Things to do in Almora
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Almora
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Prime window: post monsoon air, the sharpest peak views of the year, and the Kartik Poornima fair at Kasar Devi.
Rhododendron blooms across Binsar and Kasar, birding is excellent, and Dwarahat holds its Syalde Bikhauti fair in April.
Quiet and cold, with clear dawns, possible snow on high ridges in January, empty cafes and the cheapest rooms.
Warm and increasingly hazy, busy with plains families, and the peaks often retreat behind haze.
Monsoon, spanning late June to early September: heavy rain, landslide blocked roads, leeches and cloud. The worst time for a first trip.
Monsoon eases late in the month and Almora fills for the Nanda Devi Mela, the town's great fair.
What's on
- Nanda Devi Mela September, around Nanda Ashtami
Almora's great fair: processions of the goddesses Nanda and Sunanda, folk music, craft and food stalls, and a town full to bursting.
- Kasar Devi Fair Kartik Poornima, November
A large fair at Kasar Devi Temple drawing villagers from across the hills, in the best peak view season.
- Maha Shivratri Mela Maha Shivratri, February or March
A night of worship at Jageshwar Dham in the deodar temple forest, a fixture of the Kumaon calendar.
- Syalde Bikhauti Mela mid April, Vishuvat Sankranti
Dwarahat's annual fair around the Vimandeshwar Temple and market, with the Oda Bhetna ritual, in rhododendron season.
- Uttarayani Mela 14 January, Makar Sankranti
Kumaon's winter festival, marked in Almora homes with ghughuti sweets, with the region's great fair at Bageshwar.
- Harela mid July
Kumaon's monsoon festival of greenery and Shiva Parvati worship, celebrated in villages around Almora.
Best things to do in Almora
Kasar Devi Temple
An ancient Durga temple on a pine ridge above Almora, sought out by meditators since Vivekananda sat here in 1890.
Crank's Ridge
A free pine ridge walk past Kasar Devi with terraced hamlets below and the full snow wall on clear mornings.
Chitai Golu Devta Temple
Kumaon's temple of justice, hung with thousands of written petitions and brass bells offered by devotees.
Katarmal Sun Temple
A 9th century Katyuri sun temple across the Kosi valley, aligned so first light falls on the sanctum.
Nanda Devi Temple
Almora's own goddess in the middle of town, the centre of local worship and of the September fair.
Bright End Corner
The west end of Almora's ridge and the town's appointed seat for sunrise and sunset over the snow peaks.
Lala Bazaar
Almora's old market lane of carved wooden shopfronts, selling copperware, woollens and the town's famous sweets.
Govind Ballabh Pant Public Museum
The town museum whose Katyuri and Chand antiquities give the temples you visit their context.
Where to stay in Almora
Kasar Devi ridge
most visitors, views, cafes and quiet
The temple ridge 8 km above town holds the cafes, the peak views and most of the best loved stays.
Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary
nature stays and seclusion
Forest, birdsong and darkness inside the sanctuary, in exchange for a potholed forest road and early nights.
Almora town (Mall Road / L.R. Shah Road)
transits, budgets and bazaars on foot
Temples, Lala Bazaar, the museum and the bus and taxi stands are walkable, and prices drop sharply.
Think twice about
- Mall Road and L.R. Shah Road, Almora town centre
Not dangerous, but loud, traffic choked and horn heavy, with bus and taxi stands outside hotel windows from early morning. Sleep here only for a one night transit.
- Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary interior (as a touring base)
The 10 km approach road is potholed, power and connectivity are unreliable, the gate closes at 6pm, and every temple trip starts with that broken road.
Best restaurants in Almora
Mohan's Cafe
The ridge's signature cafe, with terrace edge tables, pizzas, pastas and teas in front of the Himalayas.
Lali's Inn and Restaurant
A family run Binsar road restaurant with a terrace, Italian and Indian staples, and local organic products.
Le Jardin French Cafe & Homestay
A French cafe and homestay on the Kasar side of town, serving crepes and cafe cooking in a garden setting.
Glory Restaurant
Almora's family restaurant institution since 1964, known for North Indian, Mughlai and its biryani.
Kasar Rainbow Restaurant
The Kasar ridge hangout cafe, with Mexican, Lebanese and Italian dishes plus smoothies and juices.
