In the 1990s, a retired army officer and his wife found a light-green patch of land between the dense sal forests of the Corbett reserve and the foothills of Nainital. They built a house. Then another. Then another. Their son grew up into the kind of man who builds furniture from upcycled wood, makes tailor-made itineraries for nature tours, and greets arriving guests with fresh mango drinks. This is one of the most genuinely loved places near Corbett.
There is a reason Kotabagh has remained, despite being 8 kilometres from the Corbett reserve boundary and roughly 6 hours from Delhi, one of the least commercially developed places in the entire Corbett landscape. The valley is small and quietly spectacular — lush farmland and orchards between the sal forest on one side and the Kumaon Hills layering the horizon on the other. The jungle is present but not dominant. The farms and fruit trees are real and productive. The pace is set by the land rather than by the road.
Into this valley, in the 1990s, came Sherry and Deepa Shergill.
The Family and the Land
Sherry Shergill is a retired army officer with, in the words of his family’s website, a deep knowledge of Indian history — the kind of knowledge that comes from a career that has taken you across the country and given you time to think. Deepa is a charming presence whose hospitality is consistently described as making guests feel entirely at home. Their son Rushil — a keen angler, avid motorcyclist, and self-described non-conformist — grew up on this land and has devoted his adult life to it: building things, growing things, guiding people through the forest, and managing the homestay with the casual expertise of someone who knows every tree on the property and most of the birds in them.
Their daughter Amy is equally part of the family’s collective hospitality, and the Shergill pets — described in every review with as much affection as the hosts themselves — are available for licks and cuddles in abundance.
The family found the land in the 1990s as a holiday retreat. They built a house. Then they built another, and another. The property grew organically — first stone, then mud, then wood — each structure added as the family’s commitment to the place deepened. By the time Rushil had grown into adulthood and taken over management, what had been a weekend escape had become a permanent home, and the permanent home had become a homestay that Foothills Himalaya gradually opened to guests.
The Architecture
The three structures on the property reflect the Shergill family’s philosophy of building in sympathy with the landscape and the tradition. The design draws from the Laurie Baker architectural tradition — that remarkable legacy of the British-Indian architect who devoted his career to cost-effective, climatically intelligent construction using local materials: stone, mud, reclaimed wood, and the natural thermal intelligence that these materials provide.
The Stone House is the heart of the homestay: the original structure, built by Sherry and Rushil themselves, featuring a sunlit glass ceiling that floods the interior with natural light and the kind of architectural confidence that comes from people who understand both engineering and aesthetics. Two rooms of 250 square feet each, with garden views and the particular warmth of old stone in Kumaon winters.
The Wood House was built using reclaimed wood throughout — the sustainability philosophy made visible in every beam and surface. Two standard rooms and a Family Suite of 400 square feet, each with garden views, the smell of old timber, and the handmade furniture that Rushil has assembled from salvaged and upcycled materials. Artistic pillars, high arches, and a sprawling verandah complete the picture.
The Mud House is the family’s own residence — traditional in its construction, maintaining the interior temperature year-round through the natural properties of earth walls that have been understood in the Kumaon region for centuries.
The entire property is pet-friendly. Floor heating is available for the cold months. The open spaces — the lawns, the orchards, the kitchen garden, the fruit trees — are part of the accommodation as much as the rooms themselves.
The Farm and the Garden
The organic farm is one of the most genuinely productive kitchen gardens associated with any homestay in the Corbett area. Papayas, pears, custard apples, mulberries, turmeric, wheat, grains, pulses, salads, vegetables — all growing in the healthy soil of the Kotabagh valley, a few metres from the kitchen. Mango and litchi orchards shade the paths between the cottages.
Rushil and Sherry are happy to teach guests the principles and practices of sustainable organic farming — lessons conducted in the fields themselves, with the crops and the soil as the classroom. The morning can be spent tending the garden; the meal that evening can be made in part from what was harvested that morning. This is not an activity designed for guests. It is the way the farm is managed, made available for those who want to participate.
The Food
The meals at Foothills Himalaya are farm-to-table in the most literal sense — fresh ingredients from the kitchen garden, prepared with the warmth of a family that has been cooking here for decades. Mornings begin with breakfast on the open lawn. Evenings are made for tea under the stars, or around the bonfire that can be arranged on request.
The menu is flexible as long as guests discuss preferences with the hosts in advance. Picnic lunches can be prepared for those heading into the forest or to the reserve. The food is consistently described in reviews — alongside the hosts themselves — as the standout feature of the stay.
What to See and Experience
Foothills Himalaya sits 8 kilometres through the Corbett reserve from the nearest entry points — a drive that is itself an encounter with the landscape. Jim Corbett National Park, with its five zones (Dhikala, Bijrani, Jhirna, Domunda, and Sonanadi) and one of India’s highest tiger densities, is the primary wildlife destination for day excursions. Rushil arranges safaris and nature tours with the deep local knowledge of a man who grew up watching this landscape and has spent years learning to read it.
The Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve — 12 kilometres from the property — is a less-visited but ecologically rich protected area excellent for birding and wildlife observation. Corbett Falls, the Himalayan Botanical Garden, and the broader Kotabagh valley offer gentler nature encounters for those who want something other than a jeep safari.
Rushil makes tailor-made itineraries for nature and wildlife tours — an offer that is genuinely valuable in a landscape as complex as Corbett, where knowing which zone to book and when is the difference between a sighting and an empty forest.
Photographers, filmmakers, chefs, writers, and businesspeople all feature among the regular guests at Foothills Himalaya — a diversity of visitor that reflects the property’s genuinely broad appeal: it works for the serious wildlife observer and the person who simply wants to sit in an organic orchard and do nothing, with equal success.
Why It Stays With You
A guest described Rushil as a versatile guy — truly an original. Another said that when they left, they definitely felt like family. A third described being greeted with warmth and fresh mango drinks, spending evenings in hearty conversation with the Shergills, and leaving with stories.
Foothills Himalaya works because the Shergill family built it from conviction rather than commerce — from a genuine love of a piece of land between the sal forest and the hills, which became their permanent home and which they opened to guests because what they had built was too good to keep entirely private. Sherry’s army career and deep knowledge of Indian history. Deepa’s warmth. Rushil’s non-conformism and love of the wild. Amy’s company. The upcycled wood furniture. The organic kitchen garden. The stone house with its glass ceiling.
This is a family’s life, lived in a landscape they chose deliberately, made available to anyone who will appreciate it properly.
Plan Your Visit
Address: Foothills Himalaya Retreat, Village Kotabagh, Near Kaladhungi, Nainital District, Uttarakhand — 263159 Phone / WhatsApp: +91 78306 68646 Email: hello@foothillshimalaya.com Website: foothillshimalaya.com Instagram: @foothillshimalaya Facebook: facebook.com/foothillshimalaya Booking: Direct via website · Also on Raahghar (raahghar.com/hs/foothills-himalaya) · TripAdvisor listed
Hosts: Rushil Shergill (manages property) · Sherry Shergill (retired army, historian) · Deepa Shergill · Amy Shergill Architecture: Laurie Baker style, father-son design (Sherry and Rushil)
Property: 2-acre organic farm · Three structures: Stone House, Wood House, Mud House (family residence) · Mango and litchi orchards · Kitchen garden · Open lawns Sustainability: All reclaimed wood structures · Organic farming · No chemicals · Floor heating (natural) · Pet-friendly
Rooms: 5 total across two guest structures — Stone House: 2 rooms, 250 sq ft each, 2+1 guests per room · Garden views · Glass ceiling · Stone walls — Wood House: 2 rooms (200 sq ft each, 2 guests) + 1 Family Suite (400 sq ft, 4 guests) · Garden views · Upcycled reclaimed wood · Handmade furniture Rate: ₹12,500/night per room
Meals: Breakfast included · Farm-to-table lunch and dinner available · Flexible menu with advance discussion · Picnic lunches arranged for forest outings Check-in: 1:00 PM · Check-out: 10:00 AM Facilities: Free parking · Floor heaters · Bonfire on request · Barbecue on request (extra charge) · Outdoor seating and dining · Pet-friendly · Guests may bring own alcohol · No smoking inside rooms Experiences: Farm walks and organic farming lessons · Guided nature tours and wildlife itineraries by Rushil · Jim Corbett safari arrangements · Birdwatching · Corbett Falls day trip · Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve
Getting There — Kathgodam Railway Station: approximately 30 km — around 45 minutes. Regular trains from Delhi Anand Vihar (approximately 6 hours). — Pantnagar Airport: approximately 45 km — around 1 hour. — From Delhi by road: approximately 280 km via NH9 through Moradabad and Haldwani — around 5.5 to 6 hours. — From Haldwani / Kaladhungi: approximately 12 km — around 25 minutes. — Kotabagh is reached via the Kaladhungi-Kotabagh road. The property is in Kotabagh village — coordinate final directions with Rushil before arrival.
Nearby — Jim Corbett National Park entry gates: 8 km through the reserve · Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve: 12 km · Corbett Falls: 13 km · Haldwani: 30 km · Nainital: 44 km · Ramnagar: 35 km
Best Time to Visit: October to June · November to February for the coolest weather, best birding, and active wildlife · February to May for the most reliable tiger sightings in the park as vegetation thins · Monsoon (July–September) for the lush valley at its most beautiful — though safaris are limited and some roads can be challenging
