Chilling Out in Style at Jilling

We all want to escape from our daily pre-programmed life every once in a while. Genetically human beings are wanderers and instinctively we crave something new, something different. For most people a small vacation is enough to rejuvenate their soul. If you love mountains, wilderness, isolation, tranquility then I suggest you spend a few days at Jilling, where you can have it all.

The Jilling Estate is essentially a privately owned forest in Kumaon region of the Himalayas. The entire 120 acres of land is devoid of any human settlement apart from a few well decorated cottages, which are built in secluded locations. For many of us it is not possible to camp in the wilderness and experience nature's dangerous beauty firsthand. Jilling home-stays are designed to give you exactly the feeling of being one with nature without compromising luxury and comfort.

When I read about Jilling and the Lall family in a travel magazine, I was intrigued and without wasting any time contacted Nandini Lall. She is the daughter of Steve Lall,  the landlord of Jilling Estate. As on 2017 the rates are 3000/- per day per person including dining and guided tours of the estate.

How to Reach :

It is only a 7 hour drive from Delhi and located on the Bhimtal -  Dhanachuli Road of Kumaon. Actually to reach the estate one has to go through a refreshing 3.5 km uphill trek from Matial, a small village on the foothill of Jilling. The good people of Jilling estate will arrange for horses or porters as per your need.

Steve Lall: +919758755704
Nandini Lall: +919719277537
Website: www.jilling.net

We,  being a bit modest in our budget,  preferred public transport. 

Where to Stay :

As per my knowledge there are about 4 cottages owned by the Lalls. Some of their family friends also own some of the land and have built cottages for tourists as well,but I do not have any contacts for them.

Cottages

The smallest cottage is situated at the top of the hill and provides the best view of Kumaon's snow peaks and it practically has the dense jungle as its backyard. But it is probably the most rustic of the cottages.

The other cottages have 2 bedrooms each and are much more luxurious and well decorated. I suggest that you talk to the proprietors directly and avail the cottage which suits you best.

Season :

Jilling is accessible all through the year even though it snows heavily in the winter.

Day 1: Delhi 

We reached the Old Delhi station to board the Ranikhet Express . It seemed like the authorities tried hard to keep the station 'Old'. The platforms were dirty with inadequate illumination.  We grew restless as there was no sign of the train even after 9.30 pm. The train ideally should arrive at 9.10 pm and depart at 10.30 pm. The train arrived at 10.00pm without any announcement whatsoever and the confused passengers had to shift platforms with their heavy luggage. After 10 minutes of chaos everyone settled down in their seats. We have already had our dinner and settled in for the night.

Day 2 : Kathgodam to Jilling

After a peaceful sleep I woke up hearing a bit of ruckus. The train had just reached Haldwani Jn. It was  4.15 am and after 30 more minutes we reached Kathgodam. Just as we detrained a chilly gust of damp wind and pouring rain greeted us.  Eager to reach our destination as soon as possible we took out our umbrellas and started walking towards the main road. The 100 meter walk, some hot ginger tea and the excitement charged us up. We were looking to get to Bhimtal but none of buses seemed to go there. We missed a bus while purchasing some biscuits. After 30 minutes of waiting a young man walked up to us and offered to drive us to Bhimtal as he was going that way. 100/- per person seemed as good a deal as any. We quickly put our rucksacks in the trunk and the alto roared through the rain-drenched road. As the sun-rays penetrated  the foggy veil, the world around us shook off its monochrome shroud and exposed all its colours. The green hills, beautiful flowers, fresh and cold mountain  air, Ah ! finally we were in the Himalayas!! This sense of heavenly  bliss  overwhelms me every time I set foot in the Himalayas.
After a 23 km ride we reached the beautiful Bhimtal. It is a 'tal' or lake named after a hero of the Indian epic Mahabharata. It is a long lake with a small island in the middle. We took a few snaps and entered the car as the driver agreed to drop us off at Khutani 5 km ahead.

Bhimtal

From Khutani the road bifurcates, one goes straight towards Bhowali and Nainital and another one  turns right towards Padampuri through Matial. We waited at a tea stall and gobbled up some biscuits. There is no better place in India to gather local information than a tea stall. The middle aged chaiwallah asked with curious eyes that not many tourists  go there, what was there to see?
-The answer can only be obtained by going there.
Half an hour later, we were on board a jeep, packed like sardines, moving towards Matial through picturesque serpentine roads. We reached Matial at about 7.30 am. Nandini had already arranged for a porter for us. Ramlal Ji greeted us with a warm smile. We are trekkers and sort of take pride in carrying our own luggage but after repeated insistence by Ramlal Ji, we gave up. He wrapped our rucksacks in a large blanket and motioned us to start walking ahead. He gave us salt and advised that we spread it on our shoes and trousers, to deter leeches. We continued through the stone-paved route, which had become a bit slippery after the morning shower. But because of the rain everything around us was glittering in the sun. I do not posses the necessary poetic sense or vocabulary to put it to words, but a few photographs may help.

