Magnificent Mukteshwar - A beautiful hill station of Kumaon with stunning sunsets, grand landscapes, meditative environment, numerous adventurous experiences & full of surprises
Recently we realised that some of the places we explored before 2010 are not well covered on the blog and even if covered, the content quality is very poor. It's a continuously learning experience and what we are going to publish today may become irrelevant or demand refurbishing after a few years. Mukteshwar trip to us was very special as this was planned with some of the office colleagues and was sort of impromptu trip to the hills from Noida. At least I can say that I didn't do anything for planning this trip. My friends took care of booking a cab and the hotel. Rest of the things are relatively easier to plan or can be taken care on run time.
It was a weekend trip from Noida to Mukteshwar and while coming back we also stopped at Nainital for quick walk around the lake. May be Nainital is another place which is not covered well on Travellingcamera, so taking a note to re-write about Nainital.
Mukteshwar is a beautiful hill station in Kumaon region of Uttrakhand state of India. We were 6 office friends who started from our office in night and reached our resort in Mukteshwar at around 8am. This photograph shares sunset photographs from 'Chauli ki Jali' which is a popular destination for adventure lovers. Most of the sunset photographs in this blogpost are clicked around Chauli ki Gali, which is a brilliant place to spend the evening and if you are interested in adventure activities like rock climbing and rappelling, you may want to reach early there. So far, I have had best rock climbing experience at Chauli ki Gali in Mukteshwar.
Before we share more about Mukteshwar, let's know how to reach Mukteshwar :
How to reach Mukteshwar by Air
The nearest airport to Mukteshwar is located around 100km in Pantnagar. Delhi International Airport is the nearest international airport to most of the hill stations in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Delhi and Pantnagar are well connected to each other with regular flights. Flights are available from Delhi international airport to other major cities of India and the world. Pre-paid taxis can be boarded from the Pantnagar airport to Mukteshwar. You can also ask your hotel/resort to arrange pickup from the airport. I personally find that option reliable unless you see risk of flight delays.
Nearest Airport : Pantnagar Airport, Pantnagar
How to reach Mukteshwar by Rail
Kathgodam is the nearest railway station to Mukteshwar hill station in Uttarakhand, which is located at a distance of approx 70+ km from the hilltop. Taxis are available from this railway station to Mukteshwar and one can also ask hotel/resort to arrange pickup. At times, that's cheaper if you are ok to share as hotels of Mukteshwar during season will book your seats in tempo traveler which will drop you to your hotel at comparatively better rates. Kathgodam through the rail network is connected to the major cities of the country.
How to reach Mukteshwar by Road
Mukteshwar is well connected through roads to majorr cities of North India, so one can also plan to drive. The last stretch is hilly and some patches are narrow, so be sure before planning to drive. Mukteshwar is connected to the neighboring cities of the state through buses run by the government as well as private operator. Private operators run luxury buses that ply between Kathgodam & Delhi and offer convenient travel.
Chauli is Jali is near Mukteshwar temple and there are few small companies who organize rock climbing and rappelling sessions around a huge rock looking into a deep valley on the other side. All of us enjoyed rock climbing and rappelling. I still remember the way my legs were shaking in the middle of my rock climb. But it was great feeling when I did it completely, without asking the guide to pull me up. They give you an option to pull you up through connected rope, if you feel tired or stressed in the middle of climb. At one moment I felt like opting for it, but took a break in between, gathered courage and completed the climb.
After all the fun, we sat on the top of this huge rock for some time and waited for sunset. It was recommended by most of the folks we knew who had visited Mukteshwar earlier. And it was worth waiting. All of us had varied poses during sunset.
After a few years we visited Mukteshwar again, when we were around Dhanchuli. This time we were staying at Te Aroha was also an amazing experience. Recently Mukteshwar has been in news as popular Bollywood actress Neena Gupta has been spending time in her home there during Covid times.
