As part of the AdventureNEXT series in India (read more on my blog here), the delegates were given the option to choose from 8 different post-adventure trips. Naturally, since this was an adventure event, the activities ranged from ziplining and white water rafting to mountain biking. I ended up choosing the “Walking Holiday in the Himalayas – Kullu Valley” by Banjara Camps, mainly because it had the lowest difficulty rating of 2 out of 5. But don’t imagine the Himalayas as Mount Everest—this trip covered only a small section of the Himalayas, specifically in Himachal Pradesh, India. However, this trip was the longest in duration, spanning an entire week from December 6-13, 2022.
To be honest, I was immediately intimidated! A Walking Holiday might sound like a leisurely stroll, but this was in the Himalayas! That meant walking at altitudes of thousands of meters above sea level. It was definitely not going to be flat terrain, right? This activity was more accurately described as hiking, or even trekking. And to do it for a week? Oh my gosh! And in the winter, with snow? Brrrr! I was even more intimidated when I found out it was an international group. You know how fast Westerners walk, especially when hiking. With their long legs, one of their strides is like two of ours. I could only hope that there would be someone in the group who walked slower than I did.
Long story short, we all met at New Delhi railway station. It turned out my prayers were answered. Our group consisted of just three people: me, a hardcore Indian mountain woman, and a 67-year-old American grandfather! Our guide was Rajesh, a 6’3″ tall, bear-sized Indian man, who was also the owner of Banjara Camps, the organizer of this trip. Quite the unusual combination, right?
We took a 3-hour train ride from Delhi to Chandigargh, followed by a car ride driven by Rajesh along winding mountain roads to Thanedhar. We passed through Shimla, the famous shooting location for the Indian film “3 Idiots,” which was crowded beyond belief. By nightfall, we finally arrived at Banjara Orchard Retreat, where we stayed in wooden cabins overlooking a 2,000-meter deep valley.
The next day, our first “walk”—or rather, our first hike—began. I’m not sure at what altitude we were, but the vegetation was dominated by pine trees typical of high-altitude areas. The path started off as a slightly uphill trail, and I confidently walked while whistling, because the scenery was indeed beautiful. Among the pine trees, the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas loomed in the distance. Gradually, we entered a dense forest, where the path became steeper and more challenging, making me short of breath. I suddenly realized that the Indian woman who had been ahead of me was nowhere in sight, and neither was the American grandfather behind me. Wow, the distance between us was huge! I kept climbing, cursing under my breath, “Why did I sign up for this? This is exhausting!” Sweat poured down my forehead and my back was drenched, so I took off my outer jacket.
Suddenly, I found myself in front of a snow-covered landscape! Like a kid, I immediately started touching the ice and waited for the grandfather to catch up so he could take a picture of me. #socialmediaenthusiast! He finally arrived and promptly slipped and fell! Ouch! Long story short, we continued our slippery trek over ice and sand, climbing higher until… wait, is that a paved road? A kilometer later, we reached a sign that read “Hatu Peak at 3,352 m,” with a temple on top! Why on earth did we spend hours hiking when we could have driven up here?! Rajesh laughed, “Well, this is a walking tour, not a car tour!” Sigh. But I did feel proud for completing the hike that day.
From Thanedhar, we drove all day to Sojha, navigating the slopes of the Himalayas. Since there were only four of us in the car, we took our time, stopping whenever we wanted to take photos. However, the grandfather, who turned out to have diabetes, often needed to stop for bathroom breaks on the side of the road. Gosh, if I make it to 67 years old, there’s no way I would go on a hiking trip like this! By the afternoon, we arrived at Banjara Retreat and Cottage in Seraj Valley, overlooking the snow-covered Pir Panjal Range—a part of the Inner Himalayas stretching all the way to Kashmir. The weather was freezing! I was shivering, and my breath came out in visible puffs like at an AC Milan game.
Our next hike started from Jalori Pass, at an altitude of 3,120 meters—almost as high as the summit of Mount Lawu, the highest mountain I’ve ever climbed, 20 kg ago! The grandfather, still traumatized by the previous hike, decided to sit this one out. Oh no, I was going to be the slowpoke of the group! We entered a forest, the path gradually ascending. In some areas, the ground was covered in snow, but I didn’t care because I was afraid of being left behind, as the Indian woman had already disappeared from sight. The trail then became so steep that I repeatedly had to beg Rajesh for help to pull me up. I almost gave up, but when we emerged from the oak forest, we found ourselves in a meadow. This is it! I immediately collapsed in relief.
“We’re not done yet!” Rajesh said. WHAT? He pointed to a distant peak, saying there was Raghupur Fort. Oh no, that means it’s still far away! I continued to trudge along, grumbling in frustration. But soon, my mood brightened as the view became spectacular. We were standing on a ridge overlooking the Tirthan Valley, with a 360° panorama of the snow-capped Himalayas, Dhauladhar, and Kinnaur mountains! We were so high up that even the eagles were flying below us! At the edge of the cliff, the snow spread out beautifully. We had fun taking pictures, and I refused to continue to the fort, as it would mean descending into the valley only to climb back up again.
The next morning, exhausted, we only walked around the village—but even then, the grandfather fell again! Our plan to stay two nights in Sojha was canceled because we were all freezing. So, we moved to Sonaugi, which was “only” at an altitude of 1,920 meters above sea level. To get there, we had to drive down 2,000 meters to the valley floor, cross a river, and then climb the mountain slope again. Our last accommodation of the trip was at Sonaugi Homestead, the newest and most beautiful place we’d stayed. The snow-capped Himalayas were clearly visible from Kullu, as it was the closest to our lodge. The homely atmosphere made us all lazy. We spent the entire day taking a drive to Manali—the most popular tourist destination—and eating the best pizza in India.
For our last hike in Sonaugi, Rajesh suggested we take the Janna Village Walk. It sounded easy, like a simple village stroll, but after just half an hour of climbing, the grandfather gave up, followed by the Indian woman, who said she wasn’t feeling it. That left just me, Rajesh, a dog named Lakshmi, and a 16-year-old boy who worked at the lodge. I managed to hold on for two hours until we reached a series of rocky steps with water flowing over them like a waterfall. From that point on, climbing was a real struggle, as it was hard to keep my balance on the slippery rocks and mud, especially when it suddenly started raining! We eventually reached Janna Village, but it was perched on the mountainside. All the paths were natural stone steps that seemed to go on forever, climbing higher and higher.
“Come on! You can do it! We’re almost there! We’ll eat at the top!” Rajesh encouraged me, pointing to the far end of the village, which was way up high—I had to crane my neck just to see it! Oh my gosh! My legs felt heavy, my heart was pounding, cold sweat was pouring down, and my morale was shattered—I was on the verge of collapse! I walked on, tears of frustration streaming down my face. When we finally reached the top and walked another kilometer, we arrived at a small restaurant by a waterfall. Miraculously, at that moment, it started snowing! Ah, what a happy ending!
Epilogue:
I am so proud of this achievement. After losing a significant amount of weight, I’m now stronger when hiking. A year ago, there’s no way I would have joined a trip like this! But it got me thinking: was I lazy because I was overweight? Or was I overweight because I was lazy?