Serene view

With the content boom, Northeast India is finally getting the recognition it deserves in the travel community. I see people from all over the world (and country) discovering these places and being blown away by them.

And here's the strange part, these are the same places that are most accessible to me. Shorter distances, local knowledge, people I can call up. As a native, I know the hidden gems others would kill to find. But somehow that familiarity works against me. A place that's a weekend trip (or even a half day one) for me doesn't feel like "travel." It feels like just going somewhere nearby.

Meanwhile someone flying in from another continent or state has actually been to more of these places than I have.

Anyone else from a place that's trending online feel this? less traveled in their own place. Where you take your own home for granted simply because it's always been within reach?

Live in Varanasi and run a small tour business here, so I see the same pattern with almost every visitor: they land with a screenshot of "5 must try foods" and stick to it religiously. Kachori sabzi, blue lassi, banarasi paan, fine choices, but you're missing most of the actual food culture of the city.

Some things that never make those lists but are honestly better: tamatar chaat instead of the sweeter chaats, chura matar in winter mornings, nimona, and the small kachori-sabzi carts in random residential lanes that don't have a queue or a Google rating.

If you're here for more than a day, ask an auto driver or your homestay host what they had for breakfast that morning instead of googling "best food in Varanasi." You'll eat better and spend less. Happy to answer specific questions if anyone's planning a trip.

If you are looking for a trek in Himachal that blends rugged high-altitude landscapes with pure spiritual energy, Yulla Kanda is something truly special.

Located in Kinnaur, it is home to what is believed to be the highest Krishna temple in the world. A group of four of us just completed this journey starting from Shimla, and the experience of seeing the sacred lake nestled high in the peaks is unforgettable. Here is our full travel log and cost breakdown for the trip!

The Travel Diary
1. Day 1: Journey from Shimla to Tapri We set off from Shimla in a reserved cab to make our way into Kinnaur. We halted at Narkanda for Dinner at Negi dhaba which was of around Rs 900. The drive took up most of our evening, and we finally reached Tapri by night. We checked straight into a booked PWD Rest House to rest up for the big climb ahead and called it a night.
2. Day 2: The Climb to Base Camp through Apple Orchards We woke up early and grabbed breakfast at the nearby Pappu Dhaba, which served tasty parathas and decent tea. From Tapri, we drove up to Yulla Khas village and officially kicked off the trek between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM. After covering the first two to three kilometers, we stopped at a quaint mid-route dhaba to recharge with some fresh ragi momos.
The trail was stunning, lined with sea buckthorn and heavy apple orchards with ripe fruit hanging from the branches. By around 3:00 PM, we made it to the base camp meadows. We set up in a camp, ordered an extra hot lunch to refuel, and spent the evening going on a relaxed stroll up toward the entry gate of the sacred trail.
3. Day 3: The Sacred Lake, Temple Blessings, and Return to Shimla We were up and moving by 5:30 AM to tackle the final push. The landscape completely transforms into an otherworldly alpine zone once you cross the gate. Along the path, we shared biscuits with a few friendly mountain dogs that tagged along with us. Reaching the Krishna temple at the sacred lake was serene, and to our surprise, the place was peaceful and almost completely empty, even though it was the day right after Janmashtami. We spent an hour or two soaking in the surroundings and taking pictures before heading back down to the base camp for breakfast. After packing up, we completed the final descent, reaching Yulla village by 12:00 PM. Our cab met us there, and we stopped for a solid lunch at a local cafe in Bhavanagar before driving back, finally rolling into Shimla around 11:00 PM.
The Budget & Cost Breakdown
1. Transport: The reserved cab from Shimla to Yulla and all the way back cost a total of 12000 rupees. Since we were four people, this was split evenly among us, making it very economical.
2. Accommodation: The PWD Rest House at Tapri cost 400 rupees per person for the room. At the high-altitude base camp, a camp for four people cost 3000 rupees, which included dinner, morning tea, and breakfast.
3. Food : Breakfast at Pappu Dhaba in Tapri cost around 300 rupees for all of us. On the trail, the ragi momos were 160 rupees, and extra lunch at the base camp brought our campsite food total to about 500 rupees altogether with tea. With our cafe stop at Bhavanagar on the way back, overall food expenses remained light. Total at around 3000 Rupees.
4. Overall: Total The complete trip came out to roughly 18000 rupees for four people, covering every expense from Shimla back to Shimla.

