Being a travelling enthusiast, I love to trek, do Yoga and gradually I am moving towards a healthy and happy lifestyle. So, I thought why not to share all amazing treks that me, my family and friends have experienced in the recent  time to give you a more  holistic idea of eco trekking and responsible travelling.

1. Trekking in Himachal Pradesh– I was very fortunate to attend a trekking camp during my graduation, because I was also a NCC Cadet. First, we all reached Pathankot then took a train towards Kangra. The trekking expedition was very well planned, there were cadets of various Schools as well as College. We all stayed in a lush green campus of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Kangra installed with Solar Panels. Our first trek was towards Baijnath Temple, located in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh. It was an easy trek, this temple was made by Pandavas during their exile. The outside view of temple was also very amazing.

Next Day, We trekked towards a Monastery, namely Tashi Jong Monastery. Visiting a Monastery is always a calming and peaceful experience. But the trek in itself was difficult , we saw lot of amazing things in the trek such as Rubber trees and small waterfalls. I made lot of friends during the trek. Their were Cultural programmes also every evening in which students of each state performed their Folk Dances.  I also got an opportunity to witness  NCC parade of Cadets which was a mesmerising experience in itself.

Next Day, We all went To Kangra Fort in a Bus. We all visited Jwala Devi Temple, Sati’s tongue is believed to have fallen at the very place where Jwala devi Temple is now situated. Kangra Fort is the largest fort in the Himalayas and probably the oldest dated fort in India, built by the royal Rajput family of Kangra State (the Katoch dynasty). On our return we saw Bears through the windows. Next Day was the beautiful experience of a homestay where we enjoyed local authentic food. Our trekking destination was a Tree, where it was believed that Vivekanand Ji meditated.

Our next trekking destination was Bir Bling, which is famous for its Paragliding. It was the longest trek, we saw Fire Flies in the evening. One day we  also played Volleyball and painted beautiful sceneries. On our return there was an amazing Party organised for all the Cadets by the authorities. In the evening , we also did a photoshoot and received our Certificates and Medals. It was really a lifetime opportunity for me to be a part of this trekking expedition.

2. Triund trek, Mc Leodganj

McLeod Ganj or McLeodganj  is a suburb of Dharamshala in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh, India. It is known as “Little Lhasa” or “Dhasa” as the Tibetan government-in-exile is headquartered here and there is a significant population of Tibetans in the region.

This is one of my recent trek, we reached Dharamshala, then took a local bus to Mc Leodganj. Then reached hotel and visited Dalai Lama Resident Monastery in the evening. Next day, we started our trek  from Bhagsu Nag Temple. It was a 12 Km trek starting with lot of stairs, a dried stream comes in between then comes a steep trek. According to locals, during rains stream flows with water. In mid of trekking, you can take tea and maggi breaks at Cafes beautifully decorated by Waste Warriors Organisation. You will find life and motivation quotes on stones and other beautiful waste to art installations made with eco-bricks and  used tetra milk packets making this trek really an eco trek.

Then, you reach a spot where you can see two mountains, but the actual point was a bit more farther. Somehow, with the help of guide we reached to the top and took a sigh of relief, because the weather became a bit stormy. There were tents for our night stay, staying in them was a beautiful experience. You can do stargazing, enjoy local food at the top of the Mountains and witness beautiful sunrise amid Dhauladhar ranges next morning. Then we started our journey back to plains.

The local cafes of Mc leodganj are also  amazing. I bought a woolen cap, jewellery and chamomile tea on my way back home. Due to lack of time, we couldn’t visit St John’s Church at Mc Leodganj and Tea Gardens at Dharamshala.

3. Nainital, Uttarakhand

My brother is very fond of Marathons, so he went to this  Half Marathon organised in Nainital by Nainital govt. Nainital  is a beautiful town in Uttarakhand, India. As soon as you step out of bus and travel half a mile, you get to see an amazing  eye shaped, Naini Lake. According to Hindu Mythology, Sati’s right eye fell here, hence it’s called Lake of the eye i.e Nainital. The goddess Shakti is worshiped at the Naina Devi Temple, known by locals as Naini Mata Temple on the north side of the present day lake.

Here, you can start your trek by covering the famous  7 points which are tiffin top, eco cave garden, lover’s point, suicide point, lake view point, dried lake view point and finally the peak point where you can take lot of beautiful photographs. If you start early, you can view  amazing sunrise amid kumaon hills and other points such as Mukteshwar Dham and Apple farms with the help of telescopes which are easily available there. The amazing part was that he got to see the beautiful snow covered mountains.

