Visiting Ranikhet – but via a new road

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Visiting Ranikhet – but via a new road

A view of the road cutting towards Bhowali village done in 2012

A panoramic view of the new road cutting on the bye pass to Kainchi Dham from Bhowali Sanatorium as on June, 2026

            Every year I visit my home in Ranikhet region of Uttarakhand during the summers.  Accordingly, this year too I planned my visit in June, 2026 but due some official pre-engagement, I had to shift my visit to second week of June, 2026 and to be precise, I planned my visit on 13th June, 2026.  There is a very famous shrine of Baba Neem Karoli Baba en-route Ranikhet from Haldwani/Kathgodam and even during normal weekends it is packed with pilgrims and vehicles.  This shrine has a special significance for 15th of June every year, as it is the foundation day of the shrine.  There is so high influx of pilgrims and tourists that the Government has to impose restrictions for visit during the said days.  I had presumed that the restrictions would kick in only a day earlier than the scheduled mela/fair as per the usual practice and had accordingly planned and purchased ticket for early morning Shatabdi train for 13th June, 2026 that would reach Kathgodam by mid-day of the same date and thereafter, travel for about 90 Kms. or so by taxi to my home.

Panoramic view of Bhowali village in 2012

Panoramic view of Bhowali village in June, 2026

            I reached New Delhi Railway station early in the morning well in time and boarded the train.  I had a fixed driver who usually ferried me from Kathgodam to my home in Ranikhet region and I had already informed him beforehand and he had also acknowledged the same.  By the time I reached Haldwani, I rang him up to inform him about my imminent arrival in Kathgodam, but his phone god disengaged every time I tried to dial his number.  Since, I had another number, I rang up with it and his phone rang but he did not respond and thereafter, switched off his mobile.  It can be appreciated that a person may get pre-occupied with some other work, but courtesy requires that he informed me about it beforehand.  So I had to talk to another person from my village, who operates his own taxis and he provided me with an alternate number of another driver and he willingly agreed to pick me up from Haldwani itself.  Having tied up with the new driver, I alighted from the train at Haldwani station itself and got onto his taxi for our onward journey to Ranikhet.  The driver informed me that he stays in Ranikhet and hence it was his regular route.  However, on the way he informed me that this year the road restrictions on Kainchi Dham route had kicked in two days in advance rather than usual one day in advance.  Although the usual choke point of Nainital entry point was normal and we got past it without much ado, however, just as we reached Bhowali sanatorium region, there as a traffic jam, as the traffic was being diverted and we took the chance of going through the newly constructed bye-pass to Kainchi dham rather than the circuitous route through Mukteshwar-Almora-Ranikhet route that had been decided by the authorities. 

Panoramic view from Chorsa village in 2012 when it was not connected by road

View of Chorsa village in June, 2026 as the road passes through it

             The usual distance from Bhowali to Kainchi Dham through the regular route is about 8-9 Kms., however, the length of newly constructed bye-pass from Bhowali sanatorium is about 18 Kms.  The first twelve kilometers of this new route was properly paved, but beyond that the road is unpaved and uneven, a little rain can severely constrict movement across this road.  I had last traversed through this road way back in 2012, when we were offered a piece of land in a place called Chorsa village on this route, but as the road had not been constructed properly by then, the bunch of friends had decided to traverse this kuchha road of about 8-10 Kms. by foot and we had sent out taxi to Garam Pani to wait for our descent.  The condition of the road then was so atrocious that we had called off the plan to buy land in Chorsa village as we did not want to get struck with no means of transport to the village and it is only recently that the road has been developed.  I have some old photographs and hence have posted them as then and now photos.  Beyond the initial paved 12 Kilometers stretch, the road was so bad that the remaining six odd kilometers took almost one and a half hours to traverse.  I have placed a link to a short video for the viewers to evaluate the conditions themselves.  The remainder of the journey was without any further hiccups and we reached my home well in time.

