Planning the Big Uttarakhand Adventure:
It all started a couple of months back when Peeyush and I decided - let’s do a family trip! Since both of us have two daughters of almost the same age, this was kind of an experiment for us. 😄 Would they bond? Would they fight over silly things? Only time would tell!
Uttarakhand was always the dream, and we wanted to make Jim Corbett National Park the heart of our trip - to give the kids a hatke experience. But then came the big decision: North or South Uttarakhand?
After a lot of brainstorming over multiple calls, we locked in the Southern circuit.
Next came the booking frenzy! Flight and train tickets to Delhi were sorted first. Then hotel hunting and car rentals began. Everything was pretty straightforward except for one tricky mission - booking a stay inside Jim Corbett forest.
Now, there are tons of fancy resorts around Ramnagar, but we wanted the real deal - forest cottages inside the national park itself. This led us down an internet rabbit hole of too many websites, all claiming to handle bookings. After lots of research, we zeroed in on Dhikala and Bijrani zones for our stay. (Here’s the official booking link: https://corbettgov.org/)
Just when things seemed set,
news of the Pulwama terror attack shook North India. Uncertainty loomed
over our trip. Should we cancel? Should we wait? After much discussion, we
decided to go ahead - adventure waits for no one!
Quick Snapshot of Our Itinerary:
- Day 1 – Flight to Delhi, then car ride to Haldwani
- Day 2 – Haldwani to Kasardevi via Mukteshwar
- Day 3 – Exploring Kasardevi & Binsar
- Day 4 – Off to Kausani / Ranikhet
- Day 5 – Heading to Nainital
- Day 6 – Finally reaching Jim Corbett
- Day 7 – Back to Delhi
- Day 8 – Delhi sightseeing
- Day 9 – Flying back home
Day 1: 24-May-2025 – Ahmedabad to Haldwani
Our adventure kicked off with an early morning flight from Ahmedabad,
and before we knew it, we landed in Delhi around 11:30 AM. The
moment we stepped out, our driver was already waiting - no time to waste!
Next stop: Noida, where we picked up Peeyush’s
family. And with that, the trip officially began.
Now, the interesting part - the kids! Since this was the first
time they were meeting in person, there was this awkward silence in the car. 😅
For the first few minutes (or should I say hours?), they barely exchanged
words. But we knew it wouldn’t stay that way for long.
On the way, hunger struck, and we took a break at Shiva
Dhaba (which, by the way, is one of MANY Shiva Dhabas on this route!). A
good meal later, a few short stops here and there, and finally, by 8 PM,
we arrived at our hotel in Haldwani - exhausted but excited!
After checking in, we took a quick evening stroll
nearby in search of food. For dinner, we found this cozy café, Himalaya
Roots, where we filled up on some delicious food before calling it a night.
And just like that, Day 1 came to an end - bags
unpacked, hearts full, and the real adventure waiting ahead!
