Green Guest Practices

Green travel is all about being kind to our planet and the people who live on it. It means picking ways to travel that don’t hurt the Earth. This can be done by using less energy and creating less waste. You can stay in places that care about the environment (similar to our homestay), or buy things from local shops to help the people who live there.

In this article, we’re going to discover lots of ways to travel in a green and Earth-friendly way. It’s easier than you might think, and together, we can make a big difference!

10 Benefits of Staying in a Homestay

Indulge in the sensation of vacationing in a charming abode, complete with top-tier amenities that surpass those found in typical hotels or resorts. This is precisely what we offer in our homestay. While it is our personal residence, it is also a space we happily share with select guests seeking a unique and luxurious vacation experience.

Forest Bathing (Shinrin-Yoku)

We love forests, and we take our guests to experience forests in a mindful way. Forest bathing is the practice of immersing yourself in nature, using your senses to experience all that you can from the forest. From smells, sounds, views, touch, and even the feel. This has immense health benefits too.

Snow – The White Miracle

Winter brings the gift of snow, blessing the landscape with its presence. As the flakes gently fall, the world around us undergoes a remarkable transformation into a magical winter wonderland, adorned with glistening frost. The arrival of snow completes this wondrous change, as everything becomes adorned in a beautiful blanket of fresh, white snow, creating a picturesque scene that is truly delightful to behold.

Maini's Hill Cottages after Snowfall — *Maini’s Hill Cottages after Snowfall*

Magical Fungi

Fungi, the often overlooked lifeforms, are rarely given the attention they deserve. Yet, these captivating organisms are intricately intertwined with our lives. We interact with these enchanting beings on a daily basis, benefiting from their magical properties. They not only aid us in gardening endeavors, but also contribute to our well-being by combating diseases, enhancing soil health, and performing countless other extraordinary feats.

*Mushrooms growing on a dead tree trunk.*

Mountain Stream near Trinetra Mahadeva

The Trinetra Mahadeva Temples are located on a side of a cascading mountain stream. It is a wonderful place to spend some time. It’s about 37 KM from our place.

Fruit Orchard at Maini’s Hill Cottages

From late spring to autumn, our region is blessed with a bounty of fruits. Wild Fruits can be found all around. From road-sides to deep inside forests. Apart from these delicious wild fruits, we maintain a fruit orchard too. Every day, we harvest these fruits. Fresh from the farm to the plate!

*Apricots, wild or hybrid… all of them are a delicacy to enjoy.*

Sunsets at Natadol

Every place turns beautiful with colorful sunsets. However, when it comes to Natadol, the place simply turns magical.

Maini's Hill Cottages in the evening. — A colorful evening at Maini’s Hill Cottages.

Starry Skies

What is it that makes us want to sit out at night? What is so exciting standing out at night, with all the lights dimmed or switched off?

Cottage and Garden — Late-night sitting in the garden, under the star-studded sky.

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Terrace Farming

Terrace farming or step-farming is a way of life in the hills. In the region around our cottages, agriculture is the main occupation. Villagers toil hard to produce some of the tastiest fruits and vegetables in the region.

Step Farms — Terrace farms look very artistic in late afternoon light.

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Dine With Us!

How do we ensure that our family, friends, and guests keep praising our food? What invites them back to us again and again, even in seasons when people don’t visit the hills?

Indo-Chinese — *We love to experiment, mix and match flavours.*

Forest Walks

Walking is man’s best medicine – Hippocrates.

Fancy your daily dose of 10,000 steps? How about that in the lap of nature? Read on and learn why we love our walks in the forests.

Nanda Devi — On clear days, hill-tops in Natadol also provide beautiful vistas to enjoy and photograph. Nanda-Devi peak in the late evening.

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Learning Farming from Nature

Do you really believe in the fallacy that man has been able to improve upon what nature has provided us with?

Birds of Natadol

Natadol is an unexplored region when it comes to birding. Dense forests, some amount of agricultural activities, fruit trees, and scattered natural water springs, makes this an ideal location for the birds to thrive.

Sparrow — *Small birds like sparrows, tits, canaries, finches and many others can be fun to spot. Watching their antics is a wonderful way to enjoy nature.*

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Blossoming Fruit Trees

Have you seen how beautifully the fruit trees blossom in the spring season? This a sight to behold and treasure. No photographs can do justice to what can be seen in reality during the flowering time.

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Colorful Autumn

With the onset of autumn or fall, as it is lovingly called, the trees all around us start to play with colors. The leaves turn yellow and go through various shades of reds and brown before falling on the ground.

Autumn in Kumaon – A wonderful time to go for long drives

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Cascades & Waterfalls

As the monsoons blanket the Kumaon hills, nature’s enchantment unfolds, painting the landscape with a tapestry of small cascades and waterfalls. Amidst this symphony of rain, the gurgling, crystal-clear water gracefully meanders over the rugged rocks, creating a mesmerizing spectacle that truly captivates the senses.

White Clovers and Ladybirds

White Dutch Clover is a wonderful cover crop that we use in our orchard. Apart from making the ground look green and beautiful, it has its benefits. Ladybirds, which are also some of the most beautiful insects in nature also love to make these clover patches their homes. Various other insects also love these patches of white clover.

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Wild Fruits

Once you have savored these fruits, an insatiable craving for them will take hold, compelling you to indulge in their delightful flavors year after year.

*Wild Mulberries from the hills are small but extremely juicy.*

Wild Flowers

Summers brings with itself all the colors of mother nature. Leaves cover the trees, fruits start to form. The flowers start to blossom everywhere. Every nook and corner has different types of flowers peeking out.

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Frost

With the onset of winters, frost starts to set in. Every night, the temperature goes below zero and on the following mornings, nature shows itself in a wonderful way.

Glimpse of the Peaks

The Himalayas consist of various ranges. Students of geography divide them into three major ranges. The lowest range is the one that is present in the Kumaon region. For many others, Himalayas is synonymous with snow-covered peaks of the other two ranges in the north. On a clear day, these snow-covered peaks can be viewed from our cottages itself.

Himalayan Peaks — Uncropped view from a 135mm lens on a full frame camera. The far left is Trishul and the peak on the right side is Nanda-Devi

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Lichens in our Orchard

Lichens, nature’s wonders, stand as a testament to the resilience of life. Among the oldest living organisms, they offer a unique perspective on the quality of the air enveloping our tranquil cottages. Amidst the serene hills, we contemplate whether the air is truly as pure as our hopeful hearts desire. And it is through the lichens that we gain insight into this vital question.

Lichens growing on apple trees near the cottages — *Stags Horn Lichens (Evernia prunastri) growing on apple trees near the cottages. These are quite common on oaks and are used in making perfumes.*