The best homestay in Mussoorie, Seegreen Lodges is located around 35 kms from Dehradun city, in a place called Hatipaon. It is a strategically placed homestay that exudes its own individuality making it stand out from the other homestays in that area.
As we soaked in the serenity of this offbeat stay, we had the opportunity to meet the owner of the property and gather insights on how this space was formed.
How Did Seegreen Lodges Start?
Every quaint space where artifacts have been curated with a theme in mind, must have a story behind it; and so does Seegreen Lodges. And the hero of this story is the Indian Scop’s Owl!! Yes, you read that right. Because it all happened due to the Indian Scop’s Owl!! An avid birder, Mr. Sanjeev Kamdar, who would go to any length to catch a glimpse of rare exotic birds, came to this part of the mountains on an expedition with Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to sight the rare Indian Scop’s Owl. The group had come to visit one of the well-known bird sanctuaries in Mussoorie called Benog Wildlife Sanctuary, which is just two to three kilometers from Seegreen Lodges. That time Seegreen was a maggi joint with rooms on top that were used by guests for few hours’ rest. It was love at first sight for Sanjeev who fell for this property the moment he stepped inside. While the owner wasn’t keen on selling this property when Sanjeev approached him, they still kept in touch. After a year, Sanjeev’s prayers were heard, and the owner was ready to sell this space immediately – that was in 2014. Since the property is within the confines of a Reserve Forest, he had to procure a lot of permissions from the state and forest department but finally he was able to fulfill his long-standing dream of owning a place in the mountains.
About The Owner
Mr. Sanjeev Kamdar looked like he belonged to the mountains so when he mentioned he was from Mumbai, it was quite unexpected. His verbatim to being questioned , “I don’t want to die in the city”! Despite having a flourishing CA practice in Mumbai – a city that never sleeps, he always had a deep connect with the mountains. Because of his closeness to the mountains, he always dreamt of having something on his own here. He even looked after a friend’s property for two years, that was in Landour – a good hour’s ride from his current place. Since looking after that property was taking a chunk of his time and he couldn’t concentrate on his goal of owning one, he moved on to realize his dreams. And then Seegreen Lodges happened!
Mr. Sanjeev Kamdar – a man conscious of how his actions are impacting environment, is unintentionally meeting few of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as generating job opportunities for locals and promoting local brands (one will find a quite a few local products on display that can be purchased and help in the local economy).
What Can One Expect At This Homestay?
A café with quirky artifacts that are mostly owls, which have been collected by Mr. and Mrs. Kamdar during their travels, paintings of birds gifted by his son’s friends, a fireplace, an outer deck to soak in the sunshine with a hot cuppa; a cozy set-up that feels like home is what you find at Seegreen Lodges.
Apart from the café, the living quarters include three deluxe rooms, a log hut and a recently built glass house. One cannot help but be amazed by the clear view of George Everest Peak from the deluxe rooms and the secluded Log Hut where one can even hear one’s thoughts. The steps from the café take you to an open sitting area where you can rest your derriere and savor the surroundings through your senses. What better way to witness the celestial magnificence on a clear night. One can lay back, gaze above and identify the constellations with ease.
Seegreen Café – The Best Place To Chill
Split into two sections – the restaurant and the outer deck. On any given winter day, one could feel the chill in your bones yet not stop yourself from heading to the deck and enjoying the feeling of numb fingers.
What Should You Order?
Everything is so good. Order anything!!
We tried the following:
- Pakora
- Chilly cheese toast
- Parantha (aloo and paneer)
- Hot chocolate (this one’s really good!)
- Pahadi Tea caption and link
- Coffee
- Pizza – now this is something you got to try since this is another “hero”!! Their pizza is made from scratch. The base is made with hand-kneaded dough and not bought from the market. Actual cheese is used instead of powder cheese, which is used by most of the outlets, with freshly chopped veggies (they don’t even chop veggies and keep, they are chopped only when you order).Click to add caption and
P.S. – You need to sit by the fireplace to enjoy the pizza as you watch the embers fly inside the fireplace!!
Tariff:
Deluxe Room:
Season Rates: INR 3,500 for 2 people/ night
Off Season Rates: INR 3,000 for 2 people/ night
Log Hut:
Season Rates: INR 7,000 for 3 people/ night
Off Season Rates: INR 5,800 for 3 people/ night
Glass House:
Season Rates: INR 7,000 for 3 people/ night
Off Season Rates: INR 5,800 for 3 people/ night
The Highlight of The Trip:
One of the highlights is trekking to George Everest Peak while the other one may not be plastered on a poster but if you are mindful you will be able to see.
