Walk slowly. Notice everything.
Small-group journeys, treks, birdwatching and stargazing in the Kumaun Himalaya. Every one of them begins with chai at Oakakhi, our home in Ranikhet.
A journey can be one bird you finally see properly, an hour inside an oak forest, or a single long look at the night sky.
Turiya Trails was started by four friends from these hills, each of whom found a kind of stillness out here. This is the travel we were missing.
Four ways to walk slowly
Book a single morning or evening on its own, or let us weave several into a journey of a few days. Every way in starts from Ranikhet.
Silent forest walks
Oak and rhododendron forest, walked slowly enough to notice what rushing past would erase. The first half hour is spent in complete silence.
Explore forest walks
Birdwatching
Learning to hear the forest before you see it. Mornings at Kalika, Kasar Devi and the lakes of Sattal, with guides who know these birds by their calls.
Explore birdwatchingStargazing
Dark mountain skies, the stories different cultures told about the same stars, and the silence after the stories end.
Explore stargazing
Treks and mountain journeys
From a gentle forest climb to Pandavkholi to the high meadows of Khalia Top and the Pindari Glacier. Every trek is graded honestly.
Explore treks“What is nature trying to teach you right now?”
A walking questionDays that are designed, not packaged
Each journey blends forest walks, birds, a night sky and sometimes a trek, around a single place or idea. Prices include stays, meals, guiding and transport during the journey.
The Kalika Weekend
Oakakhi, Ranikhet 2 nights, 3 days₹12,000
Into the Quiet
Ranikhet and Pandavkholi 2 nights, 3 days₹14,000
First Light
Ranikhet, Sattal, Pangot 3 nights, 4 days₹19,500 Stargazing · EasyThree Skies
Ranikhet, Kausani, Kasar Devi 3 nights, 4 days₹18,500
Above the Treeline
Ranikhet to Munsyari and Khalia Top 5 nights, 6 days₹26,500
Where the River Begins
Ranikhet to the Pindari Glacier 7 nights, 8 days₹34,000Freedom is not running away. Freedom is seeing clearly.
The name comes from Turiya, a word from the Mandukya Upanishad for the awareness beneath waking, dreaming and deep sleep. Always present, rarely noticed. It shapes how we plan every day, in very practical ways.
Less noise, more attention
Most travel is built around getting somewhere. Ours is built around noticing where you already are: a call in the canopy, the light changing on a ridge, your own breath on a climb.
Small groups, on purpose
Four to ten people, often fewer. Silence is easier to hold, the forest opens differently, and everyone is a person rather than a headcount.
Nature to experience, not just photograph
Cameras are welcome. But we plan days around what is worth being present for, not what photographs well.
Time to observe
Slow pace, unhurried mornings, and no rush to the next viewpoint. Four to six kilometres a day, not fifteen.
Respect for the hills and the people in them
Leave No Trace, always. Home-cooked Kumaoni food, local guides, and conversations with people who actually live here.
An old idea, in plain words
Turiya is the awareness beneath waking, dreaming and deep sleep. You do not need to believe anything to walk with us. You only need to be willing to slow down.
The landscapes of Kumaun
Ranikhet is our home and our base. From there we go to the places we know well, and only those.
Ranikhet
Our home. Oak and rhododendron forest around Oakakhi, the Kalika ridge, and a night sky with little light beneath it.
Forest walks · Birdwatching · Astro nights · Nature classes
Pandavkholi
A forest trail to a quiet meadow tied to the Mahabharata, near the Mahavatar Babaji cave.
Beginner trek
Kasar Devi
The ridge that has drawn seekers for a century. Pine, open views, and dark skies.
Birdwatching · Stargazing
Sattal and Pangot
Lakes, forest hides and pheasant country. Among the best-known birding in Kumaun.
Birdwatching
Kausani and Pinnath
A long view of the high Himalaya, and a forest climb to a temple in the clouds.
Intermediate trek · Stargazing
Munsyari and Pindari
High meadows at Khalia Top, and the valley walk to the Pindari Glacier.
Mountain journeys
From message to mountain
Message us
On WhatsApp or through the enquiry form. Tell us what you are looking for. No booking engine.
We talk first
A real conversation about the right journey for you, not a sales pitch. Then dates and the full plan.
Arrive at Oakakhi
Our home in Ranikhet. Chai first. Nothing is discussed until chai is in hand.
Walk, watch, rest
Slow days with guides who know this forest and this sky personally. Evenings by the fire.
Small enough to actually mean it
- Guides who live in these hills, not flown in for the season
- Groups capped at 10, most trips smaller
- You message the founders directly, not a call centre
- Leave No Trace, always, not just on the poster
- Trained in Himalayan terrain and basic first aid
- Nothing planned around what photographs well
Woven into every journey
- Home-cooked Kumaoni food at Oakakhi
- Unhurried mornings, chai before conversation
- Conversations with people who actually live here
- Forest walks led by someone born in these hills
- Evenings by the fire, sometimes under a very dark sky
Not reviews. Just why we are doing this.
We are a young company, and we would rather show you nothing than show you something made up. Guest stories will appear here once guests have shared them with us.
“I've hosted people at Oakakhi for years. What I want now is to actually walk them into the forest, not just point at it from the porch.”
“Most people have never really looked up. My job on an astro night isn't to recite facts, it's to get out of the way so the sky can do that.”
“I grew up in these hills. Filming them for Turiya Trails is the first time work has meant showing people my own backyard properly.”
Field notes
Short, honest writing on the philosophy, the place and the practicalities. Growing slowly, the way everything else here does.
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Field note 02
A beginner's guide to your first Himalayan trek
If you have never trekked in the Himalayas before, here is what actually matters. Most of it has nothing to do with fitness.
Practical -
Field note 01
What does Turiya mean?
Every language has a word for waking life. Fewer have one for the state you fall into when you stop performing, even for yourself.
Philosophy
Come from far away. We will handle the last stretch.
Getting from Delhi to Ranikhet, visas and permits, the best seasons, what to pack, and how to pay from abroad. All in one place, with approximate US dollar prices for every journey.
Before you message us
Is this suitable for beginners?
Yes. The Kalika Weekend and every day experience are built for beginners, and Into the Quiet is a gentle first trek. Our longer treks ask more, and we will be honest with you about which one fits.
Can solo travellers join?
Solo travellers are a large part of who we build these journeys for, not an edge case we tolerate. You can join a scheduled batch or a session on your own.
I am travelling from abroad. Can I join?
Yes, and you are very welcome. Our page for international travellers covers getting to Ranikhet from Delhi, visas, permits, seasons, money and what to pack. Prices are in rupees, with approximate US dollar prices alongside.
Where do journeys start?
Almost every journey starts at Oakakhi Stays, our home in Ranikhet. The nearest railway station is Kathgodam, about three hours away by road. Tell us how you are travelling and we will help you plan the last stretch.
How do I book?
Message us on WhatsApp or use the enquiry form. We talk first about what you are looking for, then share dates, the full plan and how to confirm your place. No booking is final until we have spoken.
What should I pack?
Layers, sturdy shoes, a headlamp, and less than you think. We send a full list once your dates are confirmed.
Find your way into the mountains.
Tell us what you are looking for, how many of you there are and roughly when. We will help you find the right walk, sky or forest, and we will be honest if we are not the right fit.