A little less than 200 kms from Delhi, Pangot is a few kilometers short of Nainital. A little detour on the Nainital Road and one can reach Pangot in less than 7 hours of drive from Delhi. Though I have been to Nainital five times, Pangot has been a miss. The thought of visiting this lesser-known hideout was exciting and the moment we took the turn towards Pangot from the busy Kaladhungi - Nainital Road, the landscape changed completely. The cars got fewer and the chirping of birds more loud and incessant. It was one single road leading us through tall pine trees and a deep gorge below. With every turn, the view ahead got prettier. The rhododendron trees added much color, while the oak and pine trees spread a heady fragrance that was very refreshing. After 30 minutes of driving along the road, a few houses and men sitting around a few nondescript shops made us stop and enquire about our destination, and yes we had reached Pangot. Our hotel was a little down the road - an oasis amidst lush green trees and green meadows.
Pangot is a perfect destination for slow travel. With no mall road or even a large marketplace, Pangot allows every visitor to spend some me/we time surrounded by nature.
Our two-day stay at Pangot was marked by long village walks, a trek up to the hills, and visiting the nearby Kilbury Bird Sanctuary. Perched at 2,200 meters above sea level, the sanctuary is a paradise of peace.
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Uttarakhand
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Staying in Delhi, the nearby hill stations of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have always been my go-to destinations. Be it summer, winter, or even monsoon; we as a family are always ready to pack our bags and head off to the hills - anytime. As my family and I have visited the popular hill stations of Shimla, Mussoorie and Nainital more than a couple of times, Pangot, 15 km from Nainital, was a natural choice. Pitched to be a great birding destination, Pangot is yet to be discovered by regular travelers.
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Uttarakhand
With the long Himalayan range in the backdrop and lush green trees all around spending a few hours here was cathartic. Our mornings were mostly spent taking long treks. One day it was down to the waterfalls below and the other day we went towards a small village temple. Passing through fields with lentils growing, it was rejuvenating. Never in the cities do we get to walk through fields and village roads, and so this was something new for all of us. No sound of honking cars or the fear of cars coming from behind, walking along the narrow rustic road felt so good and rejuvenating.
People were friendly here, ready to chat and share as much information about Pangot and how a few years back hardly any outsiders visited the hamlet. Now, they are happy to see people coming from cities, it is nice to meet new people, they said. They told us how Pangot has many winged visitors and an old lady, in fact, rattled the names of a few birds that were regulars. Pangot is home to a wide variety of avian species including migratory birds that fill the sky from November to February. Asian Palm Swift, Oriental Dove, Spotted-necked Dove, Laughing Dove, Hill Partridge, Himalayan Quail, Oriental Turtle Dove, Himalayan Woodpecker, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, and Great Barbet are some of the birds that will follow your path or peep through your window. Pangot has a melody of its own and the birds here are the musicians, whose music will calm every frayed nerves. I loved it - just sitting and looking into the open cloud-spread sky above and the green valley below as birds flew around.
Since the Jim Corbett Museum in Kaladhungi is just 10 kms from Pangot, we spent an afternoon visiting the museum and experiencing a piece of the Corbett world. An ardent fan of Jim Corbett stories - visiting the place where Jim Corbett lived was very special to my heart. It was here that Jim Corbett - the very famous hunter turned conservationist - spent his days with his sister Maggie. The museum has many photographs of Jim Corbett along with his many trophies - photos of the maneaters that Jim Corbett killed. There is also a photograph of Jim Corbett with the Bachelor of Pawalgarh - the largest tiger (over 10 ft long) that Corbett killed. It was wonderful to see a few of Corbett’s belongings kept as mementos. However, what made my heart heavy was the grave of Robin, Corbett’s faithful dog who accompanied him during most of his hunting expeditions. After a nice stroll around the Corbett Museum, we drove back to Pangot. On the last night at Pangot, I didn’t feel like going to my room. It is hard to say goodbye to the captivating moonlit night of Pangot.