On The Way to Jilling

It took us exactly 1 hour to reach the cottage where the care-takers were staying. It is a spacious cottage, with a garden full of Dahlias in full bloom. We were welcomed by Hemu, the caretaker cum guide. He is a young fellow a little bit on the quiet and shy side. We signed in the guest register and took in the scenic vista while sipping warm coffee. We were the only guests and hence could stay in any cottage of our choosing. We chose the cottage on top of the hill, which was a good 15 minutes uphill climb from the cottage we were at. Upon reaching our destination, we were elated. The cottage had a single bed room and another spare bed in the drawing room. The access to the toilet was through a small open verandah with a wooden bench and a table.

Flora

The view from the cottage was mesmerizing, even though we could not spot any mountain peaks because of haze and sunlight. We were told that in the evening or morning if the weather clears we could see the mountains.

Jilling

 We had a wonderful and sumptuous breakfast with bread, butter, cheese, omelettes and mixed fruit jam. Hemu agreed to take us to the ridge after an hour. We were tired and and enjoyed the view from our bed.
The path to the ridge goes deep in the jungle starting from the back of the cottage. We spotted a  variety of finches, bee eaters and tits but foolishly I forgot to bring my telephoto lens. Just when we were about to reach the ridge, Hemu motioned us to stop and pointed at the bushes, something brown darted into the jungle. apparently it was a barking-deer.

View From The Ridge

Hemu had told us that if we were lucky we could spot a bear or a leopard. Honestly though we did not want to be that 'Lucky'. The path abruptly formed a 'T' and the temperature plummeted atleast 2-3 degrees as we stood on the ridge. The sheer drop and everything around us was covered in a thick mist. After spending a few minutes taking pictures we sat on the rocks. We suddenly realised that we were experiencing something that is absolutely non-existent in our daily life, Total SILENCE !. The eerie tranquility filled my soul and spilled out every ounce of anxiety related to my job and social life. I felt free, unburdened. After an hour we returned to our shelter for lunch. We were surprised to see the long menu, rice, chapati, dal, fried potato, pumpkin, salad and chicken. It felt like if we ate anymore we would explode.
After a small nap we sauntered through the forest and to the ridge as the weather had cleared significantly. Hemu guided us up the ridge to a small temple deep inside the forest. We spotted a few birds as well.

Himalayan Bulbul

Left: Pale-Chinned Flycatcher (?); Right: White Browed Robin

We explored the forest till  and returned to the cottage by sunset. As darkness engulfed the hills, for the first time we realised that we were alone in a dark dense forest. Hemu had already left to help prepare dinner. As we stepped outside to look at the star studded sky a strong feeling of uneasiness gripped us. The light from the cottage penetrated a mere 15 feet and beyond that we could only see dark silhouettes of tall pine trees. I am not ashamed to confess that I was a bit scared and the stories of leopards and bears did not help. After my eyes adjusted to the darkness I noticed a highway of stars stretched vertically above us. It was the milky way. I have studied a bit about stellar photography and bough a gorilla-pod for specifically that purpose. My friend helped set up the camera in the dark lawn moist with dew. What we captured was quite spectacular, it was my first photograph of the stars. I was literally dancing with happiness.

Milkyway 

I was surprised to see a birthday cake with my name on it along with dinner. My companion had contacted Nandini and arranged for the cake beforehand. My birthday was still a week away but I was not complaining. Hemu came with another local lad, Pankaj to deliver the food and they were quite happy as to  get a large portion of the cake. Parvati lall ji called and wished happy birthday. I was amazed by their hospitality, I later realised that they had to bring the cake from Nainital. Pankaj and Hemu took their leave and we surrendered our exhausted body to the comfortable bed. It had been a long and wonderful day.

Day 3 : Farewell

We woke up before dawn and waited for the sun to shine on the mountains beyond. After waiting for better part of an hour we saw glimpses of the majestic snow-peaks at a distance.

View From The cottage

The wonderful vista made our day. After another hour or so we called Hemu, literally woke him up and requested another guided visit to the ridge. This time we were lucky enough to see a few Bharals, a species of mountain goats which takes living on the edge quite literally.

Bharals; Mountain Goats

After spending some time at the ridge we went to meet Parvati ji, the landlady of this enchanted land. Within minutes she made us feel at home. We talked about agriculture, flora and fauna of the region, their conservation efforts among other things.

Fauna

 She even gave us a bag full of wall nuts for our trek to the Pindari Glacier which I was about to do next. I was really amazed by their deep knowledge of nature conservation and sustainable agriculture. I was happy to hear that their priority is not commercial expansion but preservation of the of the land and its bio-diversity.

Left: Me with Hemu, the guide and caretakerRight: Me with Parvati Lall

 After promising that we will be back again someday we returned to our cottage to pack up. I have spent only a day at Jilling but the charm of this place will haunt me forever.