When you first land at the ugly, crowded
street in the bus stand of Almora, you may think the place is not what you
imagined and read about. Don’t get disillusioned because the regional capital
of Kumaon has much to offer to its visitors if you explore it well.
Tightfitting to a steep-sided valley, Almora is always been a famous tourist
destination because of plenty of nearby magnetism and the salubrious climate.
When you reach the bus stand, start moving towards south to the pedestrian-only
cobbled Lalal Bazaar, which is a fine place for strolling lined with shops of
traditional wooden artefacts. You will surely be surprised to see the old
colonial-era buildings, community based weaving centres and lots of westerners
living nearby Kasar Devi temple.
What
to See in and around?
If you love solitude and your objective is
to spend time in Himalayan solitude for peace and study, Kasar Devi Temple is probably the right place for you. The place is
named after this locally famous temple devoted to Kasar Devi, nearby where
Swami Vivekananda meditated and still the cave is there as a relic of the
saint. Nearby village is a popular destination for backpackers and solitude
seeker where you can get plenty of fresh mountain air as well as view of
distant white capped Himalayas. There are lots of cheap accommodations with
inviting restaurants.
Beyond Kasar, there is famous Binsar perched at a height of 2420m,
26km, either reached by simple walking or shared jeep or hire a taxi. This
place is covered with dense wood and popular for forest trekking with
spectacular view of Himalayan peaks.
If you are coming with your family and
kids, Deer Park would be a better
choice because of rich natural beauty, seeing some endangered species deer,
leopard and Himalayan black bear.
Close to the city of Almora, Jageshwar is a pilgrimage because of 12
abodes of Jyotirlingas. The place is also considered holy because of confluence
of two rivers Nandini and Surabhi.
Almora is also famous because of starting point of many treks. Professional trekkers come to Almora, take rest and organise themselves before setting for their treks such as Milam Glacier trek, Pindari Glacier, Nandadevi base camp trek and many more.
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