Manohar Negi
Owner & host
Kunja, Almora · Uttarakhand
Photographer, hillman, and the host who'll most likely greet you at the gate.
Known locally as
Mani Da
/ ma·nee daa /मनी दा
elder brother Mani — What the village calls Manohar — 'da' is the warm Kumaoni way to greet an elder brother.
About
Manohar grew up in these hills and never really left. A photographer by craft and a host by heart, he turned the family home at Kunja into a place to share — and most of the frames you see across this site are his.
At Kunja he looks after the whole guest experience — from the first hello to the last cup of chai — while quietly documenting village life through his lens.
From the journal
10 pieces · Birding · The Ritual · Renovation · Connectivity · Food
BirdingHow to see more birds: a field guide for beginners
You don't need expensive gear or years of practice — just a few simple habits. Here's how to turn an ordinary morning walk into one full of birds.
Read it
BirdingPhotographing the birds of the hills: a quick start
A long lens helps, but patience and respect matter more. A beginner's guide to making honest photographs of the wild birds of the Kumaon hills.
Read itBirdingThe gear we use for bird photography
Guests often ask what's in the bag. The honest answer: not much, and nothing new. Here's exactly what we carry up the hill, and what each piece is for.
Read it
BirdingThe birding year in Kumaon, month by month
Which birds are around when — from the spring nesting rush to the winter visitors down from the high Himalaya. A seasonal guide to birding around Kunja.
Read it
The RitualA lifetime of comings and goings
On the small ritual that has welcomed and blessed every guest of these hills for as long as I can remember — and what it has meant to grow up inside it.
Read it
RenovationRestoring a legacy, not just a home
When we set out to do up the old house, the goal was never just a comfortable place to stay — it was to restore a legacy, and bring a hundred-year-old home back to life.
Read it
ConnectivityThe road that brought it home
None of the rebuilding would have been possible without something far more basic than money or labour: a road — and the steady flow of goods it finally let through.
Read it
FoodFarm-to-plate, because the farm is right here
A season in the kitchen garden, and the plates it sets — most of what you eat here grew ten steps from the stove.
Read it
FoodBhatt ke dubke, jholi bhaat, aloo ke gutke
A short, hungry tour of the Kumaoni table — dish by dish, the way we'd point it out to you with an empty plate in front of you.
Read it
FoodWe don't keep a guest hungry
On feeding people well as a form of love, never a service — the oldest thing this house knows how to do.
Read itCome say hello
If you're staying with us, walk over and say hello — Manohar is just up the way at Kunja, Almora · Uttarakhand. Tell them Kunja sent you.
Good to know
- Speaks
- Kumaoni, Hindi, English
- Craft
- Photography
- At Kunja
- Family home, lifelong
- Find him
- Behind a camera or by the bonfire
Photos
Films
Badges & awards
Verified Local Host
INUK Social
Pahadi Storyteller
Top 1% · 2025
Founding Member
INUK Movement
100+ Stories Shared
INUK Social
Responsible Host
INUK Academy · 2024
Earned on INUK Social.
Contact details
Available on invitation
Manohar's direct contact reaches you once your stay is confirmed — and again at the point in your journey where you'll actually need it.
