Almora - A walk through Sitoli forests and Patal Devi

Sitoli Forests are located right on the edge of Almora and continue all the way down to river Kosi on the other side of the hill. These forests are wild and often you can see wild animals as well here. The locals (including my family) recommends against venturing into the forest after sunset as the land then belongs to the wild...

Early morning in the forests...

They are right there and somehow I had never seen them before, this time it was suggested to me for my usual morning walks and I decided to give it a try. The odd part was that the jungles start suddenly, the moment you enter the forest area, the jungle gets thick and heavy. Its a pine forest, quite unlike the jungles of the plains that we are used to. Pine forest look much more inviting and much less dangerous. You can leave the main trail at any moment and walk up or down the hill. Sometimes it becomes a challenge to walk up due to the slippery forest floor due to dried pine leaves, but rarely impossible.

A little ahead on the trail lies a small hill temple dedicated to Golu Devta (he is extremely popular in the areas around Almora). And this is the point I also took a long diversion, directly downhill from the trail. When it gets difficult to walk down, you can always sit on the floor and slide down on the slope, aided by the pine leaves. Coming back up, of course, is another matter.

Sitoli Forests

A girl on her way to the school...

Mist

In the forest...

Not so dense, but can be scary as wild animals are all around...

Golu Devta temple

Sitoli Forests

Another interesting place just outside Almora is the temple of Patal Devi. It's an ancient devi temple which was last reconstructed in the 18th century. When I reached there, a number of girls were using the temple to make exam preparations - exchanging questions, notes and tips. From what I could make out, the subject was Health Education. Many of them also couldn't stop giggling, looking at my hair. The temple is a nice walk downhill from the main road and most of the times completely deserted, save for the locals.

Patal Devi temple

Patal Devi temple

Kids playing cricket at the temple :)