Nainital, Uttarakhand – A celebrated hill station with the alluring Naini Lake located at its heart

A precious stone in the Himalyan necklace, Nainital is blessed phenomenal natural beauty and diverse natural resources . Nainital is populated with lakes, and has earned the epithet of  “Lake District” of India . The habitations of Nainital has developed around a deep, green volcanic lake named Naini lake and hence is named as Nainital. It is Kumaon’s largest town and a favourite destinations of the tourists.  The place is situated at a height of 2,084 metres (6,837 ft) above sea level upon a valley containing the pear-shaped Naini lake.

Places to see in Nainital: The sightseeing locations of Nainital include mainly lakes. However there are some other tourist destinations too.

Naini Lake

Tal means lake, the town of Nainital is named after this lake. This is a pear shaped covered by green mountains. It’s the key attraction of this hill station. The lake is tourists’ hub who enjoy boating, yachting or paddling here. As night descends the lake reflects the lights from houses and hotels surrounding the lake making it appear magical.

Naina Devi Temple

A renowned place of worship in Nainital, the Naina Devi temple is situated upon the Naina hill,  attracting lots of devotees each year. As the myth says, Goddess Sati’s eyes fell exactly at the same spot where this temple is situated. The top of the temple can be reached by climbing upto the top of the Naina hill. Besides the main idol of Maa Naina Devi, inside the temple there are two idols, one of Mata Kali Devi and the other of Lord Ganesh.

Snow View Point

This view point is located at an altitude of 2270 m, and can be reached either by foot or by another option of the ropeway. From the top the breathtaking views of snow capped mountains can be seen and one can also visit the small temple dedicated to Dev Mundi. Further ahead is the Gadhan Kunkyop Ling Monastery.

Naina peak or China peak

The highest peak of Nainital, the Naina peak is placed at an altitude of 2611 m. Just 6 km from the town, a horse ride or trek will take you to the Peak. The Peak gives a magnificent and panoramic view of the snow capped Himalayas and an excellent view of the Nainital city.

Nainital Zoo

One km from the bus stand, the zoo is a one of the animal lovers paradise. It contains the animals like the Snow Leopard, Himalayan Black Bear, Barking Deer, Siberian Tiger, Palm Civet Cat, Silver Pheasants, Rose ringed Parakeet and many other Himalayan birds.

The Governor’s House (Raj Bhavan)

It is built for the Governor of North West Province, and forms the current residence of the Governor of Uttarakhand serving as a guest-house of the state guests. You need a prior permission for the stay. The place is a well maintained beautiful property with swimming pool, golf links and a grand garden.

Nearby places to visit form Nainital: From here you can make a visit to places like:

Sattal

Only 21km from Nainital, the place is named after a group of seven lakes clustered closer to each other. Here you can witness nature’s true beauty at its best. This seven Lakes are: Panna Tal, Purna Tal, Nal-Damyanti Tal, Sita Tal, Ram Tal, Laxman Tal and Sukha Tal.

Ranikhet

A drive of 55km will take you to a truly beautiful town dotted with pine trees, orchards, temples and the joy grounds. Ranikhet means Queen’s meadow in Hindi and the place got its name from a local tale, that Raja Sudhardev was victorious in receiving the heart of his queen, Rani Padmini at the very place.

Bhimtal

Just 18km from Nainital, Bhimtal is a stunning lake and biggest lake located around Nainital. In the centre of this blue water lake is a small Island, which can be approached by a boat and at the island is an aquarium too. Here one can enjoy boating or explore the surroundings temples on foot.

Nakuchiatal

This is a mystique lake with nine corners. This is covered by forested hills on all sides and provides peace to the tourist. It is said that whoever sees all the nine corners of the lake in one shot, attains Nirvana. Apart from the mesmerizing view of the lake, the activities like trekking, angling and paragliding are also available for tourist. It is only 24km from Nainital.

Pangot

Pangot is a charming hill station just 13 km from Nainital in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. The pleasant climate, scenic landscape has made the time come to a stand still in Pangot. It is an ideal tourists excursion spot. Though there is a heavy rush of tourists here during summers, this is also a popular holiday destination in winter too. Tourists flock to Pangot to experience snowfall during the chilling winter months.

Things to do in Nainital: If you have an adventurous bend on your mind then you can enjoy beautiful trekking trails to Naina Peak and Tiffins Top. You can also take a ride in cable car to Snow View thus enjoying the splendid view of Nanda Devi. Rock climbing at Bada Pathar is another activity worth enjoying. You can also visit the lake resorts like Sat Tal, Bhimtal, and Naukuchiyatal.  Shoppers can pick up the stuffs like candles, shawls, and sweaters.

Best time to visit Nainital: The best time to visit Nainital are from March till June and again in September-October.

How to go ?

By Air

Pantnagar airport is situated at a distance of 71 km away from Nainital but the connectivity from other cities is comparatively poor. The Delhi International airport around 280 km from Nainital is the nearest air base. Delhi is the nearest international airport (280 km), which is well connected with other cities in India and abroad.

By Rail

Kathgodam is the nearest railway station, which is 35 km away from Nainital. Delhi (Ranikhet Exp), Lucknow (Bagh Exp) and Bareilly (Bagh Exp) are directly connected with Kathgodam by rail.

By Road

Nainital is well connected to other cities by state public transport buses.

Where to stay ?

The are an array of accommodation options in Nainital. These include:

Hotel Sukhtal (KMVN): +91-05942- 235400
Hotel Talllital (KMVN): +91-05942- 235570
Hotel Snow-view ((KMVN): +91-05942- 238570
Hotel Welcome Park: +91 – 5942-235552, 236852, 239052  Website: www.hotelwelcomepark.com
Himalaya Hotel: +91–05942 – 235258, 237258  Website: www.himalayapavilion.com

Note : Phone numbers given above are according to the information available with us. If you find any contact number/s given above is/are incorrect or not in use, please let us know.