Things to do in Nainital

A lake town in the Kumaon hills with three days in it: the lake district over the Bhowali saddle, the town and its ridges, and Kainchi Dham with Mukteshwar.

Getting around Nainital

The town is short of parking and police hold outside cars below it in peak weeks. The other lakes sit in separate valleys that all route through Bhowali, and Kainchi Dham runs on park-and-shuttle rules on busy days. Every experience below includes the vehicle, a local driver and the parking.

Experiences

• Bhimtal, Naukuchiatal and Sattal lakes loop: Three lakes in three valleys, and the forest road between them
• Nainital town, Snow View and Tiffin Top: The temple at the lake, the ridges above it, and the ropeway up
• Kainchi Dham and Mukteshwar: The ashram before the crowd, then the orchard road to the Mukteshwar cliffs

Best months

March to June and October to February. May, June and long weekends are the most crowded; July to September brings landslides; October to February has the clearest views of the snow peaks.

Getting there

About 35 km and 1.5 hrs up from Kathgodam, the nearest railhead; Pantnagar airport is about 2 hrs away. Delhi is about 7 to 8 hrs by road.