When a Delhi engineer’s plans to study abroad were derailed by a pandemic, he returned to his great-grandfather’s cottage in the Kumaon hills and built, on seven acres of ancestral land at 5,500 feet, one of the most thoughtfully sustainable luxury homestays in India.
The story of Bir Terraces begins, like so many of the best stories, with disruption. Dushyant Vashisht was 26, a software engineer from Delhi with plans to pursue a master’s degree abroad. March 2020 arrived and the world changed. The plans evaporated. The alternatives were uncertain. And then, on something between instinct and necessity, Dushyant returned to the family’s ancestral cottage in the Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand.
The cottage had been built on a piece of land that belonged to Dushyant’s great-grandfather — a seven-acre estate in the village of Virkhan, at 5,500 feet, surrounded by lush pine and oak forests with Himalayan peaks stretching across the horizon. The family had rebuilt it as a holiday home in 2015, demolishing the old haveli in the process — and Dushyant had upcycled the wood from that demolition, turning old doors into dining tables and salvaged timber into the bones of something new. When the pandemic closed down everything else, he uploaded a few photographs of the place to social media, almost as an afterthought.
The response was immediate and unambiguous. People loved it. They wanted to come. Why not build a project out of this, someone suggested. And so Dushyant — with his now-partner Avanti, an apothecarist and ethnobotanist who came to the project with her own distinct knowledge of plants, herbs, and the Himalayan ecosystem — did exactly that.
The Property
Bir Terraces sits on seven acres of forested terraces at 5,500 feet in the Kumaon hills, between Nainital and Almora, in one of the most scenically extraordinary corners of Uttarakhand. The main building was constructed using the random rubble masonry technique — stone from the local landscape, shaped and stacked with the knowledge of the hills. Not a single tree was cut in the construction or development of the property. The estate is principled, in Dushyant’s own words, in “self-sufficient, sustainable, natural, and regenerative practices in farming, design, resource utilization, and lifestyle itself.”
The views are what guests consistently stop mid-sentence to describe: Nanda Devi and several other Himalayan peaks are visible on clear mornings, the ridgeline stretching across the sky with the forests dropping away below and the terraced farmland in the foreground. Guests sit on the terraces at dawn with tea and watch the mountains reveal themselves as the light shifts. Mornings begin with birdsong. Evenings end with spectacular sunsets and, on clear nights, a sky so thick with stars it is difficult to recall what the sky was supposed to look like.
Staying Here
The main property has three charming bedrooms and an attic, together accommodating up to ten guests across different configurations. Each space has the rustic, considered aesthetic of a home assembled with love and upcycled intelligence: the dining table that was once a door, the wooden interiors made from timber salvaged from the family’s old haveli, the fireplaces that make Kumaon winters genuinely comfortable rather than merely endured.
There are also standalone cottages for those who want more privacy: a one-bedroom cottage accommodating up to three guests, ideal for couples or a small family. All units are fully equipped with kitchens, free Wi-Fi, TV, and complimentary breakfast. The property is fully and warmly pet-friendly — Zoey, Mochi, Jack, Gabbar, and Kalu, the resident dogs, are a beloved part of the experience and feature in reviews almost as frequently as the food and the mountains. Up to two guest pets are also welcome.
The Farm and the Kitchen
The organic farm on the estate practices biodynamic farming methods — growing rosemary, thyme, lemongrass, sage, celery, peppermint, parsley, spearmint, and an array of seasonal fruits including peaches, apricots, plums, and strawberries. What grows on the farm goes to the kitchen. What the kitchen can’t grow comes from nearby farms in the Kumaon villages.
Kamlesh — the warm and friendly caretaker from the neighbouring village of Kool, who has a knack for cooking and vast knowledge of the local flora — runs the kitchen with the knowledge of someone who has spent his life in these hills and knows how they taste. Avanti’s expertise in ethnobotany means that herbs are not merely grown but understood — their health properties, their traditional uses, their place in the Himalayan ecosystem. An upcoming brand, Nativ Indie, will offer SLS- and paraben-free herbal products made from the farm’s plants, extending the estate’s philosophy into a sustainable livelihood for the local community.
The Sustainability Architecture
Bir Terraces is genuinely, operationally sustainable rather than sustainably marketed. Every drop of water used passes through a greywater harvesting system where it is filtered before returning to the land. Rainwater is collected from the roof through a pipe system and stored in an underground tank with a capacity of 65,000 litres — providing a sustainable water source through the drier summer months. No tree was cut in the construction or ongoing operation of the property. The interiors are built from upcycled wood. Local employment — Kamlesh, Dileep, and the team — is a deliberate and consistent commitment. All ingredients are sourced locally.
