"We arrive at dusk in a remote village in the Kumaon region of the Indian Himalayas, following a day-long drive that has taken us around improbable mountain roads blasted out of the cliffsides. Sharp hairpin bends barely contain the forest tangle tumbling onto a dried river bed far below. We have skirted wild boar and busloads of Hindu pilgrims at Kainchi Dham, where Steve Jobs reputedly found his calling and Indian cricketer Virat Kohli received blessings at the turning point of his career."
"This spiritually charged corner of India has always drawn pilgrims and soul seekers. Bob Dylan and George Harrison visited; so did Uma Thurman's hippy parents when the actor was a baby. But I have come here to shake off fellow travellers and find succour and solace. Tour company Shakti Himalaya is a 20-year-old specialist in gentle journeys through India's remotest mountain regions, and the brainchild of former psychotherapist Jamshyd Sethna."
A dusk arrival in a Kumaon village follows a day-long drive on narrow cliffside roads with hairpin bends, forest tangles and dried river beds. The route passes wild boar and pilgrims at Kainchi Dham, a site associated with notable seekers. The region attracts musicians, seekers and celebrities and offers solitude and solace. Shakti Himalaya, founded by a former psychotherapist, organises gentle, high-altitude journeys across Uttarakhand, Ladakh and Sikkim, linking temples and summits mostly on foot. Restorative village houses such as Kana provide en suite comforts, organic linens and a Bukhari stove amid timeless stone dwellings. Villagers adapted to roads and utilities, while younger generations often leave, and elders continue traditional chores at daybreak.
Read at CN Traveller
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