Kumaon Switzerland- Kausani

Kausani: is a hill station and Village situated in Bageshwar district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is famous for its scenic splendour and its spectacular 300 km-wide panoramic view of Himalayan peaks like Trisul, Nanda Devi and Panchchuli. Mahatma Gandhi called this place the 'Switzerland of India',due to similarity in landscapes.( This is what wiki says about it)

Daily hustle of regular life forces you to look past these materialistic achievements to such a secluded and less travelled locations where people can have a quick break from it. Having similar feelings, searched and searched and finalized this place and must say, could not have got a better choice.

Starting off from delhi, you have an option of two ways to reach here:

1. Via Buses( There are plenty of 'em including Regular/Volvo/Semi-AC from Govt/Private owners Till Haldwani)

2. Via Train( Take Delhi-Ranikhet Express till Kathgodam)

- Ranikhet Express: This train runs directly from delhi and leaves you at khatgodam early morning in case of no delay from where you can plan your day, take a bus or private taxis whichever you like

- Private Bus: I would say take any govt UPSRTC bus or privately owned ones except 'City Heart Travels'(office in Kashmere gate) as they have a very bad service for what is offered, no proper management, no responsibility, no clarity, so much so that one of their ex- employee booked 05 people using their portal and those people were finally dropped off from the bus(even after paying Rs.700 per head

If choosing bus travel, you need to take a bus from Delhi till Haldwani and there are plenty to choose from-take your pick. The road is mostly a good highway except some kilometers of bad stretch near Rudrapur which towards end of you journey till Haldwani, and from there, one can take any bus to Almora(then change to Kausani), or direct K.M.O.U Pvt Ltd buses(Locals pronounce it 'Khey-moo') taking nearly 5-6 Hours to reach this small pahaadi town called 'Kausani' which is overlooking a beautiful valley of someshwar.

After passing by Nainital, Bhimtal once you cover most of the distance, you will reach someshwar valley where you will find highly fertile ground with farms, hard working people growing their crops.

Reaching Kausani will make you instantly feel like you're nearly 50 years back in time, where people didn't rush for their busy lifestyle, they do work but with peace of mind, they never are in a rush or any kind of pressures, its just untouched natural beauty, Flora, Breeze, Mountains-which I'm fearful will be infected by commercialism if it continues to attract soo much.

And yes, there's one more thing- Bajaj Chetak still can be seen on roads here if you are lucky enough..hahaha. There are plenty of cheap options to choose for your stay, like we chose 'Vishal Guest House' at Rs.800 per head with good facilities- clean room,TV etc).

Once you're ready- Head to 'Anashakti Ashram' which the same location where 'Mahatma Gandhi' ji came for relaxing and hence, the wiki content was put up.

After that, don't miss 'Baijnath Temple' which is believed to be made in one single night using only stones?