🏔️ Kasar Devi · Almora · Uttarakhand

Not a hotel.
Your own mountain home.

the whole property, just for your group 🐾

Haus of Shizu is a private homestay in Kasar Devi that hosts one group at a time. Book it and the entire place is yours: big cozy rooms, a working café, and a rooftop where the Himalayas turn gold at sunrise.

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Rooftop seating at Haus of Shizu homestay in Kasar Devi with Himalayan peaks glowing at sunrise
Shizu, the Shih Tzu of Kasar Devi, laughing in the garden at Haus of Shizu dog-friendly homestay
🏡 One group at a time
🐾 Dogs welcome
The Whole Place Is Yours

Fifteen rooms and a reception desk is somebody else's idea of a holiday.

Most stays in Kasar Devi sell you a room inside a building full of strangers. We don't do that. We take one booking at a time, whether that's a solo traveller, a couple, a family or a group of five, and hand over the entire property.

1

One group at a time

No other guests, no shared corridors, no queueing for breakfast. The gate closes and the place belongs to you.

2-5

Built for small groups

We cap it at five so the house never feels crowded. Come alone, or bring four people you actually like.

∞

Everything comes with it

Every room, the café, the rooftop, the garden and the string lights. Not "access to". Actually yours.

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Our Story

Ask anyone on this ridge. They know Shizu

Say her name in Kasar Devi and you'll get directions before you've finished the sentence. Shizu is the Shih Tzu this place is named after, and by now she's less a pet than a local landmark. First to the gate when a car pulls in, last to give up on your dinner plate, and by some distance the friendliest mate on this hillside.

She's also the reason the property works the way it does. Shizu never had to share her home with fifteen strangers, so we decided guests shouldn't either. One group at a time, the whole house, the gate shut behind you. Bring your own dog and she'll have made a friend before you've unpacked.

The ridge does the rest. Kasar Devi has pulled in artists, writers and seekers for over a century and somehow never turned into a resort town. Pine forest, thin clear air, and a quiet that people notice on the very first night.

no rushed mornings. no crowded lobbies. just yours.

Shizu the Shih Tzu at the café, namesake of Haus of Shizu pet-friendly homestay in Kasar Devi
Shizu. She runs the place.
The Stay

Big, cozy rooms, and all of them are yours

Warm wood, mountain light through old shuttered windows, and enough space to properly spread out. No room numbers, no key cards, no neighbours through the wall.

Cozy king bedroom with carved wooden headboard at Haus of Shizu homestay in Kasar Devi, AlmoraMaster bedroom
Warm double bedroom with mountain window at Haus of Shizu private stay in Kasar DeviSecond bedroom
Daybed room with old wooden shutters at Haus of Shizu Airbnb in Kasar Devi, UttarakhandDaybed nook
Solo travellersCouplesFamiliesFriend groupsRemote workersArtists & writersPet parents
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🌄 The Rooftop

Where the Himalayas show up for breakfast

The best seat on the property. Sunrise turns the snow line gold, the valleys fill with mist below you, and by evening the same chairs become the sunset spot. Nobody else is up here, because nobody else is staying.

Himalayan snow peaks at sunrise seen from Haus of Shizu in Kasar Devi, Almora
Sunrise over the Kumaon valleys from the rooftop at Haus of Shizu, Kasar Devi
Snow-capped Himalayan range framed by trees above Kasar Devi, Almora
Orange sunset sky over the Kumaon hills from Haus of Shizu, Kasar Devi

every evening looks like this. we're not exaggerating.

Outdoor café seating with string lights at Haus of Shizu café in Kasar Devi at night
open to
everyone
The Café

A working café in Kasar Devi, and it's downstairs

Fresh, comforting food inspired by homemade flavours, served under string lights and a pine canopy. Guests staying at the property get it as their own kitchen; anyone driving through the ridge is welcome to pull up a chair.

Sit outside with your dog, work through the afternoon, or come just for chai at golden hour. No minimum spend, no rush.

