A classic walking holiday taking you to the hamlets within Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary. Follow this with a short detour to the historical temple complex of Jageshwar.
12 nights | From Delhi to Binsar wildlife sanctuary
new dates for 2027 out now
Experience the fascination of rural India, and enjoy the natural hospitality of its people. With your own guide, you
spend your days walking the magnificent footpaths through terraced fields and wooded hillsides and also have
time to absorb this local life for a thrilling discovery of this amazing place. Enjoy views of the high peaks and
encounter a wealth of wildlife.
We look after you from the moment of your arrival at Delhi airport. Your holiday includes transfers and rail journeys to the hills, accommodation in the village guesthouses and at Khali Estate with all meals provided and your own guide through the hills. We have devised each of our holidays to provide a good balance between activity and relaxation; please feel free to tailor your holiday to your exact requirements.
Arrive at Delhi airport before being transferred to a comfortable guesthouse for the night.
An early morning transfer from your guesthouse takes you to the station to catch the day train into the foothills, to Kathgodam station. A road journey takes you from Kathgodam to Khali Estate, for a warm welcome and a relaxing stay in a double room garden bungalow.
After breakfast meet your own private guide who accompanies you for the rest of your stay. You visit and stay in each of the six Binsar villages and in three of them for two nights: Dalar, Risal , Satri, Gonap and Kathdhara.
Each day you walk in the company of your local guide with your luggage carried by village porters. The community owned guesthouses offer simple twin bedroom accommodation.
From Kathdhara, visit the temple complex at Jageshwar, before a road transfer takes you back to Khali Estate for another night’s stay.
Return by road to Kathgodam to catch the day train to Delhi. You will be met at the station and transferred to Delhi centre, and will spend the night in a Delhi guesthouse. Fly out of Delhi airport in the morning.
Dates
Party of 2/3
Party of 4+
Autumn 2026
15 Sep 2026 – 30 Nov 2026
£1,632
£1,282
Winter 2026/27
1 Dec 2026 – 28 Feb 2027
£1,615
£1,268
Spring 2027
1 Mar 2027 – 30 Apr 2027
£1,632
£1,282
Summer 2027
1 May 2027 – 31 May 2027
£1,580
£1,241
Autumn 2027
15 Sep 2027 – 15 Dec 2027
£1,734
£1,362
*All prices are per guest. Prices vary by season and reduce with larger group sizes due to shared logistics and accommodation.
Autumn 2026
15 Sep 2026 – 30 Nov 2026
Party of 2–3: £1,632
Party of 4+: £1,282
Winter 2026/27
1 Dec 2026 – 28 Feb 2027
Party of 2–3: £1,615
Party of 4+: £1,268
Spring 2027
1 Mar 2027 – 30 Apr 2027
Party of 2–3: £1,632
Party of 4+: £1,282
Summer 2027
1 May 2027 – 31 May 2027
Party of 2–3: £1,580
Party of 4+: £1,241
Autumn 2027
15 Sep 2027 – 15 Dec 2027
Party of 2–3: £1,734
Party of 4+: £1,362
With Village Ways you stay in very special village guesthouses – ‘village homestays’ – owned and managed by the village committee and benefitting the wider community. All the guesthouses are simple and comfortable, built in traditional style. They have a living/dining room, kitchen, four twin bedrooms and shared shower/WCs.
Surrounded by pine forest and affording beautiful views of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Kamet and Trishul peaks from the upper parts of the village, Dalar is divided into two hamlets: Valli (“This Side”) Dalar and Palli (“That Side”) Dalar. It is a relatively thriving village with a school and temple. It is a little more accustomed to visitors than other villages, but you’ll be as welcome here as in the most remote corner of Binsar Sanctuary. The village homestay, Minivet House, looks out over the valley, with views of high Himalayan peaks in the distance.
The secluded village is set on the slopes above a deep valley and is surrounded by beautiful mixed forest of oak, pine and rhododendron. Its little paths afford glimpses of wooded hills and green pastures. The villagers produce vegetables and other crops but many have been damaged by wildlife from the adjacent Sanctuary. The Forest department have since established a fence to protect the crops. Bulbul House homestay is neatly located on a terrace near the main village.
Satri village is remote and secluded, located on a high ridge surrounded by a glorious mountain landscapes, with uninterrupted views to the peaks. The village houses form a beautiful series of dwellings, although some are empty. Just four families now live in Satri. In 2003 the villagers believed that they would have to abandon their village, to let their homes and fields be overtaken by the forest. The arrival of Village Ways was, for them, “the big dream come true” – a dream that has helped Satri to sustain its remaining families. You’ll be given a very special welcome here in Pipit House.
Myna House guesthouse nestles amidst terraced fields in the lower part of Kathdara. Enjoy the rhythms of traditional rural life in the foothills in this vibrant farming community. With a name meaning wood (kath) and stream (dhara), this beautiful village boasts extensive terraced fields, orchards and well maintained farms, with views over hills and a wide valley, and glimpses of the awe-inspiring Panchachulli range beyond. The villagers are keen to show guests their farms and let them help with field activities. They have also created a small farming museum.
The farmhouses of Gonap are set on a hillside among terraced fields and vegetable gardens, with wonderful open views backed by richly forested slopes. Its people joined the Village Ways project with great enthusiasm, led by Prem Singh, starting with the building of a retaining wall for the Barbet House guesthouse site – to become known as “The great wall of Gonap”! Although it is a poor village, it has a primary school: the teacher, children and villagers are eager to meet and get to know their visitors, to show them round and invite them in.
This village lies above and beyond the Jageshwar temple complex, just outside the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary. The village is large and relatively poor, with more than 150 households dispersed across the terraced hillsides. It is a dry area and water is scarce. One can visit the small village shop just above the guesthouse, which sells the bare essentials. There are wonderful views of the Himalayan ridge on clear days.
The Drongo House guesthouse in Matkanya is an original village house that was renovated and converted into a guesthouse in 2012 in partnership with UpaSAC, (Uttarakhand Parvatiya Aajeevika Sanverdhan Company), part of an internationally-funded project to improve livelihoods of poor, remote communities in
Our holiday in the foothills of the Himalayas allow you to enjoy the superlative scenery of these magnificent mountains – without having to be super-fit. We have chosen flexible routes among the hills that are suitable for people of all abilities. This way you can admire the scale and grandeur of the mountains without having to climb them. In the Binsar Sanctuary (alt 1650 – 2500m), you walk along forest trails, through rhododendron, oak, pine and cedar woodland, to reach broad cultivated terraces as you near each village.
On average, you walk for four hours a day, however the walking in the Binsar Sanctuary is flexible and your experienced guide will tailor the walking routes to suit your needs. Choose whether to stretch your legs and take in the ridges and high points of the Sanctuary or to take the winding footpaths at a gentler pace.
On the days you spend in the villages, you have the opportunity to join in and learn about the local customs and the work of the communities. Each village of Binsar gives its own special welcome, and each has its own personality – but all are the home of mountain people, hardworking, stalwart, warmly hospitable.