About Nainital
At an elevation of roughly 2ooo metres, known as the city of lakes, Nainital is a glittering jewel in the Himalayan necklace, blessed with scenic natural appearance. It is a paradise for nature lovers.
Besides religious reasons, the snow-capped hills, deep lakes, and the all-year-round pleasant weather makes it one of the most popular and exquisite hill station located in the Kumaon region. In season, close to 4000 tourist vehicles enter the town every day and the number only increases during weekends going as high as 6000. Nainital tourism’s popularity has endured over the decades. From trekking, boating, experiencing wildlife to visiting historical sites and gorgeous Nainital sightseeing places, Nainital provides a wholesome experience to its visitors.
Arrival Day
We started our journey by taxi from ramnagar and reached nainital at around sunset. The journey is about 60 kms but it takes close to 2 hours to reach due to high terrain roads. We were amazed to be greeted with signs by local police which read “Nainital Housefull”.
On enquiring, we were informed that the situation has gone out of hand due to heavy Vehicular moment & in order to discourage the tourists from entering the town with their vehicles, placard have been put up by the local authorities. We were dropped at Bara bazaar, mallital road as taxis were not allowed to go any further and thus began our hunt for accommodation.
With heavy backpacks we started visiting Hotels but everything was either pre booked or occupied. After our fair share of struggle, we found a guest house which was ready to provide a single room to spend the night but would charge exorbitantly due to excessive footfall. With much bargain, we agreed to pay 2700 for three. contact number of Khan Sahab (guest house owner) 8958265159.
Eateries in Nainital
The food corners are pretty much everywhere. Being a vibrant town where tourists swarm in throughout the year, there is no dearth of food outlets in Nainital – from full-service multi-cuisine restaurants to inexpensive street-side food stalls there is something for every budget. Since we were staying near naini lake, we visited Bara bazaar for our dinner.
Sightseeing
There are two options to choose from for sightseeing. One can either rent two wheelers or can deal with local guides and tour the city in their cars. The latter is recommended as the guides know the insights of their town. We found a local tourism counter at the mall road. The local guide Shahrukh bhai (7455907172) mentioned that they charge 2000/- for local tour and covers all the tourist destinations. We started our tour with snow view point which is a 15 min trek from the base point.
Sightseeing in Nainital mainly includes visits to various lakes dotting the region, namely Bhimtal, Sattal, Naukuchia Tal and Khurpatal. You can also visit the snow view point, Eco cave and Nainital Zoo which is one of few high altitude zoos in India.
One can also spend quality time at the mall road which is adjacent to Naini lake. For easy commute, cycles are also available on rent at the mall road.
Eco cave
Our next stop was Eco cave which is 2 kms away from Mallital. It comprises of several natural inter connected caves of different animals. Featuring six caves which are named according to the animal they resemble hence there is a tiger cave, panther cave, bat cave, squirrel cave, ape cave and flying fox cave that one passes through well-lit tunnels.
As you progress through these caves, the tunnels narrow down slowly and at some places you actually have to crawl to enter the caves. Although the entrance of these caves are quite narrow, the interiors surprisingly are huge as well as cold and with each cave the difficulty level increases thus enhancing the fun and adventure of exploring these caves. From walking in the woods to scrawling, squatting in the rocks we reached the exit. Adding to this adventurous fun is a musical fountain at the site, which puts up a spectacular display of lights, water, and music. Entry Ticket is 70/- per person and it takes roughly about an hour to visit all the caves.
Rope-way
It is one of the first and foremost things to do when you are in Nainital town. The board on the counter says the timing to buy tickets is from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. But they may shut down way ahead of time if the quota of tickets is over for the day. Expect long queues for its tickets as it is one of the most favoured tourist attractions. The cable car takes you to the Snow-View Point from where you’ll not only get a bird's eye view of Naini Lake but also a breath taking panorama of the snow-capped mountains all around.
Naini lake
Our final stop was Nainital Lake which is the most popular spot in Nainital. The lake is surrounded by hills, cosy cottages and villas peeping from the plants of the hills and when all these reflect in the lake, it is a sight to behold. Since the lake in eye shape, it is named as Naini Lake. True to its popularity the lake is wonderfully stunning.
Naini Lake is one of the four Lakes of Kumaon hills, the other three lakes are the Sattal Lake, the Bhimtal Lake and the Naukuchiyatal Lake. Bhimtal is situated at a lower altitude than Naini Lake, beckons travellers with its pristine aqua blue water to have a boat ride or at least spend some quiet moments by the waterfront. Sattal is a combination of three lakes merged together naturally. Naukuchiyatal is also a beautiful lake where you’ll love the serenity in the atmosphere.
These lakes are home to migratory birds. And beside the birds, it is said that it houses an unbelievable 525 species of butterflies and over 11000 species of insects including beetle, bugs and moths and a variety of flora including rare medicinal herbs and shrubs. Boating over its quiet waters is also an experience of a lifetime. You will find two types of boats at Naini lake- Paddle boats and rowing boats. The charge for rowing boat is Rs 210 per boat for a 30-minute ride.
Our trip to Nainital came to an end with the lake tour. Although, The sheer volume of visitors here can be nerve-fraying, especially in summer, with a sea of cars, buses and tour groups descending but it is definitely one of the most admirable Hill stations in India.
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