Google Sunkhiya and tell us what you find. Our bet is, you’ll find next to nothing. Yes, that’s how remote this village is!

Sunkhiya is perched atop 7000 ft above sea level in the Kumaon region of the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. Its a sleepy little village in a part of India that guidebooks do not tell you about. In Sunkhiya you get to experience the Kumaoni life in close connect with nature and the Himalayas.

Why Sunkhiya

Sunkhiya is so far away from regular tourist traps that no one has even written about it yet. It is bursting at its seams with sheer natural beauty and if your idea of travel is to get away from everything familiar, come to Sunkhiya. It is on a road less travelled and presents you with unparalleled beauty.

Travel with a cause: Sunkhiya is a part of Jugaad Hostels Responsible Tourism project to help the locals create an alternative source of income and help travelers connect with a unique travel experience. Money spent here goes to the local families, which goes a long way to improve their way of life and all you have to do is go there and have a good time.

About Sunkhiya

Sunkhiya, located 7000 ft above sea level, offers a beautiful escape from the heat, dust and chaos of the plains. While neighboring Mukteshwar is a popular destination for people seeking a getaway in the hills, Sunkhiya is truly off-beat. Very few people even know about it, so you get to experience India here far, far from any other tourists, local or foreign.

The tiny village offers different shades of nature everywhere you look. The Himalayas in the distance, and fruit orchards and farms in the village make for a very idyllic setting for you to get away from the chaos and madness that India can be and connect with the destination and people in a unique way.

If you want to explore further into the Himalayan kingdom of Kumaon, there are a number of pretty hill towns nearby – Binsar, Chaukori, Bhageshwar, Jageshwar, Munsiyari and the nearest ones Nainital and Mukteshwar.

Your Hosts

Sunkhiya is a small Kumaoni village deep in the Himalayas, so your stay in Sunkhiya will not be in some fancy hotel. What you get instead is a stay with a very warm and welcoming local family in their rustic home. You share your meals with them sitting on the floor and exchanging your life stories. In fact, staying in a homestay in this little village really brings you close to how people live in real Indian villages. You have to really experience it to know it.

Once there you are welcome to lend a hand in the daily activities of your hosts, whether it is picking fruits from the orchard, helping in the farms or washing utensils with ash and coal. There is no luxury here and don’t expect any fancy touristy locations, but a stay in Sunkhiya’s rustic homes will allow you to experience the true Indian way of life away from tourist traps and the popular destinations.

Activities

Sunkhiya is great for doing absolutely nothing and chill. If however you are the active kind, in the morning you could help your hosts in the fields harvesting potatoes and spend the rest of the day trekking to the ancient Mukteshwar Temple and Chauli-ki-Jali, the cliff face.

You can also explore the beautiful Dhari waterfalls and enjoy a swim in the pool of turquoise blue water. Sunkhiya also offers many adventure activities that you can enjoy like rappelling down the sheer rock massifs, rock climbing next to waterfalls, or even zip lining across the hills. Just let your hosts know and they can set it up for you.

The village offers excellent trails for those who want to go trekking or hiking deeper into the Kumaon hills.

Come back before the evening settles with its nippy air to some hot chai and local snacks with your hosts and their livestock. Watch the sun set over the Himalayas in the distance, and see the sky go from red to orange to pink and pitch black – it’ll be a different colour every minute. At night you will see a sky full of stars….like you have never seen before.

Everything in Sunkhiya is off-beat. It is a part of India that doesn’t exist in brochures and guidebooks, and we will make sure that you love every moment of your stay in this little Kumaoni village of India. If you want to be a traveller more than a tourist, Sunkhiya is the place.

How much?

Cost of stay Contact FrontDesk for details

Including:

Accommodation

All 3 meals

Activities: 2 hikes during your stay.

Any transportation cost is extra.

Book: Write to us at stay@jugaadhostels.com for availability and booking. Reach Sunkhiya

Bus: Luxury Volvo buses depart from Anand Vihar ISBT for Hadlwani in the morning and at night at 21:30 and 22:30 reaching at 05:30 and 06:30 in the morning @Rs 800 approx. From the Haldwani bus station you can either book a cab for Rs 1500 to the village or take another local bus to Bhatelia, market near Sunkhiya, from where you are picked up by your hosts.

Car: From Delhi it takes around 7-8 hours to reach Sunkhiya. Route: Delhi-Ghaziabad-Hapur-Gajraula-Moradabad-Rampur-Suar-Kaladunghi-Haldwani-Bhimtal-Dhari-Sunkhiya, approx 350kms.

Train: NDLS Kathgodam Shatabdi Train no.12040 departs from New Delhi Railway station (NDLS) at 06:00 approx and reaches Haldwani at 11:40 @Rs 600. From the Haldwani bus station you can either book a cab for Rs 1500 to the village or take another local bus to Bhatelia, market near Sunkhiya, from where you are picked up by your hosts.

Note: Kyari is only 3hrs away and Sunkhiya is easily reachable from Delhi, Rishikesh/Haridwar, Varanasi etc by train.