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Traveling on a budget? Here are best hostels to stay in India

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Backpacking is usually the term attached to people who like to travel on a budget. As adventurous and ambitious as it sounds, the travelers who stay on the road for more time than they spend time at home have to ration their resources and travel accordingly. It is always seen that however money you save for traveling for 2-3 months, it comes out less as there are many unplanned spending that leave the budget in tatters. However, India is a relatively cheaper for people coming from Europe and America but still the backpackers try and find the accommodation that could help them save money for future. If you are traveling on a budget of less than $20 or Rs 1000 a day then don’t worry here are some hostels for you. Here you will not only make good friends but also memories for a lifetime.

Zostel Manali

Although, you can't see it in the photograph, but the mountains in the background are covered in snow and it makes stay in Zostel Manali delightful.
Although, you can’t see it in the photograph, but the mountains in the background are covered in snow and it makes stay in Zostel Manali delightful.

Clearly one of the best Hostels in India, Zostel in Manali takes the cake for its awesome location and a staff that will make you feel like home. What makes the hostel even cooler is the naming of the rooms which goes like Rohtang, Hemkund, Kheerganga and Khardungla. Not only this, the hostel is located at the end of the earth overlooking great Himalayas and snow clad mountains. If you are lucky you can also witness the musical nights organised by the managers which are absolutely free and mind numbing. Last but not the least, don’t forget to play with the puppies named Frodo and Drogo while there.

Price Range: Rs 449- Rs 549

Vedanta Wake Up, Coorg

A soothing setting on rooftop help you engage with other people.
A soothing setting on rooftop help you engage with other people.

Situated in Madikeri, a little town in Coorg, the hostel is a backpackers haven with cheap rooms and clean beddings. A colorful hostel, it has an awesome shack on the terrace with tons of playing options which include darts, carrom board, and a set of badminton racquets. The location is prime as every tourist location including the bus stand is in close proximity from the hostel. The managers are friendly and the crowd is quite passionate about traveling, so rest assured that you will make a a lot friends while there. There’s a small cafe in the shack that serves awesome cheese omelette and coffee.

Price: Rs 598

Jungle Hostel Goa

Settled between forests, the hostel is peaceful and serene for the backpackers
Settled between forests, the hostel is peaceful and serene for the backpackers.

Located in Vagator, Jungle Hostel is one of the funkiest and relaxing hotels in India. Come here to relax and chill amidst the hustle and bustle of the city. The hostel is surrounded by forests and the best part is that you will have access to two beaches that can not be visited by roads but you can reach there in 10 minutes from here walking. Here you can enjoy movie and barbecue nights once in a week and trust me they are awesome. The crowd here is mostly hippie and backpackers who are in India for a long duration. If you hate the concept of time, then this is the best place for you to have a stress- free time here.

Price Range: Rs 250 – Rs 450

Moustache Jaipur

The rooms are carefully designed with common room given extreme importance keeping the traveler crowd in mind.
The rooms are carefully designed with common room given extreme importance keeping the traveler crowd in mind.

You can guess from the name of the hostel about how different it would be from others. One of the most famous hostels in India, Moustache Jaipur is famous for its magnificent interiors that are done to symbolize everything that is Indian. In Spite of that, the comfort is given the utmost priority with clean linens and fluffy pillows. The common room in the hostel is the best part with board games for the travelers who like to chill with new friends. The hostel is especially prevalent with foreigners as you can see on their website with prices displayed in dollars. Don’t forget to have a chat with the manager of this hostel who has quite a lot of interesting stories to share.

Price range: Rs 300-400

Jugaadus Hostel, Amritsar

The hostel is perfect for domestic as well as internatinal travelers.
The hostel is perfect for domestic as well as internatinal travelers.

