The Himalayan Reading Retreat
October 17 to October 22
Reading is wondrous. We’ve grown up with books but somewhere, somehow you may have lost that connection. Or maybe you read avidly and are hungry for the right company and setting. We think the connection to books is precious. We love to hang out with readers and get non-readers reading again.
This workshop is probably a first in India. A bunch of like minded readers – aspiring or otherwise – get together and read in the Himalayas. During this retreat you’ll finish a book or two, read short stories and Poetry and chat about them with fellow readers. You will also learn about the biology and science of reading.
You can either bring your own book (and tackle a bit of your ever-growing TBR pile) or you can choose the books to read from a list that we suggest. We’ll also share some short form content and poetry that everyone can read and discuss.
In this Reading Retreat, we invite you to come to the Himalayas do what you love to do the most – Read, read & then read some more. Debdatta Dasgupta, our inhouse bookworm, will be there to help and motivate you to learn how to build up your reading habits and read more. (See detailed program for details.)
Participant Prerna Raturi talks about her experience at the Reading Retreat.
Read her post here.
This retreat will be hosted at the Himalayan Writing Retreat in the Uttarakhand Himalayas. It is rated 5/5 from over 400 google reviews. CN Traveller also covered it in this article.
(Reader, Reviewer, Book Blogger)
Born to two avid readers & book hoarders, Debdatta claims that she never had a choice but to be a reader. Not only was she always surrounded by books, her mother regaled her with Sharadindu’s historical fiction for bed time stories and her father never said no to buying more books. It was of little surprise to those around her when she quit her 9 to 5 to freelance in the publishing world – just so that she could read more. And, she has been at it since 2013 and now she reads both for work and pleasure.
Debdatta has been blogging since February 2012 and has won multiple awards for her blog from Indiblogger, Baggout, Zorba Books & Top Indian Blogs. She also holds 3 Limca Book of Records for most reviews. She reads an average of 250 books a year. While she reads all genres, her favourite genres are Psychological Thrillers & Epic Fantasies.
When she is not reading (or dreaming about reading) – she can be found working at The Himalayan Writing Retreat (because what’s better than just reading? Reading in the Himalayas of course!) & with a few authors from around the world (so that she can pass off reading / talking / posting about books as work!).
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To stay informed about articles related to fiction writing,
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To stay informed about articles related to prose and poetry writing,
would you like to get emails from us?
And we’re happy to throw in two free courses, too
We don’t spam and you can unsubscribe any time.
To stay informed about articles related to non-fiction writing,
would you like to get emails from us?
And we’re happy to throw in two free courses, too
We don’t spam and you can unsubscribe any time.
Program Details
The program shared below is indicative, and you are welcome to not follow. The price of the course is essentially the stay and food cost – with a nominal any charge for the sessions or books.
Pre-arrival: Please collect your ‘digital wellness’ data for the last 2 weeks. Also, decide what you would like to read during your stay & arrange to bring a copy (any format works) with you.
Below is an itinerary for the retreat. During your stay you can choose to follow the itinerary we have set or do your own thing.
- Day 01:
Arrive anytime post 11 AM.
Bring your own books: anything you want to read + some for a book exchange. Kick off the retreat with intros & sharing books that you plan to read during the retreat.
- Day 02:
10am – 12pm: A reading workshop led by Debdatta (Part 1)
12pm – 1pm: Quiet reading time
1pm – 3pm: Lunch followed by a local walk
3pm – 5pm: Quiet reading time
5pm – 6pm: Evening tea + watch the sunset
6pm – 7.30pm: Huddle around the fire and read aloud your favourite passages to the group - Day 03:
10am -12pm: A reading workshop led by Debdatta (Part 2).
12pm – 1pm: Quiet reading time
1pm – 3pm: Lunch followed by a local walk.
3pm – 5pm: Quiet reading time
5pm – 6pm: Evening tea + watch the sunset
6pm – 7.30pm: Discussion – impact of reading - Day 04:
10am – 1pm: Quiet reading time in the sun (punctuated by Tea, coffee and snacks)
1pm – 3pm: Lunch followed by a local walk
3pm – 5pm: Quiet reading time
5pm – 6pm: Evening tea
6pm – 7.30pm: Movie Night – A good movie based on a book (is there such a thing?) - Day 05:
10am – 12pm: Quiet reading time in the sun (punctuated by Tea, coffee and snacks)
12pm – 1pm: Book discussions (for those reading the same book)
1pm – 3pm: Lunch followed by a local walk
3pm – 5pm: Quiet reading time
5pm – 6pm: Evening tea
6pm – 7.30pm: Book Exchange & Recco List - Day 06:
Leave after a leisurely breakfast
Testimonials
Travel & Stay
The Himalayan Writing Retreat is built for writing and learning. We are rated 5-star on Google and Facebook.
