"Mountains are the beginning and the end of all-natural scenery".

Dreaming, discovering, exploring, living the moment, and creating the memorable flashes of your life - Here we are with A Complete travel guide for The Trip to Nainital. I am going to share our experiences along with the guidelines for your trip to Nainital.

This tour to Nainital, the sparkling jewel-like necklace around the Himalayan, the Lake District of India, and the most popular hill station in North India will definitely add adventure and memorable memories to your traveling folder. 

About Nainital

Nainital is located in the northern state of Uttarakhand in the Kumaon region. This exceedingly known and beautiful hill station is settled at the foot of the outer Himalayas. 

Nainital is about 7000 feet in height from sea level, surrounded by mountains from all sides, giving incredible viewpoints and scenic beauty. 

Situated at the center of Nainital, there is a Naini lake covering a circumference of around 3 km, which is the perfect and awesome place for relaxing and replenishing yourself. Naini Peak is the popular trekking spot and also is the highest peak in Nainital. The name of the place "Nainital" comes from the word Naini from Naini Lake where Tal means lake.

The superb natural beauty and the pleasant climatic surrounding will refuel you from the hustles of daily life. It's very well said that the more frequent you plan a trip, the least stressful your life is and this is proven that the trip lovers are happier and energetic than those who don't plan at all.

Beautiful Naini Lake

Now let's move on to our trip to Nainital, but before that let me share a mythological story behind the name "Nainital", it is also believed that when Lord Shiva carried the body of Goddess Parvati, her eyes fell in this place, eye as Nain, and Tal means Lake hence named the place as Naini-Tal.

What is the best time to visit Nainital?

Nainital is the full year destination place. Actually, there is no ideal time to visit this place, it totally depends on what season you like and what you want to do here. You wanna experience snow or enjoy rafting or you want to cover everything on a really low budget. Following are the highlights season-wise:

October to February: This is the most loved season of the year. This is the beginning of winters with chilled nights. From November, winter starts to reach its peak, dipping the temperature to zero degrees celsius. You will find the misty charming beauty all around. If you don't want to miss the snow, plan your trip for December and January.

March to June: These are the summer months and are great for sightseeing. This is the time to enjoy water rides. The afternoons may be hot so plan the boating after 4PM. 

July to September: This is the rainy season and you can expect heavy rainfall, which may cause road blockages. This season is considered as the off-season time for the visitors, so you may get special off and discounts in hotels and everywhere.

Breathtaking view of Naini lake

What are Covid-19 travel guidelines?

Now ever since COVID, there are certain guidelines to be followed to visit Uttarakhand:

1. It is mandatory to carry RT-PCR negative report, with you. And it should be from ICMR labs done within 72 hours.

2. There will be a free COVID test for the passengers traveling from Maharashtra, Karela, Punjab, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.

3. You should follow all the safety measures like keeping up the mask, using sanitizers where required, and keeping your surroundings clean and hygienic.

Note: "The guidelines may change depending on the COVID situation." Please read the full detailed information on the official government website and read the instructions before booking your tickets.

How to reach Nainital?

Being a famous hill station, Nainital is very well connected with all of the major cities of the country. Depending on your preference you can choose roadway, railway or airway to reach Nainital. 

Following are the different modes, you can choose any:

1. Railways: The nearest railway station is Kathgodam, which is 35 kilometers away from Nainital. All the major cities are connected to this railway station. If you are traveling from New Delhi, Kathgodam Delhi Shatabdi Express is the everyday train.

From Kathgodam station, you can take a private taxi, which will charge around Rs.700 to 900 depending upon the type of taxi car you choose.

Another cheap option is, go to the bus stand, which is 1.5 km away from the railway station and catch a bus to Nainital. This will cost you around Rs.60-70 per person.

2. Airways: The nearest airport is Pantnagar airport, around 65 kilometers from Nainital. You can get a direct flight from Delhi and after reaching Pantnagar airport, you can directly book a taxi or cab.

3. Roadways: Another mode is by road. If you choose public transport, there are private or government buses available from major nearby cities. You can get a Volvo AC Sleeper bus from Delhi and nearby cities like Dehradun, Haridwar, Almora, etc.

Tip: We recommend that you can drive from Delhi to Nainital. The highway conditions are really good. You can enjoy the road trip with friends/family. Book a car from Delhi and enjoy your ride to Nainital. You will get a chance of enjoying sightseeing.

Captured this beautiful view on our way to Nainital

What is the Local Transport mode in Nainital?

Once reaching Nainital, you may need local transport to roam around and visit nearby places. One option is public transport like Auto Rickshaw or local buses.

You can also book a private taxi within the town. The charges may vary depending on the type of taxi car.

Another good option is to rent a bike or Activa or book a car. You will get numerous options there.

The best and pocket-friendly way to explore is by walking. Walking on your foot, clicking photographs, and enjoying the weather is the best thing you can do here.

