The Switzerland of India—Kausani, and a View That Silenced Us All
After a quiet breakfast at
Kailash Residency in Chamoli (where the hotel manager, Mr. Rawat, bid us
goodbye with two extra packets of pahadi namkeen for the road), we started
early toward Kausani—one of the legs I’d been looking forward to since the planning
stage. Why? Because I had read it’s called “The Switzerland of India,”
and I was hellbent on proving to my skeptical daughter that India didn’t need
the Alps to impress.
The drive itself was a
song—winding roads bordered with pine and oak, cows lounging like Himalayan
royalty, and occasional glimpses of terraced fields golden with harvest. But
with Chintu’s Spotify playlist of ‘Baby Shark’ on loop and Ritu’s habit of correcting
my gear shifts ("Third gear on a slope, really, Bunty?"), the scenery
had fierce competition.
We reached Himalaya Darshan
Resort in Kausani around 2 PM. A traditional welcome with a red tikka, warm
herbal tea, and a staff so polite it made me feel underdressed in my track pants. Our room overlooked the mighty Himalayas—Trishul, Nanda Devi, and
Panchachuli stood like ancient guardians, dusted in white, basking under the
cobalt sky.
Ritu stood on the balcony in
silence. “I’ve never seen a view like this,” she whispered. Tia for once didn’t
open Instagram. She just stared. And Chintu, well... he saw a monkey and ran
off yelling, “Mumma! Look! It’s climbing like Spider-Man!”
That evening, we walked down to
the Anashakti Ashram. The stillness was surreal. Mahatma Gandhi once
stayed here, and as I sat on a wooden bench in the meditation hall, I
thought—maybe he was also trying to get a break from his own version of Tia and
Chintu.
Dinner at the resort was a locally inspired spread: madua roti, aloo ke gutke, and a tomato chutney with a
smoky punch. Our host, Mrs. Upreti, told us about how their kitchen uses
organic veggies from a nearby farm. Ritu immediately took notes and asked if
they did "fermentation classes" (they don’t).
That night, wrapped in soft
blankets under an open sky, Tia asked me, “Papa, is this what peace feels
like?”
Yes, beta. It truly is.
Into a Timeless Cocoon—Abbott Mount
The next morning, we set off for
Abbott Mount. Hardly a name you hear in every travel vlog, but a hidden gem
that travel forums had whispered about like a secret. Our Abbott Mount
Cottage was waiting, and so were whispers of British-era charm.
The road was quiet—just us and
the hills. We passed through villages that looked frozen in time. Kids waved.
Women carried firewood with mountain grace. And the air grew crisper as we
climbed.
Reaching Abbott Mount by noon,
we found ourselves in a place that felt like someone had pressed pause on the
world. The Abbott Mount Cottage stood framed by rhododendron trees, its
colonial façade weathered but dignified. We were welcomed by the caretaker, Mr.
Joshi, who had served tea to Ruskin Bond once—or so he claimed. He had a voice
like an old radio and stories that needed no fact-checking.
Lunch was homemade dal-rice with
pickle and papad, served in a sunny glass conservatory overlooking a valley
draped in clouds. The place had just 13 cottages, and that solitude was sacred.
Later, we visited the Church
of St. John—abandoned yet divine, its stone walls echoing with age. Chintu
ran around imagining ghosts. Tia took black-and-white pictures and said the
vibe was “aesthetic vintage.” Ritu placed her hand on my shoulder and simply
said, “This was a good call, Bunty.”
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Evening brought in fog. A
bonfire was lit. Mr. Joshi shared stories about a ‘haunted doctor's bungalow’
in the forest. Tia was intrigued. Ritu wasn’t. Chintu wanted to explore in the
dark. I reminded him we had one flashlight and zero guts.
We retired early. That night, I
woke up to silence. No honks, no screens, no tasks. Just the sound of a distant
owl, the creaking cottage wood, and my family sleeping peacefully.
Route Info, Stay &
Guidance – Kausani to Abbott Mount
Route: Chamoli → Karnaprayag → Gwaldam → Baijnath → Kausani → Bageshwar → Lohaghat → Abbott Mount
Hotel Stay Kausani: Himalaya Darshan Resort
Hotel Stay Abbott Mount: Abbott Mount Cottage (Ask for local tea during check-in; it’s divine.)
Ideal Duration: 1.5 days each
Activities to Book in Advance: Birdwatching tour (Abbott Mount), Tea estate walk (Kausani)
Read the Full Series:
- Page 1: Nainital—A Bottle, a Temple & Too Many Selfies
- Page 2: Mukteshwar Mischief & Ranikhet Reflections
- Page 3: Dhanaulti Dramas & the Drive to Auli
- Page 4: Slopes, Snow & Surprises in Auli and Chamoli
- Page 5: Kausani Views & Ghost Stories in Abbott Mount
- Page 6: Pangot—Whispers in the Woods & a Farewell We Didn’t Want
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