Awesome Auli. Review on Auli

Auli! Very few people, and that includes regular tourists too, must have heard the name of this hill-station situated in Uttarakhand somewhere near to Badrinath dham. As small as it’s name and perched at a height of 10, 000 ft near the mighty Himalayas, it transforms itself into a skiing heaven in the winters when it gets completely snow-bound. Populated sparsely by humans, it is densely covered by forests of deodars, silver oak and pines and engulfed by the snow-capped Himalayan ranges.

We visited Auli in the month of May, the non – skiing season, as I am not much of an adventure tourist nor very fond of sub-zero temperatures. In May, the roads are clear, the climate very pleasant and the place moderately teaming with tourists. Haridwar is the place from where you have to begin your quest for Auli. From Haridwar, Auli is an 11 hour drive through narrow and ascending hilly roads. It is usually prudent to break your journey into two phases instead of attempting to reach Auli in one single stretch. Reaching Haridwar by the Shatabdi from Delhi, we started our journey to Auli from there at 12 noon and halted the night at Rudraprayag. On the way we passed through Rishikesh, which houses the Laxmanjhula, Srinagar and Devprayag, where the Alakananda meets the Bhagirathi and Pindi rivers to form the Ganges.

On the way to Rudraprayag we were suddenly greeted by a violent hailstorm. Luckily it was our car that bore the brunt of the raining ice blocks. It was really refreshing to spend the night at Rudraprayag after the long drive and we had completely recharged ourselves for the second leg of our journey. Starting off early next morning from Rudraprayag, we ascended through Nandaprayag where Alakananda joins the Nandakini, Gaucher and Chamoli to finally reach Joshimath. From Joshimath, we took a cable car which dropped us off at Tower No 8, one of the 10 towers that support the cables. Gazing downwards, we could see forests and orchards of apples, walnuts and pears. The forests are home to wild boars and snow leopards.

The 8th tower is the place to alight for reaching the Clifftop Club where we were booked. From the top of the tower we had to descend 166 numbers of metal grating steps to reach terra firma and from here it is a 50 m descent through tough hilly terrain. The Clifftop boys are glad to relieve you of your luggage so that you can negotiate the hill slope without any burdens. Nowadays cars can take you right unto Clifftop for an additional charge but this is possible only during the times that Auli is not snow bound.The five days that we spend at Clifftop was a once in a life-time experience in relaxation, contemplation, self-introspection, profound philosophical discussions, healthy eating, hygienic breathing, energizing walks, lazy sun-bathing and nature-gazing. Time stood as still as the mountains that surrounded our resort. The Nandadevi and Trishul ranges are the major peaks here. Horses, ponies, cows and donkeys grazed freely on the green plains.

The days saw the sun bearing down heavily on the hills while the nights were chilly, windy and dark. The sick can get cured here, the mentally depressed ends up spiritually elevated and the infirm are able to walk steady. Worries and tensions melt away as you surrender yourself up to Mother Nature. In short, you can end up transformed, rejuvenated and invigorated. It is amazing how the Clifftop management is able to efficiently able to run their resort in spite of the several hardships and challenges that this region offers. Electricity and water is in very short supply here. Providing hot water to tourists and power to run heaters and geysers is a monumental task. The breakfast spread was very basic and the menu card offered limited items.