Travel style · Kumaon
Photography in Kumaon
Light, height and the right hour
Trips built around light: first sun on Khangchendzonga from Pelling, star skies over Chandratal and Hanle, prayer halls at dawn, apricot blossom in April. With notes on where photography is not allowed.
Photo: Krishan09 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsMountain light changes fast. The best of it is the first and last hour, which means early starts and evenings without a long drive.
Kumaon is the eastern half of Uttarakhand: lake towns near Kathgodam, the old Chand capital of Almora, oak sanctuaries like Binsar, the stone temples of Jageshwar and the Johar valley at Munsiyari. Go March to June or September to November. Five to nine nights by train, shared jeep or private car covers the best of it.
Trips
Photography trips in Kumaon
Photo: Krishan09 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Comfort
Kumaon birding: Sattal and Binsar
Private car with driver
Photo: Travelling Slacker · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Saver
Munsiyari and the Johar valley by shared jeep
Shared jeeps and buses via Almora, Chaukori, Thal and Bageshwar
Photo: Krishan09 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Saver
Long weekend from Delhi: Nainital and Bhimtal
Overnight train to Kathgodam, shared taxis and walking
Photo: Travelling Slacker · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Signature
Kasar Devi and Binsar, slow and private
Private car with driver
8 places
Where to go
Photo: Krishan09 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Bhimtal and Sattal
Kumaon's quieter lakes, oak forest and the best birding near Kathgodam
Photo: SudiptoDutta · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Binsar
An oak sanctuary on the Chand kings' summer hill
Photo: Abhijit Kar Gupta from Kolkata, India · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Chaukori
A quiet ridge facing Panchachuli, near the Patal Bhuvaneshwar cave
Photo: Harsh7284 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Jageshwar
Over a hundred stone temples in a deodar valley
Photo: Abhijit Kar Gupta from Kolkata, India · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Kausani
Gandhi's ridge, a poet's birthplace and a 300 km wall of peaks
Photo: Ashish Gupta from Noida, India · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Munsiyari
Panchachuli up close and the winter home of the Johar traders
Photo: Skalvanov · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Nainital
An eye-shaped lake, a Raj summer capital and the gateway to Kumaon
Photo: Original: Harshit SR Derivative work: Unpetitp… · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Ranikhet
A tidy army cantonment, orchards and pine walks on the queen's meadow
Experiences
Days that fit the style
Photo: Esha.haldar0310 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Dawn birding walk around Sattal
Sattal's mix of oak forest, pine, streams and small lakes draws a long list of Himalayan birds within an easy walk. A s…
Photo: Subhrajyoti07 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Bhimtal lake walk, island and old shrine
Walk the shore of Kumaon's largest lake, take a boat to the island aquarium, and end at the Bhimeshwar Mahadev shrine b…
Photo: Alphahansraj · CC BY 3.0 · Commons
A morning kayak on Naukuchiatal
Naukuchiatal, the lake of nine corners, is 4 km beyond Bhimtal and quieter than any lake near Nainital. A morning kayak…
Photo: SudiptoDutta · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Sunrise walk to Zero Point
Walk 2 km through dark oak forest to the watchtower at Zero Point, about 2,400 m, and watch the sun light the snow peak…
Photo: solarshakti · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Birding in Binsar's oak forest
Binsar's old oak forest is one of the best places in Kumaon to see Himalayan forest birds and pheasants. A slow dawn wa…
Photo: Rajborah123 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Village trails on the edge of Binsar
Walk from the sanctuary edge down old paths to the terraced villages below, past naulas, stone houses with slate roofs …
Photo: Original uploader was Tribhuwan at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Panchachuli sunrise from the Chaukori ridge
Wake early and walk to the edge of the Chaukori ridge to watch first light hit Panchachuli's five summits and the long …
Photo: Lalitgupta isgec · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Down into the Patal Bhuvaneshwar cave
A narrow, steep passage leads down into a limestone cave 160 m long and 90 feet deep, where priests guide pilgrims past…
Where to sleep
Stays in these places
Photo: SudiptoDutta · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Budget
KMVN Tourist Rest House, Binsar
The government rest house inside Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, run by Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam, sits high on the rid…
Photo: Abhijit Kar Gupta from Kolkata, India · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Budget
KMVN Tourist Rest House, Kausani
Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam's rest house on the Kausani ridge is one of the cheapest ways to wake up facing Trishul …
Photo: Utkarshsingh.1992 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Mid
The Naini Retreat
A heritage hotel on the Ayarpata slopes above Naini lake, once a residence of the Maharaja of Pilibhit, run by Lei…
Photo: Original: Harshit SR Derivative work: Unpetitp… · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Mid
West View, Ranikhet
A heritage hotel built in 1918 on a forested plateau above Ranikhet, with timber-framed architecture, high-ceiling…
Photo: SudiptoDutta · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Luxury
Mary Budden Estate
A restored 19th-century estate inside Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, named after its last known resident, Mary Budden.…