Above a pristine forest reserve in the Kumaon Himalayas, a restored hundred-year-old house run by Pushkar Singh Negi — a native of these hills with an inexhaustible knowledge of everything around them — is offering travellers the most quietly remarkable experience in Uttarakhand.
The village of Shaukiyathal sits on the road to Vridh Jageshwar, high in the Kumaon Himalayas above Almora, at an altitude where the air is clean in the way that city-dwellers spend weekends trying to remember. A few steps above the house at Kot Kailash, the landscape opens into one of the most spectacular panoramas in the entire Himalayan arc — peaks stretching from far into Garhwal all the way to Nepal, snow-capped and unhurried, filling the horizon with the particular authority that only very old mountains can muster.
Kot Kailash is a hundred-year-old house, restored with local stone and materials, sitting in the midst of a quiet and spectacular primitive forest of kafal trees, rhododendrons, oak, and cedar. It is at once a celebration of Kumaoni culture and tradition, a deeply personal expression of one man’s love for his homeland, and — according to the consistent testimony of everyone who has found their way here — one of the finest homestay experiences in India.
The Man Behind It
Pushkar Singh Negi is, in the words of a guest who stumbled upon Kot Kailash while travelling in the Binsar and Almora area, “a most well-read, informative and charming young man.” He is also a native of the Kumaon region — which means that when he talks about the mountains, the forests, the temples, and the culture of these hills, he does so with the authority of someone who grew up inside them rather than someone who arrived to study them.
Pushkar runs Kot Kailash with a small team: Balam, the ever-helpful caretaker who knows every trail and carries every story of the surrounding hills; Chandan, the in-house cook who prepares local meals with the deep familiarity of someone who grew up eating this way; and Lalit and Chandu, staff members who guests describe, with striking consistency, as always smiling and ready to help. The warmth of Kot Kailash is not a policy. It is the natural extension of people who genuinely love where they are and are glad to share it.
The Property
The house sits at 7,800 feet, perched above the pristine nature reserve of the Kumaon hills with dramatic mountain vistas on every side. The restoration has been done with intelligence and care — preserving the century-old character of the structure while introducing the modern comfort that allows guests to stay for a week rather than a night. Traditional Kumaoni details are present throughout: the architecture, the decor, the materials, the books and articles placed in the rooms that offer a genuine introduction to the culture of the region. A glass cabin provides an ideal space to enjoy morning and evening views. A bonfire-lit patio is where evenings properly gather.
The dogs — Julie, Mickey, and a larger resident — are part of the household and beloved by guests who mention them with the same affection usually reserved for the food and the views.
The Rooms
There are four rooms in total, all set against the backdrop of dramatic mountain vistas, generously proportioned, rich in natural light and traditional details, and each with its own living space for enjoying the valley views.
The Signature Cottage is the most spacious room — 42 square metres with a king bed, private bathroom, mountain view, and the particular sense of having been given the full run of something very good. The Luxury Suite accommodates up to four guests with a king bed and twin bed, mountain view, and generous proportions. The Traditional Suite has a valley view, king bed, and can accommodate up to three guests — the room that most directly expresses the Kumaoni aesthetic the property celebrates.
The Family Suite, the most impressive, offers a sundeck and an intimate dining room — perfect for families who want their own private world within the retreat.
Rates start from approximately ₹7,111 per night, with breakfast included.
Eating Here
The food at Kot Kailash is one of the most frequently and enthusiastically cited aspects of the experience. Chandan cooks traditional Kumaoni food with the confidence of someone for whom this cuisine is not a cultural offering but a daily reality. Guests ask specifically for Kumaoni dal — earthy, spiced, deeply satisfying — and the Banoffee Pie that Pushkar’s love of cooking has added to the repertoire. Breakfasts include à la carte options. Lunches, dinners, and high teas are served with warmth and without rush, in whatever setting the weather suggests.
The cooking classes that Chandan offers to children — and occasionally to adults who ask — are among the small memorable gestures that guests carry home. Learning to cook local rice and dal in a kitchen in the Kumaon hills, with the Himalayas visible through the window, is the kind of experience that resists being categorised as a tourist activity.
