Little known Kalsi sleeps on the banks of the writhing Yamuna faces Chakrata foothills to the north and Mussoorie hills to the east. It is 27 km ahead of Paonta Sahib and 49km from Dehradun. Once an important little township in the Jaunsar-Bawar region, it faded over time into a quiet little village. In earlier days it marked one of the furthest limits of the dominion of King Ashoka. Today this tiny hamlet by the Yamuna shoulders its historic lineage with quiet ease.

Restless and aggressive from its Himalayan odyssey, the Yamuna River bursts out of the hills in the Jaunsar-Bawar region in the Doon Valley, to continue it travels across the great Indian plains. The young crystal-clear stream is a far cry from the sullen, withered creature you encounter in the cities.

Distance from Delhi : 288 km, 5.5 hrs, driving time

Seven folds of emerald hills, mist-scarved and woolly headed high above the emerald quilted banks fill the frame. Stretched out below, a gaggle of rooftops punctuates the luxuriance. A red-bricked dome structure catches the attention, but the roar of the river diverts you as it gurgles and foams its way into the panoramic horizon. Greenery reaches out in hiccups to the canal-lined road before leaping the boundary wall in an even spill of hedges, manicured lawns, flowering beds and graceful trees.