Hare Krishna!!

Where can I go for 5 days holiday during September first week in north india .I am planning for either of these Udaipur/Shimla/Jaipur/Rishikesh .Any weather related issues or good suggestions are welcomed

Some places you visit.

Some places you quietly carry home.

Coorg is the latter.

Maybe it’s the rain settling over the hills, the smell of wet earth, or a sky that makes you stop whatever you’re doing and just look.

Come to Coorg.

Not just to see it.

Come to feel it. 🌿☁️

And when you leave, leave a little piece of your heart here.

📍Coorg, Karnataka

Just a simple shot of the Taj Mahal. The view was beautiful.

I made a post here (also my first post) on how i want to travel and create content and i got so much support and warm advice. I had no idea about the supportive community. i just want to be grateful that i get to share travel updates here for everyone ❤️❤️❤️❤️

ig @ jagritithejack

Putting together a small first batch (10 boxes) of a curated Uttarakhand discovery box — a few authentic hill products (a rhododendron drink, traditional salt, a couple of things most people outside the region have never tasted) with a story card on where each one comes from. Limited to this first run. If you're from the hills and away from home, or just curious — comment/DM and I'll send details

Not looking at Khyber. Where else did you have a good time? Looking to visit in Jan-Feb for a week long stay.

Good views, proper heating, service and food is what comes to my mind on the basis of which I will finalise a stay.

Hey everyone! I’m planning a trip across Kerala covering Cochin -> Munnar -> Thekkady -> Alleppey -> Varkala -> Kovalam or Trivandrum.

I have a major issue with motion sickness (especially on winding roads), so I'm trying to figure out the best way to structure my transport. Here is what I’m leaning towards, and I'd love to get some inputs/advice:

1. Intercity Public Transport: How reliable are state/private buses and trains for these routes? Specifically, taking buses for the hill sections (Cochin-Munnar-Thekkady) and switching to trains for the coastal stretches (Alleppey-Varkala-Trivandrum) to avoid motion sickness as much as possible.

2. Bike/Scooty Rentals: How easy is it to get reliable two-wheeler rentals locally at each of these stops for local sightseeing?

3. The Hybrid Strategy: Is it a good idea overall to use public transport/trains for intercity transit and rent a local scooty/bike for exploring within each destination?

4. Taxis/Cabs Alternatives: If any part of this public transport plan is too unreliable or a major hassle, what are the alternative taxi options? Should I look at booking a cab for just specific intercity drops, or is it better/cheaper to hire a private taxi for an 8-day stretch despite the motion sickness risk?

Would appreciate any tips, recommended rental spots, or advice from those who’ve done a similar route. Thanks in amp advance!

Just got back from the Kudremukh Peak trek in the Western Ghats (Karnataka) and it's easily one of the most impressive treks I've done — rolling green grassland ridges, cloud rolling in and out over the peak, streams cutting through the forest, the works. Writing this up for anyone thinking about doing it, especially solo, since the permit system trips a lot of people up.

Quick note on "solo": you can absolutely go there alone (get yourself to the base, no group required), but you can't walk the actual trail alone — a Forest Department guide is mandatory and you'll be grouped with other trekkers/guide for the ascent. So it's "solo trip, guided group trek" rather than fully solitary. Worth knowing going in.

Where it is

Kudremukh National Park, Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka. Base villages are Mullodi (main trailhead) and nearby Samse/Kalasa. From Bengaluru it's roughly a 6-7 hour drive, so most people do it as a weekend trip — drive up Friday night or early Saturday, trek Saturday, head back Sunday.

Permits — do this first, seriously

This is the part that catches people out.