Chauli ki Jali is must go place if you are around Mukteshwar :
Mukteshwar is located in Uttrakhand state of India and Chauli ki Jali is very exciting place for adventure lovers. I also had an exceptional experience of rock climbing at same place. Chauli ki Gali is a huge rock standing still on a hill and facing a deep valley.
We walked to the place and first tried rappelling at a relatively easy place. Although it took time for most of us to hold the rope and starting going down with right technique. Some of us got hurt as well, but our enthusiasm was at the peak. After a while, one of us also showed interest to do rock climbing even when the place was pretty scary. One of our friend Gaurav did it after some struggle and I also thought of trying it.
After taking 3-4 steps upwards, my legs were shaking. And let me share that it was 4th time that I was doing rock climbing. Before that I had done in Spiti, Malana and Great National Himalayan park in Kullu. It took approximately 10 minutes for me to settle down and move up. There was a time when I was feeling that I would not be to able to complete it and how to even go down. Thanks to all my friends for encouraging me and finally I could finish it. It remained as one of the memorable moments from our Mukteshwar trip.
After this wonderful experience, we waited for sunset and had a lovely evening around these beautiful hues of Mukteshar. If you plan to visit Mukteshwar, one of the main things to do around the place is rock climbing experience at Chauli ki Jali.
Mukteshwar has great walk around the hills with beautiful panoramic views of valleys, snow covered peaks and green forests :
Mukteshwar is an ideal hill station if you want to do nothing but only admire the panoramic beauty of the Himalayas and leisurely walks through the winding paths of the hills.
Mukteshwar is situated at an altitude of 2200+ meters above the sea level in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand state in India. Mukteshwar is approximately 40 km from Haldwani, 50+ km from Nainital and 395 km from Delhi.
Walks around dense forests of Mukteshwar :
While in Mukteshwar, we walked inside the dense forest and now I don't seem to remember the name of this forest but I am sure there are lot of such landscapes around Mukteshwar where you can lose yourself free and enjoy the nature trails. Above photograph shows the same dense forest where we spent few hours just walking around, appreciating these green plants/trees, ferns, insects, butterflies and a lot more. It was lot of fun walking around with friends and there were some places where we felt like not speaking at all & enjoy the silence.
Above photograph is clicked inside the Mukteshwar Forest and clearly shows that my photography skills were extremely poor back then.
Mukteshwar Dham Temple:
Mukteshwar Dham Temple is one of the popular places around the town. Mukteshwar Dham is very important shrine for many around this hilly area of Kumaon. Temple is located on a hill which is extremely peaceful. Mukteshwar Dham temple is located at an altitude of approx 2300 meters above sea level and can be approached by stone stairs. The temple is dedicated to lord Shiva and has a lingam made of white marble. The idols of Brahma, Vishnu, Parvati, Ganesh, Nandi and Hanuman surround the lingam.
Mukteshwar Dham Temple is on the peak and hence offers great panoramic views of and around Mukteshwar town. On one side you see a deep valley around Chauli ki Gaali and on another side you see green forests with snow peaked mountains in the background. Above photograph is clicked from the hill top where Mukteshwar Dham is located and shows Chauli ki Gali with deep valley below it.
Let's also talk about some of the other interesting places to explore around or on the way to Mukteshwar (Other interesting places to explore in Uttarakhand state of India) :
If you liked this post and found it helpful, I would request you to follow these things when traveling -
- Manage your waste well and don’t litter.
- Use dustbins. Tell us if you went to a place and found it hard to locate a dustbin.
- Avoid bottle waters in hills. Usually you get clean water in hills and water bottles create lot of mess in our ecosystem.
- Say big no to plastic and avoid those unhealthy snacks packed in plastic bags. Rather buy fruits.
- Don't play loud blaring music in forests or jungle camps. You are a guest in that ecosystem and disturbing the locals (humans and animals) is not polite.
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