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The Elephant waterfalls, a broad, multi-tiered waterfall situated a short drive away from Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya. It used to be called the Ka Kshaid Lai Pateng Khohsiew before it was renamed by the British as the Elephant falls.


Over here, people don’t build bridges, but grow them. A self-renewing, self-strengthening living root bridge that looks almost as if from a fantasy world.


To withstand the ruthless monsoon in this region, the innovative people of the Khasi tribe made these from living roots of rubber trees, to withstand the test of time for more than 100 years. I wonder how something as rudimentary to transportation as a bridge across a river, can be made so surreal.





Nokhalikai waterfall, making a plunge of about 340 metres makes the setting to click some pictures very pleasing, but the legends behind the name of the falls, not so much. According to the legends, a woman named Likai made a similar plunge from this cliff after she found out that her second husband had killed, cooked and fed her own daughter to her.




One of the many stops you can make while travelling through Meghalaya to get a glimpse of the the beauty the Khasi hills are. No wonder, the clouds wanted to make this place their abode. I'm glad I did too, even though just for a few days

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Rishikesh is known as either the spiritual capital or the adventure capital of India. For me, with zero interest in spirituality whatsoever, it is just the adventure capital. The thing about monsoons in Rishikesh is, all adventure activities shut down completely. So, when I had to pick a place around Dehradun to rest for a day after a tiring monsoon trek to the Valley of flowers, I was very skeptical about choosing Rishikesh. Nevertheless, I trusted my instincts and went there, and I have no regrets about it.

It was my second time in Rishikesh. I had already fallen in love with this place when I had visited it the first time a few months back, during peak season, when it quenched my thirst for adrenaline with rafting, bungee and more. Monsoon being off-season here, I did not expect much, and thought of mostly chilling indoors to give my legs some much needed rest. Yes, you guessed it right, then the monsoon magic happened, and my plan went for a toss, for good.

The gentle pours of rain lifted the charm of the Himalayas by leaps and bounds, making it more than difficult for me to not get out. I first headed to the Beatles ashram, hoping to enjoy the greenery of the nature trails. It turned out to be an absolute delight (yeah well, except for the mosquito menace). Chirping birds, colourful butterflies, calm surroundings and add to that a bit of quirky graffiti, it was a perfect spot to enjoy the monsoon. Then, there are always cafes overlooking the Ganges to unwind at, which is where I went next. Watching the pitter-patter on the river, while sipping a chocolate milkshake was the second-best way to enjoy the rains (My feet would say it was the best, but don’t listen to them, they were biased). 


Lastly, I went to the Neergarh waterfall that had swollen up due to the rains. Involving a small trek to get close to the waters, this one turned out to be a good call too.


The lush greenery, misty mountains, splashing waterfalls, and the post-rain calmness made me fall in love with Rishikesh all over again. Riding a bike around the hills with no particular destination in mind, I realized, there's more to Rishikesh than adventure, even for the non-spirituals like me.
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En route Half-moon beach from Om beach

En route Half-moon beach from Om beach

Sunset at Om beach
Shores of paradise beach
View from the trek route

Beach trek in Gokarna Karnataka

Sunset at Om beach

Sunset at Om beach

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My likeness for nature, wildlife and photography, and a curiosity to meet Shere Khan in his natural habitat, took me to the Mougli land, Pench national park.
I took a train from Hyderabad till Nagpur, and then a taxi to Pench. I was planning to take the jungle safari from the Turia gate in Madhya Pradesh, so I stayed in one of the resorts close to the gate. There are two safaris per day from Turia, one in the morning from 6A.M. to 10A.M., and another in the evening from 3P.M to 6P.M. You can make online reservations for these from here (I will recommend making prior reservations, especially around weekends). I stayed there for 2 days and did a total of 4 safaris, two in the morning and two in the evening, and I spotted a tiger in one of the morning safaris. Tiger sightings are more probable in the morning, and more the number of safaris you do, better the chances of sighting the big cats, so plan accordingly.

Apart from the Bengal Tiger, the jungle is also home to many other species of animals and birds. Here is what I saw:

Birds: Indian Roller, Peacock, Junglefowl, Pipit, Collared Scops Owl, Vulture, Crested Hawk Eagle, Kingfisher, Rufous Treepie, Racket Tailed Drongo, White-bellied Drongo, Parakeet, Grey Hornbill, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Woodpecker, Green Bee-eater, Stork, Red Wattled Lapwing, Brahminy Duck

Animals: Tiger, Spotted Deer, Sambhar Deer, Nilgai, Indian Gaur, Elephant, Wild Boar, Jackal, Langur, Common Monkey

Apart from the above, with beautiful scenery, fresh air, chirping of birds, and the rare roar of a tiger, it was a wonderful experience overall. If you concentrate too much on spotting a tiger, you might miss out on rest of the experience. Enjoy the journey through the jungle as a whole and rest assured that you will not come back disappointed
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Day 1: Hyderabad to Haridwar

I took a morning flight from Hyderabad to Delhi. I then took an afternoon train to Haridwar. It took 5 hours to reach Haridwar. I checked into a hotel close to the railway station and stayed the night.

