The tranquility and beauty of Nainital makes it an amazing hot spot for tourists. Beautiful scenery, lush green forests and amazing lakes describe the awesomeness of this place. It is often referred as Lake District of Uttarakhand.

History

Nainital was found in 1841 with the construction of first ever European house by P. Barron who used to trade sugar. He belonged to Shahjahanpur. According to mythology Nainital is believed to have received Goddess Sati eyes and hence is famous as Nainital.

Nainital is located amid many beautiful mountains and has beautiful green valley’s surrounding the area. One can enjoy the evening stroll along the lake side. The Naini Lake provides the spectacular view to the tourists looking for pleasure.

This beautiful place attracts tourist from around the world. The magnificent place looks stunning at night with all the lights that lighten the place. This hill station is famous among tourists looking for adventure, families and also the honeymooners who want to enjoy the serenity of this place.

Climate

Nainital is usually cool in summers. Temperature ranges from 27°C maximum to minimum 7°C in summers. Weather in winters ranges from a maximum of 15 degree Celsius to a minimum of -3 degree Celsius accompanied by snowfall also. The snow covered hill station is also visited by many tourists.

Things to Do

Horse Riding

One can go for horse riding and trek to the famous spots.It takes about an hour depending on the trek you have chosen.

Boating

One can do boating in Naini Lake which is the most popular activity in Nainital. The boating can be enjoyed during the evening hours. The cool breeze that prevails during evening is mind blowing.

Photo-Shoot

People from different states come and enjoy wearing the traditional dresses at shops and get themselves clicked in different and colorful costumes. Ladies can wear “lehenga” of different styles giving them “Himachali look” or “Kashmiri dresses” etc.

Trekking

Nainital even has popular treks that are very beautiful and are for those who like adventure.

Rock Climbing

Rock climbing can also be done by people who look for adventure in Nainital. There are many operators that provide rock climbing activities.

Attractions

Nainital Lake

This lake is also known as Naini Lake. It is located in the center of the town. This lake is eye shaped. The northern end of this lake is called Mallital and the southern end is called Tallital.

Nainadevi Temple

It is a must visit temple and is located at the northern tip of Naini lake. The temple is believed to be one out of 64 Shaktipeeths where body parts of Goddess Sati fell when Lord Shiva was carrying her body. The eyes of Goddess are believed to be fallen in the Naini lake and hence, the name Nainital given to the hill station. The shrine is very important for Hindus and is a must watch.   

Nainital Zoo

There is a zoo in Nainital that has Siberian tiger, leopard and many of the pheasant species that can be seen. This zoo is a high altitude zoo that is a home to many animals and birds.

Snow View

Snow view is at an altitude of 2270 m and is located atop of the hill and one can take a cable car to reach there. Charges usually are from Rs. 150 per person to Rs. 75 for child. This place offers spectacular view of the Himalayan range. The cable car is a delight for kids and everyone enjoys it.

Tiffin Top

This is also called Dorothy’s seat. This hill is flat at top. The hill is a 4 km hike from the town center.

Bhimtal Lake

It is located at a distance of about 22 km from city center. It is the biggest lake of Nainital.

Sattal

This literally mean seven lakes. It is located at a distance of about 23 km from Nainital. It is basically a cluster of small 7 interconnected lakes. The seven lakes are Nal-Damyanti, Panna, Garuda and finally a group of three lakes namely Ram, Laxman and Sita lakes.

Eco Cave Garden

This garden is a cluster of interconnected caves and is a very popular tourist spot in Nainital. There are six underground caves in this garden. The caves are named after wild animals that they resemble. There are caves that make you even crawl to go through them. This gives lot of fun and adventure.

Shopping

Shopping can be done on the mall road that has many shops of wooden things. One can get key rings of their names on wooden plate. One can buy many wooden things from toys to chairs to furniture to antique pieces on the mall road. Other things to buy include ethnic clothing, Himalayan Bags, Woolen caps, Local juice, decorative pieces made from wood.

Also, Nainital has several shops that sell candles. One can find candles of different styles, aroma, shapes, themes and size. Even homemade candles are found here.

Mall road is the most popular place to shop and has many shops located on the banks of Naini Lake. One can find many restaurants and many shops on the street.

Tibetan Market

This market is famously known as Bhotia market located near Naina Devi temple. Many clothes can be found in Bhotia market and huge bargain has a scope in these markets. One can have stylish bags, warm clothes, shawls etc. in this market.

Accommodations

One can find plenty of hotels that open to a magnificent view of Naini Lake. There are many budget hotels as well super luxury hotels in Nainital. Summers are peak time and require pre booking of the rooms to avoid last minute rush. May-June is the peak months. Best time to view the natural surroundings is during winter months of October-January. This time one can avoid the crowd and enjoy a pleasant stay.

How to Reach

By Air

Nainital does not have an airport of its own. The nearest airport is at Pantnagar which is at a distance of 65 km from Nainital. But it has all private chartered flights. The other working nearest airport is New Delhi which is about 300 km from Nainital and takes about 6-7 hours to reach from Delhi.

By Train

The nearest railway station is located at Kathgodam which is about 34km from Nainital. Kathgodam is connected to important places such as Delhi, Lucknow and other nearby towns.

By Road

Buses run from Delhi which is air conditioned, sleeper and Volvo. One can board an overnight bus to Nainital and reach there comfortably. There are many operators that run buses. Even one can go for self-drive option. The roads are all in well condition.