Summer On My Mind

Try birdwatching at Pangot, chase the wild in Chail or stroll through the tea plantations in the hills. Pick from our top ve ideas for a refreshing experience to beat the heat this holiday season.

- Gustasp & Jeroo Irani

PANGOT FOR THE BIRDS

Deep forests of oak, deodar and pine rustled around us and the mist swirled into the valley like the robes of whirling dervishes. We were at the Jungle Lore Birding Lodge in the Himalayan hamlet of Pangot, 15 km away from Nainital. After a night of full-stop seclusion, we rose to a blush-pink sky and the sun rising over the serrated edges of the mountains in the distance. Our first birding excursion, together with a family of three, was amply rewarding. We walked past a sleepy village where a clutch of women filled gleaming pots with water at a well. Terraced fields unfurled like green carpets across the hills even as we plunged into a forest, vibrant with shades of green, rust and gold. We heard the laughing thrush, its teasing whistle was followed by a fleeting glimpse. Our guide pointed out many of the 250 species that can be spotted in the woods around Pangot…a drongo flitted above us and a spotted owl perched on a branch, melancholy and still. The Himalayan Griffon, lammergeier, rufous-bellied woodpecker, blue-winged minla and many more. Another day was spent birding at Cheena Peak and near the Kilburry Forest where we spotted large hawks, Eurasian cuckoos and the blue-throated barbet. In that soft down, the chorus of calls in the green depths of the forest soon became a symphony without end.

CHECKLIST

Birding in Pangot and Sattal, which is 23 km from Nainital.

Day treks to Naina Peak and Kilburry with a picnic lunch.

Longer treks of five nights/six days in the Kumaon Himalaya.

Sightseeing in Nainital and boating on Naini and Sattal lakes.

Rappelling, rock climbing, mountain biking and fishing in Sattal.

A village tour.

Bracing walks through terraced fields and into the forest.

Cooking classes with a local chef.

Shop in Nainital for local handicrafts.

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