Perpetual Musings | Walking around in Ranikhet and Majkhali

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks…

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The COVID restrictions were lifted and the itch to travel had started yet again. We started to plan the trip to Valley of flowers yet again but like always the valley was still not opened for tourists due to COVID. I had previously visited Ranikhet but wanted to do the ever famous Ranikhet walks which are famous since the bygone British era. On this trip, we visited three cities Chiliyanaula, Ranikhet and Majkhali.

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An old post office on the way

Ranikhet is a cantonment area, home for Naga and Kumaon regiment and has a lot of heritage bungalows, pathways and churches from the colonial era. We started our journey at around 7:00 am from Ramnagar and reached Ranikhet by noon. We had already booked an Airbnb in Haidakhan temple premises so it was a 2 km walk from the place where the bus dropped us. On this trip, we wilfully wanted to walk as much as possible as the joy of enjoying the beauty of the city is in absorbing it leisurely. The charming and majestic views of the pine trees, lush green forests, are best enjoyed slowly. Ranikhet has all the things from lofty Himalayan views (which we missed due to the clouds and fog) to peace-inducing flora and fauna to unwind and relax a corporate brain.

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Our AirBNB in Haidakhan Temple Premises

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Blossoming flowers in Monsoon

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Night view from the AirBNB

On day one we visited the Haidakhan Babaji’s temple and Thandi Sadak in the evening. In this walk, we saw a lot of pine, oak, rhododendron and deodar trees in the hills. The temple premise hosted a lot of different flowers, a lot of which I had never seen before in my life. I was quite elated to see this unknown fauna since I had found a newfound love for houseplants during the lockdown. The next day we woke up early and went on the proper walking city tour. We took the below path for our walking trail for covering the city.

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Ranikhet walks

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Ranikhet Walks

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Rani Jheel

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Old Church

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Ranikhet walks : Cantt Area

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Jhula Devi Temple

From Haidakhan temple we took the following Path Haidakhan Temple -> KRC -> St Bonaventure Catholic Church -> Hotel Meghdoot -> Jhula Devi Temple -> Nehru Trek Route -> Rani Jheel -> Haidakhan Temple. The total walk was around 20+ km and very enjoyable. We did not go to Chaubatia Gardens from Jhula Devi temple as there was a possibility of rain, but you can do it easily from the temple. The Temple had so many bells that it is something to notice and ponder over, this place has a calm environment and a sense of spiritual peace to it. The best part was the discovery of the Nehru Path hiking route that started a bit before the Jhula Devi Temple. It is a very beautiful, pristine and peaceful route to the main market. This hiking route has resting seats as they have in hikes in Germany or England and old British Bungalows. It felt that we were transported back to the 1960s Scottish countryside.

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Ranikhet Walks : Nehru Path Hike

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Ranikhet Walks : Old house

In the evening we went to Majkhali. I wanted to visit this place as it has the best views of Major Garhwal Himalayan ranges, peaks such as Nanda Devi Massif, Nanda Ghunti, Trishul, Panchachuli, Mrigthuni, Nanda Kot. But sadly due to the rainy season, the view was obstructed by clouds and mist. Nevertheless, Majkhali surprised us with the fantastic valley and sunset views and probably the best food on a trip.

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