Rishikesh-Kausani Travel Question

sudzindia

Hey ppl,

From Delhi I am planning to head up to Haridwar and then Rishikesh.

Now i wanted to visit some remote mountain towns with fantastic views, without being too crowded. I did a bit of research and a bit of snooping around and I like the sound of Kausani-Bajinath area near Almora.

Is there direct transport from Rishikesh to this area? How long would the trip be? Cost?

Towns around the region which were recommended were Kusani, Ranikhet, Kesar Devi, Bageshwar, Binsar, Jageshwar and Kasar Devi. I have 5-6 days in the region.

Given the timeframe, which of these places would you stay at and for how long? I would love to see a few, but then again dont want to be rushed...so im kind of confused. Am hoping to stay at places for Rs150-300.

Also what is the temperature like in these places in february?
Thank you!

jyotirmoy

I suggest this route:
Rishikesh - Gwaldam - Kausani - Binsar - Almora - Delhi.

mridula

I have visited Jageshwar in Feb and it was not that cold. The temperature would dip a lot at the night but if the days are sunny, they are quite OK.

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ddutta

100% agreed with him. Had been to this region in last Nov. The road from kausani to Gwaldam ( Via Baijnath ) is excellant. We hired car so not know regarding bus service , though saw few buses in the road. Can stay at these places. Karnaprayag , Kausani , Binsar , Almora / Kasar Devi . Visit Jageswar from Binsar or Almora. (apprx. 2hrs drive) Very nice place.

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sudzindia

You reckon Gwaldam-Kausani-Binsar-Almora is doable in 5-6 days without being too rushed?

I would like to stay at Rishikesh for a couple of days, but taht is seperate from the 5-6 days allocated for Kumaon..

I checked the map on Rough Guide and could not locate Kasar Devi. Is Jegeshwar a better bet than Baageshwar?

jyotirmoy

Jageshwar is great. Only here you will see freak pine trees.
In Binsar stay at the Forest bungalow. Booking can be done at the office of DFO(West) in Almora.
With a car it is very convinient to do this route.
Any particular reason for spending a couple of days in Rishikesh? I would leave for the mountains as early as possible.

sudzindia

What's the car prices like between destinations? are there shared jeeps/vehicles?

ddutta

You can do this in 5-6 days. 1st NHalt at Karnaprayag - 2nd NH at Kausani ( visit Baijnath on th way ) 3rd NH at Binsar - visit Jageshwar 4th at Kasar Devi . Kasar Devi is located in outskirt of Almora. It is not a separate town. Jageswar is a nice quet place surrounded with thick forest.We hired the car from Delhi .Local bus & share trekers are there but not much in Karnaprayag - Kausani route .

sudzindia

Im travelling alone, so im worried whether car prices are going to come up to quite a bit. According to your route, i will be in Almora only after Binsar, so cant really book. Do you mean me to call Almora and make the booking for Binsar? Another thing im concerned about is that im on a very unpredictable trip and cannot pinpoint any dates until i reach india and get a feel of the place..So probably can book accomodation only 2-3 days in advance or so, would that be too late?

Is it peak period btw? Would it be difficult to get accomodation?

Regarding Rishikesh, i would want to be around a bit to get into a bit of the 'holy town' syndrome..haha. Wouldnt mind visiting a few ashrams and places

Cheers,
Sudz

rajkumar

ddutta's itenary should be fine. I too was in this region in the first week of Dec. Excellent views of the mountains.
Shared jeeps are available at all places in the morning provided there are sufficient number of passengers.
As a rule try to travel very early in the morning in the mountains. After 10-00AM, it is difficult to get passenger vehicles moving between Karnprayag and Gwaldam/Baijnath.
Very few buses ply on this route.

ddutta

If you are going in Feb. accom. wont be a problem . But for Forest Bunglow you will need the required letter / permission . Local people are always traveling in these routes so if you like to travel in budget you can opt for bus , shared jeep etc. The only problem to avail these is you may have to change in the middle bcoz you may not get point to point bus / jeep always.

sudzindia

thanks ddutta and rajkumar!! What is the price like on shared jeeps/solo jeeps/horse,donkey back etc between the said places? Hahaha...

ddutta

Anything from Re1/= --- Rs100/= ( in shared one ) & multiply 10 times (min) of that for solo .

rajkumar

Solo jeep might cost you Rs1500 to 2500 per day
For shared jeeps the fare is approximately 1 rupee or 1 and half rupee per kilometer per passenger. For buses it will be around 1 rupee.
donkey or mule per day may cost you about Rs 300 to Rs 500
horses cost more...
absolutely no cost if you go on FOOT :-)

sudzindia

geee i really cannot afford solo trips then..guess hv to hang around and find company early in the morning i guess