Malari Niti Valley - Remote Village Tibet Valley Jeep Safari Tours

The picturesque  Niti Valley is geographically located to the east of the Mana Valley in the hinterland of Joshimath. Niti, Gamsali and Bampa are the most important villages of the valley. To the north of this valley is the Niti Pass (5,800 m) leading to southern Tibet. The inhabitants of the valley move from their winter dwellings  to the valley during summer and stay in the valley from April to October. All kind of traditional rituals are performed during this period of stay by the community.

Nature-rich Surroundings
Most part of the journey we follow the river Dhauliganga. There are many settlements all along the route. Our first halt will be at Tapovan hot water springs. we can spent some time here and take some pics. The next halt will be at Raini, a small settlement famous for its Raini Devi temple. In nav-ratras this temple is flocked with devotees. Its a beautiful temple on the banks of river Dhauliganga, at a distance of 800 mts downhill from motorable road.

The pleasant journey continues and gets more enchanting with the views of deodar forests, snow covered himalayan peaks, land forms and the meandering rapid waters of Dhauliganga. Crossing some hamlets and seasonal settlements we arrive at the Dronagiri peak view point alongside the highway. Great views of peaks, the lazy stretch of the river and clearly visible highway to a couple of kms spell a charm on your minds.

after travelling a few kms , we diverge from the highway and reach Jehlum also known as the fragrance valley. The air here is filled with a sweet fragrance which I personally think is from a green shrub found in abundance here. The folks use this shrub in incense making. Besides the great views of himalayan peaks, this tiny hamlet is famous for its royal delicious apple orchards and some rare edible herbs that are grown on roof tops here. yes, the roofs are filled with earth and used for growing these rare herbs.

We return to catch the highway and move towards Malari.  Malari an old settlement in niti valley 60 kms from Joshimath. Though it has lost its old charm, the village has seen glorious days when the trade with Tibet was at its peak .. Its said that traders from this settlement had beautiful houses in Lahsa in those days. Malari is famous for its old lovely stone houses and the sacred Maa Heera Mani temple. Don’t forget to take with you a handful of earth from a quarry near the temple as this earth is used in many religious ceremonies and pujas in India.

From here we follow the road the road that leads us to Niti. The journey ahead passes through deodar forests , rapid streams and breath taking landscapes. Our next stop will be Bampa, a settlement perched on a hill top. Besides its great scenic views , the place is famous for its Panch Faila Naag temple. Few kms ahead is Damphudhar, the hill where Independence day is celebrated by this valley. Independence day witnessed here is once in a life time experience. Next comes Gamshali, a beautiful settlement. we will do some sight seeing here. The restricted inner line starts here. After verifying our permit and documents at check post we move to Niti village which is 5 kms from here. A four kms we halt for visit to the Nanda devi Temple. The 2 kms hike to Taimersain Mahadev Cave ( also known as Amarnath of Garhwal) starts from here. As per the old folks this cave should be visited only in the hindu month of Shravaan.

Finally we arrive in Niti, the last human settlement in this part of border area. People live here in the summer months and return to their winter dwellings with the advent of winter. Nestled in the cradle of mighty mountains, this valley has many surprises. The phrase “pin drop silence ‘ makes sense here. Did I forget to mention that there are no mobile networks in this valley?

Easy Availability of Supplements Extra supplements are provided at an added cost. Activities like skiing, rock climbing and rappelling as well as trekking , village tours, jeep safari, culture tours, hiking, birds watching, motorbike tours, cycling can be added as supplements during your this tour. So, you need not worry if you wish to have some extra sessions of the above mentioned activities.