Exploring the natural beauty of Dhanaulti: A complete travel guide

Ecopark

After lunch, we set out to walk around the hamlet on foot. Although we were internalising the beauty of this lovely Indian hill station, I still took out my camera to captivate some of it, especially the vast expanse of greens.

We reached Ecopark, a perfect place to run, walk or simply sit and laze on the grass. We set out on a forest trail which took us to the mountain top. The serenity and tranquillity of this place made me walk uphill with vigour and zeal instead of dread. The trek gave an amazing glimpse of the greens and terracing all around. As I climbed farther, I felt I was leaving behind the hustle bustle of my urban life.

Surkanda Devi Temple

Since we had not done any homework about Dhanaulti, it was the locals who guided us to the Surkanda Devi Temple. Located at the top of a hill, a 2-3 km trek through steep stairs was the usual route to reach it. However, we decided to use the ropeway. The 10 minute ride glided over green hillocks, close to the clouds. It was another world, which was ruled by nature at its pristine best. We got down at the temple premises and found it neat and impressive. A lovely piece of architecture with a holy history, it was a divine experience and my family felt a great deal of peace here.

Tehri Dam and lake

Although we had planned to laze around, it was the beauty of Dhanaulti hill station that  compelled us to explore each gem. Around 40 kms from Dhanaulti is Tehri Dam, the tallest dam in India and the 12^th tallest in the world. We set out to spend the entire day at this breathtaking location. The emerald green water of the lake became visible from far enough and was one of the most stunning I have ever come across.

If you are an adventure junkie, you can participate in a variety of water sports including high-speed jet-ski, motor boats, water scooters and hot-air ballooning here.  It is also referred to as mini Maldives or Singapore, thanks to the floating huts in the lake.

To get the Maldivian feel, we boarded the motorized boat and reached the floating huts. Each wooden hut gave the most amazing view of the misty mountains around. An open air floating restaurant added to the appeal of this place. Who would want to come back from this paradise? After spending a very fulfilling day in the lap of nature, we headed back to our resort.

Kanatal adventure camp

While coming back from Tehri dam, we made a stopover at the Kanatal adventure camp. Surrounded by dense pine trees, the camp had 19 Swiss cottage tents and 4 deluxe camps. Activities like Burma Bridge, Commando Net, Commando Crawl, Tarzan Swing, Rope Ladders, Rope Bridges and obstacle courses made the camp attractive to travellers of all ages. In fact, this place seemed like a complete destination in itself and we decided to make this our next weekend getaway.

Dhanaulti proved to be a compete gem when compared to other hill stations like Mussoorie. It had a relaxing vibe, abundant natural beauty, adventure sports, camping and even a Maldivian feel! It would be an understatement to say that we came back refreshed. The magic of the Himalayas infused a new spirit in us as we descended towards the plains. Surely, we were leaving behind these majestic hills only to return very soon!