making meaningful connections
Mystic Kumaon -
Yoga at Binsar
8 nights, 3 days walking, 3 morning yoga sessions
Yoga retreat with walking and mountain villages in North India
Yoga retreat with walking and mountain villages in North India
The tranquil landscape of the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is the perfect backdrop to rejuvinate mind, body and soul, with this unique holiday combining yoga with forest walks and authentic village hospitality. Join a small group of like-minded individuals, along with a local yoga expert and village guide, switch off from world and be truly present. With four nights at historic Khali Estate with daily yoga practices, and three days exploring the hills and woodland trails between the neighbouring villages, it is the perfect blend of invigoration and relaxation.
This is a small group holiday with fixed departure dates. We advise booking early.
Welcome at Delhi airport, transfer to Delhi guesthouse for overnight stay.
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 in the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary.
Evening welcome and briefing by Village Ways Team and Yoga Instructor meet the group. Overnight at Khali Estate, a relaxing stay in a twin room garden bungalow.
A second night at Khali Estate gives you time to relax, enjoy the views and take in your peaceful surroundings. Your morning starts with herbal tea and a yoga session. After breakfast, take a day trip to Almora to explore the bazaar, enjoy lunch in Almora (to be paid for locally) and return to Khali Estate for evening meal.
Morning Yoga and then onwards for a walk around Khali with a local guide. Breakfast and then morning at your leisure. In the afternoon, enjoy a cooking demonstration by the Khali team – local vegetarian dishes and an Indian desert. Enjoy another night at Khali.
After breakfast meet your guide to discuss the journey ahead. From Khali, head through the pine forest for your walk to one of the Binsar villages, where you spend a night in a guesthouse owned and run by the community. Your guide helps you to spot abundant wildlife, get to know the local communities and enjoy the tranquil pace of life in the foothill villages.
The community owned guesthouses offer simple twin bedroom accommodation. Your luggage is carried by village porters.
Enjoy another day’s walk between villages in the company of your group and local guide, and spend a night in a second village guesthouse.
Return to Khali by foot for a final afternoon’s relaxation and overnight stay. Enjoy a special Pahadi dinner in the evening.
Return by road to Kathgodam to catch the overnight train to Delhi.
Transfer from train station to Delhi airport for homeward flight.
Your stay at Khali Estate includes daily yoga session with experienced teacher Akailesh (masters in yoga). The sessions include Hatha and Asthanga yoga, according to the wishes of the group, and are suitable for both beginners and more experienced participants. Where possible, they will be arranged outdoors at sunrise or sunset in the grounds of Khali, or indoors if the weather is not favourable.
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 the level and needs of the group. 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. 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 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. Many of our guests have told us this participation has been a highlight of their Indian experience. 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.
Your stay in Binsar commences at Khali Estate, a small family-run hotel steeped in the rich history of modern India and an integral part of Village Ways. Khali is situated within the pine forests of Binsar, with views of the Himalayan peaks, while through the forested slopes are scattered the villages and farms of Binsar.
Your room is in one of the picturesque stone rondavel cabins set amongst the pine trees, clustered around the British Raj style house that was built by General Sir Henry Ramsay. You can truly relax at Khali – it is peaceful (no TV), with good vegetarian food, attentive service and plenty of short walks. In winter there is a warming log fire in the sitting room.
With magnificent views, comfortable accommodation and a real sense of peace, this really is a sanctuary and is the ideal location for a yoga retreat.
With Village Ways you stay in very special village guesthouses – ‘village homestays’ – owned and managed by the village committee and benefitting the wider community. Connect with your hosts in a special way and enjoy life at the heart of a village, without feeling that you are intruding in anyone’s home.
In Binsar, the guesthouses are simple and comfortable, built in traditional style by the communities of Risal, Dalar, Kathdhara, Gonap, Satri and Matkanya. They have a living/dining room, kitchen, four twin bedrooms and shared shower/WCs. Each village of Binsar will give you its own special welcome.
We work with some very comfortable and hospitable guesthouses in the heart of Delhi, which we book according to availability.
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, yoga sessions with an experienced teacher, guided walks between village guesthouses with all meals provided at Khali and the villages.
Although this is a group trip with a fixed departure date, the suggested itinerary can be extended if you wish to spend more time exploring the Himalayan foothills, or shortened if your time in India is limited. Our knowledgeable staff will be delighted to help fashion the holiday to suit you.
We ask our guests to make their own arrangements for international travel to India. For Village Ways holidays in the foothills, the nearest airport is Delhi. Travel information for India, including visa requirements, can be found here.
Delhi is a fascinating and vibrant city. We include a night in a comfortable guesthouse. We can also arrange an upgrade from a guesthouse to a hotel if you prefer. Why not add an extra night’s stay in the city to your holiday?
One of the easiest ways to get around and across Delhi is by car. If you wish to explore, we can arrange carefully selected drivers to look after you for the day. On call for you, they will be able to take from shops to India Gate to the Red Fort and out to dinner – or wherever you choose. The shopping opportunities are excellent, particularly for textiles.
Included in your holiday to and from the hills is a train journey from Delhi to Kathgodam. The return is an overnight journey on the Ranikhet Express. Included accommodation is in 2nd class, air-conditioned carriages – 2 tier, open plan with curtains around groups of berths. Trains open for reservation 3 months before departure. As soon as reservations open we will be able to confirm your rail journey to you.
Upgrade to 1st class You can upgrade to 1st class where the berths are in air-conditioned compartments of four or two. There is only one 1st class carriage which can be get booked very early on.
From Delhi to the hills by car You can also choose to travel up from Delhi (or return at the end of you holiday) by private car.
Extra nights at Khali Estate
All holidays to Binsar include at least one night at Khali Estate, a marvelous place to relax and unwind. Many guests have added an extra night here at the beginning or end of their stay in the hills. If your journey here has been by night flight followed by overnight train it could be good idea to catch you breath with a quiet day here.
Extra nights in the Village Guest-houses
You may wish to prolong your exploration of the wonderful hill villages in Binsar. There is so much to learn and appreciate about village life and the host communities would love to keep you for a day longer.
March to May
From March onwards the temperatures rise steadily from maxima of 15°C to around 30°C in May, but the nights remain comfortable (10-15°C). This is the dry, hot season when villagers start to prepare the land for the monsoon crops. The air can become hazy, due to local forest fires and views of the Himalayan peaks are usually limited to the early mornings and evenings.
October to November
This the best time for views of the Himalayan snow-capped peaks. The landscape is still green after the rains. The days are warm and sunny but the air temperatures start to drop as the winter progresses, with maxima of 20 degrees and minima of 5°C.
April 14th – 21st, 2024
October 4th – April 11th, 2024
April 2nd - 9th, 2025
£1,025
September 23 - 30th, 2025
£1,025