Kumaon in Uttarakhand is one of the most lovely places in the Himalayas where I travel mostly in winter. However, nothing takes away anything from its charm in spring or summer seasons. Even in the rainy season, Kumaon is magical, with clouds floating in the valley and dense green colors spread across miles.
Hence, I thought why not after many years of writing about Kashmir, Ladakh, Lahaul & Spiti, and Himachal, I shall shift the focus towards Uttarakhand on the Discover with Dheeraj Travel platform.
Let's quickly dive into the details:
Planning a trip to Kumaon?
I have traveled the majority of the entire circuit of Kumaon in Uttarakhand, which is quite popular, thanks to my year-end travel trip to this amazingly beautiful place. You can read about recent rendezvous with Kumaon at Munsiyari – Dharchula – Chaukori – Itinerary, Road Conditions & Updates.
As far as the location of Kumaon in Uttarakhand, north of Kumaon neighbors Tibet, and the east shares the boundary with Nepal. The Uttar Pradesh state lies towards the south side of Kumaon. Finally, Garhwal lies on the west side of Kumaon which is the other half region of mountain state Uttarakhand.
October to March is the time when the 300 km-wide panoramic views of Himalayan peaks like Trisul, Nanda Devi and Panchchuli are visible (apart from cloudy days) from higher villages of Kumaon region. All these remote Himalayan villages are mostly beyond Almora. So, you will not go wrong with this time of the year.
Summers come with a forest fire, and many times views to this Himalayan range get blocked during that period. So, winters to spring are a good bet to go for clear views with blue skies in the Kumaon region.
Most Common Itinerary of Kumaon for 8 – 10 Days
Here is the most common itinerary that I mostly suggest to readers of DoW Travel Blog covering the majority of preferred locations in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.
Day 1 | Delhi to Nainital / Pangot
- Start from Delhi early morning and reach either Nainital or stay at the wilderness of Pangot, just ahead of it.
- You can refer the route conditions to Nainital from Delhi at Delhi Nainital Road Conditions
- Relax the day at Nainital or Binsar
Day 2 | Nainital / Pangot – Almora – Binsar
- Start from Nainital and enjoy the drive to Binsar, an hour or so ahead of Almora.
- Before Almora, at Kakrighat, you can go inside the village and enjoy the riverside on the opposite bank from the road.
- Relax in the forest range of Binsar
Day 3 | Binsar – Sheraghat – Berinaag side / Raiagara – Munsiyari
- Start a bit early from Binsar as it will take about 6-7 Hrs to reach Munsiyari. Enjoy the amazingly beautiful drive through the dense forest range. You will love every bit of it if you start early.
- Enjoy Lunch at Thal and DO NOT forget to top up fuel at Thal. The restaurant just aside the petrol pump by the name JJ Hotel and Restaurant is quite nice.
- Stop aside Birthi fall and reach by an evening at Munsiyari to witness the amazingly beautiful golden glow of sunset at Panchchulli range
- Stay overnight at Munsiyari
Day 4 | Munsiyari Rest Day
- Rest day at Munsiyari and enjoy the views of Panchchulli Peaks from various viewpoints.
- Maybe a trek to Thamri Kund ahead of Khaliya top. Will take about 3 Hrs to complete the trek, else enjoy relaxing day at Munsiyari
- Darkot is a heritage village 8 km ahead of Munsiyari. You can get yourself the Pasham (Mountain Rabbit) wool Shawls, Cardigans, Caps, crafted by hand as a heritage run by an old lady Prema Ji who is the mother of a well-known guide of this region named Raju guide. You can reach him at 08958687822. These are in the purest form of that woolen and crafted by hands only, so a bit costly but very, very warm & pure. The white one is pure while the grey one is a mix and comes a bit cheaper.
- In winter, it snows in Munsiyari, and the road can close at Kalamuni top during heavy snowfall. So, if you are planning a trip in winters, then make sure you check the weather and plan a couple of buffer days.
- You can also get some local herbs from Raju at Darkot Village such as Jambo used to flavor Dal, Thoya much like Kala Jeera, Tehmur like Kali Mirch (in case you need warmth in the cold, you can drink a soup having lot of Tehmur in it), Gandraini sticks though bitter but good for constipation.
