This is no time for extravagant year-end vacations. But there is still hope for backpackers on a limited budgetSo you thought you would curb the roving spirit in you and settle for a lame holiday in your city? Why give in to bad times, we say. Here’s our list for the frugal traveller who knows how to have fun.KUMBALANGHI, KERALAIf a five-star vacation in the backwaters doesn’t fit your budget this season, don’t fret. Kumbalanghi, a hamlet just off Kochi, in Kerala’s Ernakulum district, comes to rescue with its picturesque backdrop, its proximity to the Vembanad Lake and its vast expanse of paddy fields. Spend lazy afternoons coasting along in a country boat, taking in the mangrove vegetation on either side or make a quick trip to Kochi. Better still, bid for your choice of seafood (prawns, lobsters, crabs, oysters) at the local fish auction centre and if you can manage the rapid exchange in Malayalam, take it back and have it cooked the traditional Malayali style by your hosts. If you are culturally inclined, ask your hosts to organise a Kathakali performance for you.With no fancy hotels or shopping malls around, there’s local architecture for you to appreciate. Like St George’s Cathedral, a local landmark. Then, if you have time, you can watch boat-making, a chief occupations of locals. There are lots of home stay facilities too that range from Rs 1,000 for non-AC twin-sharing rooms to Rs 1,500 for the AC twin-sharing ones.For home stay bookings, contact Green Nest (0484-2282930) and Kallancherry Retreat (0484-2240564)SNOW LEOPART TREK, LADAKHIf you have an appetite for adventure, go trekking through snow trails in temperatures that ranges from -10 to -15 degrees Celsius in search of the elusive snow leopard in Ladakh. The Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust offers about 60 homestay options across 15 villages in and around Ladakh, but the snow leopard trek happens during winter. “We started it in 2001 as a conservation measure to integrate the locals with their surroundings. With tourists coming in, they actually begin to take pride in their area and it also generates a livelihood for them,” says Rinchen Wangchuk, programme director of the trust. The home stays, says Wangchuk, have basic facilities—“a clean, comfortable room, home-cooked meals, boiled spring water and solar heating at certain places, but the entire experience is very wholesome and inviting.” There are three trails through Zanskar, Sham and Hemis (the latter is the most popular site for animal sightings). The trek will take between three and five days. The unit is exploring a similar programme in Spiti Valley. The homestay charges are minimal at Rs 700 a day.For bookings, contact: 01982-250953.BIRD-WATCHING, LITTLE RANN OF KUTCH, GUJARATIf you’d rather backpack through more gentle environs, head to the Little Rann of Kutch. One of the largest wetland areas of the world, it’s home to a fascinating variety of flora and fauna, including birds like the desert lark, the Harrier and different kinds of cranes. “There are five distinct wetlands in the region with different varieties of rare birds. We organise bird-watching camps in each of these regions,” says Devjibhai Dhamecha, who offers homestay facilities at Dhrangadhra, 130 km off Ahmedabad. There are four koobas or Gujarati huts on offer, done up in traditional style. While single backpackers will have to shell out Rs750 per day for food (that’s vegetarian Gujarati fare) and lodging, twin-sharing charges are pegged at Rs1,000. Dhamecha also organises visits to the local Wild Ass Sanctuary. October to April is also the time when crystal salt farming is at its busiest. Gujarat is the country’s major producer of salt, 20 per cent of which comes from the Rann of Kutch. If you fancy a dekko at how salt is made, winter is the best time.For bookings, contact Dhamecha ( 09825548090)PANGSAU PASS WINTER FESTIVAL, ARUNACHAL PRADESHThe Pangsau Pass region in the Patkai Range of Arunachal Pradesh, about 12 km from Nampong, is known for its dense forests and deep gorges on either side. But the region is also famous as the meeting point of different ethnic communities in Arunachal and Myanmar, which is across the border. “While trade fairs have been a common feature with people from both sides taking part, we thought a festival would be a good platform,” says M Roy, additional deputy commissioner, Jairampur. Now, in its third year, the three-day festival at Nampong has become a major draw for tourists from across India and even the world. The next edition begins on January 20.Though Indians require an Inner Line Permit to enter Arunachal Pradesh, organisers have eased registration with officials posted at the Assam-Arunachal border. There is a guest house at Nampong, but it is usually booked for most of the year. There are enough homestay options though. Lodging is cheap, for as little as Rs 300 per day per person, but be sure to book ahead.For details, contact the ADC, Jairampur’s office (0380-222216)RAGHURAJPUR, ORISSAWinter is probably the best time to visit this small village, about 15 km from Puri, and home to one of the largest communities of the state’s fabled patachitra artists. Walk past communities of artists at work outside their spartan homes, with women mixing pigments or preparing binders while the men work on the patachitras and murals. There are also hubs of stone workers, applique artists and cowdung toy makers. Raghurajpur was home to one of the most well-known exponents of Odissi art in India, Kelucharan Mahapatra. The Gotipua Gurukul Academy in the village now carries forward his legacy. INTACH has been at work in the village since 2001, contributing to community development of the artisans and building accommodation blocks for visitors that charge Rs 350 a day. For booking, contact INTACH (0674-2432638)
