A hill-station overwhelmed by families from Delhi; a common conception the travellers have about Nainital. It certainly is true, even during this pandemic!
A jam-packed mall road parallel to the lake, with loud honking and a distasteful din, is something we definitely don't wish for while travelling. Well, all you have to do is witness the city from a different vision and it all goes away.
Places to Visit
Mall Road, Nainital
Amidst the usual traffic jams and a zillion eateries lies a peaceful lake right across the road. Just find the right spot to sit, there isn't any dedicated seating space, just have to locate the least dirty place with a wide view. The lake feels so peaceful that you spend hours looking at it, people boating around, mini-whirlpools forming in the lake and the mighty Himalayas in the background.
Naini Peak Trek (also known as China Peak formerly)
Nainital has got its share of easy-short treks, this one is surely a hidden-gem. All the nature-lovers out there who love to trek every mountain range, Naini Peak is for you. It's a 4km rocky trek that starts from 8kms ahead of Nainital.
You can turn on your Google Navigation and, you're good to go, just ask around for the forest checkpoint as that is the starting point for the trek. Only a handful of people visit this place so you might be the sole-trekker. It takes around 90-120mins to reach the peak, and there aren't any shops for you to get food or water, come loaded with a personal hydrator.
Once on top, you can witness the entire city of Nainital from the bird's eye. The Nainital lake in the shape of a mango and the vast Himalayan forests.
Nainital Zoo
A kind-of a touristy place but, you can get adventurous and trek to the Zoo from Mall road. Personal vehicles are banned in the road leading upto the Zoo. You can rent a shuttle that drops you off at the Zoo with nominal charges of Rs 50. It's your choice, either to commute with the tourists in the shuttle or take the road less taken and hike-up to the animal kingdom.
Nainital Zoo is situated at a high altitude where you can witness some of the mightiest beasts, including Royal Bengal Tiger, Leopards and Wolves.
Kayaking at Sattal
Drive around for a while and bam! You can get to Sattal (20kms from Nainital) where you can ride a Kayak all by yourself and can body-surf in the lake. It offers a few more water sports that you can indulge in at a reasonable price (Rs 150/person for 30mins of Kayaking). But, rowing is demanding and can leave you exhausted and hungry.
Cafes
When in Nainital, never worry about the food. It has some great cafes to please your appetite!
IHeartCafe
Situated only 7kms away from Sattal on the way back to Nainital, this is the ideal place for you to satisfy the post-rowing hunger. Usually, a crowded cafe with lip-smacking medium pan based pizzas and coffees worth a visit. Priced slightly towards the higher end but, justified with the taste and quality.
Cafe Lakeside
Another cute and charming cafe which is ideal for evening munching with a mug of hot coffee. Cafe Lakeside, as the name suggests, is situated right opposite Nainital Lake amidst the busy mall road. You can sip a hot coffee and watch the magnificent sunset with the view of a lake.
The judicial capital of Uttarakhand has something for everyone with some views, water sports and some tempting cafes. Well, Nainital is a city of tourists but, you just have to change the vision to make it the city of travellers.
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