Discover Kausani: Switzerland of India
Kausani is a small ridge-top village in the Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand, perched at 1,890 metres above sea level. What makes it extraordinary is its outlook: on clear days, visitors are treated to an unbroken 300-km panoramic view of the Central Himalayan peaks — a magnificent arc that includes Trisul (7,120m), Nanda Devi (7,816m — India's second highest peak), Nanda Kot (6,861m), and the five-fingered Panchachuli massif (6,904m). Mahatma Gandhi visited Kausani in 1929 and was so moved by its beauty that he stayed for 14 days instead of the planned 2, calling it the “Switzerland of India.”
The Anasakti Ashram, where Gandhi spent his extended stay, is now a museum and meditation centre that attracts visitors from across the world. The ashram's library preserves original manuscripts, photographs, and personal items from Gandhi's time here. The sunrise over the Himalayan peaks as seen from the ashram's terrace is considered one of the finest natural spectacles in the Indian Himalayas.
Kausani is also deeply connected to one of Uttarakhand's greatest Hindi poets, Sumitranandan Pant, who was born here in 1900 and whose nature poetry was deeply influenced by the local landscape. The Pant Museum, housed in his birth home, displays his personal effects, manuscripts, and the 1968 Sahitya Akademi Award and 1961 Padma Bhushan he received.
The town is surrounded by lush tea gardens — the Kausani Tea Estate is one of the highest altitude tea gardens in Asia, producing a distinctive, high-quality green and orthodox black tea. Visitors can tour the plantation, watch the plucking and processing of tea leaves, and sample fresh-brewed Kausani green tea. The organic tea from Kausani is sought after across India and abroad for its delicate, floral character.
The area around Kausani offers excellent trekking, with trails leading through dense forests of oak, rhododendron, and fir toward the Pindari Glacier — one of the most accessible glaciers in Uttarakhand. The Pindari Glacier trek (60 km, 5–6 days) is a classic Kumaon expedition that passes through pristine alpine meadows and remote Himalayan villages. Shorter day treks to surrounding viewpoints like Rudradhari Falls and the Baijnath temples are also popular.