- Munsiyari also sells quite famous local Rajma (Kidney Beans) & potato and you can get some of them for you in case you like them.
- The road from Darkot – Madkot – Jaulijibi runs along the Gori Ganga river. Also, offers views of Johar Ghati towards Milam which is surrounded by Tibet from one side and Nepal from the other if I am not wrong??
- Stay overnight at Munsiyari
TIP | Stay at secluded KMVN at Birthi falls
- Thanks for the recommendation from Pankaj in the comments section, one can also stay at KMVN Birthi Falls instead of Munsiyari and enjoy peace up there.
Day 5 | Munsiyari – Chaukori
- Chaukori offers a much wider view of the Himalayan range wile Munsiyari offers a touching view of the Panchchulli range. The view of Nanda Devi from Chaukori is purely magical and feels as if you will touch it.
- Again, while coming back, enjoy lunch at Thal and DO NOT forget to top up fuel at Thal. The restaurant just aside the petrol pump by the name JJ Hotel and Restaurant is quite nice.
- Stop aside Birthi fall in case you missed while going to Munsiyari.
- Stay overnight at Chaukori
Day 6 | Chaukori – Patal Bhuvanehwar – Chaukori
- Make a visit to Patal Bhuvaneshwar, an amazing cave of limestone and if you have an interest in Hindu mythology, well you will relate those structures in there to every sense of the story narrated by the priest when you get inside. One of those MUST SEE things in life.
- Stay overnight at Chaukori
Day 7 | Chaukori – Kausani/Gwaldam via Baijnath – Bageshwar
- From Chaukori follow the other route towards Bagehswar – Baijnath to reach Kausani or Gwaldam.
- Kausani offers a panoramic view of the Himalayan range with Bageshwar valley floating below while Gwaldam offers a more touching view of Trishul peak and offers much more snow. Just for info., Gwaldam lies inside the Gharwal region and is just sitting on the border of Kumaon and Gharwal so that it can be done under this circuit too.
- Relaxing day and enjoy the sunset/sunrise golden glow from Kausani or Gwaldam.
Day 8 | Kausani/Gwaldam – Almora – Mukteshwar / Ramgarh OR Kausani – Ranikhet / Manila
- If you have less time and want to return home, you can do a 14 Hr drive from Kausani or Gwaldam back home to Delhi
- Else enjoy the drive at ease for a stay either at Mukteshwar / Ramgarh or move towards Ranikhet / Manila side from Kausani / Gwaldam
- In case you never heard of Manila, then well, check: Manila – Kumaon, A Lesser Known Offbeat Place in Uttarakhand near Delhi
- Relaxing day and enjoy the sunset/sunrise golden glow from Kausani or Gwaldam.
Day 9 | Rest at Mukteshwar / Ramgarh (Day trip to Sattal / Bhimtal / Naukuchiyatal) OR Ranikhet / Manila – Delhi
- You can rest at Mukteshwar or Ramgarh or maybe make a day trip to Sattal / Bhimtal / Naukuchiyataal or in case you decided to go towards Ranikhet / Manila, start for home from there. You can even start for home from Mukteshwar covering these lakes if you start early in the day. Bhimtal, in any case, will fall on the route only.
- Stay at Mukteshwar/Ramgarh or reach the sweet home.
Day 10 | Mukteshwar / Ramgarh – Delhi
- Reach the sweet home.
Travel Tip: You may also plan to stay at Lohaghat or Abbott Mount if you decide to come down home from Chaukori via the Pithoragarh side.
Phone Signals with Data Connectivity in Kumaon
In my last trip, I was carrying Airtel Postpaid, BSNL Postpaid and Vodafone Postpaid were with some friends. Following was the signal status:
- All three were working mostly through all the days except Dharchula.
- At Dharchula Airtel was having Nepal International Roaming. Vodafone was dead. BSNL was working as a local connection.
- Only a few sections of the roads were there where Airtel and Vodafone were not working. BSNL had the widest coverage among all.
- Data Connectivity was almost always available wherever the signals were present though it was mostly 2G and in some towns like Gwaldam (Gharwal border), even 3G was running :D.