Fresh breakfastsNorth Indian mealsCafé favouritesTea & coffeeFresh juicesSnacksSeasonal specials
🐾 Pets Welcome, Always

The best pet-friendly stay in Kasar Devi, and it isn't close

Most places "allow" pets. We were named after one, and Shizu is still here to greet yours at the gate. Because only your group is on the property, your dog isn't navigating a lobby full of strangers. They get the run of the whole place, and a very friendly welcoming committee of one.

  • ✓ Your dog has the entire property, with no other guests' pets to negotiate
  • ✓ Forest trails and open ridge right outside for long morning walks
  • ✓ Outdoor café seating where your dog sits with you, not outside
  • ✓ Quiet, low-traffic ridge with no highway noise and no crowds
  • ✓ Water bowls ready on arrival (please bring your dog's own towels and bedding)
Message Us About Your Pet
Shizu the Shih Tzu laughing in the garden at Haus of Shizu, the most dog-friendly homestay in Kasar Devi
💻 Workcation & Long Stays

A private house with the Himalayas out the window

Kasar Devi has quietly become one of Uttarakhand's favourite bases for remote workers. Having the whole property to yourself makes it a genuinely different proposition to a room in a guesthouse.

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Actually Quiet

No other guests means no corridor noise, no reception chatter and nobody else on your call. Take the rooftop as your office.

☕

Café Downstairs

All-day coffee and real meals with no need to plan lunch. Step out for a forest walk between calls and come back reset.

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Long-Stay Enquiries

Staying a week or a month? Message us with your dates and we'll work something out for longer bookings.

Enquire About Long Stays
Perfect For

The kind of trip where time slows down

A stay shaped less by an itinerary and more by how you want the days to feel.

01

Weekend Escapes

Trade city noise for pine-scented silence in a single overnight journey from Delhi.

02

Small Group Trips

Four or five friends, one house, nobody else. The reason most people book us twice.

03

Couples & Families

Slow meals, shared sunsets and a property your kids and your dog can actually run around in.

04

Solo & Creative Retreats

A private house on the ridge that has drawn artists and writers for over a century.

📍 The Complete Guide

Everything to know about Kasar Devi, Almora

Planning a trip to the ridge? Here's the honest, useful version: history, timing, travel and what's actually worth your time.

Altitude
~2,116 m

About 6,940 ft above sea level. Cool even in peak summer, genuinely cold in winter.

Distance from Almora
~8 km

Close enough for a quick town run, far enough that you hear birds instead of traffic.

Nearest Railway
Kathgodam

Roughly 88 km away, about a 3 hour drive up through the Kumaon hills.

Why Kasar Devi is unlike anywhere else in Kumaon

Kasar Devi is a small ridge village above Almora, best known for the ancient Kasar Devi Temple and for the stretch of pine-covered hillside beside it, Crank's Ridge, better known as Hippie Hill.

The ridge became a spiritual landmark when Swami Vivekananda meditated here in the 1890s and wrote about the experience in his diary. Through the 1960s and 70s it became a fixture on the Hippie Trail: Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary and the German-born lama Anagarika Govinda all spent time on this hillside. Painters, writers and seekers have been quietly moving here ever since.

There's also the geomagnetic story people love to tell, that Kasar Devi sits in an unusual band of the Van Allen radiation belt, alongside Machu Picchu and Stonehenge. Whether or not you buy the science, almost everyone who spends a night here says the same thing: it's uncommonly quiet, and sleep comes easily.

What that history means practically is that Kasar Devi never developed into a resort town. It stayed small, wooded and slow, which is exactly why we built Haus of Shizu here, and why we kept it to one group at a time instead of stacking up rooms.

🚗 Getting Here

How to reach Kasar Devi

From Delhi it's an overnight train or a long, beautiful drive. Here are all three routes.

🚆

By Train

Kathgodam is the nearest railway station, about 88 km away. Overnight trains such as the Ranikhet Express and Uttarakhand Sampark Kranti run from Delhi. From Kathgodam, take a taxi or shared bus via Almora, roughly 2.5 to 3 hours of hill driving.

