“If you see a leopard, just keep doing what you’re doing. If you’re singing, keep singing. If talking, keep talking...”. Solid advice from long-time Sitla resident and owner of Sitla Estate, Vikram Maira, who patiently responds to my rather silly question on the sensible thing to do if one were to bump into the big cat. And at Sitla, that could be a possibility.
Awash in green with wisps of clouds drifting through, this tranquil village up in the mountains of Uttarakhand is truly magical. With panoramic views of the Himalayas, fruit-laden orchards, deep forests and soothing calm, Sitla lends itself to agenda-less days. For city slickers, it’s easy to appreciate, but hard to first adjust to the boundless silence, staggering beauty and the vast expanse of time that just stretches lazily ahead. I am quite restless and fidgety on my first day. But by evening, my restlessness stills and I feel calm. It entails three days of doing whatever I want.
Sprawled over 40 acres is Sitla Estate. Quitting the bright lights and the big city over two decades ago, Maira decided to return to his family home in Sitla. Since then, he has opened it to visitors, inviting them to experience the warmth of his home amidst this idyllic setting. We watch the resident kitten, which the team has christened ‘Toto’, dart in and out through apricot trees, silhouetted against the mountains in the background.
Gazing down from the sit-out, dotted with stone benches, under the dappled shade of plum trees, there is a vast expanse of green as far as the eye can see. Layers of blue and purple mountains rise in the distance, and when the monsoon clouds clear, the dazzling snow-capped Himalayas magically appear.
We laze for hours sprawled under the trees, gazing out at the forest. Our noses become sun-burned, as it’s difficult to look away from this hypnotic view. With a book in one hand, and a chilled beer or gin-and-tonic in the other, you could play some music or let the birds orchestrate a concert for you. The hours pass by in a heady mix.
On a trail
One of the mornings, we set off on a bird-watching trail, following our guide, Raju, through a part-road, past-forest path. The non-resident dog, Tiger, who appears to be everyone’s favourite, accompanies us and disrupts our bird watching several times, as he bounces gleefully among spotted doves and nervous sparrows. Slippery slopes are interrupted by gradual paths and generous clumps of cannabis, which Raju tells us is a hot favourite with the parakeets. There are Black eagles soaring above, Barn swallows perched atop electric poles, Spangled drongos dashing between trees, bushes quivering with Red-vented bulbuls, Long-tailed shrikes looking at us seriously, Black-headed munias, and rusty-cheeked Scimitar babblers; there are shrieks, chirrups, pecks, whoops and tweets!
It is a beautiful walk and we are back in time for a breakfast of perfectly-fluffed crescent omelettes with home-made bread, preserves and jams — all derived from the produce of the estate. Tiger joins us for nibbles of toast interspersed with a mad dash up and down the terraced orchards in pursuit of a family of jackals. You can interrupt the lazy pace with guided jungle treks through the forest, walks through the village, or a spot of retail therapy at some of the NGO outlets like Kilmora, which sells a range of hand-woven and knitted apparel, charming dolls and toys, preserves and pickles, and an apricot skincare range. Sitla Estate also has its own shop, which sources from Kilmora as well as other local NGOs, and we come away with considerably heavier bags than when we arrived.
Slightly further out and great for day excursions are trips to Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary for some birding, trekking and wildlife spotting. More spiritual pursuits could include a visit to neighbouring Mukteshwar Dham — a 350-year-old Shiva temple perched at an altitude of 2,312 metres, with great views all around. The cluster of 124 temples and statues in Jageshwar is a tourist hotspot, and the ancient temple complex makes for a fascinating wander.
Hill stations beckon
Nainital and Bhimtal are about an hour away, if one might like to take in some of the sights at these more popular hill stations. We take advantage of our time at Sitla Estate to tour the private orchards along the sloping terraces. Professional parakeet chasers whoop and yell intermittently through the day, shooing the green flocks away from nibbling on the fruit. The orchards and greenhouses are spilling over with everything from apples and purple cabbage, to basil and zucchini — much of which ends up on our plates at meal times along with “chocolaty” bal mithai — a local favourite; spaghetti in fresh pesto; aromatic herbed baked fish; a hearty bacon wrapped chicken roulade and apple crumble.
Despite the lazy pace, the time does seem to end much too quickly. Evenings are spent in fiercely competitive rounds of Scrabble, our vocabulary becoming more inventive with increasing amounts of rum and coke.
We walk back to our rooms and look up to gasp at a sky awash in silver stars. It’s the perfect end to our visit. Sitla is captivating, making us wonder why we’re roughing it out in the city, when one should be fleeing to the mountains. Somewhere to just let our minds luxuriate in being still, only to be interrupted by sharp gasps at an achingly beautiful starlit night.
How to get there: Located 350 kilometres by road from Delhi, the closest train station is at Kathgodam. The Shatabdi operates from Anand Vihar station in New Delhi to Kathgodam, and there is the overnight Ranikhet Express from the Old Delhi Railway Station. Taxis from Kathgodam will ferry you to Sitla in a little under two hours.
Things to do: Sitla, at 7,000 feet above sea level, is in Nainital district, Uttarakhand. With panoramic views of the Himalayan peaks — Panchachuli, Trishul and Nanda Devi — and filled with dense jungle and verdant orchards, the area makes for excellent trekking or more gentle rambles with trails of different grades; and birding opportunities.
