Aamod at Shoghi is the signature ecotourism resort of Aamod. It is setup on a hilltop covered with oak and pine forests in a beautiful Himachali village Shoghi, 13 kms before Shimla. 3 hours drive from Chandigarh or 7-8 hours drive from Delhi, this place is a perfect getaway to the mountains for peace seeking. The 10 mins hike up the mountain from the road to the resort gives a feeling of what is next to come. They also have cab arrangments as an option. The resort welcomes you with Colonial restaurant with indoor dining and a bar with Alfresco dining, the best in Shimla.
Colonial Restaurant - Aamod at Shoghi
Eco cottages in Aamod at Shoghi
The pre-fabricated eco cottages are scattered across the mountainous land and it takes a little climb and good memory to reach out to your cottage. Away from the concrete and traffic, it is a peaceful environment to feel close to nature.
Eco cottages- Aamod at Shoghi
The thatched roofs and the wooden boundaried open sitting area was a warm welcome to the room. This area was lit up by the traditional lamps in the evenings which added just the required amount of light to match up to the forest surroundings.
Eco cottages- Aamod at Shoghi
The rooms are luxuriously equipped with heaters and electric bed warmers to give a peaceful sleep in the chilly nights. The dim lights inside the rooms too matched up to the forest surroundings.
Rooms in Eco cottages- Aamod at Shoghi
Sunrise View from Aamod at Shoghi
I was informed of the beautiful view of sunrise from one of the extreme ends of the property. I'm not too fond of sunrises but I'm an early-riser, so I headed out in the cold to check that out, without much expectations. The sun rays started sparkling golden glitter in the skies before it showed out.
Sunrise view from - Aamod at Shoghi
The full moon was still showing up on the other side where the skies were soft pink and blue. I was amused to observe the contrasting skies.
Full moon view at - Aamod at Shoghi
And suddenly the sun emerged out as a ball of fire from one of the mountains tops. It was unbelievably pretty. I was so engrossed in appreciating the beauty that I even forgot to capture the emerging sun. The skies showed me fabulous shades in 20 minutes.
Shimla-Kalka toy train To Shoghi
I also got a chance to steal a sight of the toy train of the UNESCO Heritage site, slither away like a snake through the mountains. It is also possible to reach Shoghi in the toy trains. Aamod resort is just 2 kms away from Shoghi railway station.
Kalka-Shimla toy train - UNESCO world heritage site
The railway track and one of the tunnels for the toy train runs close to Aamod resort.
Kalka-Shimla toy train railway track - UNESCO world heritage site
The preserved forests of Aamod At Shoghi
I was contended to know that Aamod resorts haven't chopped a single tree on the entire mountain they have built their property on. Trekking has had a strong effect of environment preservation on me.They have preserved all the oak and pine trees surrounding the property.
The preserved forests at Aamod at Shoghi
A morning walk in these forests around the cottages gave me glimpses of beautiful birds like
Chestnut Bellied Nuthatch and Red billed Blue Magpie
Chestnut Bellied Nuthatch and Red billed Blue Magpie
Chestnut Bellied Nuthatch at Aamod at Shoghi
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Red billed Blue Magpie at Aamod at Shoghi
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Food at Aamod at Shoghi
Colonial restaurant offers multi cuisine dining experience inclusive of local Himachali cuisine. The head chef here customises the dish as per your preference and leaves a satisfactory experience that you will relish for days together. The indoor dining is extended to a bar and alfresco dining. It was a great experience to connect with other blogger friends over a glass of wine, karoake and a bonfire.
Bonfire at the bar and alfresco dining at Aamod at Shoghi
Aamod at Shoghi provides great dining experience in the wilderness.
Apart from designated dining places amidst the forests, they provide unbeatable dining experience of "You find a spot and we'll arrange dinner for you there". I had a unique experience of getting my dinner table arranged under the stars and full moon, amidst pine trees, in the middle of nowhere.
