Hike
Anusuya Devi Forest Trek
A quiet 5-km forest walk from Mandal to a small temple set in a wooded clearing — under-walked, deeply green, and one of the few treks in the region with almost no other foot traffic on a weekday.
The walk
Five kilometres up a forest road from Mandal village brings you to the Anusuya Devi temple, set in a small clearing in a deep deodar forest. There’s a 9th-century legend attached (look it up if you like; the kitchen will tell you the village version), but the walk is the point — green, quiet, and almost always empty.
The trail is easy: about 350 metres of altitude gain spread over 5 kilometres of well-graded path. Two hours up at a slow pace, a half-hour at the temple, an hour and a half back. Most guests do it as a half-day from Mandal.
What you’ll see
Deodar canopy the whole way, occasional clearings with views of Trishul to the north, langur monkeys in the trees, and — if you’re lucky and quiet — a koklass pheasant on the path. We pack a thermos of tea and biscuits.
When to go
Year-round, though winter mornings are crisp and monsoon makes the path slippery. We close it on heavy-rain days.
On the map
Stay base
From our stay in Mandal
Nestled beside a crystal-clear blue river, beneath the sacred heights of Tungnath and bordered by the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary. A place of forests, ancient trails, birdsongs and quiet corners. To explore, slow down, or simply be.