Day 2: Haridwar to Joshimath

The Haridwar bus stand is very close to the railway station, and from here you easily get buses to Joshimath. However, there are only early morning buses, so you will have to start early. I took a bus at 5 A.M. and reached Joshimath by 3 P.M. I checked into a hotel and stayed overnight at Joshimath.

Day 3: Joshimath to Ghangaria

I checked out and started early in the morning. Since I was planning to return to the same hotel after the trek, I left my luggage there and carried only the things essential for the 3-day trek. I took a jeep to Govind Ghat from the local taxi stand. From Govind Ghat, you need to take another jeep to Pulna, which is the starting point of the trek. From here, it is a 10 km trek uphill, to Ghangaria. I started the trek around 9 A.M. and reached Ghangaria by around 2 P.M. Most part of the route is dotted with frequent stalls from where you can get water and food, and the trek route is pretty clear throughout. After checking into a hotel at Ghangaria, I took a stroll to a nearby waterfall, which was less than a kilometer away. I spent some time there before retiring for the day.

Day 4: Valley of flowers

I got some food packed for lunch and left my room early in the morning. The check-post to the valley opens at 7A.M., so make sure you reach on time to make the most of the day (The entry point is about a kilometer from Ghangaria). It is a unidirectional (except for a small detour to the Legge’s memorial grave) trek with a clear trail that you can do on your own. There are no stalls in this route, so go prepared. Camping inside the valley is not allowed since it has an exit time of 5.30 P.M. An average person should be easily able to make it till the Pushpavati riverbed and back to the gate on time, covering a total of about 12 km.

Day 5: Hemkund Sahib

I got some food packed and started early towards Hemkund Sahib. This trek route is also dotted with frequent stalls throughout. It is a steep 7 km climb one way, to the Gurudwara situated on the banks of a scenic lake. There is no place to stay at the top. After spending some time by the lake, I returned back to my room in Ghangaria and retired for the day.

Day 6: Ghangaria to Joshimath; Auli

I checked out from my hotel at about 6 A.M. and started trekking back to Pulna. This is the same trail that one takes from Pulna to Ghangaria but climbing down was easier and I reached Pulna by 9 A.M. I then took a jeep to Govind Ghat and then another one to my hotel at Joshimath. After checking in and having lunch, I left for Auli. I took the ropeway from Joshimath to Auli. After spending some time at Auli, I returned back to Joshimath by ropeway again.

Day 7: Joshimath to Rishikesh

I checked out early and took a bus to Rishikesh. There are only early morning buses available, so you will need to start early. I took a bus at 5.30 A.M. and reached Rishikesh by 3.30 P.M. I checked into a hotel and rested for the day.

Day 8: Rishikesh

Monsoon is off season at Rishikesh, so none of the adventure activities were open. I rented a two-wheeler from one of the many bike rentals available and spent the day at Beetles ashram, Ganga view cafes, Laman Jhula, and Neergarh waterfalls.

Day 9: Rishikesh to Hyderabad

I checked out from the hotel and took a cab to Dehradun. I then flew back to Hyderabad via Delhi.


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Day 1

I took a morning flight from Hyderabad to Dehradun via Delhi. There is a pre-paid taxi stand at the airport, from where you can take a cab to Rishikesh. It takes about half an hour to reach Tapovan area in Rishikesh. After checking in at the hotel at around 2 PM, I went rafting. There are many offices in Tapovan which cater to this. You can also ask the staff at the hotel to arrange for the same. They pick you up from the hotel, take you till Shivpuri which is the starting point for rafting and also drop you back later. The activity takes about 3-4 hours and includes rafting (16 km), bodysurfing and cliff jumping.

Day 2

I spent most of the day in local sightseeing, covering Laxman jhula, Ram jhula and Goa beach. Rishikesh is best explored on feet, and moreover these places are not too far away from each other and from Tapovan, so I did not need a taxi. While you are at it, there are many cafes near Laxman jhula that provide great food at nominal rates, that you can try. Pick the ones with a river view to unwind and relax.

Day 3

This day was well spent at Jumpin heights, an extreme adventure zone less than an hour away from Rishikesh. Their office is in Tapovan from where you can take a shuttle to reach the jump zone. They have three adventure activities including bungee jumping. It took me about 5 hours (including wait time) to finish all three after which I took the shuttle back again to Rishikesh. This place is highly recommended, and it is better to make prior reservations, especially for the bungee. You can find more details here.

Day 4

I rented a two-wheeler for half a day (You can easily spot bike rentals all around Tapovan) and went around the hills, looking for serene views. I found quite a few of those, where I spent some time relaxing and clicking pictures. I checked out from the hotel after lunch and took a cab to Dehradun. I then flew back to Hyderabad, again via Delhi.


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I’m Kavipriya Adhinarayanan, a travel and photography hobbyist based out of India. For queries or collaborations, you can reach me at kavipriya[at]experimentalexplorer[dot]com


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Welcome to Experimental Explorer! My name is Kavipriya and I’m a travel and photography hobbyist. I will be sharing my travel experiences, stories, itineraries and photographs here. I mostly do solo, budget travels to quaint and serene places in India.

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      • Sojourn in the abode of clouds, Meghalaya
      • A rainy day in Rishikesh
      • A beach trek along the coast of Gokarna
      • Pench national park
      • Valley of flowers national park
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