This is one of a series of posts describing short strolls/hikes from a trip of Kumaon undertaken with my family during December 2012. While sightseeing was an important aspect of this trip, it had added significance since I have family roots in this Himalayan region (indeed, both my parents were born and brought up here). I myself was born and brought up in the middle of the Indo-Gangetic plain (and visited limited parts of Kumaon only a few times), but almost all the family stories I heard as a child were rooted in that area. Interestingly, I myself acquired a love for the hills while living halfway across the world, when I moved to the NYC area for work, and became a (day) hiking enthusiast. This trip was an opportunity to both visit the places I had often heard about as well as acquire at least a passing acquaintance with a part of the mighty Himalayas that span the northern frontiers of India. Some hiccups at the start of the trip required us to modify our plans to omit long walks from our itinerary, but there were still enough opportunities to experience and visually document the natural beauty of the area, as well as some of the worrisome signs of its spoilage.
Date: December 10, 2012
Location: Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand, India
Description: Binsar (which derives its name from the Bineshwar Temple) is a wonderful place...an increasingly rare oasis of remoteness within a 1.5 hour drive from Almora. Designated a wildlife sanctuary sometime in the late 1980s, it features a wide variety of flora and fauna. Varieties of oak are quite abundant, and one also comes across a lot of rhododendron (locally known as burans) trees (this was unfortunately not the right season to see them in flower). Even during our relatively short hike (of 4 km roundtrip) to Zero Point from the KMVN guest house (up to which one can get by car), we encountered numerous interesting herbs and several kinds of fern amongst other things. There are of course numerous other trails in other parts of the sanctuary that one can enjoy with more time on one's hand.
Zero Point itself is a spot where the upper-level of an erected pavilion reveals a superb panorama of snow-clad mountain ranges, from Nanda Gunti to Panchachuli and even parts of the Nepal Himalayas. From a nearby spot, one can view Chaukhamba (home to the Gangotri and Yamnotri glaciers from where the Ganga and the Yamuna arise).
Langurs were numerous in the early sections of the Zero Point trail. We also spotted a fox on the road while driving towards the trailhead. In warmer months, Binsar is also considered a great place for birding, though we only spotted a few (it being December).
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| The entrance area |
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| Langurs by the roadside |
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| A segment of the trail to Zero Point |
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| A 120 year old rhododendron tree |
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| Bracket fungus |
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| View from Zero Point |
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| Gathering clouds partially shroud the Nanda Devi group of peaks |
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| Pindari Glacier lies east of the Nanda Devi group |
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| Two-level pavilion at Zero Point |
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| Chaukhamba (quadrilateral to the left) and Kameth (pyramid to the right) |
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| Interesting plant |
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| Moss-covered branches picturesquely frame this distant view of the snow-capped ranges of the Uttarakhand Himalayas |
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| The variety of the flora at Binsar is quite impressive |
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| A group of langurs lounges trailside |
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