Located in Chamoli district of Uttaranchal at a height of nearly 3000 metres with a vertical drop of 500 metres, Auli is a new entrant in the tourist map of India. A place where natures beauty comes alive with a combination of pleasure and adventure, the dense oak and pine forests and the snow capped slopes.
Apart from the mesmerizing beauty, what makes Auli a wonderful tourist attraction:
This less know place is best known for skiing
Covered by a thick blanket of snow from December to March, Auli offers skiers some excellent slopes to ski on. One can enjoy downhill skiing, cross country skiing and slalom on the slopes of Auli, which has hosted the National Winter games in India !
The slopes, which are as high as 9000 feet above sea level, are covered with dense deodar and oak forests offer a panoramic view of many a famous Himalayan peaks like Nanda Devi, Kamet, Mana Parvat and Dunagiri.
Wild Life and Trekking –
Devoid of any commercial activity, there is a place just three kilometres from Auli called Gurso. Its is a huge beautiful meadow spread out, a mixed forest type, oak and conifer, and is 3056 metres above the sea level. Twelve kilometres from Gurso, is another beautiful meadow, Kwani bugyal. The place is at a height of 3350 meters and is quite popular with trekkers and campers. Even otherwise, you can find the snow floored alpine forests almost everywhere at Auli.
Just 16 kilometers from Auli, Joshimath is a beautiful attractions. The place has ancient temples which date back to as long as 8th century, when spiritual leader, Adi guru Shankaracharya had established a few of these shrines. Joshimath is also the base camp and gateway to Badrinath and the world famous 'Valley of Flowers'.
Ropeway fun–
Most places near and to Auli can be covered through ropeways, which are not only fun to travel but one can easily enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the snowfields lined with forests.
After the skiing and enjoying the snow and the wild in the day time, one can have relaxing evenings in the bukhari-warmed huts and resorts (bukhari: a quaint, wooden stove). People generally pass their time listening to folklore and reveling in the local music of Garhwal in the lamp-lit rooms or besides the bonfires.
How to reach? - The nearest airport is Dehradun, about 298 km away. Rishikesh, about 235 km away, is the nearest railhead. Regular road services are available from Delhi, Dehradun, Rishikesh and Hardwar to Joshimath, 16 km away. From Joshimath one can hire jeeps to Auli. One can also trek the five kilometer between Joshimath and Auli. For further information, contact the GMVN office at Rajpur Road, Dehradun or the UP tourism offices located all over the country.
Where to stay? - Simple hotel accommodation and tourist rest houses are available at Joshimath. It is linked with Joshimath with a 3.9-km-long cable car linking, besides the 16-km-long motor able road.
Comments
The Himalayas!
Being a person who has spent the best years of his life walking the forests reigned by the mighty deodar, listening to the pines and the distant streams, watching the higher Himalayas flaunt their majesty, felt the chilly breeze laden with the aroma of the wild flowers - there is one thing that I can say for sure - it is an experience which has very few equals.
A few minutes walk in this Land of Gods (as they refer to it) drains out every bit of negativity that life offers and leaves a person feeling fresh and new.
When life starts playing games that I start struggling to keep up with - I RUN TO THE HILLS! :) And come back powered in a weeks time.
Auli! That is our answer to the Gulmargs and the Aalps!
The ropeway system that connects Joshimath and Auli is actually 4.15 kms which is the track distance. This is said to be the longest cable car track system in India and has taken about 13 years to be constructed. Inaugerated by Mrs. Indira Gandhi in 1983, the ropeway was first used n 1996.
Along with skiing, there is an ice-rink which is being constructed and visible approximately mid-way through the cable car ropeway ride. So along with skiing, one can also try out ice skating in the near future.