A glass of wine, local himachal cuisine and soft music setup the mood for the evening just right.
The chef had designed the menu for the evening with mouth-watering himachali dishes:
KHATTA MAAS - sour flavored mutton curry
ALOO KA PALDA - potatoes made in yoghurt based curry
MAA MADRA - black split lentils
KHATTE CHANE - sour flavored bengal gram in yoghurt based curry
BHALE - roasted cutlets made of split black lentils
GUR KI KHEER - indian dessert made of jaggery and milk
A glass of wine, local himachal cuisine and soft music setup the mood for the evening just right.
The chef had designed the menu for the evening with mouth-watering himachali dishes:
KHATTA MAAS - sour flavored mutton curry
ALOO KA PALDA - potatoes made in yoghurt based curry
MAA MADRA - black split lentils
KHATTE CHANE - sour flavored bengal gram in yoghurt based curry
BHALE - roasted cutlets made of split black lentils
GUR KI KHEER - indian dessert made of jaggery and milk
Himachali cuisine at Aamod at Shoghi
Recreational activities inside Aamod at Shoghi
The resort has an entire range of adventure activities one can pick up from. They have an adventure course, flying fox, burma bridge crossing, rock climbing, rapelling, variety of team games like Hangman, Sinking Island, Treasure Hunt. They also have recreation room for indoor board games and a fusball table.
Flying fox at Aamod at Shoghi
After quitting my job, I've been living in the mountains and strongly missing Badminton courts! As a professional badminton player, I have always said no to outdoor courts, but I guess I was missing Badminton a little too much and picked up the racquette here.
Badminton at Aamod at Shoghi
Nature trail and village food experience with Aamod at Shoghi
Aamod resort arranges for small hikes to the villages around the resort. Beautiful trail through the tall pine and oak tress made our way to one of the villages.
Nature trail with Aamod at Shoghi
Aamod resort facilitates locals to be a part of the tourism industry by helping them earn too. They have encouraged families in the villages to provide local food to the travelers who choose to experience something unique. The family gave us a warm welcome to their house. The old lady and husband cooked food for us on the chulha (traditional style cooking place heated with burning wood) and served us generously.
Traditional chulha in a Himachali village
Organic jaggery with home made ghee, Makke ki roti (flatbread made of corn meal), matar paneer and arbi (colocasia) in youghurt based curry, daal and rice made some wholesome finger-licking meal. I didn't resist myself from over eating! I relished the taste of this home cooked food for days together! It was probably the second best experience I had at my visit to Aamod at Shoghi.
Traditional Himachali food in a village
Mountain biking at Aamod at Shoghi
Aamod provides with good mountain bikes and all the required gears to provide an adventurous experience to the bikers. Around the resort, there are trails of all grades to choose from.
Mountain biking at Aamod at Shoghi
Engaging locals for story telling at Aamod at Shoghi
I genuinely appreciate the way Aamod resort is engaging local villagers from Shoghi and villages around to be a part of their ecotourism. Aamod resort had arranged a story telling sesion under the stars for us. An old knowledgable man who has seen Shimla grow from the British rule to the post-independence stage, enriched us with lot of history and anecdotes about this place.
Story telling at Aamod at Shoghi
Sublime Spa at Aamod at Shoghi
I'm quite touchy about spa experiences as my expectations are set very high when it comes to this. It was my first experience of a spa with a view of the mountains. I wanted it to be really special. The staff at Aamod made sure to meet my expectations. 1.5 hours of full body Balinese massage was a perfect way to end my adventurous day and set a romantic mood for the dinner under the stars.
Sublime spa at Aamod at Shoghi
I talked about my second best experience in during my visit to Aamod (local food experience at the village). The best and unmatchable experience was this open Jacuzzi overlooking the mountains while watching the sun set down!
open jacuzzi overlooking himalayas at Aamod at Shoghi
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Watch this video by EscapeRoute to live the experience at Aamod at Shoghi. |
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