Almora Travel Guide

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Location :
Almora is one of the three hill districts of Kumaon. The other two being Nainital and Pithoragarh. It is the cultural capital of Kumaon. Almora is also referred to as the unspoilt child of nature. It is situated on a three-mile long horse saddle-shaped ridge and is surrounded by four hill ranges - Banari Devi, Kasar Devi, Shayahi Devi and Katarnal. The three peaks have temples of Goddesses while Katarnal has an ancient Sun temple worth visiting.

About Almora
Almora is one of the most beautiful places in Kumaon region. The glamour and glitter which is prominent in Ranikhet and Nainital is totally absent in Almora. In this view Almora is very virgin hill-station and is full of scenic beauty. It appears that mother nature has spread and blessed this place with her pure love. Nestled in the lap of nature this region has small houses built on the slopes and splendour of this place are added colourful attire of the natives. Just besides city flows the Koshi (Kaushaki) and Suyal (Salmali) rivers.

Almora is a town in the shape of a horse shoe. It is on a 5 km long mountain range. It has its own historical, cultural and political importance. Once upon a time, it was the capital of Kumaon. It was set up by King Balo Kalyan Chand in 1563.The descendents from the Kyutar dynasty and the Chand dynasty ruled here in the old times. The forts, other historical monuments, courts and governmental offices are still present today. The two rivers, Kaushik (Koshi) and Shalmali (Suyal) flow near the town. The snow capped peaks of the Himalayas look like a long train of ice and snow from here.

Getting There
Air
127 km from Almora, Pantnagar is the nearest airport. Taxis and buses ply from Pantnagar to Almora very frequently.
Rail
Kathgodam (90 Km) is the nearest railhead with connection to Delhi, Howrah & Lucknow.
Road
Buses connect Almora with Kathgodam, Nainital (66 km), Ranikhet, Pithoragarh (122 km) & Delhi (380 km) directly. There is also direct connection to Nepal oorder, Banbassa (7 hours). Buses depart at a regular interval, every half of an hour for Kathgodam (3 hours). It takes about 2 hours to travel to Nainital & 4 hours to Pithoragarh. Infact road transportation is the most convenient way to travel to Alrnora.

Tourist Attractions
Public Museum
Near Almora bus stand is the Govind Vallabh Pant Public Museum. This museum provides a deep insight of the development of art, culture, life style of this region. It has a very rich collection of items relating to Archaeological, Historic and cultural significance. This museum has unique collection of 'Apen', a folk style of painting. One can have a good view of the various aspects of this style painting.

Bright End Corner
Almora is 2 kms away from here. A highlight of this point is the sunset and the sunrise seen through the Himalayan peaks. A circuit house close by allows tourists to spend some time in this peaceful surrounding. Close by is the Vivekananda Library which has many books on literature. A little away is the Vivekananda Memorial where Swami Vivekananda had stopped for a while on his journey to the Himalayas.

Katarmal
This 800-year old Sun Temple is the second in importance after the Sun Temple of Konark in Orissa. 7 Km away from Almora, this historically important temple is an example of intricate sculpturing.

Nanda Devi Temple
This ancient temple is one of the main attraction of Almora town. This temple is hundreds of year old and carries deep faith of many people from this area. The images and statues on walls of this temple are intricately and delicately carved. They are very attractive and almost true to life depiction has been done. Every year a fair, Nanda Devi Fair, is organized here. People from all over the place come and participate in this fair. Groups of young men & women dance on the pulsating music of the mountains.

Best Season
March to June and September to November are the best seasons to visit Almora. Almora is worth visit all over the year, barring the monsoon season.

Accommodation
Like any hill station, Almora also has vast choices for stay. One can opt for luxury, economy and budget hotels, apart from Government owned lodges and tourists bunglows.