Nainital town, Snow View and Tiffin Top
Nainital · 7 hrs · Cab included · Pickup from your stay
From ₹2990 for the whole vehicle, up to 8 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹2990 for the vehicle.
- Tata Sumo: Rugged 8-seater. The most room for the money. ₹3490 for the vehicle.
- Innova or Ertiga: The comfortable one on a long hill day. ₹4990 for the vehicle.
Nainital, in the order the town allows
Nainital packs its sights around one small lake and the ridges above it, which makes it look easy and makes it surprisingly hard. The Mall is a single road along the shore, outside cars are held in parking lots below the town in peak weeks, and every viewpoint is up a narrow road with almost nowhere to stop.
This day takes it in a sensible order. Naina Devi at the lake first, before the queues. Then out to the Ayarpatta side for Tiffin Top and Land's End while the morning is still clear. Back down for the ropeway to Snow View once it is running, and the lake itself last, when the afternoon light is on it.
With a local car for the day, the driver drops you at each foot of the hill and waits where he can, which is the part of Nainital that wears visitors out. The price is one flat rate for the car, the parking is in it, and the only counters you meet are the ropeway and the boats.
Your day, stop by stop
1. Naina Devi Temple
The temple the town is named for, on the northern shore of the lake at Mallital, beside the flats. Go first thing, before the queues and before the Mall fills up.
2. Tiffin Top
A rocky knoll on Ayarpatta hill, also called Dorothy's Seat, reached by a steep walk or a pony ride up from the road near Barapathar. The view is south and west over the outer hills and, on a clear morning, a long way beyond.
Pony hire, if you ride rather than walk
3. Land's End
A cliff-edge viewpoint on the same side of town, looking down over Khurpatal and the valleys below it. A short stop, and the best of it is early before the haze comes up.
4. Snow View
The ridge above Mallital, reached by the ropeway from near the flats. On a clear day the Kumaon snow peaks line the northern horizon; on a hazy one you get the lake and the town spread out below. Either way the ride is the point for most people.
Ropeway ticket, both ways
5. Naini Lake
The lake itself, last, from a rowing boat out of the Mallital boat stand or on foot along the Mall to Tallital. The afternoon light on the water is the best of the day.
Rowing or pedal boat at the official stand
In your price
- Private vehicle with driver for the day
- Pickup and drop at your stay in Nainital
- Fuel, tolls, driver allowance and parking at every stop
- Snow View by road if the ropeway is closed
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Ropeway, pony and boat
- Meals
- Temple offerings
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- Ropeway ticket to Snow View
- Pony hire to Tiffin Top, if you ride
- Boating on Naini Lake
- Lunch and anything personal
Who this suits
Most people. The temple, Snow View and the lake are easy for anyone; Tiffin Top is a steep walk, which you can skip or do by pony. The sedan seats four, the Sumo eight and the Innova six, each at one flat price for the car.
What to bring
A warm layer for the morning ridges, walking shoes with grip for Tiffin Top, modest clothes for the temple, and cash for the ropeway, ponies and boats.
Haze, cloud and the ropeway
The snow peaks from Snow View are a clear-day bonus, most likely from October to February, and haze or cloud is not a cancellation. If the ropeway is closed, the car goes up by road. If landslides close the town roads before pickup, you get a full refund or a free reschedule.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
Run by a licensed local ground operator, one driver per vehicle, commercially registered and insured. The edges at Tiffin Top and Land's End are not fully railed; keep children close. Wear the life jacket on the lake.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. It is one price for the whole vehicle for the day. Eight of you in the Tata Sumo pay ₹3,490 between you, not each.
Will we see the snow peaks from Snow View?
On a clear day, yes, and the clearest days are usually from October to February. In summer haze and in the monsoon you often will not, and we will not pretend the view is guaranteed.
Can we climb Naina Peak too?
Not on this booking. Naina Peak is the highest point above town and a proper walk of a few hours, which would push everything else out. Tell us when you book and we can suggest how to fit it on another day.
Can we stay on at the lake instead of being dropped back?
Yes. Tell your driver in the morning and he will leave you at the Mall instead of your hotel.