Travel Tip: Look out for these offbeat easy treks in Uttarakhand to plan your upcoming trip in this Himalayan state.
Road Conditions in Kumaon Trip
Let me share the breakdown of road conditions for your upcoming trip to Kumaon. You will be able to better plan the trip and timings of the day knowing these road conditions.
Delhi – Moradabad – Kashipur
The road conditions from Delhi to Moradabad are smooth sailing. But for traveling to Kashipur from Moradabad, you can take two roads. One road goes parallel to Thakurdwara, and the other goes via Baazpur.
Moradabad – Kashipur via road parallel to Thakurdwara: 2-3 km of the road in horrible state rest mostly good though single lane. After crossing Moradabad, you take a left to Kashipur, and after driving for 3-4 km, you will see a board saying Nainital on the right. Take that right, that road will take you towards Baazpur.
Do not go to Baazpur, but on that road, there will be one crossing after 6-7 km, where you need to take a left. That road is narrow and pathetic for 2-3 km. However, it will save you from a similar mess of 10-12 km on each parallel road running towards Nainital via Baazpur and Kashipur via Thakurdwara, respectively.
This road will take you to Kashipur from where you follow the route to Ramnagar and then to Jim Corbett – Mohaan. If it is night, it is better to take the route from Haldwani – Rampur, IMO.
Kashipur to Manila to Gwaldam
Kashipur – Ramnagar – Jim Corbett – Mohaan – Marchula: Mostly good roads with some bad patches in between.
Marchula – Maulikhal – Dotiyal – Rakshthal – Manila: Mostly Excellent, smooth sailing.
Manila – Jainal – Masi: Good roads mostly.
Masi – Chaukotia: Mostly bad road, pavement underway.
Chaukotia – Dwaraghat – Someshwar – Kausani – Baijnath – Gwaldam: Very Good roads mostly.
Gwaldam to Munsiyari
Gwaldam – Bageshwar – Chaukori – Thal: Very Good roads mostly but single-lane having quite many curves. Guys with motion sickness take care on this route. Earlier, we planned to take Kapkot – Tejam route to Munsiyari, but locals asked us to go via the Chaukori route from Bageshwar as for small car Kapkot route was too bad in shape. Mostly High GC vehicles run over that route. However, the Kapkot route is about 30 KMs shorter than the Chaukori route.
Thal – Tejam – Birthi – Kalimuni Top – Munsiyari: The road starts to deteriorate after Thal towards Munsiyari. There are some steep stretches where you need to push the vehicle though not physically ;), some bad stretches where if in the small car, then you need to be careful. About 30-35% of the road is in such a state. But the rest of the road is in good condition. Though we found some hard ice after Kalimuni Top, it was manageable.
Munsiyari to Madkote to Dharchula
Munsiyari – Darkot: Good roads mostly being well tarred.
Darkot – Madkote – Jaulijibi: Mostly bad roads but very scenic drive. I will say 60% of the road is quite bad with about 12-15% very very bad and rest 40% odd road is good and excellent in patches. It was one of the most beautiful roads with the unique scenic landscape around to drive in Uttarakhand. Gori Ganga river accompanies you up to Jaulijibi, adds the charm to the drive. There were multiple landslide points, water crossings, creaking wooden bridges. The Water crossings in summers/rains would surely mean trouble due to swollen water levels. If you have been to Kinnaur Valley up to Nako in Himachal Pradesh then you can co-relate the road conditions much to it as it made me remind of those roads & views in Kinnaur only with Sutluj flowing beside 🙂
Jaulijibi – Dharchula: Mostly bad and very bad in shape, broken.
Jaulijibi to Chaukori via Askote – Didihat
Jaulijibi – Askote – Didihat: Mostly bad in shape with few good patches in between. Jaulijibi is a merging point where the road from Munsiyari and Pitthorgarh – Askote meets. We planned to go via Pitthoragarh – Lohaghat earlier, but then as Dharchula was not that good, we planned to go to Chaukori via Askote – Didihat road and rest there for a couple of days.
Didihat – Thal – Chaukori: Mostly good and very good in shape.
Chaukori – Berinag – Sheraghat – Dhaulchinna – Barechinna – Almora: Mostly excellent roads with lovely dense forests, totally loved the drive. The road between Golu Devta Temple and Barechinna was in bad shape, else like I said mostly perfect.
