Gagar, Uttarakhand .... A quaint little mountain escape!

Escape from one’s regular city life is something some of us look forward to, and especially for a hill person, a long weekend could be a breath of freshness, if they can use those couple of days and visit the mountains!

My partner and I did exactly that, by making a short and sweet trip to Gagar (near Nainital) in Uttarakhand.

By road, Gagar, is around 367km (via NH9) from Delhi and it takes about 8 hours to reach. 

Located at an altitude of 2,100 meters/ 7,000, feet, it is an idyllic hamlet that commands a majestic 180 degree view of the Kumaon Himalayas. It can get pretty chilly during the night, even in the summer months, and gets it's good share of snowfall during winters! 

From Gagar, one can enjoy a panoramic view of many famous peaks including Nanda Devi, Trishul, Panchachuli, Pindari Glacier, Nandakot, Nandaghunti and Kamet.

We stayed in this beautiful quaint cottage called “Rose Cottage” which provided complete solitude for our souls.

The fresh mountain air, long walks and awesome Pahari food rejuvenated our minds, bodies & souls....exactly what we were looking for, from this trip!

Gagar, is a great destination if one wants to rest and relax as it is a quiet place, away from the hustle and bustle of not just the city life, but has it’s own charm for not being a typical tourist destination. 

It is ideal for those looking to get away from the clutter of the city… to slow down… to rejuvenate!!

P.S : An important safety tip if you plan for a road trip. Do not follow Google maps, blindly, specially if you happen to be on the highway in the night.
We did the mistake of taking a detour from the high way into the back of beyonds, to save few kms (as suggested by alternate routes by the map). The experience was pretty stressful until we found our way back to the high way. :(

Saving grace of that experience though, was we chanced upon a, Nilgai (Blue Bull), in the middle of nowhere when we were least expecting a sighting like that! :)