Cholmi Village - A hidden Gem | Harsil | Uttarkashi -Uttarakhand
Cholmi Village - A hidden Gem | Harsil | Uttarkashi -Uttarakhand
Cholmi is an exquisite hamlet situated at a distance of 1km from Harsil valley. Cholmi is famous for its glittering apples, panchmukhi mahadev, skiing destination and Harsil-horn expedition.
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| Cholmi village in winters |
With no road connectivity, the village of Cholmi offers an amazing view of the valley & mountains. Being a part of Harsil Valley, this village is less known to tourists and visitors. The houses in Cholmi are scattered. Only few families resides here.
Hike to Cholmi Village
The hike to cholmi village starts from the main road. You'll see a wide path with railings climbing up. The path will take one through the dense deodar forest. The hike is steep & tough. There is no water availability during the hike, so better to carry water bottles. Water facility is only available at cholmi village. The hike is of great interest because after hiking half-an-hour you'll be able to witness a tree-stump punched with coins.
How to reach Cholmi
Dehradun-Uttarkashi-Harsil-Cholmi
Click here for full :- Road map to Harsil
Tourist attraction
Glittering apples :- Cholmi is famous for its glittering and juicy apples. The village is surrounded by apple orchards.These apples are highly rich in taste,freshness & juiciness. Different varities of apple are grown here. Royal and red delicious are more dominant varities.
Panchmukhi mahadev :- there is a temple to the other side of the village for which you need to cross the bridge. It is just another half-hour hike from cholmi village.
During the months of shravana (saawan) shiva devotees carry auspicious gangajal to dispense as offerings to Panchmukhi Mahadev at cholmi village. Though this divine place is less known to tourists.
Raatah :- raatah is a skiing destination above cholmi village. It is half-an-hour hike from cholmi village. This place offers beautiful, majestic view of the valley & mountains. Harsil valley, bagori village, lamatop, mukhba village, harsil horn & dharali village can be easily spotted . This place is perched at an altitude of 10,000 feet (approx). This place is an excellent choice for adventure & snow lovers.
Expedition-route to harsil horn:- cholmi village offers trek-route to harsil horn. Cholmi village/raatah is the first base camp for harsil horn expedition. On 28th June 2020,Nehru Institute Of Mountaineering hoists the tri-color flag on the unnamed peak in Cholmi region. This peak was previously attemped in 2019 but due to heavy snowfall the expedition was postponed. On 28th June,Col. Amit Bisht with his team member successfully summit the peak. After that,this peak is named as Horn-Of-Harsil.
Where to stay?
Cholmi village offers number of homestays. This place is an excellent choice for those who are in search of peace. The price ranges from rs. 1500-5000, depending upon the facilities provided. The homestays are clean and family- friendly.
Best time to visit :-
If you want to experience the snow, Dec & Jan are the best months to visit. But sometimes the motor road is inaccessible due to heavy snowfall. Locals also migrate to other places during these months. One should pre-gather the information about cholmi-homestays online.
You can visit anytime during the summer season.
Photo credits : himalayanvistahomestay, manendranegi, col.amitbisht