Finally reached my home - view of my garden

Panoramic view of valley with Ranikhet in view across the valley from my home

View of Soni village - shot from a view point about 700 meters from my residence

Here is a short video of the road from Bhowali sanatorium -

*Note - all the recent photographs have been shot using my mobile phone camera and hence the quality may lag a little.

© S. Roy Biswas

 

 

Nondescript destination of Kumaon – Bhowali

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Nondescript destination of Kumaon – Bhowali

Bhowali main junction - the road from top side leads to Nainital

Bhowali can be called the nerve centre of Kumaon, as in order to proceed towards a majority of destinations in Kumaon, one has to pass through this nondescript little village town, which is also known as the fruit market of the region.  Situated at a distance of about 34 kms. from the railhead of Kathgodam, one can approach Bhowali either from Nainital side through Jeolikote or from Bhimtal side, which is a wee bit shorter road.  If one approaches from the Nainital side, one will have to cross this destination even for visiting the Champawat side.  However, if one is traversing from Bhimtal side, the road towards Champawat bi-furcates mid-way.  For visiting Mukteshwar, Almora or Ranikhet and beyond, one has to cross this nondescript township and hence I call it the nerve centre of Kumaon, specifically as the all arterial roads lead through this destination.

Panoramic view of Bhowali village

 Perched at an altitude of about 1650 meters, the township enjoys a salubrious climate all year round.  Being an old market, it has been the outlet for sale of stone fruits like plum, pear, apple et al that grow around it in Nainital, Ramgarh etc.  and available during summers and early monsoon.  During the fall season, other fruits like walnuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts etc. make an appearance in the market and is a main attraction for the tourists passing by, who enjoy these mountain fruits, as per the season and this at times creates a traffic jam in the region, as not enough space is available for parking of the vehicles.  Apart from fruits, I personally while traversing through this market, especially on my way back to Delhi, source fresh vegetables, be it cabbages, peas, cauliflowers (during summers also) or various kinds of other local green leafy vegetables (known as ‘saag’ in Hindi), as I find them to be more tasty and fresh, than from what we get here in Delhi. 

One of the hotels in Bhowali - on road towards Almora

During monsoons this hotel is full of Begonia flowers (tuberos variety) - a close up of the same

Bhowali township is almost as old as Nainital, as because of its salubrious climes it housed a Sanatorium for Tuberculosis patients that was built way back in 1912.  The place is named after a small village that is placed about  3 Kms. from the main road that runs from just below the Sanatorium gate and goes by the same name i.e. Bhowali.  Bhowali, apart from the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam managed Tourist Rest House (TRH),  now has quite a few homestays just beyond the municipal limits on way of Mukheshwar and Almora, hence can be easily be used as a base point for day visits to places like – a) The famous Ghora Khal temple dedicated to Golu Devta (a local and reverend God of justice); b)  Ramgarh & Mukteshwar; c) Kainchi Dham (only eight Kms. Away) and on other side d) Bhimtal; e) Sattal etc., many such nondescript little destinations are also placed within the Bhowali Tehsil.   It would be a good idea to stay in such a location, being cheaper but with all amenities during travel.  The STD code for the destination is – 5492 and PIN Code is – 263132.

 Here is a short video of the destination –

 © S Roy Biswas

Walking through the clouds – Panghoot & around

Walking through the clouds – Panghoot & around

Garh Mukteshwar - now it looks like River Ganges

              As usual the travel bug had started troubling me and coupled with my agenda of ‘Having a piece of Heaven in Heaven’ (refer to my earlier blog by same title), we embarked on our journey to Uttarakhand, during the extended weekend in August, 2012.  We were five persons and one amongst us arranged for an Innova for embarking upon the travel and another friend arranged for the stay at ‘Ashoka’s Naini Chalet’ in Pangot.  Although I had heard much about the place, being a active briding site, but this was my first opportunity to visit this destination.  Panghoot is a village in the Kosiyakutoli tehsil of Nanital District in Uttarakhand, India and the distance from Delhi to Pangot is about 305 Kms.  Accordingly, we started early in the morning and got picked up from the pre-arranged point’s en-route.  By the time we left Delhi it was almost 8.00 A.M, but luckily as it was a Saturday, we did not face much of a traffic enroute.  However, the first topic was as to whether have B’fast at the famous Skylark Restaurant at Garh Mukteshewar or to partake the home prepared one.  After much deliberation, it was decided that we would take a break for the B’fast and as there were no good eating joints beyond Moradabad, we would partake the home prepared meal for lunch.  Thus, we took our first break at Garh Mukteshwar.