Chaukori – Patal Bhuvaneshwar: Very bad in shape after Raigara. Butter smooth roads from Berinag to Chaukori.
Chaukori to Almora to Moradabad
Almora – Bhimtal – Kathgodam – Haldwani – Rudrapur: Very good roads, smooth sailing.
Rudrapur – Rampur – Moradabad: Mix of bad and average roads. The road between Rudrapur and Rampur has improved but still has a lot of potholes where the car gets some abuse as you tend to drive fast.
Travel Tip: Do not forget to check this list of things to carry on a road trip to the Himalayas.
Conclusion
I am sure the above itinerary for the Kumaon region if not help you 100% with planning a trip to Uttarkhand but can certainly act as a starting point for your upcoming Kumaon trip or a trip to any of these places mentioned in the itinerary.
Have a travel question?? You can subscribe to my YouTube channel and leave a comment to ask your travel questions about traveling to the Himalayas.
Do share your valuable thoughts or queries or doubts you have, and we can discuss more your upcoming Travel Plans for Kumaon either in the comments below or in the Itinerary Advice section of the DwD Community. We will be happy to help you plan your trip :).
60 Comments
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Dear Sir,
I wish to visit Munsiyari during last week of September or first week of October by car.
My iteniary is as under:
Day 1 – Noida to KMVN Deenapani ( Target is to reach by 12 noon). So, I wish start from noida at 4 AM. Is that possible?
Day 2 – BINSAR Zero point visit at morning. Then Deenapani to KMVN Birthi & night stay
Day 3 – Birthi to KMVN Munsiyari & stay
Day 4 – Munsiyari to KMVN choukari & stay
Day 5. – start from choukori at 12 noon & return to noida by 11 PM.
Kindly advise.
The plan looks fine, you should be able to enjoy the trip, of course the last day will be a bit long but doable 🙂
Hi
Can we complete the kumaon circuit on bikes ?
Which is the best month to visit these areas? (Preferably cold weather and snow on the road sides ?
Kumar, you can surely ride in Kumaon and the best month to ride will be around October – November while for snow it will be mid Jan to mid Feb
Hi Dheeraj,
Thank you for your website and all the info that you share on it. I have been to Ladakh and Spiti valley a few years ago and thanks to all the info you shared, my trip was wonderful. I am planning to follow the above itinerary from Delhi to Delhi from 20th Apr to 28th April. I dont have a car or a driver and plan to hire one of the drivers listed on the website. I am from Mumbai and plan to catch a flight back home from Delhi on 28th.
Could you advise me on
1. Is this a suitable time to travel on this circuit? I travel primarily for landscape photography.
2. I wont have ten days at hand but only eight so what would you suggest in terms of itinerary?
3. Do you have any list/contact numbers of guest houses or any cheap accommodation like you have for places in Himachal and Ladakh?
Thanks.
Uday.
Hey Uday,
1. Well, weatherwise the trip to Uttarakhand will be fine but at times due to smoke cover, the views get obstructed in the period of MArch – April. Hence, I may fee a bit apprehended about it unless I reach closer to the date and see how the views are in March by calling few locals.
2. For 8 days plan, you can follow
1. Delhi to Nainital / Pangot / Mukteshwar
2. Nainital / Pangot / Mukteshwar – Chaukori via Sheraghat route
almora via bhowali, garam pani (do try pakoras and raita here, they are delicious), khairna
3. Chaukori – Patal Bhuvanehwar – Chaukori
So returned to udiyari bend and took a room in shah hotel for 400 bucks. I had stayed here in October 2014
4. Chaukori – Munsiyari
5. Munsiyari rest day
6. Munsiyari – Bageshwar – Kausani/Gwaldam (long drive so start early)
7. Kausani/Gwaldam rest day
8. Kausani/Gwaldam – Delhi
3. In Kumaon, mostly I stay with KMVN or on the spot bookings as there has never been shortage of places to stay. So, I do not maintain a list of stay options here. Sorry on that front but now that you have asked, I should better start preparing that list and share with everyone 🙂
Thank you Dheeraj
Hallo Dheeraj. Can you suggest if I can take my 14 months son to munsiyari.
