Alexkom000 · 2024-03-19 Kasar Devi village seen from Crank's Ridge.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2024-03-19_Kasar_Devi_village_seen_from_Crank%27s_Ridge.jpg
Almora
The cultural centre of Kumaon — a stone-paved bazaar along a ridge, a genuine copperware tradition, and the temples and viewpoints of the hills around it.
Almora
A working hill town rather than a resort — and the better for it.
Explore Almora on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What Almora is for
A bazaar, a ridge of temples, and the hills beyond.
In the town
- Lal Bazaar — stone-paved, carved shopfronts, and still a working market rather than a heritage display.
- Nanda Devi Temple, in the middle of town, with fine stone carving and a major festival in late summer.
- Bright End Corner, on the western edge, for sunset over the Himalayan ranges when the air is clear.
- The copperware workshops of the Tamta community, whose craft is genuinely local and genuinely old.
Around Almora
- Jageshwar — a cluster of over a hundred stone temples in a deodar valley, about an hour away and the strongest attraction in Kumaon.
- Kasar Devi, the ridge temple above town with a counterculture history from the 1960s and 70s.
- Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, about an hour, with forest and a viewpoint north to the high peaks.
- Katarmal Sun Temple, a ninth-century site reached by a short climb, and rarely visited.
How long to give it
The right length
A day for the town, the bazaar and Kasar Devi; a second for Jageshwar and Binsar together.
Workable
Enough for the bazaar and one nearby site if you are moving through Kumaon.
For slow travel
Adds Katarmal, longer forest walks and time in the bazaar that most visitors never take.
Where people go
Nainital about 2.5 hrs, Kausani about 1.5 hrs, Ranikhet about 1.5 hrs, Binsar 1 hr.
How to reach and move
Deeper into Kumaon than most visitors go.
Getting here
- Kathgodam is the railhead, about 90 km and three hours below, well connected to Delhi.
- Nainital is about 2.5 hours by road, and the standard approach — Kainchi Dham sits directly on that route.
- Pantnagar is the nearest airport with limited services; Delhi is the practical alternative at roughly 380 km.
Getting around
- The old town and Lal Bazaar are walked, and the bazaar is largely stepped and vehicle-free.
- The town is spread along a ridge, so there is climbing between the bazaar level and the upper roads.
- Taxis and shared jeeps serve Jageshwar, Kasar Devi, Binsar and the onward Kumaon towns.
- A car for the day is the practical way to combine Jageshwar and Binsar.
When to visit
Clear air matters more here than warm weather.
Clearest air for the Himalayan views and comfortable for walking.
Cold, sometimes snow on the higher ridges, and the clearest views of the year on good mornings.
Pleasant and busier with domestic visitors, though far quieter than Nainital.
Heavy rain, landslide risk on the approach roads, and views largely absent.
Bright End Corner, Kasar Devi and Binsar look north to Nanda Devi and the Panchachuli on a clear day. Cloud and haze hide them often.
The town's character
The cultural capital of Kumaon, and it earns the title.
What shapes it
- Almora was the Chand dynasty capital from the 16th century and has been the administrative and intellectual centre of Kumaon ever since.
- It has a long association with writers, artists and thinkers — Vivekananda, Tagore and later Uday Shankar all spent time here.
- Kumaoni folk traditions — Aipan floor and wall painting, Chholiya sword dance, and the Nanda Devi festival — are still practised rather than performed.
What to eat and buy
- Bal mithai — the brown milk fudge coated in white sugar balls — is Almora's own, and the town's sweet shops are institutions.
- Singori, a sweet wrapped in a malu leaf, is the other local speciality and does not travel far.
- Kumaoni home cooking: bhatt ki churkani, aloo ke gutke, madua roti and bhang ki chutney — genuinely regional and easy to find here.
- Tamta copperware is the real craft here — hand-beaten vessels made by a community that has worked copper for generations. This is one of the few places in Uttarakhand with a genuine craft identity, and it is worth buying from a workshop rather than a stall.
Practical tips
A real town, with real hills around it.
Getting the most from it
- Walk Lal Bazaar slowly, ideally in the morning when it is working rather than closing. It is the point of Almora.
- Do Jageshwar and Binsar as one day — both are within an hour and the driving is the only cost of combining them.
- Buy copperware from a workshop rather than a roadside stall, and expect to pay more for hand-beaten work than for machine-pressed.
- Do not count on the Himalayan view. Bright End Corner and Kasar Devi deliver it on clear days and cloud on many others.
Practicalities and stays
- The town is stepped and spread along a ridge, with real climbing between levels. This matters if mobility is a concern.
- Staying in town puts you in the bazaar; Kasar Devi and the ridge above are quieter, greener and involve a drive.
- Accommodation is modest — guesthouses, small hotels and a few hillside properties. There is no luxury tier here.
- Evenings are quiet. The bazaar closes early and there is no nightlife; that is what most people who come to Almora want.
- Nanda Devi festival in late summer fills the town — extraordinary to witness, and worth checking before you book.
Nearby
The Kumaon hills all around.
Common questions
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