Kumaon

Trekking: Kumaon offers trekking opportunities in three distinct regions namely the foothills of the Himalayas of Nainital district, the hills of Almora, Ranikhet, Kausani, Chaukori and Pithoragarh and the Himalayan glaciers. Lake area and foothills of the Himalayas in Nainital is appropriate for school children with easy trekking trails. Hilly areas of Almora, Ranikhet, and other regions are ideal for more experienced trekkers. Moreover, for people looking for difficult routes, picturesque river sides and clusters of campanulate flowers, they can go for trekking in the Himalayan glacier area of the Kumaon hills. Various trekking packages are available on Tourism of India’s website and other popular holiday planning websites (shaktihimalaya.com).
Camping: You can go for camping as well. The serene beauty of the villages and the sky full of stars will add up to the experience. Usually, the hotels or the resorts make the arrangement for tented camps for their guests. Also, you can go for walks in the flower valleys and can take a closer look into the village life at Kumaon.

Kumaoni food is simply prepared, with minimal spices, but the method of preparation is very different and adds to the flavour of the raw ingredients by simmering on a slow flame and letting the food stew in its own juices. A local cuisine called 'dubke' is prepared by mashing the gram into a paste and cooking it on a simmering flame in warmer spices and a light gravy, thickened by the gram itself. A particular type of lentil, called 'gauhat', is fried in clarified butter or ghee and cooked in curry, the dish is known as 'chudkaani'. Rice is a staple of the Kumaoni cuisine, and a combination of rice and local lentils is extremely popular. Another cereal important to the Kumaoni cuisine is 'mandua', which is ground into a fine flour, and cooked like normal wheat flour into chapattis. The flour of mandua is particularly good for the body, because of its intrinsically warm nature. All the Kumaoni cuisine may not appeal to a person with normal taste buds because of its heavy after feeling, then the flavour fullness, but the same is necessary for the body to run in warmer temperatures.

Kumaon is a rustic place with really less dining in options, but the people are amiable. A few formal dining options with a name are the Neelkanth Family Restaurant, Rituraj, Kiran Restaurant and Anupam Restaurant. Most of these are just a few years old, owing to the sudden influx of tourists. Regional food is available in almost all these places and locally for you to enjoy. Alcohol is a must have for the locals because of the dropping temperatures, but not imperative for everyone.
View Top Restaurants in Kumaon

Day 1- Arrive at Nainital. Check into your hotel and freshen up. You can start your tour by paying a visit to the Goddess Naina Devi temple, it is considered to be a must for every visitor. It is easy to reach the temple by cab or by any sort of local transport. The temple is located at the end of the famous mall road and has many local restaurants to satisfy your hunger. While returning you can check out the mall road which has many old shops and can pick up many souvenirs. Afterwards, you can enjoy a refreshing boat ride in the Nainital lake where boating is available at fixed rates @ 210/-.
Day 2- You can start your day by visiting the High Altitude Zoo which has a very good assembly of wild animals. Further, you can go to enjoy the scenic beauty Eco cave Gardens has to offer. Walking through the caves might get difficult because of the steepness but the view of Nainital from the end will be worth the walking. You can call your day off by going for a little shopping at Tibetan market and can also see the Raj era buildings like the Nainital Governor's House.
Day 3- Nainital offers you with amazing views of the mighty Himalayan range and you can't afford to miss that. You can have a good authentic breakfast at any local shop and go to see Snow Point View, Naina Peak, Tiffin Top (Dorothy's seat) and enjoy the Nainital Ropeway which will amaze you like anything. Nainital is famous for its candles, don't forget to buy some and you can browse some of the artistic ones at Anil Candles Factory Outlet as well.
Day 4- Reach Kasauni from Nainital and en route visit Jageshwar which has one of the oldest and most renowned temples. The distance from Nainital to Kausani is 112 km which will is a 4-hour car/jeep/bus ride.
Day 5- Depart from Kausani and reach Chaukori which is about 110 km (4.5 hrs). You can enjoy the serenity of Patal Bhubaneshwar Cave Temple, Berinag Temple and various other historic temples around Bageshwar.

The nearest railway station is located at Kathgodham which is at a distance of 34 km, at the foothills of the Kumaon hills. This railway station has good connectivity with all the major cities nearby like Delhi, Lucknow, and Howrah. Also, daily trains run from Delhi to this place.
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The top places near to Kumaon are Nainital which is 11 km from Kumaon, Almora which is located 40 km from Kumaon, Bhimtal which is located 11 km from Kumaon, Mukteshwar which is located 26 km from Kumaon, Sattal which is located 9 km from Kumaon

The top things to do in Kumaon are Panchachuli Glacier, Nanda Devi Temple, Narayan Ashram, Jim Corbett National Park, Bhimtal Lake, Naini Lake. You can see all the places to visit in Kumaon here

The packages for Kumaon start at INR 5200 which can be further customized based on number of people, days, hotel category, vehicle type and customizations. You can have a look at all packages here

Kumaoni food is simply prepared, with minimal spices, but the method of preparation is very different and adds to the flavour of the raw ingredients by simmering on a slow flame and letting the food stew in its own juices. A local cuisine called 'dubke' is prepared by mashing the gram into a paste and cooking it on a simmering flame in warmer spices and a light gravy, thickened by the gram itself. A particular type of lentil, called 'gauhat', is fried in clarified butter or ghee and cooked in curry, the dish is known as 'chudkaani'. Rice is a staple of the Kumaoni cuisine, and a combination of rice and local lentils is extremely popular. Another cereal important to the Kumaoni cuisine is 'mandua', which is ground into a fine flour, and cooked like normal wheat flour into chapattis. The flour of mandua is particularly good for the body, because of its intrinsically warm nature. All the Kumaoni cuisine may not appeal to a person with normal taste buds because of its heavy after feeling, then the flavour fullness, but the same is necessary for the body to run in warmer temperatures.

Kumaon is a rustic place with really less dining in options, but the people are amiable. A few formal dining options with a name are the Neelkanth Family Restaurant, Rituraj, Kiran Restaurant and Anupam Restaurant. Most of these are just a few years old, owing to the sudden influx of tourists. Regional food is available in almost all these places and locally for you to enjoy. Alcohol is a must have for the locals because of the dropping temperatures, but not imperative for everyone.
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October to December and March to May are the best months to visit Kumaon. While January and February are good for those who wish to experience snowfalls. June is quite hot, while July onwards, Kumaon receives lots of rains which makes commuting quite difficult in the area. Spring to summer is the ideal time to visit Kumaon when the skies are clear the temperature is just perfect for all the sightseeing, and the scenery makes for some really lovely photographic memoirs. What's more, the tourism in summers is more active in spring-summer here, so you may be able to score good bargains on travel, stay and sightseeing deals, if you plan to have a properly chalked out trip. Summers make it easier for you to explore the valleys on your own, from morning to evenings, without worrying about having a frostbite.
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A great place to visit with family for vacations and equally great for people having a special interest in adventure sports. Ideal place to visit for snow lovers and honeymooners as well. Nainital and Jim Corbett attracts visitors from all over the country.

Gets crowded during peak seasons. The period from July to August get difficult to access the region as it receives heavy rainfall during this time of the year.

Kumaon is the home of the iconic Himalayan Range and those idyllic villages which will give you a complete feel of heaven. Jungle safari, Boating, Trekking and other adventure sports available. Excellent views of the Himalayas and Shivalik Ranges.