7 Things to Do in Binsar, Kumaon's Quietest Himalayan Wildlife Sanctuary

Binsar sits in the Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand, a wildlife sanctuary built around a former British-era summer retreat in the Almora district. Its forests of oak, rhododendron and pine cover a ridge that once served as the summer capital of the Chand kings who ruled Kumaon before the British arrived, and the sanctuary today draws a fraction of the visitors that better-known hill stations like Nainital see each year.

1. Binsar Zero Point

The sanctuary's best-known viewpoint, reached by a short forest walk from the main road, opens onto a sweep of Himalayan peaks that on a clear day includes Nanda Devi, Trishul and the Panchachuli group. It's the single most-visited spot inside the sanctuary, and most itineraries build in an early-morning or late-afternoon visit, when light and visibility are usually at their best.

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2. Birdwatching along the sanctuary's trails

Binsar is recorded as home to more than 200 bird species, including the Himalayan monal, Uttarakhand's state bird, alongside woodpeckers and parakeets that inhabit the mixed oak-and-rhododendron canopy. The sanctuary's network of walking trails was laid out with birdwatching in mind, and a quiet early start improves the odds of sightings considerably.

3. Wildlife spotting and a jeep safari

Beyond birdlife, the sanctuary supports leopard, Himalayan black bear, jungle cat, barking deer, goral and serow, though sightings of the larger mammals are far from guaranteed given the dense forest cover. A jeep safari through the sanctuary's interior roads covers more ground than walking and is the standard way to combine wildlife spotting with forest scenery in a single outing.

4. Bineshwar Mahadev Temple

A small Shiva temple inside the sanctuary is generally understood to have given Binsar its name, and it remains an active, low-key pilgrimage site tucked into the forest rather than a major built-up complex.

5. Kasar Devi Temple

A short drive from the sanctuary, Kasar Devi Temple sits on a ridge that developed a reputation among spiritual seekers through the 20th century, visited by figures including Swami Vivekananda in the 1890s and later by Western travellers during the 1960s counterculture years. The temple itself is modest, but its ridge-top views and offbeat history make it a common add-on to a Binsar visit.

6. Almora's old bazaar

Almora, the nearest town of any size, developed as a hill station under British administration after earlier serving as the Chand dynasty's capital, and its old bazaar still runs through narrow lanes lined with traditional Kumaoni woodwork on shopfronts. It makes for a straightforward change of pace from the sanctuary's forest trails.

7. Jageshwar Temple complex

A cluster of more than a hundred stone temples dating largely from the medieval period, Jageshwar sits roughly two hours from Binsar in a valley of tall deodar trees and is dedicated principally to Shiva. It's a full side trip rather than a quick add-on, but it's one of Kumaon's more significant historic sites and is often combined with a Binsar stay.

Traveller tips

• Pantnagar Airport is the nearest airport, around four to five hours away by road; Kathgodam is the nearest railhead, roughly three hours from Binsar.
• The sanctuary levies a small entry fee, and independent walking within the core zone is limited to marked trails.
• April to June and September to November offer the clearest Himalayan views from Zero Point, ahead of and after the monsoon.
• Accommodation options inside and around the sanctuary are limited in number, so booking ahead is worth doing rather than arriving without one.