It was April 2022, and I needed a new place to visit. I visited Shangarh in March and experienced the first heavy snowfall of my life. The quest for new places often takes me to places that are pretty new to me, places I hadn’t heard of before. Sarkidhar is one such village that came on my radar when I navigated for new places to visit in Himachal Pradesh. And I ended up spending almost a week in Sarkidhar.
Never had I imagined I would end up in a place like this. I love the idea of traveling unplanned. The idea is exciting, adventurous, and full of stories. That’s what I look for! When I reached Sarkidhar village in the morning, I was all eager for new stories, experiences, and memories. Not everyone gets to do that; if you do that, you are lucky!
Though I had booked a homestay before my arrival and bus tickets, I still had no idea what I would do there. Nothing much was written on the internet about this village. And that was a big question. Why did I even choose this place? Well, I had to explore that village. That was the idea behind my visit to Sarkidhar, to visit and document it for others. So, spending a week in Sarkidhar taught me some new things.
Planning a Week’s Trip to Sarkidhar – From Delhi to Rewalsar
Rewalsar, you will get to hear this name again and again. This is the main town, also known as Tso Pema or Tri Sangam locally. Surprisingly, I got a direct bus to Rewalsar from Delhi ISBT. I was surprised because whatever I had explored in Himachal Pradesh, never heard this name. So, Rewalsar turned out to be a bustling town with dusty roads and Buddhist monasteries.
I was working remotely; that was the last month of remote work. The organization I was working with had opted for a hybrid work model. And for me, that week’s trip to Sarkidhar was important. I had done some shopping for this trip. I purchased a backpack, Firefox. And some other items to ensure my journey remains smooth. I had packed everything that I needed for the journey. The main bag was full of clothes for a week, a laptop, and a small Decathlon bag for my tech accessories, and I was all set for the trip.
I couldn’t find much information when I Googled things to do in Sarkidhar for a week. Probably, not many people visit this place. However, the homestay owner told me he had hosted not only Indians but foreigners. And he even showed me photos and videos of the guests. But still, nothing much to know about this place online, not even on Instagram. It was April and the summer season. When I reached Rewalsar, it was hot and sunny, which wasn’t something I was expecting in Himachal Pradesh. I mean, I came to Himachal Pradesh only to escape the sun and summer of Delhi.
How Did My One Week’s Trip to Sarkidhar Go?
I booked Ritu Raj Homestay in Sarkidhar, which is located on the way to Naina Devi ( I often get confused with Nanda Devi). And the homestay is famous so you can ask anyone there. I found this homestay run by Ritu Raj on Airbnb and spoke with him over the phone. I asked for a kitchen since I was going to stay there for a week. The room I had booked didn’t have an attached kitchen. However, he would let me cook in the common kitchen. Also, he mentioned one room getting vacated after two days which had an attached kitchen, and that he would give me that room. But that didn’t happen.
So, I reached Rewalsar in the morning and called the homestay owner. He came to pick me up in his car. Rewalsar is approximately 8-10km away from Sarkidhar, tucked on a hill. The way to the homestay from Rewalsar was scenic. But it was hot. The topography of Sarkidhar was something I hadn’t seen before. It wasn’t that green that I had seen so far. The trees looked somewhat dry (like a yellowish+reddish+greenish tone). And the hills also didn’t look like what I had seen earlier. I almost felt as if I were in my hometown with Aravali hills.
Rewalsar is the main town and the market area. So if you are staying in Sarkidhar, that is where you have to for your essentials. There are regular bus services (no bus after 5 pm), and you can easily shop. The homestay owner offered me help with groceries as Vicky did during my stay in Nashala. But I had bought enough groceries to last for four days. I bought veggies again from the market.
The village has some groceries shops where you can get basic items to run the day. Though I was carrying some basic items with me already, like detergent to wash clothes, toothpaste, Odomos, tissue papers, etc. There is a tea cum grocery shop where you can get quick bites like pakoda, maggie, etc. And some snacks, biscuits too. And then there isn’t much to do around.
The village has some groceries shops where you can get basic items to run the day. Though I was carrying some basic items with me already, like detergent to wash clothes, toothpaste, Odomos, tissue papers, etc. There is a tea cum grocery shop where you can get quick bites like pakoda, maggie, etc. And some snacks, biscuits too. And then there isn’t much to do around.
The homestay has a lake in front of it. So, if you are lucky, you will get a lake view with the sun setting in front of you. I wasn’t. The front view is actually fantastic (check the photos). I experienced some of the most amazing sunsets. Witnessing a natural phenomenon like this is a next-level experience. And this village gave me that chance. So coming back to the lake, there are seven lakes around, and every lake has a name. This lake was dried. There was another located within a short walk (nearly 1 km). That lake had fishes. So, I would come there early in the morning and embrace nature’s elegance. Everything remained silent; no noise, just birds singing morning songs. Animals walking around and fishes dancing in the lake.
My routine for a week in Sarkidhar was a little structured. Waking up early in the morning, hiking for nearly 5 km, coming back to the homestay, shower, breakfast, office work, lunch, office work, going out again in the evening, coming back, cooking dinner, listening to music, and sleeping. That’s how I spent a week in Sarkdihar. This may sound boring to some people. But I guess, after the lockdown, I have started traveling slowly. Earlier, I was traveling quite differently, largely on weekends. But, now I have been traveling for a week, ten days or so.
