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The Himalayan Wildlife Sanctuary Experience

Discovering the real rural India

The Himalayan Wildlife Sanctuary Experience

Gentle walks, wonderful wildlife and welcoming village hosts await in the tranquil Binsar WIldlife Sanctuary. It’s a thoroughly engaging, immersive and enjoyable experience deep in the foothills of the Himalayas where you can often see some of the highest peaks as you come round a corner, or stop for a picnic lunch. Your own guide will help you to spot animal and birdlife as you walk the ancient woodland trails and stay in three very special villages.

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Village guesthouses

You stay in three village/hamlets in our community owned and run guesthouses. Each cottage is built with a proudly local design and style, with three en-suite bedrooms, each with twin beds, a lounge/dining room as well as terraces with wonderful views. We can accommodate another bed for a child (0 to 11 years). 

You have the freedom of each guesthouse – to sit, watch, read, dream, recover – as well as the freedom to explore each village. As the guesthouse is community owned, and all staff are local villagers, your stay is contributing to villagers’ financial welfare.

The itinerary, and the villages you stay in, will be decided based on how much walking you want to do each day, but usually guests stay in 3 of our 5 villages with guesthouses in the Binsar sanctuary, and walk between them each day, although you can choose to stay for two nights in one village if you would prefer. 

If you want to really relax, we recommend the Kumaon Experience short break, where you stay in one guesthouse and make the most of your time in the village.

Connecting with nature, walking the trails

On ancient footpaths, your guides will lead you on gentle walks between these far off the beaten track hamlets that are thriving because of the skills, knowledge and determination of the farmers – growing a huge variety of vegetables, herbs and fruit for almost year round harvesting – and because of a select number of guests like you.

You’ll find your guides – and even your porters – are brilliant at spotting leopard paw prints, porcupine quills, troops of beautiful silver macaques, the sounds of barking deer, the signs of wild boar, and Binsar’s stunning birds, especially those that migrate through in March/April and September/October. If you are a keen bird watcher, then ask our team to send you information about the spring 2024 Binsar Birding Festival.

Reasonable fitness is preferable, but these are hill walks not mountain hikes, despite the magnificent mountains all around, and guides adjust distances and speeds to ensure your comfort and enjoyment.

Getting here

The Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary lies about 20km from Almora in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.

Transfers from Haldwani, Kathgodam or elsewhere are available on request, and we can also arrange for train journeys. Book in advance for our negotiated rates.

The himalayan Wildlife Sanctuary Experience

3 Night Stay
What's Included
  • Private twin room with en-suite facilities
  • 3 meals a day featuring locally grown, seasonal produce
  • Private guide
  • GST
Popular
HOLIDAY PRICES

3 NIGHTS

PARTY 2
 PARTY 3-6
Per person

Prices coming soon

'We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.' - Jawaharlal Nehru
5/5

Moderate walking

Mixed Terrain

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Where In India?

ABOUT THE BINSAR SANCTUARY AND THE VILLAGES

Binsar lies in the Himalayan foothills at the centre of the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand State. It lies about 20 km from the district capital of Almora. Kumaon is derived from Kurmanchal, meaning land of the Kurma Avatar, the tortoise incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and it has always been a land that lends itself to slow exploration - none more so than Binsar. With vast swathes of oak forest, rich soils, and panoramic views of Himalayan peaks, it's entirely understandable why it was chosen as the summer capital of the Chand Kings, as the retirement home of the British Raj Commissioner for Kumaon, as the location for Mahatma Gandhi's Mountain Ashram, and for the Nehru family's first organic orchards and gardens.  Binsar itsel is named after the Bineshwar temple. Binsar comprises sequence of steep, pine-clad and terraced hills with picturesque villages clinging to their sides. Elevations range from around 1,200 m in the main valleys, rising up to 2,500 m at the ‘Zero Point’ summit. Binsar is overlooked by the great snow-capped, majestic peaks of Nanda Devi, Trisul and Panchachuli. Binsar occupies a special place in Village Ways history. It is where, from 2002, we developed the concept of establishing community- based holidays in partnership with villagers in the neighbourhood of Khali Estate. In 2003-04 five villages joined Village Ways in this pilot project: Risal, Gonap, Satri, Dalar and Kathdhara. A sixth village, Matkanya, joined later in 2012. Binsar has been a firm favourite among our guests from the beginning.