Just entering the Kaladhungi forest area

Headed for the hills - monsoon magic

Friends posing for a photo

A small rivulet on the way

            After having had some sumptuous Aloo Pranthas et al, we embarked upon our journey further.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the water of River Ganges overflowing its banks at Garh Mukteshwar, as it is a mere trickle during the summer season, when I usually pass by this spot.  So I got down from the vehicle and took some shots.  We traveled at a leisurely pace and as we drove further towards the Nainital hills, the cloud cover started getting denser.  We took a turn from the main Highway towards Tanda and were flabbergasted on seeing the condition of the road, to say the least, there was no road at all, but a series of pot-holes of varying sizes & shapes.   This entrapment continued for about 16 odd Kms. and all our entire body parts were put though a rollercoaster ride.  It had started drizzling and as we entered the Kaladhungi stretch, it started raining ‘cats & dogs’.

View of Nainital lake from Kilbury

One from the car - monsoon magic

Birds galore - at Kilbury

           We negotiated the roads slowly, till we reached the Bara Pathar crossing, wherefrom just after entering the Nainital, we turned left towards the Mall road leading to Kilbury hills, this road leads to Pangot.  After traversing some distance, we found locals armed with telescopes enticing tourists to take a look at the panoramic view of Nainital lake & surrounding areas below.  We too got down and took some photographs and also had a look through the telescope, so as to understand the topography of the place @Rs.20/- for five points shown by the vendors.  It was still overcast and by the time, we headed for Pangot, it was getting dark.  We were driving cautiously, as the road was winding and covered with Rhododendron & Oak forests of either side, it was all the more darker.  Suddenly, we reached a clearing with a few shops on the road and the road sign read “Panghoot”, as we slowed the vehicle and man came towards us enquiring as to whether we were booked for ‘Ashoka’s Naini Chalet’ and led the way, which was hardly 25 meters from the main road.  Thus, we reached Panghot/ Panghoot (as per the Post Office description of name – both in English & Hindi) and checked into our rooms.  The destination and ambience of the Resort was magnificent and we ordered some Pakoras & Tea/Coffee for refreshments.  At night we had a game of snooker & my friends enjoyed some drinks and I gave company partaking a gallon of Cold drinks, I being a teetotaler and also arranged for a guide to take me for some bird watching early next the morning.

Panghoot village entry & market square

Panghoot - monsoon magic

Ashoka's Naini Chalet - view from Jungle lodge

Ashoka's Naini Chalet

Ashoka's Naini Chalet - view by night

            We had a good night’s sleep and I was awakened early hearing chirping of birds and some ruckus being created by the Rhesus monkeys, who were busy eating moths & insects in the verandah, that had been attracted to the lights during the night.  I found that it was still raining and had to postpone my sojourn into the forests for the time being.   Panghoot is a nondescript but serene & visually enticing village, tucked away into the confines of the Kumaon hills, with forests of Rhododendrons & Oaks enveloping the hills in a ‘Chador’ of green coupled with echoing the tweets of many a colourful birds and with little trails that disappear into interior of forests, that's Panghoot for all the nature lovers. A birdwatcher's paradise, Pangot is 15 kms from Nainital and the drive is through the bird habitats of Cheena Peak range forests via Snow View Point and Kilbury. Some of the commonly encountered birds here are the Lammergeier, Himalayan griffon, Blue-winged minla, spotted & Slaty-backed forktail, Rufous-bellied woodpecker, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Khalij pheasant, variety of thrushes etc. Almost 150 bird species have been recorded at Panghoot and its surrounding areas.   Life in this quaint little village is tranquility redefined; the activity of villagers either remains restricted to the confines to their homes or at the small market square, with a laid back life style.  As soon as the rain took a breather, we embarked on the trek into the forests for shooting (I mean photographing) the birds.  It was steep climb through the forests and the first bird sighted was a Blue Whistling Thrush, but due to dense fog the reduced visibility the Camera could not capture a good image, the next bird I spotted was the Niltava but again the light played truant and due to slow shutter speed, the photographs were not good.  However, having trudged some few hundred meters, we heard a loud tweeting sound, I started emulating the same by whistling similarly and as the bird descended, I found that it was a Striated Laughing Thrush.  I could hear many birds chirping but due to dense fog and tree foliage, could not spot them and as I had to return back for the onward journey, I retraced my way back to the Resort.

