5 HIMALAYAN VILLAGES BEYOND INSTAGRAM HASHTAGS

As more and more , travel industry is driven by social media , most travelers choose their next destination from pictures of other travelers and friends over Instagram and such handles. While it is a good way to promote such places, this also does not keep the destinations elusive anymore. You are expected to have crowds of other people , while visiting such a place . Yet to the blessing of huge range of Himalayas , some hidden hamlets and villages still hold on to their exclusivity. They are yet not, too much famous, in their reputation, and I chose to list five of them , for those who seek to go beyond the known trails. Check out if you have been to any one of this.

  

TONGLU - WEST BENGAL 
​Falling on the border of India and Nepal , Tonglu is my personal favorite. With majestic Kanchenjunga , world's third highest mountain looming large on the background , this village has some mind blowing landscapes around. Its just four houses in this village and settled atop a hill , pretty isolated from the rest of the world. With the chilling cold temperature round the year , Tonglu is a respite for summer and heat always. In the winter , snowfall, makes it beautiful and cold in both ways. 
Falling near Darjeeling , it can be reached by car or foot . For more information to plan a vacation here, ping me directly. 

THACHI - HIMACHAL
The village is well kept secret of central Himachal, and though the state continues to grow in its fame of tourism , Thachi still holds on to its elusive characteristics of being unknown.
Though Accessible by public transportation , the nature is still raw and well kept here. Most tourist know of Tirthan and by pass the turn that needs to be taken on Aut  - Rampur highway to turn towards Thachi.
It is of your choice where you want to venture, but if you want to visit somewhere with almost no tourist along with you, then this is highly recommended. Addition to the beautiful nature, the culture here is highly rich , and amazing food delicacies such as SIddu can be found to adore the taste of locals. Also for travelers who might want to hike around , amazing temple tops as Churdhar Mahadev makes a place from where one can get uninterrupted views of panaromic Himalayas. 
 To know more , of course of this village , do message me directly. 

OSLA - UTTARAKHAND
Legend has it , that this village has a temple dedicated to Duryodhana , the leader of Kauravas , from the epic Mahabharata. And the residents of this village are some of his descendants. But as all legends are , there is no proof to it, and the temple in the village indeed beautiful and striking in looks, is said to be of Lord Shiva , by the local residents. The temple door only opens during the annual fair which takes place in monsoon here, and thus the controversy remains. Hidden in the North western frontier of Uttarakhand , beyond reach of any transportation, this village is also gateway to a lot of amazing hikes and treks. A little tricky and time consuming to reach here , yet the journey and destination , totally captivates the mind and heart of all travelers that dare to go here. To plan a trip here, let me know. 

GRAHAN - HIMACHAL PRADESH
A lesser known village in otherwise very famous Parvati valley , Grahan , in my view, is the most beautiful village of the valley , yet very less frequented. May be due to its accessibility only on foot, and no transportation makes it elusive as it is. The village still holds true to its customs and traditions and houses constructions that are two hundred years or more old. Surrounded by green mountains with snow during winter , Grahan is perfect to spend week , just detached from the outside world. Lonliness can never crop in , as the locals are very friendly and mingling with them is very easy. Activities here would range from hiking around forest, finding amazing waterfalls to take a bath in on sunny day. Evenings to mingle with other travelers and smoke some of the best hash in world. Interested ? You know whom to connect for a plan. 

KANAK CHAURI - UTTARAKHAND
​A very well kept secret of Uttarakhand, Kanak Chauri is situated in Rudraprayag distric. It is famous for its views of Himalayalan ranges , specially Chaukhamba that stands tall in the background. As it is connected with public transportation , reaching here is easy and weekend trips from Delhi suits perfectly.  For travelers who wants to beat the rush , this place is ideal as hardly tourist know about this. Also for those who love hiking , the Kartik swamy temple sitting atop a hill , just 3 kilometres walk from the village is most amazing. One can enjoy the panaromic views of Himalayas from here, with 22 high peaks including Nanda Devi, Trishul, Nilkanth , Jankut , Kedardome , Chaukhamba and such visible from here easily. Travelers also stay in homestay and mingle with locals and walk around in the green farms around the village to see the true life of Garhwal Himalayas.
To know more about this place or to plan a visit , do consult with me. 

There are many more such beautiful villages in every corner of regions of Himalayas. My list is here, on the basis that I have been to all this places , and have never seen, much Instagram post or a hash tag on or from this place.
If you know of such cool places or hidden villages, do leave the name in comment box, as I too , seek for more of such beauties.