We welcome you to our annual village festival!

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Are you ready to immerse yourself in the folklore of the Mahabharata? The village comes alive with festivities that run through the day and night. During the day you can watch the reenactment of the mythological epic, The Mahabharata, in the form of a local folk expression called 'Pandav Nritya', which is unique to the Uttarakhand Himalayas. During the night, our community comes together in a lively pageantry of local songs and dance. This once a year event is a must watch! 

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This is a special itinerary, that we run for you to experience this unique festival with the community at Kalap!

For three whole winter days, the village is abuzz with activity and we welcome people from villages all around us who come to partake in the festivities. 

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The 'Pandav Nritya' is a dance form used to depict the life story and experiences of the Pandavas, one of the two protagonists in the Mahabharata. This dance-theatre form is unique to the Garhwal himalayas. different incidents from the Mahabharata are performed by the dancers who play the role of the Pandavas and Draupadi. The dance is performed during the day in a large open courtyard in the village so that a number of people can comfortably see it and many dancers can perform together. The dance is started by lighting a big fire, which is kept going till the festivities end. 

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Through the night, in our village's community hall, people from the village gather to sing local folk songs and dance. The dance begins at about 10 pm in the cold night and people keep going till 5 am. It is a sight to be seen and we will teach you all the right dance moves.

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We will be making a lot of local food items and sweet dishes for you to try during the festivities and you will have more than enough energy to dance all night long!

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HIGHLIGHTS:

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-- Best seats to watch the Pandav Nritya performance

-- Dance lessons to learn to dance the Kalap way!

-- Local food and sweets

-- Optional day trek to Karba Top to see snow capped Swargarohini Peak

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COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY:

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Your travel makes the 2019 festival 100% eco-friendly. Through Kalap Trust (www.kalaptrust.org), profits from this trip will be used to buy 100% compostable plates from Ecoware (www.ecoware.in) so that ALL villagers attending the festival eat the 'prasad' in eco-friendly plates! (Till 2016, the people have used styrofoam plates, which are a disaster in the pristine himalayas)

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ITINERARY (4N/5D):

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Wednesday, January 23, 2019

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PICK UP at 1630hrs in Dehradun City. Drive from Dehradun to Motwar (190 kms, 7 hours). Overnight stay in tents at our Camp Kalap View

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Accommodation: Tents, twin-sharing

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Thursday, January 24, 2019

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After a heavy breakfast, walk up to Kalap village, (4 hours, 5.5 kms). Festival starts in the late afternoon. Dance performance all night long.

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Accommodation: Comfortable homestay in Kalap village

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Friday, January 25, 2019

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Festival through the day. Dance performance all night long.

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Optional (no extra charge): Short day hike to Karba Top (9,000ft) to see snow-capped Swargarohini Peak, (1.5 hours, 3.5 kms). 

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Accommodation: Comfortable homestay in Kalap village

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Saturday, January 26, 2019

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Festival concludes with the salughter of the 'pumpkin goat'. Return to Camp Kalap View for night halt after lunch.

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Accommodation: Tents, twin-sharing

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Sunday, January 27, 2019

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5.30 am start to Dehradun, fast breakfast enroute. Drop off at Dehradun by 1200 hrs.

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Plenty of time to catch post 1500 flights from Dehradun.

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Accommodation (if needed): Should be arranged by guest in Dehradun, ask us for recommendations

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