MUNSIYARI
In this blog, I will tell you some basic information regarding Munsiyari, how to reach this place, where to stay, what to eat, what to do and places to visit in Munsiyari.
ABOUT MUNSIYARI
Munsiyari is located in the Pithoragarh district in the hill-state of Uttarakhand, India. It is a hill station and lies at the base of great Himalayan Mountain range, at an elevation of about 2200 meter and 7200 feet and it is also a starting point of various treks into the interior of the Himalayan range. It offers stunning views of snow- capped higher Himalayan ranges. Panchachuli is a group of five peaks and is the main attraction for the tourist coming here. One can also view magnificent peaks of Nandadevi, Nandakot, Rajarambha from here.
HOW TO REACH MUNSIYARI
In this blog, I will assume that you are staying in Delhi or NCR and I will tell you the way to reach Munsiyari from Delhi. It is a little difficult to travel to Munsiyari, as it is not directly connected to any of the major cities in India. The nearest airport and railway station is also about 225 km away from Munsiyari. When it comes to traveling by road, it is not easy as it is a bit tiring long journey and one has to take break journey at Chaukori or Almora.
REACHING MUNSIYARI BY FLIGHT
Pantnagar serves as the nearest airport to Munsiyari, lying at a distance of 249 km. One can go to Pantnagar, as there are daily flights connected from Delhi. Dehradun is the nearest airport connected to Munsiyari, which is around 214 km.
REACHING MUNSIYARI BY TRAIN
One can catch a train to kathgodam from Delhi, which is on daily basis. Munsiyari is 275 km away from Kathgodam and other option is Tanakpur which is 290 km from Munsiyari. One can hire cabs and busses from outside the station till Munsiyari.
REACHING MUNSIYARI BY ROAD
Munsiyari is a very long drive from Delhi. It is approximately 615 km far from Delhi. A break journey to Chaukori or Almora is advisable. If you are travelling by public transport like bus, you can take a bus from Anand Vihar ISBT to Almora and from there another bus to Munsiyari. One can also take a bus to Pithoragarh from Delhi and then travel to Munsiyari, which is just 135 km from Pithoragarh.
BEST TIME TO VISIT MUNSIYARI
With brilliant weather throughout the year, the summer season offers its visitors a sound chance for a picture-perfect view of peaks and plenty of trekking options. Even in the summers the days are pleasant and the nights are cold to give you the best experience of climate while you are visiting Munsiyari. The months March to June and mid-September to October end are perfect for visiting Munsiyari. At this time days are pleasant with cooler nights and is also a perfect time to do trekking in the nearby mountains. One must avoid visiting to Munsiyari in the monsoon season from July to mid-September, as there is heavy rainfall and the dampness plays spoilsport most of the time and moreover there are chances of landslides also while travelling to Munsiyari, so one must avoid the monsoon season. If you want to enjoy winters and snowfall then December, January and February are the months when you must visit Munsiyari. In these months the temperature goes below freezing point and it is really very cold here. Entire Munsiyari and its surrounding areas are covered with white blanket of snow. The plus point to visit Munsiyari at this time is that the prices of the hotels are heavily slashed. The tourist rush is also not there and it is this time of the year, when one can enjoy reading books and listening to music sitting in front of a cosy fireplace. In winters you can also take part in the famous Makar Sankranti celebrations, which is organised in mid-January.
WHERE TO STAY IN MUNSIYARI
Well, Munsiyari being located in the remote part of Uttarakhand, there are not many star resorts or hotels in Munsiyari. But the best hotels which comes to my mind are Hotel Millam Inn, Vijay Mount View Resort, Hotel Bala Paradise, Hotel Leela Mount. There are some homestays also in Munsiyari where one can stay at reasonable prices.
WHERE TO EAT AND WHAT TO EAT IN MUNSIYARI
Well apart from eating in your hotels one can enjoy food in some of the homestays as well. There are cafes also available in Munsiyari, where one can have hot coffee and enjoy the nature. If you want to eat local Kumauni food, that is also available in some of the local dhabas in Munsiyari. Aloo parathas, bread omelette, maggi are some of the most easily available and in demand food among the tourists visiting Munsiyari.
THINGS TO DO IN MUNSIYARI
There are many things to do in Munsiyari for the tourist visiting here, some of the best things to do are Trekking, Bird watching, staring at the Panchachuli peaks and other Himalayan peaks. Nature walk, Shopping in the local market for woollens and some spices which are only available in this part of India, playing in snow in winters, tasting the local Kumauni food, visiting temples, visiting waterfalls.
PLACES TO VISIT IN AND NEAR MUNSIYARI
There are many places to visit in and near Munsiyari.
Birthi Waterfalls ( 35 km away from Munsiyari)
- Trekking to Maheshwari Kund
- Trekking to Thamri Kund
- Trekking to Khaliya Top
- Visiting Darkot Village
- Visiting the famous Nanda Devi Temple.
- Visiting the Munsiyari Musuem
- Visiting natural hot spring water
- Visiting Kalamuni Top
- Nanda Devi Trek
- Visiting Gori Ganga River
- Visiting Nepal border (90 km) from Munsiyari
THINGS TO CARRY WHILE VISITING MUNSIYARI
Munsiyari being a remote place, one must carry some of the basic things while visiting Munsiyari in different climatic conditions. First of all, make sure your car petrol tank is full or have sufficient fuel, as there are not many petrol pumps here and sometime, they also go out of stock. If you are visiting in summers, you should carry some light woollen clothes as well, as the nights gets cooler here even in summer. If you are travelling in monsoon season, umbrella and raincoat are must to carry as it rains very heavily here. It gets very cold here in winter, so one must carry heavy woollens visiting in the months of November till February. Woollen caps, gloves, jacket, sweater, sunscreen lotion, muffler. Woollen socks are some of the things one must carry visiting in winters. One must carry extra pair of shoes if they are interested in trekking. Torch, power bank, some light snacks are also some of the things to carry while Visiting Munsiyari. Sun glasses, hat and a stick while trekking also one must carry with them.
HOW MANY DAYS ARE ENOUGH FOR MUNSIYARI
If a person is willing to do trekking to some of the near by treks, visit Darkot village and also visit Nepal Border, then at least 3 days are minimum required to visit Munsiyari. Since Munsiyari is not a place one can visit easily again, I recommend to stay at 3 days here and enjoy the beauty of Himalayan peaks and fresh air and beautiful nature.
