The Garhwal Himalayas and Kumaon

As the whispering pines echo down the valleys of Garhwal, in the eastern Himalaya, the Gods seem to talk to you. They surely live here. Imagination strains to be deciphered while legends seem to come alive.

 A land of sylvan beauty, with rich deep forests of century old cedars and cyprus and where folklore that sound like love songs blessed with the gentle art of persuasion to trek this fabulous land. Sleepy villages churn out woolens on their looms while blood red, rhododendrons sway with the gentle breeze, Each campsite is idllyic in setting while the night sounds lull you to sleep. To your left left and to your  right , lofty mountain snows beckon you to make your resolutions and temples remind you of colourful mythology. Spring blossoms give way to vivid green in summer and on to ochre, rust and brown in autumn.

This ethereal beauty grows on you and likens itself to song of an oriole, and  the hymns sung to watchful Gods. The Kumaon hills are among the most beautiful in the Himalayas. Low altitude treks abound, while further north; the massifs of Nanda Devi have beckoned mountaineers for years. The scope for trekking is immense from short walks to the ambitious and arduous glacial treks,. The diversity is staggering and legion.