No other region in India shows the devotion of the Hindus for sacred naturalsymbols. With its holy mountains, lakes and rivers this area provides a natural beauty and with this aplenty of pilgrim centres too.
Uttarakhand is typical with its nice valleys set on rivers, its holy mountains like the Nanda Devi and the Hill Stations eg. Almora or Nainital.
Starting in Rishikesh at Laxman Juhla, after stocking up with supplies for the next few days, following the road along the mighty and holy Ganga River.
Passing small towns with many tent camps by the river for rafting tourists set on the lovely banks of Mother Ganga. Children are collecting wood or grass spending curious looks on me and my packed bike. But after the first shock they wave their hand in enthusiasm to get my attention and shouting out a loud ´hallo´ into my direction. The road is a steady up and down, but not so bad while following the Rivers and the stunning views compensate every drip of sweat. Some Prayag- towns, like Devaprayag and Rudraprayag are on the way. Some stretches are in very poor condition because of construction work. After a lot of dust I reached Karnaprayag, where the turn off up to the Valley of Flowers on Hgw 58 is. But I decided not to go, because of the weather. So I followed the road further east with Almora as the next destination.
First it is an easy ride further along a river set in a beautiful gorge, but sudden the road leaves the river and a long ascent starts. It is a long final pump for the destination today. Gwaldam. Further to Kausani first its going down. Through empty rice paddies, it is wintertime. Passing by Baijnath with some ancient very beautiful temples. From there the ascent starts again to the lesser known town of Kausani. On the way is a teafactory, with a viewpoint, where I enjoy an impressive overlook around the Nanda Devi Range over the fertile valley and the breathtaking mountains in the background. Kausani I reach around noon and I make a lazy day, watching the snowcapped mountains from the hotel veranda while sipping delicious tea.
The ride from Kausani starts with a descent too and changes later with a climb up to 1800m above sea-level to Almora, passing brown and grey wintersuffered landscape. The town of Almora itself is quite busy and lack of charm, but it provides almost everything a hungry cyclist is looking for, so I decide to have a rest day here, before heading to the famous hill station of Nainital. It is a final cycling day to this lovely set town, which is surrounded by mountains and a lake in the middle. But around Christmas Nainital is overcrowded, and unfortunately, it is Christmas time now. I spend a few more days with relaxing and some nice walk in the nearby hills. Then I leave the mountains for the plains. It is a rush going down, and with water in my eyes I say goodbye to the mountains for this time.
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