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As if the mountain was fighting back time, and man
Har Ki Dun then was a two-day trek. You had to get to Sankri, which is about 144 miles from Dehradun, by car or bus, next day take a jeep down to Taluka, then a day's walk to Seema, and another to Har Ki Dun.
Now, we learned at Mori, before Sankri, you are lucky if your car can make it to Sankri. Landslides are a way of life in this picture postcard country, and one a couple of months ago had damaged the road before Sankri, so buses were not being able to make it. Luckily, we -- me, my wife and three friends -- were in a four-wheel drive. We gritted ourselves as our driver Sanju displayed skill that would give rally drivers a serious inferiority complex. After about five minutes of serious doubt as the Mahindra Bolero lurched, protested, fought and hiccupped as we drove literally up a mountain stream, we were through to the other side.
• Airfare for Rs 599 and less!
What about the jeep road to Taluka, I asked the Garwal Mandal Vikas Nigam caretaker at Sankri, who looked and spoke like an exact older version of yesteryear superstar Rajesh Khanna. The state-run GMVN has guest houses all along the way to Har Ki Dun and even at Har Ki Dun; sparse identical structures at Sankri, Taluka and Seema. You will get a bed, a blanket and a toilet. If you are lucky, the flush might even work.Rajesh Khanna told us landslides had destroyed the Taluka road, and that now Har Ki Dun was a three-day trek. It was almost as if the mountains were fighting back time, and man.
The next day, we took a jeep about 2 miles beyond Sankri, where most of a large mountain had come hurtling down into the Supin river below, signaling the end of the road and its refuge. Har Ki Dun is classified as 'easy to moderate' in most trekking guides, but we knew for armchair enthusiasts who trek once a year at most, it was not going to be easy.
Text and Photographs: Sumit Bhattacharya
Also read: Trekking to Lohagarh
Share YOUR travel stories and pix!
Have you been to Har Ki Dun? What was your favourite sight there? Where did you have the best meal? Do you have a hotel to recommend?
Do post details on the message board below so other readers can benefit from your advice. Remember to add information on what was special about the restaurant, hotel or sight you visited, along with relevant telephone numbers and addresses.
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