If you have time, you can visit Kainchi Dham. It is  is a Hanuman temple & Ashram which is established by a great saint Shri Neem Karoli Baba in 1960s. It’s a holy temple surrounded by hills ,trees and river flowing besides it.  Recently, Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma also visited this temple.

4. Kudremukh trek, Karnataka

This is the most beautiful trek in Karnataka. The nearest railway station is at Mangalore with trains connecting to many cities. The nearest airport is also in Mangalore and is accessible by taxis. Kudre means Horse in Kannada, so at the top you will find a horse face  shaped mountain.

• Kudremukh is a natural wonder. It’s very hard to find such a stunning landscape anywhere else in the country.
• It is a challenging trek given trekkers have to hike up 10 Km on an inclined terrain and also return the same distance before it gets dark.
• Trekkers have to cross at least 3 different streams to ascend Kudremukh. Get ready to remove your trekking shoes when you cross them. The area is blessed with plenty of waterfalls and Shola forest. After a strenuous trek, one can take a dip under one of them the next day.
• The tremendous amount of rainfall received by this area gives birth to 3 rivers – Tunga, Bhadra, and Netravathi.
• Kudremukh is carpeted by grasslands which have a high water retention capacity. Because of this it looks green most of the year.
• Kudremukh is part of Kudremukh national park which is home to several animals like Malabar Civet, Leopard, Slot Beer, Giant Flying Squirrels, Sambar, Lion-tailed Macaque.
• Other  eco places to visit in Karnataka are Nandi Hills, Lalbagh Botanical Garden and Bannerghatta National Park, where you can enjoy visiting a wildlife Safari and a Butterfly Park.

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  5. Udaygiri and Khandgiri Caves, Orissa

  Yes, it is a historical  site but sometimes it’s good to mix  Culture and Fitness. Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, formerly called Kattaka Caves or Cuttack caves, are partly natural & partly artificial caves of archaeological and religious importance near the city of Bhubaneswar in Odisha, India. The caves are situated on two adjacent hills, Udayagiri and Khandagiri mentioned as Kumari Parvata in the Hathigumpha inscription. They have a number of finely and ornately carved caves built during the 1st century BCE. It is believed that most of these caves were carved out as residential blocks for Jain monks during the reign of King Kharavela. Udayagiri means “Sunrise Hill” and has 18 caves while Khandagiri has 15 caves. 

   

  

These Caves are built opposite to each other. But to reach on the top of them, you have to trek on a flight of stairs. On reaching top of the Hill, you will meet a lot of Black Monkeys or Langurs. You can also explore amazing carvings of elephants and other Hindu deities. After  visiting the caves, we went to Nandkanam Zoological Park.

Here, you will find Eco-friendly ways to tackle waste, like before entering the park all your biscuit and  chips packet will be emptied into a paper bag. If you want to carry any plastic bottle inside the premises of park, you have to paste a sticker on that and submit Rs. 50 for that, which you can get in return if you return the sticker to the authorities. Such initiatives make it plastic free and one of the cleanest tourist destinations.

Nandankanan is the first zoo in India with a white tiger safari. It provides unique situation where the visitors are confined in a vehicle and the animals roam in the open jungle. A twenty-minute drive through the meandering roads crisscrossing the natural forest in a special protected vehicle takes the visitors straight into the pride of lion in the lion safari. You can also see Giraffes, Hippopotamus and Sloth Bears in their natural habitat here. There is also a Nocturnal house, Eco Aviary, Reptile Park and Toy Train for kids. Most beautiful of all of them is Aviary, where you will get to see a lot of birds in midst of an artificial stream.   

6. Diu Fortress, Diu

After travelling Dwarka ji and Somnath ji, we reached the less popular Union territory Diu. It is small but very clean and green. First, we explored the Diu fortress, which was built as part of Portuguese India‘s defensive fortifications at the eastern tip of the island of Diu during the 16th century. The fortress is a large structure on the coast of the Diu island and commands views over the sea. It skirts the sea on three sides. The outer wall of the fort was built along the coastline. The inner wall had bastions on which guns were mounted, where you can take lot of photographs. In the evening, there is also an audio show, which highlights history of Diu.

Next day, we went to Nagao beach and Ghoghla beach, from where you can experience beautiful sunrise. Then we went to Gangeshwar Mahadev Temple, where you will get to see five different size of Shivlings, which are believed to be made by Pandavas. These Shivlings  are struck by sea waves every two seconds. Then you can visit INS Khukri Memorial. Indian Naval Ship Khukri was a frigate of the Indian Navy. During the Indo Pak War in 1971, she fell prey to three torpedoes fired by a Pakistan submarine on 9/12/1971 and sank 40 nautical miles off the coast of Diu taking down with her a crew of 18 Officers and 176 Sailors.

For more such eco treks, you can contact ecodastkaari.com