Trisha, well, there is no high altitude, so it will be long journey that the kid will have to go through and you will need to carry all the required things to carry for the baby. Rest altitude wise there should not be any issue but do check with your Pediatric Doctor as well and also ask him for some motion sickness thing along with safety of altitude.
I want to visit Jim Corbett along with the common itenary that you suggested. Kindly let me know where I can add Jim Corbett.
Sujoy, you can add Jim Corbett either towards the end of the trip or start of the trip and follow the rest of the plan as it is.
Dear Mr Dheeraj,
An excellent and informative blog.Very useful for newbies.I am planning to visit Kumaon in November along with my family.Reaching Lalkuan on 18th at around 9:30
Stay at Deenapani
19th Choukori
20-21 Munsiyari
22-23 Kausani
24-25 Mukteshwar
Somewhat relaxed tour for I want to soak in the experience and relax.Can you suggest any good taxi rentals or drivers for the entire tour.Looking forward to your advice.
Abhijit, I will personally pefer to spend more time at Chaukori, Munsiyari and Binsar. After visiting these places, I will prefer to skip Kausani as it does not offer anything better than what you had already seen in much close up from Chaukori and Munsiyari. So, adding binsar and day trip from Chaukori to Patal Bhuvaneshwar will be much worth than spending time in Kausani.
You can check List of Taxi Drivers for Uttarakhand (Kumaon & Gharwal)
Thanks Dheeraj for your prompt reply.It was a great help to plan my trip.You are doing a great service.
Thank you, wonderful to know that and glad this website helped you in planning your trip to Kumaon.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning my visit for 4 days from delhi in my private vehicle and i am not sure where to head of all the places u have mentioned above.
please guide.
Thanks in advance.
Wasim, with just 4 days in hand you can do easy trip to Kausani and Binsar and come back to Delhi.
Thanks dheeraj
Nice Post,
We are planning a 9 day trip to Kumaon,
1) Kathodham – Binsar (Train arrives early in the morning)
2) Binsar
3) Binsar to Munsiyari
4) Munsiyari
5) Chaukori
6) Kausani
7) Peora -dak bunglow (20 kms from MUKTESHWAR)
8) Peora
9) Peora to Kathodam (enroute Nainital) (8.00 pm train for Delhi)
Do you think it will be hectic? You might wonder why 2 days in Peora. Its because I really want to stay in the Dak Bungalow and they allow for min 2 nights. How is chaukori ? Should we add one day in Musiyari and do Chaukori on the way?
Your plan seems to be good. I will suggest removing Kausani and adding either a day to Munsiyari resting or day at Chaukori to visit Patal Bhuvaneshwar. After visiting Munsiyari and Chaukori, there isn’t much to see at Kausani as you would have seen the same range from a close distance. So, the day you are planning Kausani, do Patal Bhuvaneshwar and move to Peora the same day.
Hi Dheeraj,
For the Kumaun Visit..whats your suggestion for travelling with 2 yr old kid ? is it feasible… ? we are planning the travel by road from Pune in July 2017…
I am concerned for
– appx Travel per day
– Weather
– Food availability
Manjri, if you can carry all important the stuff for the two-year-old kid that he like to have at home, it should be OK for Kumaon because there is no high altitude place in Kumaon and roads are pretty much accessible. All you need is a well prepared kit for your kid and the food he eats properly packed. Give him bottled water or boiled water only and talk to your pediatric to take the required medicines.
Hi there,
Just came across your blog. It’s so informative and I love it.
I’m planning a trip with my husband and three and a half year old daughter in July and we were looking at a similar itinerary as someone above mentioned Corbett, Raniket, Binsar, Nainithal, Bhimtal. Since we are going with a child, I wanted to know if this is manageable with a good break at each place.? Are there any other spots we can add in here along the way? We are looking to do two weeks. Also weather wise is it a decent enough time? We are just looking to soak up some good scenery, relax, and chill as a family.
I really appreciate you taking the time to patiently answer each question written to you. Thank you so much in advance.
Thank you Sangeetha !!
