October 28, 2025 – November 2, 2025
Sweeter water comes from deeper wells.
The Storyteller goes deep. Really deep. And then abstracts.
The Storyteller wrestles with the complex. And then simplifies.
The Storyteller finds the rhythm, finds the beat. Then finds the pause.
Come and walk the path with fellow storytellers.
You’ve learned how to tell a story.
Now learn The Story.
Who is this workshop for?
Are you a practicing storyteller looking to elevate your skills? Do you want to go from being a mere practitioner to a Master? The place to find this mastery is within. Ameen Haque, Story Monk at Storywallah’s will show you how and where to look. You will discover a superior storyteller within yourself in the Himalayas this coming March.
Fellow traveller/facilitator: Ameen Haque, Story Monk, StoryWallahs
Dates: Oct 28 – Nov 02, 2025. (Plan to arrive by the 28th and depart on the 2nd morning)
Deposit to block space: INR 15,000. Balance due 1 September, 2025
For questions related to the workshop content, who it is for etc. please contact Ameen on ameen@storywallahs.com. For all questions about travel, stay, food, booking a spot etc. please see the “Stay with us and FAQs sections below, or call 73035-16665 / email info@himalayanwritingretreat.com
This retreat will be hosted at the Himalayan Writing Retreat in the Uttarakhand Himalayas. It is rated 5/5 from over 300 google reviews. CN Traveller also covered it in this article.
About the Instructor
Ameen Haque
Ameen Haque is the founder of Storywallahs and believes good stories happen to those who can tell them. He considers himself a story monk i.e. both a student as well as a practitioner and teacher of storytelling. CEO’s, change makers and business leaders from across the world have turned to him for help with their stories. He has studied business administration and followed that up with a course in advertising & media planning from MICA. Formerly a Vice President at Ogilvy & Mather, Ameen has over 20 years of experience in advertising, marketing, consulting and theatre.
His work is deeply influenced by his experiences in communications, both as a marketer and as an actor. He learned storytelling while creating campaigns for some of the biggest brands, helping start-up founders raise funds and while telling stories to those with the lowest attention spans – children. When not studying or teaching storytelling, he loves climbing hills and playing table tennis.
Detailed Program – The Storyteller’s Way
What Happens At The Retreat?
Going wide. Then going deep.
Into the universal. Into the personal.
Songs. Stories. Ads. Short Films. Movie plots. Oral Stories. Myths.
Finding the metaphor. Working with metaphors.
Writing. Listening. Watching Reading. Walking. Reflecting.
Reflections on the nature of stories. On the stories of nature. Human nature.
The method. The madness. The Storyteller’s Way.
Travel and 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.
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 can 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.
One of our past attendees – Radhika, has beautifully captured her experience of this retreat in her words. You can read her post Here.
Testimonials
FAQs
1. Why should I choose HWR Workshops?
Personal Attention: We don’t take more than 15 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.
Cost per hour: Our courses are long and intense. As an example, the Creative Writing course is 18000 for 24 contact hours (3 days, 8 hours each day). The cost per hour = 750 / hour. That is comparable to many of the “cheaper” courses.
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.
Feedback scores: Across courses, we are rated 4.5/5, or higher. You can read our reviews HERE.
2. Do I get a certificate of participation?
Yes, certificates are available on request.
3. Any discounts for students / other categories?
At the Himalayan Writing Retreat, we follow a strict No-Discount policy.
4. Is the workshop fee refundable?
Our cancellation policy is as follows:
For Physical Workshops:
- 100% refund (less 5% of total programme fee) on cancellation 40 days or more before the event start date.
- 50% refund if cancellation is between 20-40 days before start date.
- 0% refund if cancellation is less than 20 days before the start date.
For Online Workshops:
- 100% refund (less 5% of total programme fee) on cancellation 15 days or more before the event start date.
- 50% refund if cancellation is between 15 to 7 days before start date.
- 0% refund if cancellation is less than 7 days before the start date.
5. Is the Himalayan Writing Retreat a business or an NGO?
The Himalayan Writing Retreat is a social enterprise. It works closely and actively with two local NGOs in its community work initiatives: Chirag and Alaap. In 2020, HWR raised INR 6.1 Lakhs 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 or WhatsApp).
Event Summary
* Taxes extra.
** Early Bird ends October 13th, 2025**
** The Regular Price after October 14th is INR 53,000* (+ GST)**
** Price for Early Bird single occupancy is INR 66,250* (+ GST)**
** Price for Regular single occupancy is INR 70,250* (+ GST)**