Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary (BWLS)— Traipsing Around the Mountains

 

Sunrise over Trishul and other mountains in the range
as seen from the ridge

Puffing and panting, I climbed up the slope in the dark with my guide Santhosh to see the sunrise over Trishul, it was a short but nearly vertical climb and I was not yet used to this sort of climbing.  It was dark…. But let me start at the beginning.

A glorious Sunset from Joshi Cottage

Deciding where to go in the mountains, I chanced upon Joshi Cottage, a quaint and quiet getaway from the bustle of life at home. A two kilometre walk from the Sanctuary Road is why, unless one is an ardent nature lover, one does not want to come to the village Dalar. It is off the beaten track for party goers, though there are many hotels within the park premises where party animals can go. 

A rhododendron strewn path, a welcome from the forest,
while walking the 2 km to the cottage

Joshi Cottage

The Sanctuary is exactly that, a heaven for birds and haven for animals (the four-legged kind).  BWLS became a Sanctuary in 1988 as per my guide Santhosh (and one of the owners of Joshi Cottage). I could still see the legacy of pre-park days like tapping pine for resin and terraced fields.

Terraced field, does not look like it is disused

There are plenty of rhododendron in the park and this 
year they are blooming early

Though this was stopped when the place became a Sanctuary, it is really the animals which have stopped these activities.  Wild boar, Barking Deer and Ghural (Blue sheep), amongst the many herbivores, treated the terraced fields as dining tables.  The Leopard made a tasty meal of these herbivores and of course came into conflict with man (and woman) and did not mind picking up the odd grass cutter.  I saw and heard Barking Deer often, but only once saw the shy Ghural.

Indian White-eye looks for more succulent flowers

This is a birders paradise and birds mainly inhabit the areas near and around the villages where titbits are to be had. Not to say that one does not find a mixed hunting party of birds in the forest also.  There are many types of birds here, I saw three types of Woodpeckers (Himalayan, Brown-fronted and Lesser Yellow-nape), Great Barbet, Blue-fronted Barbet and lots of other birds.  In fact on a morning out with Santhosh, a wonderful guide and excellent spotter, I saw about 25 species of birds in a little over an hour, all near the village Dalar.

I could see the sun rising over Trishul from my room at the cottage,
natures light show, nothing man-made can compare

Joshi Cottage is in a rural setting and a working household

I could see Trishul and other peaks from my hut, but only at that place on the ridge could I see the entire snow-clad mountain range, Nanda Ghunti, Trishul, Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot (the locals call it Ban Kutia as it is in the shape of a sickle's edge). So I huffed and puffed in the dark while Santhosh went up like a mountain goat, all so that I could see the sun rise over Trishul and other peaks. But it was worth it as that day was clear and the rays of the sun were truly awe-inspiring, better than any man-made light show.

Stopping for a breather, grass cutting ladies use the wall of the abandoned 
school for their loads

...another walk, along the path in the forest

There were many pleasant walks around, after I got used to the climbing and descent, Zero Point, the school circuit of about three kilometres included an abandoned school, the path from the village to the road, and along the road, and of course this climb up the ridge.

the Jageshwar group of temples

One day I hired a car and spent the whole day doing touristy sight-seeing, first I went to the carpark of Zero Point and walked (2km) up along a well defined path. Then I went to Jageshwar, a group of temples and a museum, all of which is worth a look. On the way back I went to Kasar Devi which has a temple, one of the three under the Van Allen belt and where Swami Vivekananda did meditation.

Each evening I would have a fire
lit by my caring hosts

A pity about the hotels inside the park though, but a memorable sojourn in the BWLS and not too many Sanctuaries have a village in the midst itself.