OPENING OCTOBER 2025 - Shakti Prana, Kumaon, India

Shakti Himalaya, organisers of sophisticated walking journeys through the most compellingly beautiful regions of the Indian Himalayas, announces the opening of Shakti Prana in Kumaon, India ready for October 2025. 

Photo credits: Shakti Himalaya

This new retreat rises like a phoenix following the closure of Shakti 360 Leti in March 2024. This iconic property was the forerunner for luxury experiential travel over 16 years ago, offering ground-breaking Himalayan hospitality and design to discerning travellers. In March, Leti was dismantled stone by stone, and Shakti Himalaya is delighted to announce Shakti Prana as an evolution to the company’s portfolio, creating a brand-new lodge that will offer guests a truly spectacular retreat, high up in the mountains. 

This October, Shakti Prana (meaning breath in Sanskrit) will open in a mountain location with 7 cabins, each with a sitting room with open fire, bathroom and bedroom with exceptional views of the mountain backdrop. One of these cabins will be a two-bedroom suite. All will be built with local stone that has been carried by mule trains 2,700 ft up a steep goat path to reach this off-beat location. Walking, food and yoga will be the main topics of conversation.

Photo credits: Shakti Himalaya

Naturally remote, these destinations render the outside world redundant, allowing guests to embrace ‘slow travel’ and be empowered by the inspiring people, cultures and landscapes in the north Indian hill state of Uttarakhand. Prepared by expert guest chefs across the two kitchens, dining will offer healthy meals designed to sustain after a day’s walking. Choose from a menu of family recipes ranging from Parsi apricot chicken and the delicious Burmese dish, Khowsuey, to Samosas, and Kumaoni lamb curry made with the finest local produce and the freshest ingredients picked directly from the herb and vegetable gardens.

Guests can take a variety of daily walks to explore the mountain landscape, see spectacular sunrises from their beds, enjoy the evenings around a fire pit, stargazing and take time for themselves through in-depth yoga and meditation at the yoga pavilion, which is currently being re-done in white stone.  

Shakti Prana will be the jewel in the crown of Shakti Himalaya’s Kumaon walking circuit, which connects a series of beautifully refurbished, village homes together. Along the journey to Shakti Prana, guests will stay a few nights at Shakti Panchachuli – a brand-new addition to Shakti’s Kumaon village walk circuit.

This hamlet is comprised of three small cottages and a 150-year-old building converted into a lounge and dining area. Panchachuli has some of the most spectacular mountain views to be seen in the Himalayas, particularly looking out over five peaks and is a superb addition to the walking route, 3 hours 45 minutes’ drive from Prana.