An Invitation to take a walk on the wild side can’t be extended in a mnore appropriate environment: Jilling Estate, spread over 50-plus acres of mixed deciduous forests, is the nearest thing to an idyllic Garden of Eden. And its owner , Steve Lall, a ‘ practical environmentalist and nature friendly holiday facilitator ‘, has sworn to protect its virginal beauty and purity, to the point of disallowing the local panchayat to build a road up to the estate.
Which is why visitors to Jilling must walk ( or hire a pony or a palki) for the last couple of Kilometers uphill from Matial. It’s a gentle , hour long climb, past oak and pine forests and bright red rhododendron blossoms and armies of plum, peach and apricot trees. But the absence of a macadamised roadway right to the top ensures that only the reasonably fit and the very ardent nature lovers make the efforts to come.
Which, to me, is as it should be. For Jilling isn’t a run of the mill ‘ tourist’ resort to which anyone who coughs up the admittance fee may demand entry: it’s a cultural experience, a way of life, an invitation to sit at the High Table of Nature’s Garden party. Treat it like badge of honour that must be earned.
Things to See and Do
City slickers who live a frenetic workaday life may find that time hangs heavily on their hands heavily on their hands here – but that’s only if they haven’t opened up their minds to the limitless possibilities of the Great Wide Open Spaces. If you’re the outdoor kind, you’ll likely find 24 hours a day isn’t enough to do the things you want to do.
Walks
Explore the many walking trails through the forests to the surrounding villages, and interact with the villagers; you’ll gain interesting insights into the way of life in the hills, Kumaoni shamanistic rituals and much else. Jilling Estate provides a day guide at no charge; if you find the gradient a strain, you could hire a pony for the day. The Forest are dense, natural formations of Oak, chest nut, dodar and pine, with an interspersing of rhododendrons, a thick undergrowth of ferns – and several gurgling jungle streams. There are also plum, apple and apricot orchards, which yield fruit in April-May. They’ve not been sprayed with any pesticides, so it’s perfectly safe to eat them right off the tree.
Camping
Pitch tent anywhere in the forest that the guide thinks is safe – or on the ridge ( alt 7200 ft) that overlooks the valley. The estate provides tents and other camp facilities – but only on condition that you won’t disturb the animals and birds or litter the place, and are careful not to set off forest fires. Spend a night on the ridge under a canopy of millions of stars, and you could catch an early morning glimpse of barking deer or mountain goat on the craggy slopes.
Birdwatching
There are over 110 known lower- Himalayan bird species, including some endangered species such as the chir pheasant, in Jilling, and wherever you are on the estate, you’ll never be far from bridsong. Often, given the air of serenity that reigns over here, it may be the only sounds you hear all the day.
