Journeys
Three Nights in the Kumaon Hills
A short guided pilgrimage to Kainchi Dham. Twelve people, March 2027. You get yourself to Delhi — everything after that is handled.
The place
Past Nainital, where the road bends.
Six hours north of Delhi, in the foothills of the Himalayas, the road turns sharply enough that the place is named after a pair of scissors. Kainchi.
It is not grand. The river beside it runs shallow for most of the year and the temperature drops hard after dark. There is a small temple, a courtyard, and a kitchen that has been feeding whoever turns up for sixty years.
People have been coming here since the 1960s — among them a young American doctor who went on to help eradicate smallpox, and a Harvard psychologist who wrote one of the books that brought Eastern practice to the West.
I have made this journey twice. I am not promising you anything. I am promising that we will go, and sit, and see.
When
March 2027 — exact dates confirmed on bookingWho
Twelve people, no moreWhere
Delhi return — you arrange your own flightsStay
Three nights, simple and clean, single rooms availableFrom
$2,400 per person, ground onlyWhat is included
From Delhi onwards
You get yourself to Delhi. From arrivals, everything is taken care of.
✔
Airport pickup and return transfer✔
All road travel in private vehicles✔
Four nights accommodation — one Delhi, three in the hills✔
All meals, all vegetarian✔
Temple visits and local guidance✔
Me, throughout❌
Flights, visa, insurance, personal spendingItinerary
Five days, deliberately unhurried
This is not a tour. There is a great deal of sitting, walking and eating, and very little programme.
Day One
Arrive in Delhi
Fly in whenever suits you. Most people from the UK and US land in the early morning.
— Met at the airport and taken to the hotel
— The day is yours to sleep off the flight
— Dinner together in the evening — the only fixed point
— Early night. We leave at dawn.
Day Two
Delhi to the hills
A long road day.
Six to seven hours, climbing the whole way.
— Leave Delhi early, stop for breakfast on the road
— The plains give way to foothills, then to pine
— Arrive by mid-afternoon, settle in
— First visit to the temple before dark
Day Three
The temple
The whole reason for the trip. Nothing else is scheduled.
— Early morning at Kainchi, before the buses
— Time to sit for as long as you want
— Lunch in the temple kitchen
— The afternoon is entirely yours
— Evening together, for anyone who wants it
Day Four
The hills around it
The villages, the ridge, and the country these teachings came out of.
— A walk in the morning, easy pace, nothing technical
— The villages around Kainchi
— A second visit to the temple in the afternoon
— Last dinner in the hills
Day Five
Back to Delhi
A last morning, then the road.
— Sunrise at the temple for anyone who wants it
— Breakfast, then the drive down
— Delhi by evening, dropped at the airport or a hotel
— Book flights out from 9pm onward, or stay the night
Practical
What to know
Read this properly before you enquire.
Visa — Most UK and US passports need an e-visa. Straightforward, apply two weeks ahead.
Fitness — Some walking on uneven ground. No trekking, no altitude issue.
Food — All vegetarian, all cooked for us. Tell us about allergies.
Weather — March in the hills: 15–20°C by day, near freezing at night.
Insurance — Mandatory. We will ask to see it.
Honest notes
Before you ask about it
This is a small, plain trip. Knowing that now saves us both a conversation.
Come if
— You have read something of mine and it landed
— You are content with simple, clean accommodation
— You can sit somewhere for a morning without needing a programme
— You want quiet rather than content
— You are comfortable with two long road days
— You are happy in a group of twelve strangers
Do not come if
— You are expecting a retreat with facilities, a spa or yoga sessions
— You want a guaranteed spiritual experience
— You intend to film inside the temple
— You need a fixed hour-by-hour schedule
— You want alcohol — the trip is dry throughout
— You are hoping I will read your chart on the trip. I will not.
Cost
$2,400 per person
Ground only, twin share. Single rooms are $380 extra for the trip.
A $600 deposit holds your place. The balance is due sixty days before departure. Deposits are non-refundable unless we cancel, which is why I would rather you read the honest notes above first.
Flights are yours to book. From London expect roughly £450–700 return; from New York, $700–1,100. I will tell you which airports and which arrival windows work once you are booked.
Members first
The Letters
Members hear about journeys before anyone else, and places on a twelve-person trip go quickly. Seven dollars a month.
Register interest
Request the details
No deposit at this stage. I will send the full itinerary, exact dates and costs, and you decide from there.
Questions
Practical
This is not a tour. There is a great deal of sitting, walking and eating, and very little programme.
Do I need to be religious?
No. Several people on the last trip were not. You are asked to be respectful in the temple, and that is the whole requirement.
Can I come alone?
Most people do. Twin share means sharing with another guest of the same gender, or take a single room.
Is it safe?
Yes. It is a quiet part of India and we travel privately throughout. You are never left to find your own way anywhere.
What about my phone?
Signal is patchy in the hills and non-existent in places. Nobody takes your phone away, but do not plan to work.
Can I extend my trip?
Of course. Plenty of people add days in Delhi or elsewhere. Tell me and I will help with the arrangements.
What if I need to cancel?
Deposits are non-refundable. The balance is refundable up to sixty days before departure. Travel insurance covers most of the rest — which is why it is mandatory.