AT MINUS FIVE DEGREES, WE STEPPED out to look for snow leopards. It had been snowing for the last few days—the paths and fields were covered in two feet of snow. It was quite a workout for our legs, and at an altitude of 4,200 metres, for our lungs. We were in Spiti, a term meaning "middle land," a trans-Himalayan landscape between Tibet and the rest of India. Our guide was Tanzin Thinley, a homestay owner and a worker with the Nature Conservation Foundation—he had promised to show us the iconic cat, a promise we fervently hoped was fulfilled, for, otherwise, he had resolved to go on fast.
Spiti, part of Himachal Pradesh, has a cold desert ecosystem, with most of its precipitation coming down as snow. Its landscape is jagged, hilly, and treacherous, with broad, cultivable valleys in some parts. Its unique biodiversity includes snow leopards, ibex, blue sheep, red foxes, and several bird and plant species adapted to the cold.
COMBINING NATURE AND CULTURE
As we walked and half-slipped down a slope, we were already nostalgic about the warmth of the home we had just left behind. It was the Thinley Home Stay in the village of Kibber, one of the last villages on the traditional trade route to Ladakh and Tibet. While walking, Thinley mentioned that about 15 years ago, Kibber initiated homestays to combine nature and culture as a tourist experience.
Denne historien er fra April - May 2024-utgaven av Outlook Traveller.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra April - May 2024-utgaven av Outlook Traveller.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Chutneys For Every Season
GROWING UP IN JHARKHAND, I've always been enchanted by the state's culinary landscape. Here, the local cuisine never fails to surprise with its depth and variety.
BADGE OF HONOUR
IN THE DYNAMIC LANDSCAPE of tourism, where greenwashing often taints sustainability, certifications can help distinguish between genuine efforts and marketing gimmicks. Green certification systems encourage businesses to enhance their environmental credentials.
WHEELS OF TIME
IN 1947, TRAINS CARRYING REFUGEES ACROSS THE BORDER WERE SYMBOLIC OF THE TUMULT OF THE PARTITION.
RAILS OF THE Raj
FROM ITS CONCEPTION TO ITS ROLE IN THE NATION'S HISTORY, THE BRITISH INDIAN RAILWAYS IS A PHENOMENON MARKED AS MUCH BY MARVEL AS AVARICE
THE RHYTHM OF BOLLYWOOD
FROM THE RAILROAD THRILLER MISS FRONTIER MAIL 1936) TO SHAH RUKH KHAN DANCING ON A TRAIN IN DIL SE' 1998), TRAINS HAVE GIVEN UNFORGETTABLE SONG SEQUENCES TO MANY HINDI FILMS
MEMORY'S OASIS
REMEMBRANCES OF GROWING UP IN SEALDAH RAILWAY OFFICERS COLONY IN KOLKATA
A FAREWELL × TO FLAVOURS
FROM CUTLETS AND RAILWAY MUTTON CURRY IN DINING CARS TO THE UNREMARKABLE FARE AVAILABLE TODAY, THE JOURNEY OF FOOD ON THE INDIAN RAILWAY IS FASCINATING
HERITAGE ON THE TRACKS
THE ICONIC DARJEELING HIMALAYAN RAILWAY, FONDLY CALLED THE TOY TRAIN,' HAS HELD ITS UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE STATUS SINCE 1999
HIDDEN LIVES
SPANNING 65,000 KILOMETRES THROUGH DENSELY POPULATED INDIA, THE RAILWAYS ARE A BACKDROP TO COUNTLESS STORIES. 'THE UNRESERVED' BY FILMMAKER SAMARTH MAHAJAN CAPTURES A FEW
JOURNEYS WITHIN AND WITHOUT
FOR IMTIAZ ALI, TRAIN JOURNEYS ARE TRANSFORMATIVE, OFFERING GLIMPSES OF INDIA'S DIVERSE SOCIETY AND ITS MANY CULTURES AND RELIGIONS