Forest homestay full of wildlife & biodiversity

“We welcome you to our home to witness our traditional Garhwali lifestyle, experience our culture and to take a break from your city life and relax amidst the natural beauty we are surrounded with.” ~ Jitendra and Seema, hosts at "Chalo Daanda" Forest Homestay, Nailbagi, Tehri Garhwal Give us a chance to host you, and let us offer you a rich experience of a lifetime- full of learnings, healing, joy and peace, while witnessing the real magic of nature. We promise you’ll be pleasantly surprised. The space Nailbagi is a small mountain village located in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. Chamba is the closest big town, 8 km away. -The nearest railway station is at Dehradun and Rishikesh. -The nearest bus stop is at Chopriyal village. From Dehradun and Rishikesh, Nailbagi is about a 2-hour (80 -85 kms) drive. -The nearest domestic airport is at Dehradun (approx.80 km) and international airport at Delhi (approx. 300 km). From the main road, our place is a one hour hike (4km). The hike is rather simple with a gradual ascent for 700m and then mostly plain for the rest of the way. Nailbagi is good for a visit all round the year. In summer the days are warm and mornings & evenings pleasant, making it an ideal place to escape the city heat and the crowds of popular hill stations. Winters are typically cold and September to March is the best time to soak in the views of the snow-capped Himalayan peaks. You can visit Nailbagi to experience snowfall. It was in 2021 that Jitendra, got motivated to build a few rooms for running a homestay on his family land in Nailbagi village to help supplement the family income. Him and his family worked tirelessly in getting the building completed on a low budget. The whole structure is hand-built by the family, including the furniture in the room. Can it be better than that? Accommodation for travellers is offered in an aesthetically handcrafted room. The room is spacious and comfortably furnished with cushy mattresses and an attached bathroom . A table with a desk is also provided. You wake up to an orchestra of birds, can join your hosts in the kitchen to learn and share recipes, and practice yoga in the serene outdoors. The property is located 20 feet away from the main family house and is a 1 hour easy walk from the main road. Cars have to be parked on the road and are safe. Such comfort without road access is a real treat and we welcome you to have your share of it. Guest access There is a lot to do around the homestay, depending upon how occupied one wishes to be during their stay. Some of the options are mentioned below: 1. Walks and Treks – Jitendra knows every inch of the area and can tailor the walks to suit your stamina and girth. 2. Bird watching 3. Flora and fauna identification 4. Village walk 5. Helping with farm activities like picking and packing fruit in the summer months, helping with the tilling, sowing, weeding, harvesting of crops in the fields, tending to flowers growing around the place, milking the cows and so on. 6. Camping 7. Woodworking 8. Learn traditional Garhwali dishes 9. Those who enjoy being with children can spend time playing, teaching, doing art and craft with the neighbouring kids Laze in the village and enjoy the view while reading, playing board games etc. We have a very good collection of nature inspired books that you can enjoy. Those who are seeking some rest from their hectic life in the city can choose to just sit and relax on the lovely verandah of the cottage. Day trips to Tehri jheel, Surkunda Devi mandir, kaudia reserved forest can be arranged for those wanting to explore the region further. Other things to note Other things to note: Fitness: To reach the homestay, you have to walk for roughly 4km on a not very steep mountain path. We can help you with the luggage if you are not able. Cash and ATMs: Only cash is accepted at the homestay. The nearest ATM is in the town of Chamba, a half hour drive from Chopriyal village. Pets: Allowed at your own risk. Our family has many pets such as chickens, goats, cows, buffalo, and a dog. Bathrooms: The room comes with an attached bathroom, with an iron rod for heating water, showers and western style toilets. Electricity: Like in most small villages in India, power cuts are pretty common. Please carry torches and spare batteries as needed. Phone, Internet and TV: There are no TVs in the room, but there is plenty of natural beauty around to keep you entertained. Airtel is the only network that works decently here. Wifi is not available. Slow internet can be accessed through our personal dongle. Please note that the local market is a long way away, so carry all necessities with you. We don’t have a way to manage plastic waste. We request you to leave all your plastic waste at Chamba town or take it back with you. RESPONSIBLE TOURISM Nature awareness programs are organized for guests on request with topics such as birding, region’s ecology, native flora and fauna, water management, reforestation, wild animal mitigation, etc. The host, Jitendra is a certified nature guide with an experience of over 4 years in the field. He can identify almost all local plants and can recognise upto 100- 150 bird species. Out of these, he can identify 30-40 species just by their calls. He is currently learning and applying permaculture design on his land in collaboration with Ecovita Foundation. The hosts have very lovingly toiled in the construction of the rooms. They have mostly used local wood, stone and mud for construction of the homestay and have been deeply involved in each step of the process. All tourism activities are planned in a way that does not disturb the natural ecology of our village. Guests are also familiarised with its applications. This is very important for us as we are operating from a very sensitive location which is full of nature. Being a village family they not only use vegetables etc from their own farm, but also try to source local produce whenever needed and available. Organic farming is largely practiced by them thereby giving the travellers an opportunity to enjoy wholesome home cooked organic meals. Segregation of waste is practiced in order to separate biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste. Energy is conserved very mindfully in the daily routine of the family. The long term vision is to act as a model for livelihood generation for other farmers in the region. Training to select individuals will be provided through the homestay eventually.