Meet Vijainder
Humble, Trusting, Friendly
We don't just welcome guests and help them around, we pamper them!
On a typical day...
I’m mostly at home/work from home.
When I host guests...
I’m helpful and hands on. I can show them where to go and help them get there.
Family Hobbies
Bird watching, Photography
Hosting guests since
2018
About the Homestay
- Welcomes
- Males
- Females
- Couples
- Families
- Students
Located within Pong reservoir bird sanctuary and perched on high ground near Dehra bridge, Vayu Kutir commands a breathtaking, picture-post-card like view of Beas river meandering into Pong reservoir, with the snow capped Dhauladhar mountain range as the backdrop.
The cottage is an ideal
1. Overnight resting place for pilgrims visiting Jwala Ji, Chintpurni, and Baglamukhi temples which are 25 to 35 min away by car.
2. Weekend escape for nature lovers and solace seekers. We are just 3-hr 45-min drive from Chandigarh airport and 1-hr 15-min from Gaggal airport.
3. Long stay for birders during winter months when migratory birds flock to Pong reservoir in large numbers. Besides Vayu Kutir, there are other excellent water birds viewing points nearby at Jamble Bassi, Nangal Chowk, Terrace & Nagrota Surian.
4. Long stay for Himachal explorers. Heritage villages Pragpur and Garli are 7 & 11 km respectively. The ultra modern campus of Sanskrit University, one of 11 in the country, is around 6-km away and worth a visit. Masroor Rock-cut temples are around 50-km away. Dharamshala, Palampur and Andretta are 2 hrs drive. You can ride on the famous Kangra Valley Railway, boarding the toytrain train from Ranital (22-km) and travelling to and fro to Jogindernagar. The destinations above are well connected by public transport from Vayu Kutir. We can arrange for a car or taxi for a day out. Drop offs and pickup upto 10-km away are complimentary.
House Facilities
- Garden
- Laundry
- Patio
- Parking
- Internet Access
Bedrooms available for booking
About the Area
Our cottage is located 150m off the Hoshiarpur - Dharamshala highway, near the south side of the bridge over river Beas at Dehra.
Local Area Facilities
- Shopping Centre
- Restaurant
- Bus Stop
- Hospital
Meals
Hosts can offer a complimentary light breakfast at their discretion. All other meals, including a full breakfast, might incur an additional cost, if offered. Meals and any additional payment should be arranged directly with your host.
Included in the stay
- Complimentary Light Breakfast
- Use of Kitchen
House Rules
Currently we don't permit pets on the premises
Payment for the full duration of the planned stay must be made before arrival by bank transfer
Upkeep and cleanliness of the unit during the duration of stay is the guest's responsibility.
Three sets of towels and bed sheet are provided for long stay customers.
Smoking Rules
Your host is a non-smoker.
Smoking is allowed outdoors only.
1 Review
November 2018
Me and my wife, Shubha , stayed with Vijainder , Anita and family in the last week of Oct 2018. The entire stay was very enjoyable for us. Needless to say that this ranks as one of the best homestay experiences we ever had.
First, the place itself is on a small hill with a clear view of the Pong lake. While being close to the Chandigarh highway, it is far enough to not let the traffic noise get to you. You experience the silence that you expect from a "far away" place.
The house can be accessed from the Diyara village bus stop ( across the bridge from Hanuman Chowk, Dehra ) by one of
a) a 300mt hike through a walkway , though a bit steep
b) a 700mt walk though a walkway with gentler incline
c) a 2.5Km driveway which loops around the hillock. A stretch on this gives the feeling of
driving in a jungle safari ( the road is a dirt road but good, lots of trees around )The first two are ok when there is sunlight. Post that, it is better to take the third option.
Vijainder was kind enough to pick us up on 3 consecutive nights at the Diyara village bus top in his own car.The house itself is a 2 storey structure. Vijiander and his family stay in the ground floor. The entire first floor is given to the guests. The space has a large bedroom and and even larger living cum kitchen. The bathroom is well equipped and really clean. The access to the first floor is independent. The first floor is equipped with a kitchen with all the modern appliances needed for cooking. The kitchen is also stocked with essentials like tea, coffee , sugar , flakes etc.
The house also has an organic garden around it. Anita ji uses the produce from there in the kitchen.The terrace offers a spectacular view of the Pong lake, the Dauladhar range and the surrounding areas. We also spotted a lot of birds from the terrace. And a few stars too ( we were there on the full moon day, hence couldnt see many stars).
Not just the physical infrastructure, the hosts themselves are very friendly and accommodative. Anita ji made us some wonderful breakfasts and dinners. Local delicacies like Madra, Pathrod , Kadi etc were very delicious apart from the Parathas and rotis. Not to mention the hot tea and coffee when we returned tired from the days outings. The discussions with Vijainder Ji on the birds that migrate there, general politics, general defence related topics, software and hardware etc ( you get the range of topics :) ) were nice.
The place is close to a lot of local attractions. Of course, if you are a birder, the Pong lake is next to you. The temple and fort of Kangra is about 20Kms, Jwalamukhiji temple is around 20Kms,
The Masroor rock cut temple about 30Kms . You could also ride the Kangra Toy train from the Jwalamukhi Road station which is about 20Kms. You could also just explore the local mountain and valleys if you wish.We had used the public transport to get to all these places. The bus connections are generally good and safe.
Our stay was so enjoyable that we extended our stay by a day more. It is one of those places which we really can call home away from home.
On the list for a repeat visit. Both for the exceptional place and the hosts.
How do I book?
Contact the host to check their availability and ask them any questions you have about staying with them. Once the host confirms they’re available for your dates, you can complete your booking.
When do I pay?
Once a host confirms they're available, you can go ahead and pay the 15% booking fee (maximum of 250 $£€ for longer term bookings) using a choice of payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Maestro, Laser, JCB & PayPal (not available in certain countries). You then pay your host on arrival or as stated by your host on their profile and agreed by you on booking. Please be cautious if a host requests advance payment if its not included on their profile. Our hosts have been advised that if they wish to request advance payment they must make this explicit in their profile. We do not recommend the use of Money gram or Western Union.
When can I share my contact details?
Host and Guest email address, phone number and home address will be exchanged in a confirmation email sent to both immediately after a booking is completed. It's against our policy for Guests and Hosts to exchange direct contact details via our messaging system.