I will definitely suggest to add Chaukori. It is a different feeling altogether. How many days do you have in hand? I will minimum recommend following:
Nainital (2 nights), Chaukori (2-3 nights), Binsar (1 night), Bhimtal/Naukuchiyatal (1 night, nothing much there) or Corbett (2 nights). Choose one among Corbett or Bhimtal.
Hi Dheeraj Sir,
Planning a trip from 12-20 June with my family. Here is the tentative itinerary:
12: Delhi to Nainintal
13: Nainital Local
14: Nainital to Birthi
15: Birthi-Munsiyari-Birthi
16: Munisyari-Chaukori
17: Chaukori-Patal Bhuvneshwar-Chaukori
18: Chaoukori to Kasauni
19: Kasauni to Ranikhet
20: Ranikhet to Delhi
Already booked kmvn guest houses in nainital and birthi. Wanted to know any suggestion from Birthi onwards. Thanks in Advance.
No Achal, this will be a very enjoyable trip I will say. You will enjoy it best, may be you can spend one night in Munsiyari instead both in Birthi but that’s fine too.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning a Trip in Late Novemeber, to visit Nainital, Mussorie/Kumaon/Mukteshawar/jim Corbett, or any other place you could suggest, Really not sure which places to cover in 5-6 days. Could you please suggest and iternary, once we reach Kathgodam. And what could be the best mode of trasnport laong with distances please. Looking for a Relaxed Holiday and mesmerising nature’s view.
Well, it seems generic. Kumaon is entire region in Uttarakhand. With just 5-6 days in hand, I will suggest following:
1. Delhi to Nainital / Pangot / Mukteshwar
2. Nainital / Pangot / Mukteshwar – Chaukori via Sheraghat route
3. Chaukori – Patal Bhuvanehwar – Chaukori
4. Chaukori – Binsar/Kausani
5. Binsar/Kausani – Delhi
Add rest day anywhere you need as 6th day
Hi,
Greetings from Veselka Cottage.
Thanks for this wonderful blog.
We also run a small homestay veselka in satkhol a small sleepy village at the lap of Himalayas near mukteshwar.
Regards & wishes
Veselka
Satkhol mukteshwar
I did this circuit two years back. May I suggest one addition to the above itinerary. Staying at KMVN rest house, Birthi could be a better option than Munsiyari. Two nights stay is highly recommended. You can have a day trip to Munsiyari and come back to Birthi. Since I have traveled extensively, I can vouch for my claim. Thank you.
Thank you Pankaj, I am sure this will be much helpful to many other folks. I will update the plan accordingly.
Hello Sir
I (with my wife) am visiting Kumaon and have planned as follows:
Day 1: Reaching Kathgodam at 6:00 AM, shifting to Nainital, local tour & stay o/n at Nainital (KMVN)
Day 2: Day trip to Mukteshwar & back to Nainital & o/n stay at Nainital(KMVN)
Day 3: Nainital – Kausani (enroute Ranikhet), stay at Kausani KMVN.
Day 4: Kausani- Chaukori, stay at KMVN Chaukori.
Day 5: Chaukori- Munsiyari (KMVN)
Day 6: Munsiyari
Day 7: Munsiyari- Almora, stay at Almora KMVN
Day 8: Almora- Kathgodam (enroute visit to Bhimtal, Naukuchiyatal etc) & drop at KGM stn by 7:30.
I have prepared the itinerary based on different sites (no knowledge about Kumaon). Whether the itinerary is okay? Specially I want to see scenic beauty and visit picturesque places and don’t want to have a hectic journey. (I can stretch the no of days). Please comment on the itinerary& do provide suggestions for any changes or modifications. Thanks.
Hi Jitendra,
Yes, the plan looks OK to me. You can stay at Mukteshwar instead of going back to Nainital as it will cut the repeat route next day to Kausani. Better add one day at Munsiyari to get rest and one day at Chaukori to visit Patal Bhuvaneshwar.
BTW, if you can extend the days, then why not make the trip with above itinerary mentioned in the article and enjoy it to the fullest. Also, add one more day of rest at Munsiayri to make it more enjoyable.
Sir,
Thanks for the reply. I have already booked stay/hotels at some places.
Day 1: Reaching Kathgodam at 6:00 AM, 30th May,2017.
