offbeat travel Archives · SandeepaChetan's Travel Blog

Post Tagged with: "offbeat travel"

Monks wear masks symbolising Gods and demons and perform a dance called Bapa in a trance like motion.

Colourful monastery festivals in Ladakh and Zanskar

March 31, 2016 in India, Zanskar 34 comments

A two-day riot of colour, dance and music, a monastery festival is an important event in the social life of the people of Ladakh and Zanskar. These monastery festivals are the perfect way to build a social camaraderie among the far-flung villages of the high altitude regions – Ladakh and […]

Clouds descend on the pine forest surrounded by the sun-lit golden Himalayas with a stream flowing by in the lush greenery.

Chatpal, an offbeat gem hidden in Kashmir

June 9, 2014 in India, Kashmir, trekking 61 comments

“Feel free to stay as long as you can manage without electricity” was the memo. Chatpal was slated to be touted as mini-Pahalgam. A fully furnished tourist bungalow built by the Jammu and Kashmir tourism department would be all ours. A caretaker would be sent with us. The catch – no electricity. We […]

A beautiful house drenched in golden sunlight surrounded by barley fields and the barren Greater Himalayas in Dras.

Why visit Drass?

August 13, 2014 in India, Ladakh 40 comments

It all began with Drass. The discovery of beauty in barren brown mountains, the intensity of (let’s call them) anti-green landscapes and the thumping sound of the heart in the ears. The landscape of brown barren mountains starts in Drass Drass was the town we chose to spend our first ever high […]

Lamayuru is a small village 100 km before Leh on the Srinagar-Leh highway. Its claim to fame is the moonlike landscape surrounding Lamayuru. So much so, that Lamayuru and moonland have become synonymous. They even have guest houses named Moonland in Lamayuru! The best view of this "moonland"; is from the top of the meditation hill in Lamayuru. As you get to the top and proceed to the edge, a surreal landscape awaits you!

Lamayuru, the moonland of Ladakh

October 10, 2014 in India, Ladakh 31 comments

“Where can we find moonland?” “It’s right behind this hillock.” That’s a normal conversation in Lamayuru! Lamayuru is a small village in Ladakh, midway between Kargil and Leh on NH1-D, the Srinagar-Leh highway. Moonlike landscapes carved into the Greater Himalayas are its claim to fame. Mountain pass of Fotu la […]

Dudhsagar waterfall on the border of Goa and Karnataka in India are four tiered waterfalls resembling a cascading fall of milk.

A guide to visit the majestic Dudhsagar waterfalls in Goa

August 4, 2014 in Goa, India, Karnataka 59 comments

In the last few years, the Dudhsagar waterfalls have become a popular weekend destination, especially for those travelling from cities like Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore (all thanks to a certain Bollywood movie). Most tourists to Goa these days make the Dudhsagar waterfalls a part of their itinerary for Goa. Because […]

These are the minarets flanking the central arched opening of the Jami Masjid. Jami Masjid is the biggest mosque at Champaner which is now a part of the UNESCO world heritage.

Champaner – an offbeat UNESCO heritage site in Gujarat

December 9, 2014 in Gujarat, India 33 comments

“Are you sure”, we were asked by the car rental agency we went to for hiring a car to Champaner. Champaner Pavagadh Archaeological Park is a UNESCO world heritage site which apparently no one had heard of! We had a little squabble with the car agency when I decided to […]