What to See and Experience
The trail from Kot Kailash to the Jageshwar Dham temple complex — one of the most sacred Shiva temple clusters in all of India, set in a dense deodar forest at 6,200 feet — is a five-kilometre downhill walk of exceptional beauty. Jageshwar, with its 124 ancient stone temples dating from the 7th to the 12th centuries, is a site of deep spiritual significance and extraordinary craftsmanship, and the trail from Shaukiyathal is among the best ways to arrive.
The hike to the Kot temple, guided by Balam, is a shorter outing that rewards with panoramic Himalayan views from the summit and the intimate pleasure of walking through forest and hamlet with someone who knows every name along the way. Village walks through the surrounding hamlets and farms offer encounters with agricultural practices and daily life that have changed remarkably little over the centuries.
Kasar Devi Temple — the ancient hilltop shrine near Almora that attracted Swami Vivekananda, D.H. Lawrence, Cat Stevens, and Bob Dylan at various points in the twentieth century — is approximately 30 kilometres away. The Chitai Golu Devta Temple, famous for the bells and letters left by devotees seeking justice from the deity, is closer still. Almora town, with its distinctive traditional bazaars and the Nanda Devi Temple, is within comfortable reach for a day visit.
For the more adventurous, trails extend in both directions from the house — several leading down through hamlets and farms over a few hours, offering different views of the valley on every descent. Snow peaks are visible from a few steps above the house in clear weather: the panorama, according to guests who have made the effort, is unlike almost any other in the Kumaon.
Why It Stays With You
Guests describe Kot Kailash as an emotion rather than a stay. This is not hyperbole — it is a fairly precise description of what happens when a place is built by someone who genuinely loves it, run by people who are glad to be there, and set in a landscape that reminds you what the world looks like when it has not been tidied for your convenience.
Pushkar Singh Negi’s knowledge of the Kumaon — its environment, its culture, its forest, its people — is the kind that can only come from a lifetime of inhabiting a place. To stay at Kot Kailash is to have access to that knowledge, offered freely over coffee and conversation, over evening fires and morning walks, over meals that taste of the valley they came from.
Plan Your Visit
Address: Kot Kailash, Village Kunja Gunth, Shaukiyathal, District Almora, Uttarakhand — 263601 Phone: +91 93126 60954 Booking: Booking.com · MakeMyTrip · Direct via phone
Host: Pushkar Singh Negi Team: Balam (caretaker & guide) · Chandan (cook)
Check-in: 2:00 PM · Check-out: 12:00 noon
Rooms: 4 — Signature Cottage (King, 42 sqm), Luxury Suite (King + Twin, sleeps 4), Traditional Suite (King, sleeps 3, valley view), Family Suite (King, with sundeck and private dining room) Rates: From ₹7,111 per night · Breakfast included Meals: Breakfast (à la carte, Indian, vegetarian options) · Lunch, dinner, high tea available · Traditional Kumaoni cuisine a specialty Facilities: Garden · Sun terrace · Bonfire patio · Glass cabin · Yoga classes · Fitness room · Outdoor fireplace · Free Wi-Fi · Free parking · Pet-friendly
Note: Payment before arrival by bank transfer is required. Property will contact you after booking with instructions. Cash payments only on site.
Getting There — Pantnagar Airport is approximately 160 km away — around 4–5 hours by road. Paid airport transfers can be arranged through the property. — Kathgodam Railway Station is the most convenient railhead — approximately 90 km from Shaukiyathal, around 3 hours by road. Regular trains from Delhi (Anand Vihar and Nizamuddin) with journey times of approximately 7–8 hours. — From Almora town: approximately 35 km — around 1.5 hours by road to Shaukiyathal. The property is on the main road to Vridh Jageshwar. — From Delhi: approximately 380 km via Kathgodam — around 8–9 hours by road or overnight train to Kathgodam followed by a taxi to Shaukiyathal. — Taxis are readily available from Kathgodam and Almora for the final stretch.
Nearby — Jageshwar Dham Temple complex: 5 km (trail) · Vridh Jageshwar: 3 km · Almora town: 35 km · Kasar Devi Temple: 30 km · Chitai Golu Devta Temple: 15 km · Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary: 25 km · Pantnagar Airport: 160 km
Best Time to Visit: October to June for clear Himalayan views and snow-peak panoramas · March to May for rhododendron blooms and ideal trekking weather · December to February for snow at altitude · Avoid peak monsoon (July–August) when trails can be slippery.