Baba Cake
The ridge's living room bakery cafe, loved for vanilla cake, apple crumble, banoffee pie and brownies.
Dolma Restaurant
A simple guesthouse restaurant by the temple turn, known on the ridge for thukpa and steamed momos.
Almora Rasoi
A top rated bazaar sweet shop and eatery for Indian sweets, bakery items and fast food at local prices.
Outdoor things to do in Almora
Zero Point Binsar
A short forest walk to a tower viewpoint at 2410 m facing Kedarnath, Trishul and Nanda Devi on clear mornings.
Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary
Protected oak forest with over 200 bird species, best walked at dawn with a local guide from the KMVN rest house.
Jageshwar Dham
A cluster of 124 ancient stone Shiva temples in a deodar valley, the most powerful half day out of Almora.
Baijnath Temple
The Katyuri capital's 12th century stone temple group on the Gomti river, on the road to Kausani.
Anasakti Ashram
The simple ashram where Gandhi stayed in 1929, visited for its stillness and its wide Himalayan panorama.
Rudradhari Falls and Caves
A short forest walk from Kausani to a waterfall and cave shrine, best in and just after the monsoon.
Ranikhet Golf Course
A 9 hole army course from the 1920s at over 6000 ft, one of the highest in Asia, an hour and a half from Almora.
Dwarahat
A Katyuri temple town west of Almora with scattered 11th century stone temple groups and the Dunagiri climb.
Best hotels in Almora
The Kumaon
A ten suite private retreat on a hidden ridge, with private terraces and a praised Kumaoni thali kitchen.
Imperial Heights Binsar
A stone built Kasar Devi hotel with Himalayan view rooms, terraced gardens and a Kumaoni thali restaurant.
Kalmatia Sangam Himalaya Resort
Bird named cottages with verandahs on the Kalimat estate, a quiet and spacious Kasar Devi stay.
New Dolma Guest House
A budget guesthouse minutes from Kasar Devi Temple, with a garden restaurant known for Chinese food.
Mary Budden Estate
A restored heritage home inside Binsar sanctuary, Almora's one true luxury stay, famed for its kitchen.
Hotel Shikhar
The town's best known full service Mall Road hotel, minutes from the Nanda Devi Temple, with parking.
Hotel Savoy
A small eco leaning budget hotel on Mall Road, Almora's long standing value stay near the bus station.
Is Almora expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹2,200 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹6,000 a person |
| Splurge | ₹22,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Ranikhet Golf Course: weeks ahead
- The Kumaon: weeks ahead
- Imperial Heights Binsar: a few days ahead
- Kalmatia Sangam Himalaya Resort: a few days ahead
- Mary Budden Estate: weeks ahead
- The Kumaon and Mary Budden Estate fill weeks ahead in October and November and on holiday weekends.
- During the September Nanda Devi Mela the town fills and Mall Road rooms go first.
- Foreign nationals need army permission well in advance for Ranikhet golf, with no guarantee.
Is Almora safe?
- Travel hill roads by day with experienced local drivers, and avoid drives ending after dark.
- From late June to early September, monsoon landslides block roads, so check road status each morning.
- End forest walks by dusk, as Binsar and the Kasar ridge are leopard country.
- Monkeys at Kasar Devi and Chitai are bold around food, so carry no visible snacks.
- Winter nights fall below freezing on the ridges, so confirm room heating from November to February.
Almora travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Premium priced energy vortex tours of Kasar Devi sell a story about a free temple and a public ridge.
- Binsar is a bird and forest sanctuary, not a safari park with promised big cats.
- Peaks are often hidden by haze from April to June and by cloud all monsoon.
- Patal Bhuvaneshwar is a 12 hour road day and is not a day trip from Almora.
Getting around Almora: public transport and more
- Kathgodam station, 85 to 90 km south, is the railhead, with buses, shared jeeps and taxis climbing to Almora in about 3 to 3.5 hours.
- Pantnagar airport is about 125 km away and Delhi about 375 km by road.
- Walk the town itself, and hire a local hill taxi by the day for Kasar Devi, Binsar, Jageshwar and Kausani.
- Shared taxis run from the town taxi stand to Kasar Devi.
- Carry cash, as card and UPI acceptance thins quickly off Mall Road.
Who Almora suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Almora your trip
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