Almora, once a former hill station surrounded by fruit orchards and pine forests and colonial era buildings despite its seemingly remote location, has now grown into a thriving town. However, being situated at an altitude of 1650m in the foothills of the Himalayas, nothing can take away from its spectacular, panoramic mountain views. It is also known as a town of temples and its most famous is the Nanda Devi temple. Decorated with erotic folk-art carvings, this stone temple dates back to the Chand raja era and is the setting for the Nanda Devi Fair every September. Almora is also the entry point to many nearby destinations which are wonderful for treks and birding, the area having almost 680 species of birds, approximately 50% of the bird species found in India.