discover the treasures that are housed here then you can visit the following national parks:

Valley of Flowers National Park

This UNESCO world heritage site is nestled peacefully on the lap of the western Himalayan region on an elevation of 3,668 metres above sea level. In order to maintain the sanctity and beauty of this place, it remains open to a limited number of visitor for a very brief period of time each year from June to October. This is the time when the valley blooms to life with colourful flowers, plants and bushes lining every path and till as far as the eyes can see. Once in the Valley of flower, you can view around 300 different species of alpine and high altitude fauna collection like rhododendrons, Himalayan marsh orchid, poppies, sipper orchid, daisies, marigolds and so on. walking through the stunning landscape from your starting point at Ghangaria village to the park will also allow you to have a refreshing experience.

Nanda Devi National Park

Nanda devi National Park, Uttarakhand

Another remarkable UNESCO world heritage site Nanda Devi national park has was established in the year 1982 and is also a wonderful biosphere reserve. The park is surrounded on all sides by big lofty Himalayan peaks, glaciers, and gushing streams which forms the perfect haven for a rich and thriving wildlife. The park is lined with a number of moderate to challenging trekking expeditions and of course all the while you will be accompanied with majestic snow-capped mountain peaks. It is every nature lover’s paradise due to the presence of around more than 312 floral species along with 17 rarely occurring plants and trees of juniper, fir and birch. If lucky you will even get to witness mammals like Himalayan musk deer, Himalayan tahr, brown bear and more. Truly a memorable place to be.

Govind Pashuvihar National Park and Sanctuary

Established in the year 1955 in the district of Uttarkashi this national park is located on the upper reaches of the Garhwal Himalayan region. The terrain here is very diverse here which serves as the perfect home for a variety of wildlife like Sikkim mountain vole, snow leopard, Himalayan tahr, crested porcupine, etc. apart from the rich animal kingdom here, one can also find some of the most stunning and breathtaking landscape of green meadows and snow-capped peaks. It is also home for some amazing collection of high altitude birds like golden eagle, warbler, Himalayan snowcock and even the state bird of Uttarakhand known as monal. Trekking here on the Har Ki Dun valley is an adventurous experience here which is filled with wildflowers.

Gangotri National Park

Located in the district of Uttarkashi and panning out on an area of 2,390 sq. km. this place is famous for being the third largest national park in the world. The entire park allows you to witness the real meaning of majestic coniferous forest cover and lush rolling green meadows. The park offers a treat for nature lovers and adventure seekers alike. It is an oasis for witnessing some remarkable wildlife culture here like – ibex, tahr, partridges, pheasants, Himalayan Monal, etc. Staying near one of the several budget hotels around the park allows you to have a closer look at the natural beauty here. Camping here and sleeping under the wide-open skies amongst the blessing of nature is something that can only be experienced there.

Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary

Situated at a distance of around 30 km from the magnificently spiritual town of Almora, Binsar wildlife sanctuary is a paradise for nature lovers and explorers. The sanctuary is nestled in between the pristine beauty of the Kumaon Himalayas and the entire region boasts of enigmatic greenery. You can stay the night in one of the several government houses available here which can be also used as a camp for you to stay and explore the flora and fauna collection here. Established in the year 1988 this protected region is the perfect place to go with your family and loved ones if it is a peaceful adventure time you are looking for.

Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary

deer sanctuary

This stunning deer sanctuary is located at a distance of 54 km from the off-beat location of Pithoragarh. The rare species here are extremely rare but well protected and some of the mammals found here include Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, Himalayan jungle cat, barking deer, etc. Perched on an elevation of 1,600 metres above sea level and panning over an area of 600 sq. km., this place is truly a hamlet for nature lovers and peace seekers as well apart from being a true delight for bird watchers. This is probably one of the most untouched and pristine wildlife sanctuaries here.


This is a guest post by Sakshi:

Sakshi is an avid travel writer, explorer and overall a creative individual. She loves writing about offbeat places and hidden jewels along with capturing beautiful landscapes.