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By Air

The nearest airport is Pantnagar (PGH), about 124 km away, with limited connections. Most guests find it simpler and cheaper to fly to Delhi and take the overnight train to Kathgodam instead.

🛣️

By Road

Kasar Devi is roughly 380 km from Delhi, usually a 9 to 10 hour drive via Moradabad, Haldwani and Almora. The last 8 km climb from Almora is narrow and winding, so aim to arrive before dark. Paid parking beside the property at ₹150 per day.

📍 Open in Google Maps Need Help Getting Here?
🌤️ When To Come

Best time to visit Kasar Devi

Honestly? There's no bad season, but each one gives you a completely different ridge.

SeasonWeatherWhat it's like
Mar to Jun10°C to 25°CSpring green and clear warm days. The most popular window, and the easiest weather for walking. Book early for long weekends.
Jul to AugHeavy rainFull monsoon. Dramatic mist and empty trails, but slippery paths and occasional landslides on hill roads.
Sep to Nov8°C to 22°COur favourite. Post-monsoon air gives the sharpest Himalayan views of the year. The rooftop earns its keep.
Dec to Feb0°C or belowCold, quiet and beautiful, with a real chance of snow. Pack properly and the ridge is entirely yours.

Kasar Devi gets around 2,276 mm of rain a year, almost all of it between July and September. If clear Himalayan views are the priority, aim for October and November.

🧭 Things To Do

Your base for exploring Kumaon

Ancient temples, wildlife forests and one of India's most atmospheric sunset ridges, all within an easy drive.

i.

Kasar Devi Temple

The ancient hilltop temple that gives the ridge its name, and the calm Vivekananda came here for in the 1890s.

Walking distance
ii.

Crank's Ridge (Hippie Hill)

The pine-lined stretch once wandered by Dylan, Harrison and Ginsberg. Best at golden hour with a book.

Nearby
iii.

Sunset Point

Watch the sky catch fire behind the Himalayan ranges. Though honestly, our rooftop does the job too.

Nearby
iv.

Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary

Oak, rhododendron and pine forest rising to around 8,000 ft, with Zero Point's panorama of Nanda Devi and Trishul.

~16 km
v.

Katarmal Sun Temple

A 9th-century sun temple, second in significance only to Konark. Twice a year the first sunrays reach the idol through the stonework.

~20 km
vi.

Jageshwar Dham

Over a hundred ancient stone temples in a deodar forest, many between 1,300 and 1,800 years old. Half-day trip.

~35 km
vii.

Chitai Golu Devta Temple

The famous "temple of bells", covered in thousands of brass bells and handwritten letters of petition.

~12 km
viii.

Almora Town & Bazaar

Historic stone-paved bazaars, bal mithai and singori sweets, and centuries of Kumaoni culture just down the hill.

~8 km
🐕 Pet Travel Guide

Bringing your dog to the mountains

A few things we've learned from hosting a lot of very good dogs.

Getting here with a dog

Trains to Kathgodam allow dogs in first-class AC coupes with prior booking, or in the brake van. Most guests find a private taxi from Kathgodam the least stressful option. It's about three hours of winding hill road, so travel on a light stomach and stop once or twice.

What the ridge is like for dogs

Kasar Devi is quiet, low-traffic and forested, which makes it far easier than a busy hill station. Because you'll have the property to yourselves, your dog can settle in without meeting other guests or their pets. There are local free-roaming dogs on the ridge, so keep yours leashed on first walks until everyone has settled.

What to pack

  • A warm layer, since nights drop sharply even in summer at 2,100 m
  • Your dog's own towels and bedding, we keep water bowls ready, but not linen for pets
  • Tick and flea prevention, since you'll be in real forest
  • Their usual food; specialist pet shops are limited in Almora

Vets nearby

Almora town, about 8 km away, has veterinary services for anything routine. For emergencies we'll help you get in touch. Just ask.

Ask Us Anything About Travelling With Pets
💛 Why Book Direct

Skip the platform fees. Talk to an actual human.

You can find us on the usual booking sites, but messaging us directly on WhatsApp is faster, cheaper and a lot more useful.

