Post Indo China war of 1962 when the Chinese Army had made inroads into the Indian territory in the Sutlej Valley, the area was closed to all travelers.

Though till 1992, one could have traveled to Kinnaur and Lahaul & Spiti with a valid inner line permit from the government, very few applied for and still fewer got it. With the thawing of relations with China and a latent demand to see the wonders behind the inner line, the government decided to open up Kinnaur and Spiti (for the Indians) as these areas rivaled Kashmir and Ladakh in sheer natural splendor.

In 1993, we went there for the first time and it was love at first sight be it the immense natural beauty or simplicity of the local people. And so did many writers and journalists who started visiting these pristine and unexplored areas. Not only did they like the snow clad mountain ranges standing like sentinels over the verdant valleys with gushing mountain streams and the ever smiling tribals, but were also amazed by the idea of a luxury camp on the banks of a river so high up in the mountains. This would have prompted them to write about these hitherto little known areas and about us.

The success of our camp in Sangla Valley propelled us to venture ahead into high altitude cold desert of Spiti. Fortunately, the idea of small retreats located in amazingly scenic places with impeccable personalized service appealed to people from all over the world who stayed with us.

Word of mouth publicity still remains the biggest factor in generating visitor footfall to these areas. But media has also done some nice stories that have generated interest in the area and in us.

Here are some of the articles written by travel writers over the last ten years and published in various newspapers and magazines all over India. This might give you an outsiders’ perspective on some of our offbeat camps and retreats in some very offbeat locations. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as the writers would have enjoyed writing them.