All posts tagged: Camping

Camping, Hiking & River-Rafting In Kiulu, Sabah: The Offbeat Malaysia

Published by Dev

Visiting Sabah, in Malaysia? How about doing the offbeat and trying some camping, hiking and white river-rafting in Kiulu River. “Who goes camping in a new country anyway? Don’t you think jungles look the same everywhere?” I remember how my friends initially reacted as I told them about my upcoming trip to Malaysia. And I understand their disapproval. For most people (and this particularly applies to Indians) visiting a new country, streets and cities remain the biggest fascination. I mean if you are visiting, let’s say, Japan for an instance, would you rather go for hiking, or carefully spend your time planning pretty selfies at the famous Shibuya Station intersection in Tokyo or watching sumo wrestlers choking each other with their majestic butt. Similarly, for Malaysia, exploring Malaysian food, Malaysian streets, or something else that’s more Malaysian in appearance should be high in your bucket list, over hiking a ubiquitous jungle. So yea, when I shared my 5-day travel itinerary with my friends, over a few drinks in New Delhi, I didn’t get a very …

My First Hospitality Venture FootlooseCamps: A Campsite In Sethan

Published by Dev

From being a full-time nomad to starting my first hospitality venture: A Campsite In Sethan When in 2015 I was facing a lost battle with my corporate life, unsatisfied and wanting more my myself, I had no idea that in just a couple of years I would be exploring countries on media trips. I’d no idea that tourism boards would be inviting me for experiencing what their country has to offer in return for promoting them on my digital channel(s). In short, I didn’t know that I would become a travel influencer! And what I certainly didn’t know, after quitting my job to travel and facing more financial problems than I could ever imagine, during the initial year of travel blogging, that very soon I’ll have my own hospitality business. FootlooseCamps, as I now tell the world with a proud look and a confident face, is my first hospitality venture — a brainchild, a chef-d’œuvre! Long-Term Travelling Made Me A Risk Taker Before I started travelling, I was one of those people who would never take risks …

camping near manali

Planning Camping In Manali? Try Footloose Camps!

Published by Dev

After exploring three continents and much of India in the previous two years when the idea of starting a new venture — of opening a tourist facility — struck my mind, the Himalayas felt like the best option. But where in the Himalayas was the question! From the vainglorious far-out valleys in the East to some of the most splendid and frequent in the West, the Indian Himalayas offer a great deal of natural bounty and experiences and basis on where you end up staying (unless you’ve spent years exploring it, just like I did) you shape a picture of your own version of the Himalayas, and its people. Imagine if you stayed at only one place in the Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, and that happened to be Darma Valley in Pithoragarh district — you’d consider Uttarakhand as a land of meat-eaters, and a place where animal sacrifice is still blatantly practiced. Now those who are familiar with Uttarakhand, very well know that Uttarakhand is majorly a dry district, where in most parts serving any meat …

Experiencing A Different Side Of Auli

Published by Dev

After a failed attempt to complete Satopanth Lake trek, on my own, I was literally not ready for another follow-the-unknown-trail challenge. It was time to find a place which offered me a comfortable camping site, and some rest. A good flat space and easy food options – was all I was thinking. And then the wind said “Auli”. I loved Auli. Not because it offered sights that were unimaginably beautiful. Neither was I excited about a riveting ski experience. Some people suggest that Auli has India’s best ski resorts, and the convenience and excitement of long cable rides makes it even more popular. But I was excited about neither of them. I visited Auli for another reason, to explore another side of it – much beautiful and less known for its praises. And I happened to explore it as I reached the town in the month of May.  The sun was shining, and snow was far gone. Each gaze beheld a sight of nothing more than dead and glorious mountains – a few patches of grass, …

Panchachuli Base Camp Trek: From Itinerary to Costing

Published by Dev

I’ve done quite a few treks in Uttarakhand. Gomukh-Tapovan, Dodhital, Valley of flowers, Stopanth Lake, Gaurikund Kedarnath – the list is long. And often the journey was concluded solo. I like the idea of long solo walks, under the magnifying beauty of the Himalayan cliffs and an open nothingness. There is some adventure in that. And this time, I was off to Panchachuli Base Camp, located at the end of eastern Kumaon region, near Munsiyari, in Uttarakhand. Panchachuli literally means the ‘five-pointed oven’. According to the locals, it was the Panchachuli peaks where the Pandavas (one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India) cooked their last meal on the five peaks of Panch Chuli (five peaks) before leaving for heaven. And that’s its religious significance. The trek to Panchachuli Base Camp turned out to be a pretty easy deal for me. Where most of the blogs, on the internet, suggested that it takes a good 4-5 days for a strenuous walk to complete the trek, I found that 2 days were just enough. Darma Valley …

