Chakrata, Uttaranchal

Multiple trips in 2007

[About Chakrata] [Getting There] [Where to stay] [Hotel Snow View] [What to do] [Photo Gallery]
[Jagatgram] [Deo Van] [Koti Kanasar] [Daragadh] [Hanol] [Kathiyan] [Lakhamandal] [Sahia to Kwano]

Deo Van, Chakrata

[Getting There] [Where to Stay]

Deo Van (also called Dev Van) is, as the name suggests ("Gods own forest"), is a beautiful hilltop covered with dense forest about an hour and a half's drive away from main Chakrata at a height of 9300feet.

Getting There

You have to drive yourself or take a taxi to Deo van. The road upto the village of Chona Bhatta is metalled and good, but beyond that is all unmetalled forest road, with pits in between, so it is better if you have a SUV. Taking a smaller petrol car can get you stuck in the middle of nowhere.

About 7kms from Chakrata on the road to Tuni / Kanasar, you reach a Forest department Check post at a place called Aloo Mandi , (Potato Market) so called because during the season Potatos are sold here. 1km ahead you see a small cluster of homes, this is the village of Chona Bhatta on your left. Immediately on the right is a forest barrier and an unmetalled road going up the hill. The board at the start of the road says you cannot enter unless you have permission from the forest department..... ignore it. Nobody who goes there ever takes a permit. Ofcourse, if you need to stay at Deovan Forest Rest House it is better to take a permit at Kalsi itself.

Road to Deo van is unmetalled and rough with "hair raising" patches in between.

Download small clip - 26 MB AVI FILE of the good patches of the road; at bad patches we were too busy to record!!

Roughly two kms ahead you enter the "Spiders Colony", a training institute of the "Tibetian Army" with both Indian and Tibetian Flags fluttering. Its a small area roughly half a km long and since photography is prohibited in the campus, we took a snap of the outside of the camp for you. It appears to be a rock-climbing institute.

The Starting Point...

The Spider Colony...

Horses on the way	The Y Junction	Nursery

Roughly 10kms after the Spiders Colony you reach a Y-Junction, the road on the left goes to Deo Van, and the one on the right goes to Mundali. Just at the junction on the right is a big forest department nursery. Another 3kms up the hill you finally reach Deo Van !! For a view of Mundali peak, see here.

Where to Stay

There is only one building in Deo Van, which is the Forest Rest House.

Forest Rest House	Vyas Shikar	Me at Deo Van

Booking for this FRH is from Kalsi. For more information on how to book, click here.
Because of its height and forests, this place is extremely cold. When we visited the area in end of April, the FRH was still closed and snow was present around it. We had to wear pretty warm clothes even in the afternoon, so if you want to stay the night there, be well prepared!!
About 15 mins walk from Deo Van is supposed to be the place where Ved Vyas wrote Mahabarat, called Vyas Shikar. Unfortunately we could not find the path to it as there was no one around, and as luck would have it we bumped right into it when we were returning, so couldnt go on to it.

Download 30MB Avi file -- Sounds and sights from Deo Van.

[About Chakrata] [Getting There] [Where to stay] [Hotel Snow View] [What to do] [Photo Gallery]
[Jagatgram] [Deo Van] [Koti Kanasar] [Daragadh] [Hanol] [Kathiyan] [Lakhamandal] [Sahia to Kwano]