Once here, you will be sharing a room with a fellow participant (unless we’ve confirmed a single). All essentials like food, hot water, towels etc. are provided. No hidden costs.
It can snow in winter. Weather can vary and the weather chart of Mukteshwar (12 km from the retreat) is here. A pair of sturdy walking shoes, some rain protection and an extra layer or two are always a good idea.
Our rooms are built to let nature in and inspire you. To see pictures of the rooms click here . To see pictures of the writing spaces click here.
Depending upon where you travel in from, you can reach us by road, train or air. Even if flying or taking a train, the final stretch is a drive, and the last 150 metres is a walk.
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By Road
The retreat is a 370 km/9 hours drive from Delhi. If driving, we recommend you leave early. Note that parking at the retreat is on the road – we do not have any private parking. We have limited driver accommodation, so please check in advance.
Overnight Volvo buses ply between Haldwani and Delhi, the more reliable of which are government operated. You con book those here. Private Volvos and Sleeper buses also ply between Delhi and Haldwani, which you can book on redbus. Make sure you pick a bus with a high (4+) rating.
By Train
There are three trains a day from Delhi to Kathgodam, the nearest train station. Some others also come in from Kolkata, Lucknow and Dehradun. From Delhi, Ranikhet Express is a convenient overnight train both ways, but finding tickets can be difficult.
Most people prefer to take the Kathgodam Shatabdi (Delhi dep: 6.20 AM, Kathgodam Arr: 11.40 AM). A cab from Kathgodam to Satkhol takes about 2.5 hrs / Rs. 2200 (more for a big car). Cabs are often shared by participants.
By Air
There are daily flights from Delhi to Pantnagar. A cab from Pantnagar to Satkhol takes about 3.5 hr / Approx INR 4K.
There are direct flights from Mumbai and Bangalore to Bareilly 3-4 days a week. Satkhol is a 5hr / INR 5.5k cab ride from Bareilly. (More for a big car). Cabs are often shared by participants.
FAQs
- Why should I choose HWR Workshops?
- Personal Attention: We don’t take more than 10 students in a class. You get a lot of personal attention and feedback. No classrooms of 20-30 people or one-way pre-recorded videos here.
- Class Quality: For most courses, we filter our participants. You can’t just pay and sign up. We need to see a writing sample (in our application form) to ensure the class is of a uniform standard.
- Quality of Faculty: No lightweights here. Many of our faculty are award-winners. All are experts and great teachers. We don’t settle for average.
- A Decade’s Experience:The Himalayan Writing Retreat was founded in 2016. we’ve been doing teaching programs for writers for ten years. we;ve hosted over 1000 people, and have yet to have an unhappy participant. It shows up in everything we do.
- Feedback scores: Across courses, we are rated 4.9/5, or higher. You can read our reviews HERE.
- Do I get a certificate of participation?
Yes, certificates are available on request.
- Any discounts for students / other categories?
At the Himalayan Writing Retreat, we follow a strict No-Discount policy.
- Is the workshop fee refundable?
Our cancellation policy is as follows:
Online Writing Workshop:
* 95% refund if cancellation 2 weeks before the event start date
* 50% refund if cancellation one week before the start date
* No refund if cancellation less than one week before the start date.
Workshops in the Himalayas (INR Denominated) :
* 95% refund if cancellation 4 weeks before the event start date
* 50% refund if cancellation two weeks before the start date
* 0% refund if cancellation less than two weeks before the start date.
- Is the Himalayan Writing Retreat a business or an NGO?
The Himalayan Writing Retreat is a social enterprise. It works closely and actively to support the unique and precious Chirag School. On average, HWR raises INR 8 Lakhs every year to support the Chirag School.
Have more questions?
Feel free to write to us at:
info@himalayanwritingretreat.com
Or connect with us at
+91 73035 16665
(Call | WA | Signal)
Event Summary
Workshop Price:
*Early bird offer till 2nd October, 2026
*Regular price after early bird 34700 + GST
*Stay : Rooms twin shared and suites triple shared. Single room available on request, subject to availability.
*Strict Zero Discount Policy
Cancellation Policy for Physical Courses
- 95% refund if cancellation 4 weeks before event start date.
- 50% refund if cancellation 2 weeks before the start date.
- 0% refund if cancellation is less than 2 weeks before start date.
The Himalayan Writing Retreat
Village Satkhol
District Nainital, Uttarakhand 263138
India
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+91 73035 16665