My Journey Into Darma Valley

Published by Dev

It was 1 in the afternoon, as I grabbed myself somewhere in the middle of Darma valley, riding under the rocky cliffs that mark the road till Nangling. The terrain looked quite walkable but the comfort of a motorcar was far more appealing, even if you’re to sitting on the roof. The peaks of Panchachuli glacier were still, at least, two days away from me. But I could already feel its presence. The sun was unusually bright. This was definitely higher up. At about 13,000 feet above sea level, the jeep wound up quite a bit. After a couple hours of ride, we hit a rickety local shop for some food. I was ready to order another vegetarian meal – for I was in Uttarakhand, and well aware of its vegetarian culture – when all of a sudden, my eyes caught hold of a sheep who was already butchered. A man was busy taking off her coat. Few people surrounding him on the scene. The lady serving at the shop asked if I fancy some mutton and rice. …

 7 Ideal Locations To Camp And Not Pay A Penny, On The Road To Spiti Valley

Published by Dev

Bike expedition in Spiti Valley, itself, is adventurous. And the idea of camping through it, rather than opting for the safety and comfort of a guest house, is an adventure of a next level. Unlike other parts of Himalayas, here you can’t think of camping out in the wild, away from any civilization. Gusty winds and an unfriendly terrain makes it just too hard. When I initially left for the solo bike expedition to Spiti Valley, I had no intention to sleep all the way through it – in my own tent; though I brought it with me to spend a night or two in Chandratal, which falls almost on the way. I ended up camping for the first night (in a town called Arphu) because I was struck with the idea of sleeping somewhere quieter than the likes of Shimla and Rampur. I needed a place which was not bustling with tourists or, in fact, had no tourists at all. Arphu fit the description, but since it had no guest houses, camping seemed the only possible way. …

Timelapse Of My Camping-Site-In-Making, In Chandratal

Published by Dev

During my very recent 9-day solo bike trip to Spiti Valley, I camped almost every night. This helped me to keep my budget under a good control and stay away from the most ‘sought after’ tourist places — as I had the security to have a roof at night, no matter where I go. Here, a quick time lapse of my temporary dwelling (on day 8) in making. Pretty neat, eh? Location: Chandra Tal (about 4,300 m above sea level) Read About My Solo Motorbiking Expedition To Spiti Valley

A Walk Into The Himalayan Woods

Published by Dev

Travelling alone has its own benefits. It gives you that control where you can set an itinerary and then you can ditch it. Spending days in solitude also makes you more eager to chat with locals, absorb their culture and team up with them to make your journey more interesting. And that is exactly what happened to me when I was on my way to trek all the way to Deo Tibba. Deo Tiba is basically a 4 to 7 days trek depending upon how far you want to go. The base camp takes 7 days. The elegant Deo Tiba peak which is 6001 m high looks like half oval shaped egg. The journey starts from Jagatsukh village (about 20 km from Manali), in a motorcar, followed by a great deal of walking through Himalaya’s pristine and untouched beauty, laced with the amazing forests and snow-clad peaks. But let’s not waste too much time speaking about its specifications, because we aren’t even going there. So as I said, travelling alone has its own benefits. And this journey just proved …

The Journey That Brought FootlooseDev Into The World

Published by Dev

“It’s amazing how small life experiences leave an imprint on us,and force us to change our life one way or the other” I found this statement more truer than ever, back in 2014, while I was travelling in the lofty and vainglorious mountains of Uttarakhand, and got bit by an unsettling travel bug. At that time I had no idea that I’d soon quit my job to travel. But I guess, as they say that life experiences aren’t something to be denied, but to be celebrated, I think I just happened to celebrate my experiences so strenuously that it eventually became a way of life. My first solo-travel experience took place in 2014. It was a 2-day trek in the snout of Gangotri Glacier to reach the place called Gomukh, from where Bhagirathi River originates. I was constantly feeling a certain springy keenness the day I started the trek. Though factually I was walking with a group of other hikers, whom I met in Gangotri, technically speaking I was on my own, as I hardly knew …