Kainchi Dham is an ashram and Hanuman temple founded in the 1960s by the saint Neem Karoli Baba, on a bend of the Nainital-Almora road beside a mountain stream. It became known worldwide through visitors such as Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. The temple is always busy, and its foundation day fair on 15 June draws very large crowds.

Kasar Devi is a hilltop temple on a ridge above Almora, dating from around the 2nd century. Swami Vivekananda meditated here in the 1890s, and in the 1960s and 70s the ridge drew writers and seekers from the West. The area is also noted for an unusual geomagnetic field. The temple and the path around it give long views of the Himalaya, best at sunrise and sunset.

The Nanda Devi Temple in the old bazaar of Almora is dedicated to the patron goddess of Kumaon and of the Chand kings, who ruled from here. The stone temple, several centuries old, has carved walls and a wooden-roofed porch. It is the centre of the Nanda Devi fair held each September, when the town fills with processions, music and traders.

The Katarmal Sun Temple, on a hillside facing Almora, was built in the 9th century by the Katyuri king Katarmalla and is one of the few sun temples in northern India. The main shrine faces east so the first rays strike the image, and more than forty small shrines surround it. A short uphill walk from the road is needed. Its carved wooden doors are now in the National Museum in Delhi.

Jageshwar is a group of more than a hundred stone temples in a narrow valley of ancient deodar forest, 35 km from Almora. Built mainly between the 7th and 14th centuries under the Katyuri and Chand kings, they are dedicated to Shiva, and many pilgrims regard Jageshwar as one of the jyotirlingas. A small museum holds sculpture from the site. The Shravan fair in the monsoon is the main festival.

Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary covers a forested hill north of Almora that was once the summer capital of the Chand kings. Oak and rhododendron woods shelter leopards, barking deer, martens and more than two hundred bird species. A walk of about two kilometres through the forest leads to Zero Point, where a watchtower gives a panorama stretching from Kedarnath to Nanda Devi and Panchachuli.

Dwarahat, a small town in the hills near Ranikhet, is scattered with dozens of stone temples built by the Katyuri kings between about the 10th and 12th centuries. They stand in several groups, among them the Badrinath, Mrityunjaya, Ratan Deo and Gujar Deo temples, the last noted for its carving. The sites lie within walking distance of each other among fields and houses.

The Baijnath temples stand on the bank of the Gomti River in the Katyur valley, near Kausani. Built around the 12th century by the Katyuri kings, whose capital was here, the cluster of stone shrines surrounds a main Shiva temple noted for a fine image of Parvati in black stone. Fish in the river beside the ghats are protected and fed by visitors.

Bagnath Temple stands at the confluence of the Saryu and Gomti rivers in Bageshwar and gives the town its name. Dedicated to Shiva as lord of the tiger, the present temple was built around 1450 by the Chand king Laxmi Chand, though the site is older. Its courtyard holds many ancient sculptures. The Uttarayani fair each January is one of the largest in Kumaon.

Chaukori is a quiet hill settlement at about 2,000 metres in Pithoragarh district, surrounded by tea gardens, orchards and forest. Its attraction is the uninterrupted view of the Himalayan range, including Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot and Panchachuli, glowing at sunrise and sunset. It makes a restful stop between Kausani and Munsiyari, with Patal Bhuvaneshwar a short drive away.

Patal Bhuvaneshwar is a limestone cave temple near Gangolihat in Pithoragarh district. A narrow, stepped tunnel descends about 90 feet into a series of chambers, where rock formations are identified with Shiva, Ganesha, Sheshnag and many other deities. Guides lead small groups through with torches. The descent is tight and slippery, so it is not suited to those uneasy in confined spaces.

Birthi Falls drops about 125 metres down a cliff beside the road to Munsiyari, roughly 35 km before the town. It is visible from the road and a short path leads closer to the base, where the spray is strong after the rains. A rest house and tea stalls make it a natural halt on the long drive. The flow is best from July to October.

Munsiyari is a small hill town at about 2,200 metres in the far north-east of Uttarakhand, facing the five Panchachuli peaks across the Gori Ganga valley. It is the base for treks to the Milam, Ralam and Namik glaciers and to Khaliya Top. A tribal heritage museum records the old trade with Tibet. The road in is long and winding; March to June and September to November are best.