Another birder's group in discussion in another Resort

Rofous sibia - right at the Resort itself

Monsoon magic

Panghoot - bird pecking on fern spores

Another warbler - Panghoot

            On the way back, I encountered my friends who were eagerly waiting for me for the scheduled visit to Chorsa village and they chided me for delaying them and I quickly had Breakfast and we were off.  We crossed Nainital, which was not all that crowded because of the intense rain that had precipitated in the region during the previous night and reached Bhowali.  However, the person who was scheduled to meet us there had not arrived and informed us that he was near Sattal for running an errand, we took our vehicle and headed there to bring him back so that he could guide us.  The road to Chorsa village is being newly constructed and runs from below the Bhowlai Sanatorium gate.  The road is unpaved and due to rain there were quite a few potholes, however, enroute we met the JCB operator, who informed us that road upto Bhowali village was reachable, but beyond that the road was almost non-existent.  We therefore, drove till Bhowali village and thereafter, started the 13 Kms. trek to Garam Pani, having asked the driver to reach the Highway at Garam Pani and wait for us there.  There were several landslides on the way, with hardly any space to squeeze across huge boulders that had slid down the mountain side at many a places and accompanied with water & sludge, through which we had to slog.  However, finally we came to a point where the road was totally blocked and we had to slide down the mountain side and cross along the old bridle path that lay below.  The valley was totally untouched and pristine, it was nature’s best display of wildflowers and birds et al.  But due to the intensity of the trek and treacherous paths, I could not photograph them (only a handful) but it was a trek to remember.  The rain Gods who had been playing spoil sport till now, had relented a bit and it continued to be clear till we reached Chorsa village, but as soon as we started with our descent, it started drizzling again.  The villagers are always welcoming and warm hearted and they insisted that we wait for some time at their house for the rain clouds to pass through, and we were pleasantly surprised at having been offered tea, to totally unknown persons and it was a very pleasing experience.  I was feeling a bit soggy in my right leg and took the opportunity to check out my shoes, thinking that they might have developed some hole or something of the kind and rain water had soaked in, but to my disgust I found that my socks were drenched in fresh blood.  We found out the culprit too, it was the Leech that had hitched on my legs, either en-route during the trek or while I was in Pangoot forest.  The descent thereafter, was uneventful and after long 5 hours journey, we reached Garam Pani and by this time we were totally famished as well as dead tired.

Panoramic view of Bhimtal lake

Bhowali village

Wild flora 

View from Chorsa village

Lemon rumped warbler 

 

Grey headed yellow warbler

Long tailed Minivet

Nainital by night

Getting the corns roasted

             As I have narrated hereinabove that it had started raining as soon as we started our descent from Chorsa Village and by now it had become unrelenting.  We stopped by at Kainchi Dham and had some Pakoras and Tea, but I especially had the famous ‘Lime/Nimboo Water/Pani’.  Thereafter, we slowly made our way back to the Resort at Panghoot, crossing by Nainital and had a beautiful view of the lake by night.  Early next morning we started our journey back to Delhi and had a break for some fire roasted corns, which is a specialty of the hill regions and shot some photographs also of more birds that were chirping about.  The remaining part of the journey was very pleasant till Delhi, with the rains following us all through the way – we were, in a way, the harbingers of the rain clouds from Uttarakhand to Delhi.

WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE DESTINATION -