Day 1 - Delhi to Narkanda - Halt at Narkanda
Driving from Delhi to Narkanda was uneventful. Started from Delhi at 10 am and reached Narkanda around 10 pm. Long drive. We were glad to reach HPTDC !! The hotel staff people were nice. They had not received intimation of our bookings it seems so we were lucky that they had rooms. Inspite of the vouchers we had they were at first not sure of our payment. So we had to make a couple of calls to sort it out.
Lesson learnt - Cross check the bookings personally even if you have vouchers !!! If there had been no rooms available it could have been an issue !!!!
Day 2 - Narkanda- Sangla via Sarahan - halt Sangla
When we woke up next day - Narkanda looked beautiful. It had rained and the whole place was green and misty. Very pretty ! :)
We had decided to skip Sarahan. The drive to Sangla was scenic with the Sutlej in view most of the time , although once the construction work for the dam begins the views are not that good.
About Banjara Retreat, Sangla
Aah .. we were absolutely thrilled when we reached the retreat. The location is very good ; it is amidst an apple orchard and sweet pea plants with yellow flowers. We really loved our room which had a loft with another bed ( so our girl took the dibs on that !!! ). There was a very nice potpourri kind of smell from our room ( perhaps the wood itself ) and it was a welcoming note every time we entered.We had chosen not to book the tent and we were happy about that.
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| Our room is at the end with the patio |
The retreat is also close to the bank of the river Baspa.
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| Baspa river at the back |
There is no room service here although they give tea and snacks to the room. There is a campfire most evenings and they charge you for the barbecue item you choose. Which in a way is a waste since you are so full after that snack that you eat less dinner ! :) Must say though they Bhojpuri Aloo was yummy !!! :)
There was no TV ( disappointment with a child in tow ) but they have a library, indoor games. To my mind to make it a real luxury haunt - you need TV and room service !! But they claim that it is a place to get away from it all !!! :)
Due to our early start we reached Banjara Retreats at Sangla by lunch time and had lunch there directly. Food was good through out our stay.
May - June is the best season for Sangla - there are no rains and one can truly appreciate being in a valley along with the views of the mountains. [ We chose this time since July - Aug is the best time for Kunzum pass !!! ] However we enjoyed the misty mornings and the sheer verdant green !!!!
We relaxed - just explored the Baspa river and the Retreat.
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| Misty mountains and green |
It is easy to just sit in the patio and relax soaking up the atmosphere of calm and quiet with just the river water gurgling to be heard.
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| Patio to relax |
This is the the mist lifting in the morning ..... :)
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| Misty morning |
The retreat is filled with many asters ....
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Retreat gardens |
Viewing the misty mountains from the room .....
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| Fog rolling down the mountains |
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