By road
~410 km from Delhi, ~52 km from Almora
North India · Uttarakhand
Kausani, Uttarakhand
Gandhi's 'Switzerland of India' verandah views · ~410 km from Delhi, ~52 km from Almora
Getting there
By rail
Kathgodam, ~132 km
By air
Pantnagar Airport, ~162 km; Jolly Grant, Dehradun (~157 km) is a similar alternative
Best time to visit
October to March — the trishul of peaks stays unveiled
Don't miss
Anasakti (Gandhi) Ashram
Kausani Tea Estate
Baijnath temples nearby
Things to do
Sunrise peak-gazing
Tea-estate visits
Anasakti Ashram mornings
Where to eat
Sources: wikimedia, Photo: Dr. Satyabrata Ghosh · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Woollens, binoculars, early alarm for sunrise on the peaks
A quieter corner
Rudradhari waterfall and cave temple walk through pine forest
About Kausani
- Hills
Where it is
Kausani is a small hill village in the Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand, on a pine-covered ridge in the Kumaon hills, facing a wide panorama of peaks including Trishul, Nanda Devi and Panchachuli.
History
Kausani was a quiet Kumaoni village when Mahatma Gandhi stayed here for two weeks, working on Anasakti Yoga, his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, at the guesthouse now known as Anasakti Ashram. The Hindi poet Sumitranandan Pant was born in Kausani, and the village later grew into a small hill resort.
People
Kausani's people speak Kumaoni and Hindi, and terraced farming, tea and tourism sustain the village. Lakshmi Ashram, founded by Gandhi's follower Sarala Behn in the 1940s, has long run a school for girls here.
Known for
- Sunrise over the Himalayan peaks
- Anasakti Ashram
- Kausani Tea Estate
- The Baijnath temples nearby
- The Sumitranandan Pant museum
Did you know?
Mahatma Gandhi is said to have called Kausani the Switzerland of India during his stay here.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.