Pithoragarh - Kumaon [Uttarakhand] ::.

Pithoragarh is a city in Uttarakhand. It is close to the China, Nepal and Tibet border. Pithoragarh is a small town, which gives its name to the district. The view from some of the higher altitudes in Pithoragarh captures the snow-capped peaks of Panch Chulhi, Nanda Devi and Nanda Kot. The town is set in a valley popularly known as "Soar" (root meaning is Cool) and lies in the centre of four hills Chandak, Dhwaj, Kumdar and Thal Kedar, and stretches in the southern flank to Jhulaghat demarcated by the Kali river adjoining the barren peaks of Nepal Hills.

Pithoragarh, is known as the gateway to the Himalaya's from the north, as pilgrims trek through this town to the Kailash Lake Manasarovar and Om Parvat.

How to Reach:

Pithoragarh can be accessed by bus, taxi only. The buses are available from New Delhi at ISBT Anand Vihar which are of category general to luxury, the buses have two routes:

a. New Delhi > Haldwani >Pithoragarh
b. New Delhi >Tanakpur >Pithoragarh
c. New Delhi > Bazpur > Kaladungi > Nainital > Almora > Pithoragarh.

If you come by the option (a) then you have to get down at Haldwani and from there you will get a shared taxi to Pithoragarh, in this option the buses available from Delhi are of both categories (i.e A/C, non A/C), but if you come by the option (b) then you will get a direct bus from there, but the condition of the roads is not good, so it is advised to come by the first option.

The option (c) is the best if you have your own vehicle.The travel time is 10.5 hrs from Delhi, if you are experienced in hill driving, if not then 12 hours. This time includes numerous stoppages for photography.The Road is very good and the distance comes out to be 490KM. There is a new AirStrip and ATC set up near NainiSaini, and is likely to come up once some political and technical hurdles are overcome. There is a new riverside road project in line, that will reduce the journey time by a huge factor.