This is not performative sustainability. It is a coherent operating philosophy, built into the property from the foundation up.
What to See and Experience
The forests around Bir Terraces are the primary experience — and Dushyant, whose deep knowledge of the local flora and fauna is consistently praised by guests, takes this seriously as a guide. The pine forests that surround the estate carry terpenes in the air that measurably reduce inflammation and protect the nervous system — a fact Dushyant explains with the engaged precision of a former software engineer who has been reading about it for years and now walks guests through it on morning treks.
All hikes are guided, taking guests off the beaten path through rhododendron forests, past waterfalls, and to viewpoints that reveal the full sweep of the Himalayan panorama. Kamlesh accompanies guests on treks with his knowledge of native flora — identifying plants, explaining traditional uses, making the forest legible in a way that changes how it is experienced.
The Dhokaney Waterfall is twelve minutes by car. Kasar Devi Temple — the hilltop shrine near Almora made famous by visits from Swami Vivekananda, D.H. Lawrence, and Bob Dylan — is approximately 29 minutes away. Almora town, with its traditional bazaars and Nanda Devi Temple, is within comfortable reach for a day visit. The broader Kumaon circuit — Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Mukteshwar, the Pindari Glacier trail — opens up from Virkhan with the kind of unhurried ease that only a proper base can provide.
Yoga spaces on the property offer morning practice with mountain views. Birdwatching from the estate’s forested terraces is exceptional — the Kumaon hills host a remarkable diversity of Himalayan species throughout the year.
Why It Stays With You
A nine-year-old guest, on the drive home to Bengaluru airport, told her family she missed the hot chocolate, the dogs, and Dushyant uncle. That observation is, in miniature, the complete review of Bir Terraces. The food. The animals. The host.
Dushyant Vashisht gave up a plan for one life and built a different one, on land that his great-grandfather had held for him without knowing it. The cottage he returned to in a pandemic became a farm, a forest, a set of rustic fireplaces and mountain views and upcycled dining tables and herb gardens that produce tomorrow’s breakfast today. Avanti arrived and brought plants and dogs and ethnobotany. Kamlesh arrived and brought the forest. The Himalayas were already there.
Plan Your Visit
Address: Virkhan Village, near Nainital, Uttarakhand Website: birterraces.com Booking: Direct via website (Reservations section) · Also on Airbnb
Founder & Host: Dushyant Vashisht (former software engineer and wildlife photographer) Resident Hospitality & Apothecarist: Avanti Caretaker & Guide: Kamlesh (from neighbouring village of Kool) Team: Dileep and the Virkhan village community
Accommodation: — Main house: 3 bedrooms + attic, sleeps up to 10 — Standalone cottages: 1-bedroom (sleeps 3), plus additional cottage options
All units include: Kitchen · Free Wi-Fi · TV · Complimentary breakfast · Rustic fireplaces · Mountain views Pet-friendly: Yes — up to 2 guest pets welcome. Resident dogs: Zoey, Mochi, Jack, Gabbar, Kalu.
Sustainability credentials: Zero trees cut · Random rubble masonry construction · All upcycled wood interiors · Greywater recycling system · 65,000L rainwater harvest tank · Biodynamic organic farm · Local employment · Local ingredient sourcing
Experiences: Guided forest treks through pine and rhododendron forests · Farm tours · Birdwatching · Yoga · Himalayan peak viewing · Village walks · Stargazing · Bonfire evenings
Getting There — Kathgodam Railway Station is the nearest major railhead — approximately 55 km from Virkhan, around 1.5 to 2 hours by road. Regular trains from Delhi (Anand Vihar) take approximately 6–7 hours. — Pantnagar Airport is approximately 85 km away — around 2 hours by road. — From Delhi: approximately 320 km — around 7–8 hours by road via Moradabad and Rampur, or overnight train to Kathgodam then taxi. — From Nainital town: approximately 40 km — around 1.5 hours by road. — From Almora: approximately 35 km — around 1 hour by road. — Coordinate exact directions with Dushyant or Avanti after booking — Virkhan village roads are narrow and local knowledge is helpful.
Nearby — Dhokaney Waterfall: 12 min drive · Almora: 35 km · Kasar Devi Temple: 29 min drive · Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary: 45 km · Mukteshwar: 45 km · Nainital: 40 km · Kathgodam: 55 km
Best Time to Visit: October to June (property open year-round, each season distinctly different) — Spring (March–May): Rhododendron forests in bloom, clear Himalayan views — Summer (June): Cool and green before the monsoon — Monsoon (July–September): Lush and dramatic, the estate at its greenest — Winter (October–February): Snow possible, fireplaces essential, the mountains at their most vivid
