Travel style · Kumaon
Wildlife and birds in Kumaon
Snow leopards, red pandas and black-necked cranes
Winter snow leopard trips in Ladakh and Spiti, red pandas in Singalila, cranes in Bhutan's Phobjikha and Arunachal, hornbills in Namdapha and the birding ridges of Kumaon. Timed to the season, with trackers who live there.
Photo: Krishan09 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsMountain wildlife is shy and seasonal. Snow leopards come down to lower valleys in February and March, cranes arrive in Phobjikha around late October, and the Kumaon forests are loudest with birds in spring.
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
Wildlife and birds trips in Kumaon
Photo: Krishan09 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Comfort
Kumaon birding: Sattal and Binsar
Private car with driver
Photo: Skalvanov · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Comfort
Kumaon lakes family holiday
Private car with driver
Photo: Travelling Slacker · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Saver
Almora, Binsar and Jageshwar on a budget
Shared taxis and jeeps, with two shared private-cab legs
Photo: Travelling Slacker · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Signature
Kasar Devi and Binsar, slow and private
Private car with driver
3 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: Ashish Gupta from Noida, India · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Munsiyari
Panchachuli up close and the winter home of the Johar traders
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: Alphahansraj · CC BY 3.0 · Commons
Day hike to Khaliya Top
Climb from Balati Bend through oak and rhododendron forest to the alpine meadows of Khaliya Top at about 3,500 m, for o…
Photo: Kasyap · CC0 · Commons
Johar's story at the Tribal Heritage Museum
This small private museum in Munsiyari gathers the objects and records of the Johari Shauka traders: salt and wool bags…
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: 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.…
Wildlife and birds elsewhere