We recently came back from a visit to Binsar, which is about an hour and a half drive from Almora. Once you leave the dust and the grime of Almora and the numerous sweet shops behind, you will be welcomed by pine trees all along the way to Binsar. Enter past the forest check post and you are into a different world.
There are not many options to stay in Binsar. The ubiquitous KMVN is there and the other option is Khali Estate also known as the Mountain Retreat. Club Mahindra though claims to be in Binsar is actually further down and outside the Binsar reserve forest area. We stayed at the Khali estate for two nights and it was one of the memorable holidays of our life. The original bunglow was built in the 19th century by a Britisher which now after passing through many hands (including Vijaylaksmi Pandit and the Gandhi Trust) is owned by Mr Pandey.
The resort is spread accross sprawling acres of land dotted with trees and flowers. The trees have identification boards for us city breds who are interested in nature. There is a lovely library where I found a fascinating collection of books on the Himalayas beside other books. Grab a Himalayan Journal and spend a lazy afternoon on a hammock. The food though veg is homely and the staff there will pamper you to become a glutton.
After a hearty breakfast take a walk in the forests around and the cool breeze of the pine trees will soothe your stressed out body. If the weather is clear you will get a glimpse of the Himalayan peaks. There are a lot of birds in Binsar though we could not see one. For the religious minded there is even an old Shiva temple inside the estate and the pujari there has his own interesting anecdotes. Get hold of Bishen ji who is a veteran of 40 years in Khali and he will tell you stories of how the Gandhi family spent their vacations in Khali. We stayed in a cottage where Maa Anandamayee once stayed on her visit.
In all after a travelling to the different hill stations of Uttaranchal when our tired bodies wanted some rest, the Khali estate was like a oasis of peace and tranquility. The charges for a cottage is Rs. 3600 per couple per night which include all the meals (veg). We found the money worth spending.