What your trip does

One group reaches 557 people — 507 of them women.

•     Village hostesses, guides and women's groups are paid to host you. A single group of eight can sustain one hostess for three months.

•     Widows and survivors of domestic violence lead many of these experiences.

•     Food comes from our own farm and from neighbouring organic farmers.

•     Artisan families from marginalised communities earn a living from a craft that was close to disappearing.

•     Our Bachan community center trains women to make and sell handmade delicacies and handicrafts.

•     Local schools receive funding, and our Clean Himalaya drives keep running year-round.

Who you travel with

Poonam Rawat-Hahne - Founder

Poonam started this project after seeing how young widows and survivors of domestic violence were being left behind in these valleys; the work has since been recognized internationally. She is a certified permaculturist, natural builder and transformational travel designer, an ATTA ambassador, and a volunteer firefighter in Germany.

Dharamveer Gharia - Trip leader & operations

Dharam grew up in these mountains and works as a professional trekking and rafting guide. He is the son of Mrs. Laxmi, one of the forces behind Fernweh Fair Travel, and knows every path, family and story on this route.

Before you go

March in the Himalayas means warm days and cold nights.

Pack

•     Layers: merino base, fleece, warm jacket

•     Quick-dry trousers, sun hat, woolen hat and gloves

•     Hiking shoes you have already broken in, plus sandals

•     Day pack, head torch, water bottle, sunblock

•     Clothes for Holi you do not mind losing to color

Good to know

•     Activity level: easy to moderate. The two treks are 3.5 and 5 km, and both have an alternative.

•     Tipping is not compulsory in India, but it is expected and appreciated. We give you a guide sheet.

•     Small gifts for village children and hosts — pens, pencils, sweets — are always welcome.

Come with us

Places are limited, and Holi fixes the dates. Write to us for the booking form, or to ask anything at all about the route.

Fernweh Fair Travel  ·  Uplifting communities  ·  Itinerary subject to change with weather and mountain road conditions.

Holi in the Himalayas

Join Fenwah Fair Travel and Crooked Trails for a unique and authentic journey of regenerative travel in the Indian Himalayas

Ten nights in Uttarakhand, far from the tourist trail: village kitchens, forest paths, an award-winning permaculture farm, and Holi at an ancient Shiva temple with the people who live around it.

March is also when the high forests come into bloom — whole hillsides of red and pink rhododendron above Chopta, at the same time as the colors are flying in the villages below.

Small group, slow pace, and a multi-award-winning travel program behind it. Every day of this trip puts money directly into the hands of the women, artisans and families who host you.

Holi in the Himalayas - Travel Adventure Details

TRIP DATES: March 17 - 26, 2027

ACTIVITY LEVEL: Moderate

TRIP COST: US$2,699 - Per person, double occupancy, full 10 nights, Delhi to Delhi.

EARLY BIRD: US$2,549 (The early bird rate applies to bookings confirmed with a $500 non-refundable deposit per person by 31 October 2026. One offer per booking.)

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: US$890 - Additional

14 Participants Max

Trip costs include:

•     10 nights: boutique farm retreat (6), river hotel (1), boutique hotel (1), airport hotel (2)

•     All meals — 10 breakfasts, 9 lunches, 10 dinners, plus evening tea ceremonies

•     Two local expert trip leaders, English-speaking, with you throughout

•     All transport in Uttarakhand, Delhi to Delhi, private car and driver

•     Every experience listed, including the cooking course and forest bathing

•     All entrance and national park fees

•     Welcome gift and reflection journal

We will provide a grant to the women’s collective

Not included

•     International flights

•     Visa

•     Drinks

•     Tips (we send a suggested tipping sheet before you travel)

•     Emergency evacuation insurance

The journey

Delhi to Delhi. All transport, stays and guiding included.

Day 1   Arrival

Delhi  ·  Airport hotel

•     Met at Delhi airport, private transfer to the hotel

•     Rest, or a first look at the city if you have the energy

•     Welcome dinner and trip briefing

Day 2   Where the Ganges begins

Delhi → Devprayag, 310 km  ·  Riverside boutique hotel

•     Early drive out of the plains and up into the mountains

•     Devprayag, where the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi meet and become the Ganges

•     Down to the confluence, then tea ceremony and welcome circle above the river

Day 3   Into the heart of the Himalayas

Devprayag → Koteshwar, 140 km  ·  Dea Avnova farm retreat

•     Mountain road north, stopping at the sacred prayags along the way

•     Traditional welcome at Dea Avnova, our award-winning permaculture retreat

•     Tour of the farm and the women's empowerment project behind it

•     Walk through the riverside village to an old Himalayan temple

Day 4   Gopeshwar, and getting ready for Holi

Koteshwar → Gopeshwar, 9 km  ·  Dea Avnova farm retreat

•     Yoga as the sun comes over the ridge, then a slow morning

•     Gopinath Temple and the legends attached to it

•     The Gopeshwar bazaar: kurtas, natural colors, festival sweets

•     Reflection circle and farm-to-table dinner

Day 5   Forest trail to Anasuya, and the Holika fire

Mandal → Anasuya, 5 km on foot  ·  Dea Avnova farm retreat

•     Trek through old forest to the Anasuya Devi temple

•     Home-cooked lunch in a village that migration has left with a handful of families

•     On to the Atri Muni waterfall and the meditation cave hidden behind it

•     After dark, Holika Dahan: the bonfire that opens Holi, lit and circled with the village

Day 6   Holi, Himalayan style

Gopeshwar  ·  Dea Avnova farm retreat

•     Morning blessing with the farm family at the retreat temple

•     Colour, drums and dancing with the whole village at the ancient Shiva temple — one of the most authentic Holi celebrations in the region

•     Lunch at a local café in Gopeshwar, then the afternoon free

•     Tea ceremony and reflection circle as the day winds down

Day 7   Forest bathing and artisans

Koteshwar → Gaini, 6 km  ·  Dea Avnova farm retreat

•     Guided forest bathing, and a nature meditation simple enough to keep doing at home

•     Riverside walk to artisans practicing an endangered craft — try it, and buy directly from them

•     Lunch at a hidden homestay camp built by a young local couple during the pandemic

•     Afternoon free for the spa, or for nothing at all

Day 8   Tungnath, the highest Shiva temple in the world

Chopta → Chandrashila, 7–10 km  ·  Dea Avnova farm retreat

•     Dawn drive through the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary

•     Breakfast at Chopta facing Nanda Devi, Chaukhamba and Trishul, with the rhododendron forests in bloom

•     3.5 km climb to Tungnath, a shrine over a thousand years old — a gentler guided walk for anyone who would rather not

•     Farewell celebration with our hosts, and the last Himalayan meal

Day 9   Rishikesh and the Ganga Aarti

Koteshwar → Rishikesh, 220 km  ·  Boutique / 4-star resort

•     Farewell ritual with our hosts, then the long drive down the valley

•     Time to wander Rishikesh and shop

•     Ganga Aarti from a reserved seat: fire, chanting and the river at dusk

Day 10   Beatles Ashram, and back to Delhi

Rishikesh → Delhi, 242 km  ·  Delhi airport hotel

•     Morning at the abandoned Beatles Ashram and its painted domes

•     Drive to Delhi with stops along the way

•     Farewell dinner together

Day 11   Departure

Delhi

•     Check-out at 11:00 and transfer to the airport