30-05-17 & 31-05-17- Booked at Nainital
01-06-17- Booked at Kausani
02-06-17- Booked at Chaukori
03-06-17 & 04-06-17- Booked at Munsiyari.
Rest not planned/booked yet.
Can you please brief the itinerary for max enjoyment & less hectic? Will book car from Kathgodam/Nainital. Also, which are the must visit sight seeing during the journey. Also for the sake of better itinerary, I can cancel & re-book hotels. My return train from NDLS to Kolkata is on 08th June, 07.30 PM. Thanks.
Well, since you have also booked places, it will be better to fit in these dates based on the suggested plans above. The flow is what is outlined already, you can fill in between the dates and ahead of it. You can start back from Munsiyari or extend a day at Munsiyari and come back to stay at Binsar. Then from Binsar travel to Mukteshwar and then back.
Thanks.
This is my final Plan
Day 1: Reaching Kathgodam at 6:00 AM, shifting to Nainital KMVN, check in, get fresh & breakfast, then trip to Pangot, back and enjoy at Nainital, Mall Road walk & boating & stay o/n at Nainital (KMVN)
Day 2: Day trip to Sattal, Bhimtal & Nakuchiyatal, back & enjoy evening at Lake side Nainital & stay o/n at Nainital (KMVN).
Day 3: Nainital – Kausani (enroute Ranikhet), stay at Kausani KMVN.
Day 4: Kausani- Chaukori (enroute Baijnath, Bageswar), stay at KMVN Chaukori.
Day 5: Chaukori- Munsiyari (KMVN)
Day 6: Munsiyari
Day 7: Munsiyari- Binsar and stay at KMVN Binsar “or” To Patal BBSR and to Dhaulchina and stay at Binsar Eco Camp.
Day 8: Binsar/Dhaulchina- Mukteswar (KMVN)
Day 9: Mukteswar (Whole day rest “or simple walk and sit anywhere) and stay at KMVN Mukteswar
Day 10: Mukteswar to Kathgodam (via Kaladhungi Road, Jim Corbet Museum etc) & drop at KGM stn by 7:30. Stay at Kathgodam KMVN.
Day 11: Train from KGM Stn at 8.00 AM.
Is it okay? Thanks & Regards.
This is pretty relaxed and very enjoyable plan. One day more in Munsiyari instead of Mukteshwar would have been great !!
Hi Dheeraj
I and the family ( 2 parents senior citizens, 2 infants and 2 adults) are planning a 10-11 day trip post diwali 2017 . Mid October. We plan to land in Delhi in morning and hire a zoomcar and drive down. Can you suggest an itinerary.. want to cover Nainital and Corbett for the kids..Remaining places I am completely open. Preferably with stays of minimum 2 nights at each location as packing unpacking with infants is time consuming.
Looking forward to your views
Maulik, you can plan the trip as per the article and I am sure you will enjoy it. If you want to have a relaxed trip, better that you restrict yourself to Chaukori only something on the lines below:
1. Delhi to Nainital / Pangot
2. Nainital / Pangot Exploration Day
3. Nainital / Pangot – Binsar
4. Stay at Binsar
5. Binsar – Chaukori from Berinag route
6. Chaukori – Patal Bhubaneswar – Chaukori
7. Chaukori – Kausani via Baijnath
8. Kausani
9. Kausani – Almora – Jim Corbett
10. Jim Corbett
11. Jim Corbett – Back to Delhi
Thanks Dheeraj for your guidance. Between Munsiyari & Kausani, would you still recommend Kausani ? remaining all looks fine.
Secondly can you also help me with tentative driving distances between the above places?
Munsiyari is further ahead while Kausani you will start the journey back. I have kept it to ease out your trip and you do not travel much every day.
Thank you Dheeraj. My plan is changed slightly. The trip is for 11 nights Delhi to Delhi. Plan to stay for atleast 3 nights in Nainital. Want to skip Corbett ascore area would open in Nov. Other places 2 nights each…What route and places would you recommend ?
