Binsar, Uttarakhand – An enchanting hill station, it is an ideal base to catch a glimpse of the stunning Panchachuli peak

A beautiful and placid hill station Binsar is a popular travel destination in the Kumaon region of the state of Uttarakhand. Here you will get a chance to be close to nature. Located at an altitude of 2,412 mts above sea level, Binsar is a wonderful holiday hotspot offering majestic views of Himalayan peaks.  Binsar is an ideal location for the nature lovers and adventure lovers offering a great insight to the Kumaon culture. The magnificent five major peaks like Chaukhamba, Panchachuli, Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot, and Kedarnath are quiet visible from here.

Places to see in Binsar: This phenomenal hill station is gifted with some outstanding sight seeing locations. These include:

Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary

This sanctuary houses more than 200 species of bird, Barking Deer, Himalayan bear, leapord, fox, musk deer, langur, porcupine, flying squirrel, chital, jungle cat etc. You can easily spot an animal in this dense sanctuary. The wildlife sanctuary spans over an area of 47.79square kilometers and established in the year 1988.

Binsar Zero Point

TheZero point offers the priceless panoramic view of the spectacular Himalayan range. You can clearly see the snow-clad peaks of Kedarnath, Shivling, Trishul and the Nanda Devi from here.

Bineshwar Temple

This famous temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This place is the major crowd puller of Binsar. Make a visit to this sacred temple of 13th century. King Kalyan of the Chand Dynasty constructed this temple.

Khali Estate

Once the home of Sir Henry Ramsay, the commissioner of Kumaun from 1856 to 1884, Khali estate is an ideal place to spend some days enjoying the natural beauty. It is popularly called by British authors as “King of Kumaun”. He also built his bungalow at Binsar. Vijay Laxmi Pandit, the sister of Jawahar Lal Nehru, also lived here.

Mary Budden Estate

This estate perches within the deep heavily wooded oak forests of the Binsar Wild life Sanctuary. The Estate is located in a cozy corner of the Kumaon hills in the Himalayas, at a height of 8000 feet. Here the guests can be assured a unique experience within the estate. This estate is one of only five homes in all of Binsar. Mary Budden Estate is one of North India’s top eco-hotels harvests rainwater and is fully powered by solar energy.

Binsar Sanctuary Museum

Binsar has a museum about the flora and fauna of the region and provide good and valuable information about the Sanctuary.

Kasar Devi Temple

Located at a distance of around 9 km from Binsar, Kasar Devi Temple is said to be the house for the hippies. It was from here that the hippie culture got popular. It is a major tourist attraction for the foreigners. The temple got its first recognition in 1820 when Swami Vivekananda meditated.

Nearby attractions from Binsar: There are also some excursion spots located around Binsar. These include:

Kausani

Resting at an elevation of 1890mts above sea level, Kausani is 48kms from Binsar. This panoramic location is a very popular tourist spot in Uttarakhand. This charming hill resort amidst the several snow-capped peaks is endowed with excellent natural beauty. Mahatma Gandhi was absolutely moved by the scenic beauty of Kausani when he visited the place in the year 1929.

Bageshwar

Bageshwar is located at a distance of 60kms from Binsar. This new district is the headquarter of the center of administration of Danapur. Bageshwar derives its name from Bagnath, a famous temple in this region. Every year, thousands of pilgrims from all over the world make a visit to this place. According to the popular believe, Lord Shiva wandered here as a tiger. The site is located at the intersection of the Saryu and Gomti rivers. A popular fair called Uttarayani is held every year in January in Bageshwar. The place also forms an ideal base camp of the trekkers for Pindari.

Jaina

Situated at the height of 1677 mts Jaina is just a 59 kms drive from Binsar. This is full of orchards that produce apple, apricots, peaches, pears and other fruits.

Shiva Temple

31 kms from Binsar, this Shiva temple has a cave like structure, and rests amidst forests of oak & deodar, having its own archeological importance.

Chitai Temple or Gollu Devta

The ChitaiTemple is a temple dedicated to Gollu Devta, an incarnation of Gaur Bhairav. Located at a distance of 44kms from Binsar, this wakeful deity makes every wish of its devotees come true, if asked with a clear conscience. The reward he asks for is the ringing of the bell, which is quite evident from the thousands of bells which is hanged across the temple premises. This temple follows an unique process, anybody coming here can get Gollu Devta’s divine intervention by writing a letter to him. You will find stacks of letter which are pinned all over the temple together with the bells.

Baijnath Temple

This is the third renowned temple at Bageshwar, one of the few temples where you will find both Lord Shiva and Parvati Mata being worshipped. Located within the temple complex is a pond. You can find a variety of fish here.

Things to do in Binsar: The place is ideal for bird watching. You can also take a stroll here around the area and enjoy the scenic beauty of the location which are a feast for the eyes. Shoppers must carry crafts made from the local wood that makes a good souvenir.

Best time to visit Binsar:  Binsar can be visited throughout the year, but the best time to visit the picturesque hill station is from April to June and again from September to November.

How to go ?

By Air

Flights from Delhi will occasionally be available to the airport in Pantnagar. This is a developing airport in the state of Uttarakhand and flight services here are not so regular. However, you can try for flights to this airport in order to reach Binsar easily from here.

By Train

The town of Binsar can be easily reached through trains and buses, as buses will directly run to the major bus stand located in the town, and trains can be taken to the nearby railway station. Flights can also be taken to the nearest airport, located in the town of Pantnagar.

By Bus

Local as well as State transport buses are available from Kathgodam, Chandigarh, Delhi and other parts of the region.

Where to stay ?

 Binsar is dotted with some accommodation options too.

The Binsar Retreat: +91-819- 192-0725  Website: www.thebinsarretreat.com
Binsar Rest House: +91-8650002537  Website: www.kmvn.gov.in
Binsar Eco Camp: 91  09412 17 0366, 9675 54 4799, 8958 13 9414 Website: www.binsarecocamp.com
Maa Anandmayee Guest House: www.anandinuttarakhand.com

Note : Phone numbers given above are according to the information available with us. If you find any contact number/s given above is/are incorrect or not in use, please let us know.