Where to stay in Nainital?

If you are planning a holiday in Nainital, it is advised to book your rooms in advance. Nainital is one of the most popular hill stations, there may be chances of crowed and you will not get your preferred room. 

You can pre-book your accommodation online. In case you were not able to book your hotel in advance there are plenty of budget hotels with full amenities and in different price ranges.

In search of budget hotels near around bus stand

What are must-visit places in Nainital?

• Naini Lake

This eye-shaped lake is located at the center of the city and is the topmost attraction of tourists. It is like a magnet for travellers because of its crystal clear water.

Lake offers ample opportunity for holiday lovers to book paddle boat ride or boating. The rates for boating and paddle boating is displayed at different places alongside lake so one can book and enjoy the scenic beauty of the Nainital.

Paddle boat ride in Nainital

• Snow view point

It is one of the coldest regions on Nainital, located at the height of 2260 meters. This is the best place to click amazing photographs of snow-covered mountains.

You have to trek around three kilometers to reach the snow view point. You will get to see the spectacular view of Nanda Devi peak, the second-highest peak in the country.

The incredible scenic beauty will stun you and make your trip worthwhile. It's gonna be a lifetime memory for you.

• Bhimtal Lake

This is the biggest lake among all in Nainital. It is located around 22 kilometers from the center of the city. There is a masonry Dam built in the lake for water storage purposes. You can do boating here. The view is gonna amaze you.

• Nakuchiatal Lake

Nakuchia means having 'nine corners' and the lake is well known for having nine corners. The lake is really beautiful and has a scenic look, with greenery and forest around along with the winding road from one side. This charming Lake has a boating facility. You will find yourself in a wave of peace and with nature when you visit this lake.

Enjoy boat ride in Nakuchia Lake

• Mall Road

Nainital mall road is one of the most popular tourist destination among visitors as it s a long 1.5Km stretch which connects two ends of the Nainital which is Mallital and Tallital. 

This mall road offers many food eateries, cool cafes and restaurants where one can enjoy the food along with beautiful lakeview. Also, This place is very crowded due to many visitors and tourists enjoy shopping and strolling

• Mukteshwar

Mukteshwar is around 51 kilometers from Nainital, placed even higher than Nainital, surrounded by forests and greenery. It gives a picturesque view of the Himalayas.

If you are a follower of Lord Shiva, you will love this place because an ancient temple of Lord Shiva is located here. 

Mukteshwar is also famous for adventurous activities like rock climbing and rippling. There is a famous overhanging cliff nearby called Chauli-ki-Jali, popular for rock climbing. Mukteshwar is a beautiful hill station, you should visit this if you are visiting Nainital.

Suicide point in Mukteshwar

What are the things you can do in Nainital?

• Boating 

Visiting the city of Lakes gives you an obvious thing to do here is boating. You will get many opportunities for boating while visiting Naini Lake, Bhimltal Lake, etc.

You must experience the fun of Yachting and boating in Naini Lake.

Enjoying Boating ride with my Friends

• Trekking and Camping

You will find a large number of trekking opportunities here being a hilly place. Trekk to any peak and stay in a camp for a while is one of that dreamy activities that everyone should try. It takes you to a completely different world and suddenly you start feeling out of the world. This is what I experienced here.

There is a small trek known as "Naini Peak", one can easily trek to this peak as its only around 3KM, The whole trek route is surrounded with lush green vegetation and have narrow path to trek. 

Before reaching to the top you will come across a Wireless repeater station, where you can have a snack(Tea, Maggie).

Snack Time

On reaching to the top of Naini Peak the panoramic view of Nainital is breath-taking. You can choose any trek depending on how high you want to trek and camp for a while and just live that moment.

Beautiful panoramic view of Nainital

• Horse Riding

This is another amazing thing you can do here. You should definitely have a taste of horse riding here. You can hire a horse for visiting Snow Viewpoint or Tiffin Top and have all of the pleasure of snow-covered peaks on the way.

Captured this beautiful lush green landscape on my way to Tiffin Top

Tips for Nainital Trip

1. Try not to plan during the monsoon season, the place might be slippery for trekking and walking. Also, if it rains heavily for long, you may not go out to cover the places nearby.

2. Carry warm clothes and socks with you. And especially in winters, carry thermals and jackets.

3. Try to carry a first aid kit with emergency medicines like medicine for headaches, vomiting, and fever.

4. Try to take your power banks and keep your phone charged.

5. Take some cash with you, although you will easily find ATMs there.

6. Other essential things like Sunglasses, headphones, warm caps, toiletries, etc.

7. Try to keep the area clean.

I hope this will help you to plan your trip to Nainital soon. Let us know if you need any further assistance to plan your trip in the comment section.

We will love to hear feedback from you!

Thank you for reading :)

Love,