SUMMER IN THE HILLS: Why MoShams Is the Best School Holiday Decision You’ll Make This Year!

The school holidays are here. The air conditioners are running below 20. The city is sweltering. And your children are long hours into a YouTube rabbit hole before breakfast.

Every summer, families across India face the same question: where do we go that is actually different? Not just another crowded hill station. Not another resort with a pool and a buffet. Somewhere the children come back from having genuinely learned something or at least genuinely rested.

MoShams, our boutique eco-retreat nestled in Narendra Nagar in the Garhwal valley, Uttarakhand, might be that place.

At ~1100 meters elevation, MoShams sits in a very attractive “middle-altitude” zone — elevated enough for cooler weather, forested landscapes, and mountain views, but not quite a conventional high-altitude hill station like Mussoorie or Shimla.

THE HILLS WHILE THE PLAINS BAKE

While Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and most of North India cross 40°C this summer, MoShams sits comfortably around 30°C. At roughly 1,100 metres above sea level, mornings here are cool enough for a walk, afternoons are pleasant enough to sit by the pool, and evenings turn pleasant  call for a light layer. No heat exhaustion. No counting down the hours until the AC kicks in.

Getting here has also become easier than ever. The new highway means Dehradun from Delhi is a much shorter drive than it used to be. From Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Airport, MoShams is just 40 minutes away. From Rishikesh, it is 30 minutes. A scenic drive through the Himalayan valley, and you are here.

THE REAL INDIA, NOT THE INSTAGRAM VERSION

MoShams was built around a simple belief: that children and adults need to reconnect with the natural world. Not as a concept, but as a lived experience.

This is a place where children discover that milk does not come from a carton. They can watch the cow being milked in the morning and drink that milk warm. They can walk the property with our housekeeper and learn the names of the endemic trees and plants that grow here many of them rare, all of them alive in a way no textbook photograph captures. They can see a kitchen that cooks from scratch, using vegetables grown locally, and understand for the first time where food actually comes from.

It is, in the best possible sense, the real India.

WHAT CHILDREN CAN DO AT MoShams

Pool The common dip pool and plunge pool in the Neera suite room are summer essentials. Cool water, open sky, and a Himalayan valley as the backdrop. Better than any water park, and considerably quieter.

Indoor Games & Books A curated selection of board games and books for the slower hours of the day. The rare pleasure of being bored enough to pick up a book and actually finish it.

Nature Walk with Our Housekeeper (Charges apply) A guided walk around the property where children learn about the endemic trees and plants that make up MoShams’s most of the tree cover. A living botany lesson that no classroom can replicate.

Cow Milking Watch and participate in the morning milking at nearby village Dagar from where one of our team members bring fresh milk everyday. Simple, unforgettable, and quietly one of the most exciting experiences for families.

Cooking Class with Chef (Charges apply) A proper kitchen masterclass where children make a dish from scratch using local ingredients. Real techniques, genuine pride, and the satisfaction of eating what you cooked.

Yoga for Children (Charges apply) A gentle introduction to yoga in an open-air setting. Breathing, stretching, and stillness skills that travel well beyond the holiday.

Village Excursion to Dagar (Charges apply) A walk into the village at the heart of MoShams’s community. Masala chai from a chulha stove. A glimpse of everyday Himalayan life that city children rarely encounter.

Jungle Picnic (Charges apply) A specially scouted spot in the forest, minutes from the property. Cool drinks, open sky, and a quality of quiet that is genuinely difficult to find in a city.

For older children and teenagers, the region offers white-water rafting and kayaking on the Ganga, treks to the Kunjapuri Temple with 360° Himalayan views, and the Ganga Aarti in Rishikesh — just 30 minutes away.

DISCONNECT FROM THE SCREEN. CONNECT WITH NATURE.

MoShams was designed for slow living, a pace that feels almost radical in contrast to the school year. No rushed itinerary, no tourist traps. Just a beautiful property, a warm team, and the kind of unhurried days that children remember long after the holiday ends.

The rooms are named after the five natural elements — Aksha, Jwala, Neera, Vaata and Dhara, each with floor-to-ceiling windows that bring the valley directly into your living space. Families with children often choose the Neera suite, the largest on the property, with a private plunge pool and generous living area.

Meals celebrate local produce and seasonal ingredients. Our signature offering includes all meals, evening al fresco snacks, morning and evening tea and coffee, and one guided activity per day, now available at a special price this summer.

PLAN YOUR SUMMER STAY

MoShams is a small, intimate property and fills quickly during school holidays. Book directly for the best rates and a personal welcome.

For booking, call +91 98 9988 1669

hospitality@theaccrue.com

www.moshams.in

Village Dagar, Narendra Nagar, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand