Straddled amidst the majestic Kumaon
Hills at an elevation of 8000 ft above
sea level lies the beautiful Mountain
Trail eco lodge. Located on a
hill, at the edge of the village , on the main road
to Mukteshwar, this eco friendly hill
resort is an idyllic place to spend one’s holiday.
Opened throughout the year, one can go to the resort anytime
of the year. In summer it has the ideal
climate for a getaway, with pleasant days & cool nights
while in winter, one can enjoy a cozy log fire in the restaurant.
Spring finds the resort gardens full
of apple blossoms, and the air
scented with thyme and sage while in the monsoons,
the hills are shrouded in clouds
and the land lush with greenery and
saturated by the cleansing rain.
Established some twenty years back by Mr.Dilip Gupta, the resort perched on a hill at the edge of the sleepy hamlet of Mukteshwar offers unparalleled views of the mighty Himalayan Range . Peaks like Trishul(7120m), Neelkantha (6596 m), Nandaghunti (63103 ft), Nanda Devi( 7817 m), Panchchuli, Nandakot, Bandar Punch etc., are clearly visible from the 5 Km long ridge of Mukteshwar. With beautiful deep valleys, thick dense forests and rich flora and fauna, Mukteshwar is a place definitely worth visiting during one’s lifetime.
Though Mountain
Trail does not boast of luxury, it however, assures you
of all basic amenities, comfort, cleanliness,
hygiene, delicious homelike food & courteous services.
Built accordingly to the prevalent hill
cottage architectural style of Mukteshwar, all the
resorts rooms - 10 doubles and 2 quadruples are constructed
in the traditional Hill Cottage style with wooden
inner ceilings & Tin roofs, ensuite bathrooms, hot and
cold running water and verandas. The architecture
is designed to blend with nature. The ten 14’ X 14’
DBL bedrooms have a very decent size attached western toilet
with a verandah or glazed sit out. In addition it has two
detached well-furnished quadruple rooms, which have a quiet
and private environment with mini lawns to themselves.
The resort multi-cuisine restaurant offers delicious Kumaoni cuisine along with the usual North Indian, Chinese & Continental dishes in addition to fresh hand-made centre-filled Chocolates available in 200g & 400g handcrafted wooden boxes. It also has a Conference cum Club Hall equipped with a mini home theatre system, a gift shop with table tennis & Carrom, a well stocked library, a gift shop selling handicrafts & local NGO products, not to mention a travel desk that arranges guided tours and treks.
The total isolation, tranquility & serenity of the eco-resort provides for a peaceful relaxed holiday in the lap of Nature. The peaceful environ compliments Yoga & Meditation which detoxicates and rejuvenates your soul. Specializing in yoga and meditation holidays, the resort provides practice hall for groups and also has arrangements to provide experienced yoga and meditation teachers. Special dietary needs are also taken care of and the catering staff provides vegetarian, vegan or non-vegetarian though on an advance notice.
Rich in flora & fauna, Mukteshwar houses one of the most beautiful Cedar & Pine Forests, home to & visited by over 250 varieties of birds. With its lush green meadows, deep valleys and dense forests silhouetted by majestic mountains, Mukteshwar also makes an ideal trekking destination. Visitors can pursue a range of activities ranging from nature walks to forest and stream picnics to rock climbing rappelling and bird watching to angling and rafting . They can also go to the nearby areas for sightseeing. Guided tours are arranged for Jim Corbett National Park, Nainital, Sattal, Bhimtal, Naukuchiatal, Pangot, Almora, Binsar, Jageshwar Temples , Kausani, and Ranikhet etc. The travel desk at the resort offers a tailor made itinerary which includes must see places like the century old Shiva temple, the famous Chauli ki Jalli cliff with a straight drop of approx. 2000 ft, the Padampuri Streams, Lamahanga falls.
Set in the middle of a 2-1/2 acre orchard of over 100 fruit trees & flowerbeds, Mountain Trail is the first resort to have brought Mukteshwar as an ideal tourist destination on the tourism map. Being an eco friendly lodge, the resort employs and follows eco friendly principles to minimize the misuse of the fragile ecosystem. From minimizing energy by using compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) to using organic and herbal fertilizers, from rain water harvesting to waste disposal , from making the guests aware of the resorts environmental programmes to making them learn to respect local people culture & traditions and from uplifting the local community by providing them with job opportunities, the resort tries its best to do its bit for the environment.
Today, Mountain Trail is the only eco resort to be classified by the Dept. of Tourism, Govt. of India and be approved as an Eco lodge by various International Eco societies/associations.