💸

Best Available Rate

No platform commission means we can pass the saving straight to you.

⏰

Flexible Timings

Early arrival after an overnight train? Late checkout? Just ask, and we'll usually say yes.

🐾

Tell Us About Your Group

Numbers, dogs, dietary preferences. We'll have the house set up before you arrive.

🚕

Travel Help Included

We'll help arrange taxis from Kathgodam and send exact directions for the last climb.

Good To Know

Frequently asked questions

Everything guests usually ask before booking a stay in Kasar Devi.

Do I get the whole property to myself?

Yes. We host only one group at a time. When you book, the entire property is yours: every room, the rooftop and the café. You'll never share the space with strangers, which is the main way we differ from a hotel in Kasar Devi.

How many people can stay?

Up to 5 guests. It works equally well for a solo traveller, a couple, a family or a group of friends. The property is booked as one unit regardless of group size.

Is Haus of Shizu a hotel in Kasar Devi?

No. We're a private whole-property homestay rather than a hotel with fifteen rooms and a reception desk. It's meant to feel like arriving at your own mountain home: big cozy rooms, a working café and a rooftop with Himalayan views.

Is it pet friendly? Can I bring my dog?

Yes, genuinely. We're named after Shizuka, a Shih Tzu who lives here. Because only one group stays at a time, your dog has the run of the property. We keep water bowls ready; please bring your dog's own towels and bedding.

Is there parking?

Yes. Paid parking directly beside the property at ₹150 per day.

Can I see the Himalayas from the property?

Yes. The rooftop looks straight out over the Kumaon valleys to the snow peaks. On clear mornings the range catches first light, and the same rooftop becomes the sunset spot in the evening.

Where exactly are you located?

On the Kasar Devi ridge in Almora district, Uttarakhand, at roughly 2,116 m above sea level and about 8 km from Almora town, close to Kasar Devi Temple, Crank's Ridge, Sunset Point and the surrounding forest trails. Open in Google Maps →

How do I reach Kasar Devi from Delhi?

The nearest railway station is Kathgodam, about 88 km away, reachable overnight from Delhi on trains like the Ranikhet Express. From there it's roughly a 3 hour taxi or bus ride via Almora. The nearest airport is Pantnagar, about 124 km away. By road, Kasar Devi is around 380 km from Delhi, typically a 9 to 10 hour drive.

What is the best time to visit Kasar Devi?

March to June for pleasant spring and summer weather (roughly 10°C to 25°C), and September to November for the clearest post-monsoon Himalayan views. July and August bring heavy rain. December to February is cold, sometimes below freezing, with occasional snow.

Is it suitable for remote work and workcations?

Yes, and the private-property model suits it especially well. WiFi, a café on site, a quiet rooftop, and nobody else in the building. Message us about longer bookings.

Is it cheaper to book direct instead of on Airbnb?

Yes. Booking directly on WhatsApp avoids platform service fees, so you get our best available rate, more flexible check-in and check-out, and you can tell us about your group or your pet directly.

Is the café open to visitors who aren't staying?

Absolutely. The café is open to everyone on the ridge, whether you're staying with us or just passing through. Fresh breakfasts, North Indian meals, café favourites, tea, coffee, fresh juices and seasonal specials.

Is Kasar Devi good for solo travellers and women travelling alone?

Kasar Devi has hosted solo travellers, artists and writers for decades and is generally considered calm and welcoming. Because we host one group at a time, solo guests get a private property rather than a corridor of strangers, something solo women travellers in particular tell us they value.

What is there to do around Kasar Devi?

Kasar Devi Temple, Crank's Ridge, Sunset Point and forest trails are all close by. Within a short drive: Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary (~16 km), Katarmal Sun Temple (~20 km), Jageshwar Dham's ancient stone temples (~35 km), Chitai Golu Devta Temple and Almora's historic bazaars.

come say hello

Take the whole house.
Leave with a quieter mind.

The best journeys aren't about doing more. They're about feeling more. We'd love to hand you the keys (and meet your dog).

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Phone / WhatsApp+91 88027 42143
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