making meaningful connections
The Kumaon Experience
Discovering the real rural India
The Kumaon Experience
With an average altitude of 2,400 metres, temperatures around 20C, and views across forested hills and valleys with tantalising glimpses of the Panchachuli range, it is almost impossible not to relax here, deep in the beautiful and unspoilt heart of Binsar – the ideal Summer retreat. Now it’s your opportunity to take a break from city life and discover a deep sense of peace as you stay in our community owned and managed 3 bedroom guesthouse in Kathdhara.
This ideal short break in northern India is your chance to relax, recuperate, and soak in all the sights, sounds and smells of life that essentially hasn’t changed in centuries.
A rural escape in a mountain village homestay
Bubu Guesthouse, Kathdhara
Owned and managed by the local community, our guesthouses are more than just homestays. Your stay benefits the wider community, making it a socially responsible way to travel, and you have the opportunity to experience local culture in the most authentic way.
With a name meaning Kath (wood) , Dhara (stream), this scenic village boasts extensive terraced fields, orchards and well maintained farms. The three simple, comfortable bedrooms at Bubu House have en suite shower rooms with plenty of hot water, heated by solar power, and solar-powered lighting is available after sunset. There is a communal room for relaxing and eating as well as meeting villagers informally. Your hosts prepare freshly harvested, healthy vegetarian dishes that have zero food miles, and self-sufficiency comes as standard. Water is boiled and fitered from fresh mountain streams. There is an attractive terrace to sit and enjoy your tranquil surroundings.
Connecting with authentic village life
How you spend your time in the village is very much up to you and your interests. We get you started, however, with a guided village tour that gives you a flavour of village life, the surrounding area, and the range of activities you can choose from, such as a temples tour, ploughing with oxen, or cooking Himalayan style.
Connect with your welcoming hosts and understand the value of community hospitality. This is thriving rural India, that few people want to leave – if they can achieve a rewarding lifestyle, and you staying here helps provide that. You’ll find our guides are as keen to take you on gentle wildlife spotting walks on ancient paths as villagers are on showing you their homes, and discussing their lives. Switch off from the outside world and wander along wooded footpaths, breath in the fresh, mountain air, and relax with a book to the sound of birdsong. Do as little or as much as you wish.
If hiking from village to village appeals to you, then perhaps take a look at our Himalayan Wildlife Sanctuary Experience.
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 Kumaon Experience
3 Night Stay-
Private room with en-suite facilities
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3 meals a day featuring locally grown, seasonal produce
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Guide and Porter services
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Guided tour of the village taking between one and three hours depending on you
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GST
HOLIDAY PRICES
3 NIGHTS
PARTY 2-3
PARTY 4-6
Prices coming soon