What can you expect to find on a clear night? I hope you have guessed it right. Stars and constellations!
For astrophotography enthusiasts this is the place. In fact, if stargazing – planets, constellations, galaxies and dark sky is your adventure of choice, you can head to Nakshatra Sabha, a cosmic journey at George Everest Peak where one can delve into the darkness of the night and unravel the mysteries of the sky.
Best Time To Visit
Anytime!! Except for the rains BUT even monsoon has its own charm!
P.S. Rains are pretty frequent during winters too.
How To Reach Seegreen Lodges:
Best way is to travel by flight or train.
By Rail
Reach Delhi by flight or train -> Take the 12017 NEW DELHI – DEHRADUN Shatabdi at 6:45 am -> Reach Dehradun at 12:55 pm -> Take a cab to Seegreen Lodges (Cab cost: Between INR 1,500 -2,000, we paid INR 1,500). The distance from the train station is around 35 kms and take a little over an hour to cover.
By Flight
Fly directly to Jolly Grant Airport -> Take a cab to Seegreen Lodges which is 66.1 km from the airport and takes a little over two hours to cover because of the winding road.
Places Around That Can Be A Visual Delight
George Everest House
The residence of the person after whom Mount Everest has been named (although he isn’t the one who went on the expedition!!). The house has been renovated by the government and offering government-approved stalls around a circle right in front of the house, for easy access to eatables. In fact behind the residence, you can go downhill to find the helipad.
George Everest Peak
900 metres from the house is the George Everest Peak which is hiked by most of the people but ensure to do it early morning. Unfortunately, we missed it since we went early evening and by the time we would have trekked down it would have been dark.
Recently Starscapes, an Astro-Tourism company launched Nakshatra Sabha, an initiative that offers comprehensive Astro-Tourism Experience at George Everest Peak. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for those who love to experience the celestial magic!
Benog Wildlife Sanctuary
Technically 7kms from Seegreen Lodges. 2.5 kms from Seegreen till the Clouds End Point from where you have to take a right and head to the entry gate to Benog Wildlife Sanctuary which is 4.5 kms downhill. We had rented a two-wheeler for the trip.
Cost of the two-wheeler: INR 800 for the entire day + INR 400 for petrol (we had asked the guy to fill fuel since the petrol pump was far)
Entry Fee at Benog: INR 150 for Indians
INR 600 for foreigners
Entry Timing: 7 am to 5 pm
Things To Remember While Visiting
- Don’t make loud noise because that will cause disturbance to the inhabitants of the sanctuary.
- Do not litter.
- Do not feed wildlife. At times wildlife may play with your gullibility and extract food items from you. But this is not recommended at all. If they get used to people feeding them during visits, they will start expecting food from all visitors and if they are not given food, then they will turn aggressive and snatch food. This may even lead to either of the parties getting hurt. To avoid this kind of conflict, avoid offering any food to wildlife.
- Carry your remaining food items back with you, do not leave them behind for wildlife. They will start relating visitors with food.
- Carry a raincoat or rain-poncho that will protect you in case it starts pouring.
- Wear proper trekking shoes for better grip on slippery pebbles or surface.
Lambi Dehar Mines
Synonymous with a dreadful mishap that occurred back in the 90’s when 50,000 mine workers died a gruesome death due to faulty mining practiced exudes a feeling of eeriness during the visit. This place is usually visited at night around 9 or 10 pm but there are some valiant souls who visit even after midnight (I saw some revelers heading that way, way past midnight!). The ruins is around 5 kms from Seegreen and you are taken there in their car.
Landour
Known for its colonial style architecture, Landour is contiguous with Mussoorie, it is around 9.5 kms from Seegreen and takes about 45 minutes to reach but the ride is what stands out. The towering alpines on one side and “duns” (meaning valley) on another side, this landscape will remind you of Ruskin Bond’s eminent narration of the mountains.
It is important to be informed of the provenance of a property and the motive behind it – that speaks a lot about the character of an owner. This place was born of love, dreams and desires to live closer to nature and build a home away from home. And that is exactly Seegreen Lodges provides its patrons. And a well-curated itinerary becomes the cherry on cake – it is a perfect blend of relaxation they had covered it all, while I was happy spending my time relaxing and absorbing the sights the sounds around!
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