A great place to stay and learn about the culture of Punjab, the hostel is unique in the way it employs reusable things as the furniture. The hostel promotes the eco- friendly way of living as you find the tires turned into tables, bamboo dustbins and solar panel powered electricity. Situated in close proximity to Golden Temple, the hostel has best of locker facilities, fast wi-fi and awesome staff that is ready to answer your queries anytime. Not only that you also get a night’s stay free if you stay here for 4 days and 3 night’s stay if you stay here for 10 days. So, come here and learn about the history of Punjab.

Price Range: Rs 400-500

These hostels not only offer you a clean place to sleep but all the modern facilities like free wi-fi, lockers and itineraries that you can explore on your own without paying anything extra. Try these and you will never want stay in the hotels again.

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Plunge into the World’s Most Awe-inspiring Valleys

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From the magnificent mountains to the excellent valleys, the world is brimming with so much magnificence that if you think you’ve seen it all, you most certainly are wrong. Talking of mountains and valleys, these gorges are the most astonishing natural marvels which become even more exuberant at the peak of the spring time. With clouds brushing past the valley slopes, and the entire basin laced with multi-hued blooms, trees, and plantations of bizarre types, the valleys are the most scenic spots up in the mountains which cup the splendor of nature like nothing else. So let’s take a tour around the most gorgeous valleys around the world.

After going through the following rundown of the most breathtaking valleys around the world, even the most laziest, and non-traveller person would get motivated enough to book flights tickets online, and set out for these jaw-dropping natural laps of nature. These literally give you the right feel of “spending time in the lap of nature.” Here you go–

  1. Valley of Ten Peaks, Canada
Valley of Ten Peaks, Canada
Valley of Ten Peaks, Canada

A standout amongst the most stunning valleys of the world is the Ten Peaks which can be found inside a national park in Canada. It is encompassed by ten distinctive mountain tops, and even incorporates the Moraine Lake inside the national park itself. Earlier, these peaks were named number wise, ranging from one to ten, but recently, out of the ten, only three three have been named after remarkable people from across the world. You can reach this valley by taking up the road from the Moraine Lake. Even the drive to this spot is beautiful!

  1. Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

Lauterbrunnen is one of the greatest trough valleys in the Alps, located between enormous rock boulders and mountain crests. The valley gloats of rough precipices, 72 thundering waterfalls, brilliant high glades and desolate mountain hotels. It is just one of the greatest nature preservation regions in Switzerland. Found deep within the Alps, there are no other valleys on Earth that can give competition to the beauty of Lauterbrunnen.

  1. Jiuzhaigou Valley, China
Wandering Vivek
Jiuzhaigou Valley, China

This valley sprawls across more than 180,000 acres of land and is known for its numerous multi-level waterfalls, bright lakes, and snow-capped mountains. Its height ranges from 2,000 to 4,500 meters and is one of the most exotic valley destinations in the world.

  1. Barun Valley, Nepal

Barun Valley is a part of the Himalayan Ranges and lies at the base of Mt. Makalu. Makalu Barun National Park is the home to this whole valley, and you can appreciate the beautiful perspectives of both the valley and the national park anytime of the year. It is renowned for its cascading high waterfalls and some deep ravines, along with the rich green environment. There is a lot more of natural beauty that you can witness here.

  1. Nubra Valley, India

Nubra Valley is situated at a distance of approximately 150 Km from the town of Leh, and frames an expansive valley when consolidated with different territories in the valley. Foreign nationals need a sort of permit to enter this valley. Well, if you want to know what all places inspired Monnet and other legendary artists to paint such epic natural sceneries, then count on Nubra Valley. The valley looks nothing less than an oil painting.

Allured? Everyone is. So pack your bags, and yes wear comfortable shoes, for these valleys are amazing spots for trekking. Otherwise, photographers and nature lovers can call these spots home. God really must have resided in all of these at least once!


Dimpy Roy, a travel enthusiast and writer, currently working with an Online Trip Planner guides travellers about temples in Delhi. She writes about deals, current offers, packages, flights like flights from Chandigarh to Delhi for travellers also.

