Complete Almora Travel Guide
Top Places & Activities
Kasar Devi Temple (8 km): A 2,000-year-old Shiva temple on a ridge at 2,116m — situated in what NASA identified as a Van Allen Belt magnetic anomaly zone (similar energy zones at Stonehenge and Machu Picchu). From the 1960s through the 1980s, Kasar Devi attracted D.H. Lawrence, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, the Swinging Sixties counterculture and then spiritual seekers. The area is now called Crank's Ridge. The temple view of the Himalayan sunrise is extraordinary.
Chitai Golu Devta Temple (8 km): A temple to Golu Devta (a Kumaoni deity who grants justice to petitions) — the walls, trees and ceiling are covered with thousands of handwritten letters and legal petitions from devotees seeking justice, along with bells hung as thanksgiving. One of the most unusual temples in India. Entry: free.
Bright End Corner: A hilltop viewpoint at the western end of the Almora ridge — panoramic Himalayan views including Nanda Devi. Best at sunrise. 2 km from the main bazaar.
Almora Bazaar (16th century): The stone-flagged bazaar of old Almora — one of India's few remaining hill bazaars with traditional Kumaoni stone architecture. Wool shawls, copper utensils, Almora's famous baal-mithai (dark brown fudge sweet), singori (sweet in maalu leaf).
Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary (30 km): A 47-sq-km sanctuary at 2,400m — the best wildlife and forest viewpoint in Kumaon. Zero Point (2,412m) in Binsar has a 300-km Himalayan panorama including peaks from Kedarnath to Nepal. See Binsar guide.
How to Reach Almora
| Origin | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 366 km | 7–8 hrs |
| Kathgodam | 91 km | 2.5–3 hrs |
| Nainital | 68 km | 2 hrs |
| Ranikhet | 49 km | 1.5 hrs |
How to Reach Almora
91 km from Kathgodam (2.5–3 hrs). Buses from Kathgodam to Almora: frequent (₹100–₁₅₀/person). Delhi to Almora: overnight buses from Anand Vihar (₹700–₁,₂₀₀).
Budget, Hotels & Travel Tips
- Best time: March–May (spring, clear Himalayan views, orchard blossom). September–November (post-monsoon, best visibility, comfortable temperatures).
- Kasar Devi sunrise: Stay 1 night in the Kasar Devi area rather than Almora bazaar — the sunrise from Crank's Ridge on the Himalayan main range is the finest in Kumaon. Small guesthouses and cafes in Kasar Devi village.
- Baal-mithai: Buy from Lala Mohan Joshi's shop in the bazaar (established 1830s) — the most famous Almora sweet shop. The dark-brown fudge (baal-mithai) is coated in white sugar balls and is unique to Almora.
FAQs
- Why is Kasar Devi famous?
- Kasar Devi is at the intersection of what scientists identify as a geomagnetic anomaly in the Van Allen Belt — the same phenomenon occurs at Stonehenge and Machu Picchu. Whether or not this explains the experiences of the spiritual seekers who came here from the 1920s onward (Swami Vivekananda 1890, D.H. Lawrence 1924, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens in the 1960s–70s), the ridge location, the temple, the Himalayan sunrise view and the atmospheric quality of the pine and rhododendron forest make Kasar Devi one of the most distinctive places in the Himalaya.