How to reach Almora

From the airport

Pantnagar Airport (PGH) is the nearest, about 115 to 125 km from Almora; allow 3½ to 4½ hours by road. It is a small airport served only by IndiGo, with a few flights a day from Delhi and, since mid-2026, from the new Noida International Airport at Jewar. Schedules at small airports change often, so check the current timetable before you build a plan around it. Taxis for Haldwani, Nainital and Almora can be hired at the airport; the first 30 km or so is flat road north through Haldwani to Kathgodam, where the hill climb starts. Aim to land early enough to finish the hill section in daylight. If Pantnagar flights do not suit, fly into Delhi and continue by train to Kathgodam.

From the railway station

Kathgodam (KGM), the end of the line below Nainital, is the railhead for Almora, about 82 to 90 km away. From Delhi the overnight Ranikhet Express (via Old Delhi) reaches Kathgodam around 5 am, which lets you be in Almora by mid-morning; the daily Shatabdi Express leaves New Delhi early in the morning and arrives around midday. The Bagh Express links Kathgodam with Lucknow and Howrah, and there are trains from Dehradun as well. Outside the station you will find private taxis and shared taxis and jeeps, which leave when every seat is filled and take about 2½ to 3 hours; buses from the Kathgodam and Haldwani bus stands are cheaper but slower, at about 3 to 4 hours.

By road

Almora sits on a long ridge in the Kumaon hills, and almost everyone arrives on National Highway 109 from the Haldwani and Kathgodam end of the plains. From Delhi the drive is about 365 km: east through Ghaziabad, Hapur and Moradabad to Rampur, then north through Rudrapur and Haldwani to Kathgodam, where the hills begin. Allow roughly 9 to 12 hours with stops, most of it on busy plains highway.

From Kathgodam the road climbs about 30 to 35 km to Bhowali, either on the highway through Jeolikot or on the road past Bhimtal. Beyond Bhowali it winds down the Shipra valley through the hairpin bends at Kainchi Dham, the Neem Karoli Baba ashram 8 to 9 km on, where visitor traffic often backs up at weekends and on holidays. It reaches the Kosi at Garampani and, just beyond, Khairna, where the Ranikhet road branches off; the highway then follows the Kosi upstream past Kakrighat to Kwarab and climbs the last stretch up to the town. Kathgodam to Almora is about 82 to 90 km and usually takes 2½ to 3½ hours. The road is used in every season and crosses no high pass, but the landslide zone at Kwarab has been unstable since 2024. The highway there was shut from late May 2026, and under a district order of 19 July 2026 cars, buses and other light and medium vehicles go round it on the Chausli-Kwarab link road, while the highway itself is open only to heavy vehicles, from 3 am to 8.30 am. Ask about it before you set out.

By bus

Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (Uttarakhand Roadways) runs daily buses from Delhi's ISBT Anand Vihar to Almora via Moradabad, Rampur and Rudrapur, mostly leaving in the evening and travelling overnight; seats can be booked online with UTC or at the counter. In the foothills, UTC and KMOU (Kumaon Motor Owners Union) buses run to Almora from Haldwani and Kathgodam, most often in the morning and afternoon, and there are buses from Nainital too. For the return, Uttarakhand Roadways buses leave Almora's bus station for Haldwani, Delhi and Dehradun, among other places. Buses cost less than shared taxis but are slower and often crowded.

Local transfers

Shared taxis and buses from the plains finish in Almora town, and local taxis from the town stand go on to nearby places such as Kasar Devi, Binsar and Jageshwar. For Kumaon treks such as Pindari, Kafni or the Munsiyari treks towards Milam and Nanda Devi East Base Camp, the road from Kathgodam passes through Almora on the way to Loharkhet (8 to 9 hours) or Munsiyari (about 9 hours). If you are spending time in Almora first, aim to arrive by mid-afternoon.

Distances from major points

• Delhi to Almora: about 365 km
• Pantnagar Airport to Almora: about 115 to 125 km
• Haldwani to Almora: about 90 km
• Kathgodam to Almora: about 82 to 90 km
• Nainital to Almora: about 63 to 66 km
• Almora to Kausani: about 51 km
• Almora to Jageshwar: about 35 km
• Almora to Bageshwar: about 70 to 75 km via Takula, longer via Kausani
• Almora to Munsiyari: about 185 to 200 km

Good to know

Almora is a Kumaoni ridge town at about 1,600 to 1,650 m above the Kosi valley, the headquarters of Almora district and a long-standing centre of Kumaoni culture, crafts and food. No permits are needed, and at this height there is no need to acclimatise. As the district headquarters it has services that thin out further into the hills: branches of the State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, HDFC and ICICI, the Pt. H.G. Pant District Hospital on the Mall Road, and a busy market along the top of the ridge, so it is a good place to draw cash and buy anything forgotten before you head on towards Bageshwar or Munsiyari. If your train or flight reaches the foothills late, spend the night in Haldwani, Kathgodam, Bhimtal or Nainital and drive up in the morning. The most comfortable seasons are March to May and mid-September to December.

Safety

Keep a spare half-day in hand. In the monsoon, mainly July to September (August is usually the wettest month), rain can bring debris onto the road and hold traffic for hours. In December and January, fog on the plains can delay morning trains and flights, and an occasional snowfall around Almora can briefly slow the upper road. Avoid the hill road after dark, expect crowds and traffic controls at Kainchi Dham around its 15 June fair, and check the road with your driver or hotel before setting out.

Travel tips

• Plan buffer time for road delays, especially in monsoon and winter.
• Start early for long drives to avoid night stretches on mountain roads.
• Keep offline maps and cash as backup in low-network zones.
• If you are continuing to high altitude areas, acclimatize and hydrate well.