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Tripping in the valleys of Rishikesh : Part 1

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Ever felt a tingling sensation of booking tickets to another place even before you have reached the home from your last vacation? That is how I feel every moment, every second of my life right now. Sitting in office writing articles about the different locations has made me even more excited about so many things and I feel like I haven’t been to so many places in India. And as I can head out only on weekends I have to chose places that are in close vicinity from Delhi. That’s how after going to Bit and Manali in May, I zeroed in on Rishikesh for my June trip. 

The holy ghats of Har Ki Pauri
The holy ghats of Har Ki Pauri

It’s 9th June and I am sitting in my office thinking how can I make my short trips even more economical. As earlier, I have traveled 14 hours in a non-AC bus spending more than Rs 500 and I thought I was traveling on a budget.  And that’s when I thought of booking railway tickets rather than bus even if I get a wait listed ticket. That’s how I ended up in the line for the tickets at Gurgaon Railways station at 7:30 AM in the morning after waking up at 6 AM in the morning.  Best thing about buying train ticket is that I got return tickets for just Rs 360 and the bus tickets were priced more than  Rs 700 for both sides. That’s how I saved more than Rs 350 on traveling and got there by sleeping on the train floor (that’s quite common for me now!).

I boarded the train at 10 PM and reached Haridwar at 6 AM when half the town was asleep and other half praying on the banks of River Ganga. The scenes were amazing and instead of heading straight to Rishikesh, I decided to go to ghats situated in Haridwar and hence visited Har ki Pauri . It is a point where River Ganga leaves the mountains and enter the plains in Uttarakhand. The view in the morning was amazing and you could feel the spirituality in the air with thousands of people taking a dip in the holy water at that moment.  I sat their for an hour and left for Rishikesh straight after.

All this for Just Rs 25! Can you believe this?
All this for Just Rs 25! Can you believe this?

Usually you have to go to the Haridwar bus stand to catch the bus, though I decided to wait on the highway built that was located 1 km from Har ki Pauri. The bus was a joyous ride with all passengers all excited and pumped up to go to Rishikesh to spend their vacations. After humming a few songs and talking to the passengers I slept for a while and reached Rishikesh in 1 and a half hour. But the Zostel was still faraway. So, I decided to have breakfast before anything else. And fortunately, I found a perfect hawker who was serving a Thali consisting of Rajma, Aloo Paratha, Aloo Sabzi, Curd, Salad and Chutny all for just Rs 25. The food was delicious and gave me enough energy to head out to the hostel.

The distance from the Rishikesh Bus Stand to Hostel was about 5 kilometers  and hence I wanted to take an auto but decided to walk instead. It turned out to be a good decision as I had to go through a village and met many little kids during the walk. The joyous little bunch were laughing all the way and frequently asked me if I need something. I am big fan of states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand as people there are happy with whatever limited resources they have and they know how to make a guest feel home. Not only that I also witnessed the grandness of Rishikesh with mesmerizing ghats and people lining up to take a dip in the famous Triveni Ghats.

One of the walls of Zostel Rishikesh adorned with Beatles graffiti.
One of the walls of Zostel Rishikesh adorned with Beatles graffiti.

After walking for about 45 minutes, I finally reached my Hostel and I was delighted with the location as it was just near the Lakshman Jhula which was the only way to the coolest riverside cafes in Rishikesh. I was greeted at the hostel by a friendly staff and they told me to wait in the common room where I met a bunch of 4 girls who came all the way from London to see Rishikesh. After few hi’s and hello’s, we started talking about the different things that they have explored till now and the places where they will head to after Rishikesh. All of us were tired and hence decided to take a nap .

And that’s how the real tour of Rishikesh began. This was just the Part 1. For more come back to the blog and check out the Part 2 of my  Rishikesh journey on 30th June 2016.

 

 

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