Uttarakhand Chronicles Part 1- Nainital

My son and I were going about our routine activities a few days before embarking on our week-long vacation. We looked forward with eager anticipation for our long-awaited and well-deserved vacation.

The decision to visit Uttarakhand for our leisure break was taken by my son. After a glorious week on the mesmerizing hills, we have not regretted it one bit.

Uttarakhand has a lot to offer in terms of its diverse landscape. From quaint hill stations to wildlife parks and forests, gently flowing rivers and ghats and places of worship, it caters to all types of tourists who may want to relax in the peace of the mountainside or thrill-seekers who would want to try out the many adventure sports like paragliding, river rafting or trekking. For the spiritually inclined, the temple towns of Rishikesh and Haridwar are a must-visit. The divinity and tranquility of the place will make even an atheist bow in reverence. This is precisely the reason for choosing Uttarakhand as our travel destination.

We wanted to savour most of what Uttarakhand had to offer, so we decided to make our starting point from Nainital and go northwards covering Corbett, Haridwar, Rishikesh and Mussoorie and reach Dehradun as our final destination.

We made our first stop at Nainital, a beautiful hill station having an eye-shaped lake in the valley surrounded by mountains. We had pre-booked our accommodation and sightseeing itinerary through a travel agent which made our journey smooth and hassle-free.

After an overnight train journey from Dehradun, we alighted at Kathgodam, which is about 25 km away from Nainital and is the nearest railhead serving the picturesque hill-station. We had a quick breakfast of Idlis and chutney at a small South Indian eatery, enroute to the Naintal Mall Road.

Nainital, the jewel of Kumaon hills is home to many lakes like the Bhimtal, Naukuchya Tal, Sattal, etc. but the most popular among them is the crescent-shaped Naini Lake. We stayed at a budget hotel "Himalaya" near the Mall Road overlooking the lake.

The evening was spent walking along the bustling mall slowly savoring the atmosphere, the fresh, cool breeze gently brushing past our faces. The beautiful lake lay before us like a bed of thousands of shimmering diamonds shining in the fading sunlight. The mall road, running parallel to the lake is about 1 km. long, with myriad hotels, restaurants, cafes and shops lined up on one side and a walkway along the other. Vehicular traffic is closed in the evenings except for cycle rickshaws which are allowed to ply on the Mall road. Tourists and locals alike strolled along the mall side shopping or just sitting and chatting by the promenade. Boating on the lake is a major attraction, and people can be seen enjoying the scenic beauty of the verdant mountainside while paddling or rowing on the Gondolas and boats. The boating rates are quite reasonable and the facility can be availed at any point along the Mall road.

The cable car or the aerial ropeway ride is one of the popular attractions in Nainital. It connects Mallital to the Snow View Point which offers breathtaking views of the snow capped Himalayan ranges and the lake.

The tickets can be bought at the entry point at Mallital. There are a few food stalls and souvenir shops on the View Point to cater to the tourists.

For those who love shopping, there are local markets like the Bara Bazaar, Tibetan market and Mall Road market where people can be seen bargaining for various apparels, artifacts and handicraft items.

Nainital is also famous for its varied cuisine. There are various restaurants in and around the Mall serving Continental, Chinese or pan Indian dishes to suit the taste buds of tourists from all over India and abroad. We had a quick but fulfilling lunch at a popular Tibetan eatery, the Sonam Fast Food, located right in the middle of the Bhutia market. It serves mutton and vegetarian momos and hot steaming bowls of thukpa. It is a take-away joint and there is no indoor seating arrangement. After a satisfied meal, we continued our shopping spree.

If you are in the mood to try out the authentic Kumaon dishes, one can befriend any of the locals who may be kind enough to invite you for a wholesome, home-cooked meal at their homes.

There are numerous trekking trails and picnic spots in and around Nainital for people to enjoy the scenic beauty of the hill station.

Owing to the several stunning lakes scattered all over, Nainital is also famously called the “City of Lakes. Though Naini Lake is the most popular, the Bhimtal Lake , Khurpatal Lake, Sattal Lake and the Naukuchiatal Lake are also major attractions.

Bhimtal is the biggest lake in the Kumaon region. Each of these fresh water lakes have different hues of blue and green. All are located amidst natural vistas around forests of oaks and pine trees. They offer various activities for the visitors like boating, fishing, bird-watching, hiking and paragliding.

A charming temple on a hilltop where bells are offered to the presiding deity, the Golu devta. The walls, railings, pillars are all covered with thousands of hanging bells. The view of the Kumaon hills and Bhintal from the top is magnificent.

Coming up next - Uttarakhand Chronicles Part 2 - Corbett