📍 Uttarakhand, India
Uttarakhand · 5 destinations & hidden spots
Hidden Gem
Near Lohaghat, Champawat district
A serene, forgotten colonial hamlet established in 1914 by British businessman Harold Abbott at 6,400 feet. Features thirteen heritage stone cottages tucked into thick deodar and walnut woods, an ancient 1942 stone church, and views over eastern Kumaon valleys.
Baijnath, Bageshwar district
A 12th-century stone temple complex built by the Katyuri kings on the banks of the Gomati River. Houses a magnificent black chlorite stone idol of Goddess Parvati and an adjoining river tank brimming with sacred, protected Golden Mahseer fish fed by pilgrims.
Kausani, Bageshwar district
Dubbed the 'Switzerland of India' by Mahatma Gandhi, who penned his treatise on Anasakti Yoga here in 1929. Perched on a 6,000-foot ridge, Kausani commands a breathtaking 300-km panoramic vista of Trishul, Nanda Devi, and Panchachuli peaks bathed in crimson dawn light.
Munsiyari, Pithoragarh district
Known as the 'Little Kashmir of Uttarakhand', Munsiyari sits at 7,200 feet in eastern Kumaon near the Gori Ganga River. Famous for the closest, most dramatic panoramic view of the five towering Panchachuli peaks ('the five cooking hearths of the Pandavas').
Hidden Gem
Near Gangolihat, Pithoragarh district
An extraordinary 160-metre-long underground limestone cave temple reached by climbing down an 80-foot narrow rock tunnel with iron chains. Formed over millennia, the stalactite and stalagmite figures resemble the 33 crore Hindu deities, Sheshnag, and Shiva's matted locks.
