It is a walk for the views. A section of this walk is named after the Panchchuli peaks for the magnificent views of the five peaks. This is a well-trodden path and you are sure to meet fellow hikers along the way. Starting from the Retreat, we first descend down to the Veeneshwar temple. After a short walk along the tarred road we branch off at the water tank that stores water from a Sroth (natural spring) to ascend a steep trail to the Forest Rest House. Most Himalayan people depend, for their water needs, on rivers and streams fed by melting snow. With rolling hills for the most part, Kumaon denies this luxury to many if its inhabitants. Here, water flowing through the hills is channelled to the surface by natural means and supplied to the surrounding villages, a tradition as old as its inhabitants.

The Forest Rest House was constructed in 1902 by the British. It is a lovely old building with a veranda running along the sides, two large bed rooms with super-large bathrooms and a living room. It is sorrounded by magnificent deodar trees, which were planted by the British around their dwellings to prevent lightning strikes on the buildings (the deodars, which grow to prodigious heights take the strikes instead). We will take a brief rest at the Forest Rest House.

After the break, we join back the tarred road for about half a kilometer before once again branching off, this time towards a patch of forest thick with Deodar and Cypress trees.

Half a kilometer further, we join the Panchchuli Trail – a wide dirt path, level for the most part, that leads us to Zero Point. Don’t Forget Panchchuli Trail. To the right of the Panchchuli trail one can see the Himalayas, with unobstructed views of the Panchchuli peaks. A gorgeous sight in the evening, as the sun begins its descent and the hills change colours from orange to pink before the sun dips below the horizon and the Hiamlayas turn dull white. It is a leisurely and very enjoyable walk.

Binsar Zero Point is the highest vantage point of the Binsar Wildlife, from where one can savour a 360-degree view of the Himalayan beauties namely Kedarnath, Shivling, Trishul and the group of Nanda Devi peaks.