Also how would be the weather When we go in mid October
Just replied on the DwD Community thread, please refer there 🙂
Excellent work Dheeraj information provided by u on your site is up to the mark & very helpful to the travellers planing to visit this belt . Keep it up champ & also add me into your mailing list as I m also a very frequent traveller but to the very selected belts but after going through your site I will definitely plan to visit this belt
Regards
Thank you so much Vikas, always great to connect with fellow travellers !! Feel free to post any doubt’s or queries you may have for this belt 🙂
Dear Dheeraj,
Your website is truly impressive and extremely informative. There is wealth of information available on practically all issues that might be faced by travellers. I congratulate you for doing this yeoman service for the touring public.
I am intending to visit with my family Ranikhet, Almora, Kausani, Mukteshwar, Binsar and perhaps Bageshwar in the first week of September from Delhi. The trip would be of a week’s duration. I need your advice on the best route to follow to avoid backtracking and have the maximum opportunity to see and enjoy.
Also please comment on staying options at these places.
For a week of Kumaon, I will suggest following plan:
1. Delhi to Nainital / Pangot / Mukteshwar
2. Nainital / Pangot / Mukteshwar – Chaukori via Sheraghat route
3. Chaukori – Patal Bhuvanehwar – Chaukori
4. Chaukori – Munsiyari
5. Munsiyari rest day
6. Munsiyari – Bageshwar – Kausani/Gwaldam (long drive so start early)
7. Kausani/Gwaldam rest day
8. Kausani/Gwaldam – Delhi
Dear Dheeraj
Thank you for the reply but we do not want to go to Munsiyari, chaukhori etc. We are restricting our visit to the places I mentioned in my first post. Kindly suggest a tour plan for that.
Alright, then in that case you can follow the below plan:
1. Delhi to Mukteshwar
2. Spend day at Mukteshwar
3. Then move to Jageshwar
4. Spend afternoon at Jageshwar and move to Binsar
5. Spend a day at Binsar
6. Binsar to Kausani/Gwaldam
7. Kausani/Gwaldam rest day, visit Baijnath temples from Kausani
8. Kausani/Gwaldam – Delhi
h.no.181/h,arya nagar,rly colony,ghaziabad;-9818828530,9540050355,9718441275,9250810552,9540456185.
Hi Dheeraj,
Could you please suggest safe places to stay in Binsar-Chaukori-Munsiyari-Patal Bhuvaneshwar along with wife? Are KMVN rest houses also good to go ?
Also, please advise way from Chaukori to Munsiyari which route would be better as Google only reads way via Jaulijibi-Madkote road. I was planning to take Almora-Bageshwar-Munsiyari road?
hi, what would be the tentative cost for the above route per person?
Except taxi, it should be around 900-1200 per person per day for food + stay
Hi Dheeraj,
I am frequent visitor of your blog and I really appreciate your detailed information on every place.
I am planning to take this trip in may end.
Any suggestion for taxis? do you have any references?
Thanks
Ankit
Hi
Very nicely written article. Found it very useful.
I am from Bangalore and I along with my family (wife and 5 year old daughter) have planned a trip to Corbett, Raniket, Binsar, Nainithal in the 2nd week of March. I would like to know if self drive is good from Delhi or should we go for a car rental? I have good experience of driving, but not extensively driven in Himalaya’s. Interested to know how the road conditions are on this route and how is traffic?
Thanks in Advance
Prashanth
Thank you Prashanth. Yes, self drive should be good to go. You can hire some self drive rental from Delhi and you shall all be set. Drive with little caution as they are hilly roads but then road conditions mostly are good in these areas of Himalayas so nothing much to worry about.
Hi,
I have gone through your website and found it very useful. Myself & my husband we are Himalayan tourist as well s trekkers. We wish to plan for our next Himalayan tour with some family members n friends who will be visiting Himalaya for the 1st time. More importantly we want to take our son – Nisarga who will turn 1 year in the month of March. We wish to celebrate his B’day in the Himalaya – thats d idea behind this tour.
So our concern is which place to visit in Himalaya so that none of the members get affected due to cold (March will be pretty cool) or high altitude issue. But not the regular places like Shimla-Manali or Nainital.
Look forward for your valuable suggestions/guidance on the same.
Regards,
Trupti Naik
9920430607
Hi Trupti,
I will suggest that you pick any of the two from: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/list-of-5-must-visit-off-beat-places-in-himachal-pradesh/
You will not go wrong with any of them.