Hello Hivers! Namaste ji!
Today, I’ll be talking about my recent ride to Nirvana Cafe, a small old-school cafe located in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India.
I was accompanied by my friend Digvijay. We started early in the morning at 6 AM from Mandi, heading towards Kathindi — a small village around 11.5 km from IIT Mandi.
On our way to Kathindi, our first stop was at a Lord Hanuman temple, where we took a short 3–5 minute break before continuing our ride. Interestingly, during the ride, we bumped into another cyclist — something quite rare here in Mandi, where you barely see any cyclists apart from the local kids.
After a brief conversation, we found out that he too was headed to Kathindi. We started riding with him. His name was Rajesh, and during the ride, Rajesh Bhaiya shared stories of his cycling expeditions and his life as an HRTC bus conductor.
A little later, we stopped at a roadside water source to refill our bottles. Since it was summer, the water in our bottles was heating up quickly. Luckily, these natural water sources always offer refreshingly cold water — a much-needed relief.
The stretch from Mandi to Kathindi is a steady incline with no flat or downhill sections. After an hour of pedaling, we finally reached Kathindi. There, we decided to have a cup of tea with Rajesh Bhaiya. After sipping the warm tea and sharing a few more laughs, we bid him goodbye and resumed our ride to Nirvana.
At Kathindi, there’s a trijunction leading to Mandi, IIT Mandi, and Darang village. We took the road towards Darang. The stretch between Kathindi and Darang is relatively easy — completely flat. So naturally, Digvijay and I started racing each other. LOL.
From Darang to Nirvana, the road turns into an incline again. The best part about these countryside roads is the lack of traffic, which adds to the fun — no honking, no interruptions, just pure peace.
We passed through a beautiful spot named Basadhar, a serene pine forest maintained by the government. It was disheartening, however, to see the trash left behind by some irresponsible visitors. Basadhar is truly a beautiful place, and for tourists or anyone not comfortable camping in the open, there’s a forest guest house nearby which can be booked online.
After resting there for 10–15 minutes, we resumed our journey to Nirvana. Finally, after another 30–40 minutes, we reached Nirvana Cafe.
The best thing about Nirvana Cafe isn’t just the cafe itself — it’s the peaceful, traffic-free countryside road leading to it. The kind of calm we often miss due to unplanned urbanization.
At the cafe, we had breakfast. I ordered Maggi, and honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. Usually, I only like Maggi when it’s cooked by my mom. But to my surprise, it was absolutely scrumptious! Digvijay ordered a bread omelette. We relaxed there for around 30–45 minutes before bidding farewell to the place and heading home.
All in all, it was an enriching and chill ride — one that recharged both the body and mind.
ALL THESE PICTURES WERE CLICKED BY ME USING MY IPHONE 13