The story continuous with Day 3. Post breakfast, we were little confused regarding staying for 1 more night in Kanatal (remember we already had the booking for 3 nights) or to go to Haridwar and find a hotel there and stay for a night, to break our 12 hour road journey to 5 hours. After, lot of discussion and debate, we decided to check out from Kanatal resort. And book a hotel for one night in Haridwar or Rishikesh (depending upon the timings).

We first went to Surkanda Devi Temple. The temple is one of the Shakti Peeth and is very popular among the tourist. The temple is dedication to Hindu Goddess Sati, the place where her head fell when Lord Shiva was carrying her body to Mount Kailash. The temple is located above 2500 m height, and provides and panoramic view of the entire city and surrounding hills. We went to this temple for enjoying the view but got to know about the importance of this temple upon reaching at the top. It is almost 2.5 Km of steep walking, which takes approx 2 hours one way.

After walking few steps, we saw 2-3 horses standing and we then hired them which reduced our walk only to half an hour. Without horses, we would not have gone up, as it would have been difficult for kids to walk steep path. We were extremely lucky that we got horses. The view from the top is really beautiful.

By the time we came down from the temple it was afternoon, so we decided to have lunch. Our next stopover was Dhanaulti Eco Park. The park is amazing for kids, there are many swings, slides, etc for kids to have a good time. All our kids also had their first adventure – zipping.

The view from the top is simply mind blowing. The park is definitely worth visiting. You can spend 2-3 hours easily enjoying this place.

It started drizzling, so we rushed to our car as we had to reach to Haridwar or Rishikesh as early as possible. After such an amazing day we all were relaxed and enjoying the outside view from the car, while kids slept, as they were tired. We wanted to cross the construction part as soon as possible during day light. But then, it started lightening and
raining heavily and it started becoming dark. And due to heavy rainfall and construction work going on, the small stones started falling down. We were moving ahead and stones falling from behind. We all got little scared if landslide or something like that happens we would get stuck in the middle, but we kept our calm and reaffirmed our self that we will reach safely to either of the place in time.

We did cross most of the construction part, but then suddenly the entire traffic came to a stand still. There was a possibility of one big stone falling down, so the vehicle movement stopped. Nobody was sure when this jam would get clear or how much time we will have to wait there like that. For a fraction of second a thought whether we took the right decision to leave today or not came to our mind. But, later we dismissed that thought and looked for solution. And then we met a local person who suggested that we could take another route for Haridwar, but that is a longer route. So, with the help of that person, our driver turned the car and made the way to go back to take that longer route. Though rain stopped but it got very dark, no street lights, no boards but luckily GPRS signals were excellent. After some time we could see Riskikesh town from above the hill, so we got confidence that we are on the right track. After couple of hours we touched Rishikesh and we all got relaxed. In an hour’s time we reached Haridwar and booked a room for our night stay. Post dinner everyone slept after an exhausting yet super adventurous day.

Next day, early morning we went to Harr ki Paudi to see morning Aarti, as we were in Haridwar. Later, post breakfast we, all safely reached to our homes. I really wished the trip could have lasted for couple of more days. 

It was definitely one of the most exciting, refreshing and memorable trip.

Tips and Suggestions–

• There are two routes to reach this place. Route 1 – Delhi-Meerut-Muzzafarnagar-Roorkee-Haridwar-Rishikesh-Narendranagar-Chamba-Kanatal Route 2 – Delhi-Meerut-Muzzafarnagar-Roorkee-Chutmalpur-Mohand-Dehradoon-Mussorie-Dhanaulti-Kanatal. Route 1 is less crowded but road construction is going on and it will take at least a year to complete it. Also, chances of small stones falling (landslide) during monsoons are higher because of construction. While, route 2 gets crowded during peak seasons. The traffic gets stuck for hours. Choose wisely before deciding your route. We choose Route 1 for our journey.

• During summers (May-Jun), days are sunny and comfortable but night gets cold. You will need blankets.

• It is advisable to break the journey for a night at Haridwar or Rishikesh if going by road, at least while returning home. This way you will not feel tired after a holiday and would feel fresh. 12 hours journey is way too long with kids Though in a group, you enjoy the journey.

• The Kodia Jungle is over-rated. You can trek anywhere in Kanatal.

STORY OF 3 MOMs n 3 KIDs – KANATAL, (Part 1)