If you want a break from the hustle and bustle of city life and you are a nature enthusiast, it is the place for you. Binsar is a picturesque, sleepy helmet perched at an altitude of 2,420 mtrs., it offers a majestic view of the snow covered Himalayan peaks, the mesmerizing ranges-chaukhamba, Trishul, Nanda devi and panchchuli. It is a fascinating spot encircled by vast wildlife Sanctuary. Binsar is a home to many rare animals, birds and wild flowers. It is a trekker's paradise. One can trek through the thick green forest amidst misty mountain trails. Weather is very pleasant here in summers and the place is all covered in snow in winters.
How to reach
Binsar is well connected through road to the nearest railheads kathgodam and haldwani. It is a 5-hours drive to binsar from kathgodam. Distance from the nearest major town Almora is 26 kms. Nainital is 90kms away.
Where to stay
Being a nature enthusiast we choose our stay at KMVN guest house at Binsar wildlife Sanctuary. It is a beautiful cottage right in the middle of the forest. You can also stay at Khali Estate, the Royal Palace, once occupied by sir Henry Ramsay and later by Vijaylakshmi pandit, is now a heritage hotel.
Binsar another less explored hill station was our next destination in Uttrakhand after spending two memorable days at Kausani. Distance from kausani is 85kms and it took us 3hours to reach Binsar. We booked our stay at KMVN guest house, the beautiful cottage located right in the middle of the forest. The journey from the entrance of the wildlife Sanctuary to the guest house was incredible. We were moving through the thick green forest, listening the unheard melodies of jungle, the sharp sound of crickets seems like a rock band is performing somewhere. We reached our cottage by the lunch time and enjoyed the delicious food. The view from the cottage is mesmerizing, all we can see was snow covered mountain peaks, green forest and the valley bathing in the fog and mist appears as if a river is flowing in the heaven. In evening we spent some time walking through the forest breathing in the fresh air, enjoying the cool breeze and melody of the birds and spotted some langurs playing. We get back to our cottage by 7 pm in the evening as roaming in the jungle is strictly prohibited after sunset. Electricity is available here just for two hours in the evening from 7pm to 9pm. We had dinner and spend the night in the candle light. It was such a fantastic experience.
We woke up early in the morning and got ready to trek to the zero point. It is the place known for enchanting sunrise and sunset view. We trek through the mountain trail amidst the oak, the pine and the Rhododendron trees. We were lucky to spot a deer running. We reached the Zero point at 5am, the beauty of the view was so overwhelming. We spend some good time there and get back to our cottage by 9am. We had breakfast, packed our bags to check out and planned to come back in the winters to have a fairy tale experience.
