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The Dolina Retreat

Dolina is a Slavic term that means valley. Geographically it is a bowl shaped formation in limestone mountains. The Dolina Retreat is a hidden paradise 16kms from Mussoorie, located at 6,000 feet above sea level amidst thick oak forest. The closest popular tourism landmark is Hathipaon, which has the famous George Everest observatory and residence. At The Dolina, our goal is to make every stay as comfortable and convenient as possible. Whether you are visiting this mountain getaway for the first time or are a regular traveller, you’ll find that our retreat will provide amenities for a unique and special mountain experience. The thrill begins from the 1.5 km drive up the private road to the retreat. It is like a private Safari through the mountain till you emerge into a retreat beautifully merged with nature. Maintaining a policy of zero carbon footprints the Dolina aspires to give a clean and authentic mountain experience like none other.

Meet The Host

Capt. Vikrant Singh Lohan

I have retired from the Merchant Navy after traveling around the world for 30 years as a Master Mariner. Having seen almost all the beautiful places on earth, I decided to anchor myself in between Dehradun and Mussoorie. I found the Dolina in 2006. It took me 10 years to slowly develop this mountain valley ensuring that we disturbed no living creature on the mountain and at the same time maintain the ecological balance of nature at this remote location. Like in all mountain dwellings, water is the most essential commodity. We are lucky to have and supply only natural spring water to all our residents. I am very passionate about this property and want to have minimum carbon foot prints as nature has no pollutants. ...In my 10 years of developing Dolina Retreat, nature showed me so many things that I felt it should be shared with all nature lovers, and so I started a homestay here. I interacted with the locals and villages nearby, the shepherds who come down from the high altitudes for grazing their flocks of sheep and goats during the winters. I learnt a lot of local knowledge and history about the area. I trekked all around the mountain upto 3 kilometres on all sides of the Dolina and realised the abundance of wildlife, some resident and some migratory on the mountain. I hope that we can continue to live in harmony with all creatures great and small at Dolina Retreat.

A Secret Paradise:The Story of Dolina Retreat

In 2004, at a village gathering, an old man came up to me and said in me he saw an adventurous spirit and would like to take me to a place in the mountains. I accepted the challenge and we drove up to Hathipaon as there were no roads to this location in those days. At Hathipaon the old man said, ‘it is a short walk to this place'. His ‘never ending’ walk finally made me cross one waterfall and climb one mountain. After asking this wise old man for the umpteenth time 'how much further', we suddenly arrived at an opening in the mountain inside which was this beautiful flat land with walnut trees, surrounded by mountains with thick oak forests rising up from this flat bowl. As I entered this place, I said to myself “Truly a paradise!”. There was no looking back for me from that point. Thanks to this wise old man who had judged me correctly, I am the proud owner of 4 such Paradises in these peaceful mountains with hidden treasures.

Come, get lost at The Dolina only to find yourself. This is my invitation to you to come to a secret paradise, hidden deep in a bowl in a mountain locally called khaddar and geographically known as a Dolina within the first range of Himalayan mountains. Located at 6000 feet above sea level, this paradise is surrounded by a few hundred acres of oak and rhododendron trees, forests so deep and silent where wild beasts reign supreme. You enter a venerable old walnut orchard, so well concealed that you feel you have entered a special private world. Allow yourself to be enveloped by a world of silence and peace, where all your stress and worries drop away, like the leaves from a tree. Now you are in an eco- system where the purity and beauty of the wilderness is simply stunning. Tune into the myriad sounds of nature- the singing of crickets, the chirping of Himalayan birds and the rare sighting of The Himalayan Griffin only seen in this paradise.

Come de-stress, relax and rejuvenate yourself in this paradise. Indulge in some forest bathing, which is totally reviving for the mind, body and spirit. For the more adventurous folks we have nature trails, wild life spotting, bird watching from a tree-house, picnics and treks to remote waterfalls with natural pools. Take a village walk and visit the temples nearby, the Naag Mandir and the Bhadraj Mandir.
A special trail, commonly used by Himalayan bears, to water sources and caves, merge at a crossing point for wildlife, locally called ‘Jodi’ which literally means the joining point of two mountains.

In summer, enjoy the cool breeze high up here and watch the forest come alive after the cold winter spell. In winter, share the campsites with the shepherds who graze their wild goats and sheep in the forests around Dolina. These shepherds have come all the way from Himachal Pradesh and you have an opportunity to see their hand made woolen and sheep skin products, try their food, talk to them and watch how their Himalayan mastiffs protect and direct the herd of a few thousand sheep. Enjoy the snowfall in February and keep warm around a bonfire and enjoy a barbeque. You can live in style at The Dolina Retreat. The rooms are well heated and insulated against the coldest of days. Feast on traditional Garhwali meals, cooked with local produce grown in the organic garden and nearby villages. We offer only natural spring water for drinking and bathing.

The Dolina is 800 feet above the new Mussoorie by pass road, just 15 km from Mussoorie, 24 km from Dehradun city and 280 km from Delhi. In just 5 hours, you can be transported from the stress of New Delhi to the peace of Dolina.
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