India 2001

Temples, Tigers and the Himalaya

In 2001, My girlfriend Angela told me that she had always wanted to visit India and would like to go there. I decided to organise a trip that would hopefully allow us to see the Himalayas, the Taj Mahal, some of the palaces and forts of Rajasthan and possibly wild tigers in the famous Ranthambhore National Park. The best way to see the Himalayas up close is by trekking. However, Angela had no trekking experience and wasn't interested in spending a very long time in the mountains. I needed to find a short trek, that would offer some fine views of the high peaks and not be too strenuous or remote. It wasn't long before I was reading about the Pindari Glacier trek. This starts at the village of Song in the Kumoan Himalaya (near Almora) and takes just a few days to reach the Glacier, where there are stunning views of the peaks of Nanda Khat, Nanda Kot, and Changuch. We were incredibly lucky on this trip, and despite some problems on the trek and bouts of illness, we did manage to see the Himalayas, the Taj and fantastic wild tigers in the space of just three weeks.