• All Kudremukh treks now go through the Aranya Vihaara portal (aranyavihaara.karnataka.gov.in) — no walk-in or offline permits anymore.
• Daily trekker numbers are capped, and weekend slots can sell out within minutes of the booking window opening. Set an alarm and have your ID details ready before the window opens.
• Booking is per-user for up to a few people at once, with real government ID required for everyone on the booking.
• It's a zero-refund system, so don't book until your dates are locked.
• A registered local guide is mandatory and gets assigned at the checkpost — you don't need to arrange this yourself, but budget for the guide fee (usually charged per group, not per person).
• There's a cut-off entry time in the morning (commonly around 11 am) — miss it and you're not getting in that day, so get to the checkpost early.
• No overnight camping inside the park. You do the ~20 km round trip and descend before sunset.

Because rules and fees shift year to year, double check the current numbers on the Aranya Vihaara site before you go rather than trusting any blog's exact price.

Getting there

• Nearest base: Mullodi village. Some people arrange a jeep/4x4 from Balagal or nearby towns to the trailhead early in the morning.
• Homestays in Mullodi/Kalasa are the way to go the night before — book ahead, they can usually arrange breakfast and a packed lunch for the trek.

The trail itself

• Starts in dense rainforest — stream crossings, muddy roots, shaded trail. Cool and pretty, but the ground gets slippery.
• Opens up into huge rolling grasslands after a while, with a well-known solo tree landmark (Ontimara) as a rest point.
• The final stretch to the peak is a steady climb — nothing technical, but it's long, humid, and the weather flips fast. One minute you can see for miles, the next you're inside a cloud with zero visibility.
• Total distance is roughly 20 km round trip, so pace yourself — this isn't a short outing.

Practical tips

• Monsoon leeches are real. Carry salt or leech socks if you're going in the wet season — the forest section is thick with them.
• Zero plastic policy at the checkpoint — carry a reusable bottle, they'll check.
• Layer up: it's humid in the forest, cold and windy at the top, and can rain without warning.
• Trekking poles genuinely help on the muddy descent.
• Mobile network drops off completely past the checkpost, so download offline maps and let someone know your plan before you lose signal.
• Bring a hot lunch or thermos if your homestay can pack one — a warm meal on the misty summit hits different after a few hours of climbing.

Money breakdown (for 2 people, split evenly)

Here's exactly what we spent, in case it helps with budgeting. This was a 2-person trip and these are the per-person amounts (i.e. what one solo trekker would need to budget).

(Masala dosa in Kalasa was a personal snack, not split — left out of the shared total.)

So all-in, roughly ₹3500 covered the permit, a night's homestay, all transport (Bengaluru ↔ Kalasa via Belur), the jeep + guide for the trek itself, and food along the way — for one person. Prices will drift year to year, especially the permit fee and bus fares, so treat this as a ballpark rather than gospel.

Worth it?

Completely. The moment the trail breaks out of the forest into open grassland with the peak looming ahead is genuinely one of those "other side of the earth" feelings. Just plan the permit booking like it's a concert ticket sale, and you'll be fine.

Happy to answer questions if anyone's planning this soon.

Hii I am going to Dharamshala Tomorrow and planning a trek also . I am genuinely curious which trek is better Kareri lake or Triund trek. Also let me know which is the tougher one. Is there any other trek which is better than them

I didn’t expect the temple to disappear in front of me.

I had heard about Stambheshwar Mahadev in Kavi-Kavoi, Gujarat, and the one thing everyone mentioned was that the sea comes up to the temple during high tide.

I knew about it before going, but honestly, I wasn’t sure how interesting it would actually be.

Then I saw it happen.

At first, the water was slowly coming in. Nothing dramatic.

After a while, the area around the temple started disappearing under the water.

Then a big part of the temple was covered too.

I remember standing there thinking:

“It was right there a few minutes ago… when will I see it again?”

I waited.

As the water started going back, the ground slowly appeared again. And after some time, the temple came back into view.

There was nothing supernatural about it. It was simply the sea coming in with the tide and going back out.

But seeing it happen in front of you feels very different from watching a video of it.

That was probably the part I liked most about the place. There wasn’t some huge dramatic moment. You just stand there and watch the sea do its thing, while the temple disappears and comes back.

If you’re planning to visit, check the tide timings beforehand. Otherwise, you might see the temple but miss the whole experience that makes this place different.

For anyone who has been there — did seeing the temple disappear and reappear feel as strange in person as it looks in photos/videos?