Places to see near Nainital
One of the most popular getaways and a tourist destination, Nainital is full of picturesque landscapes, pristine lakes and enjoyable weather that attracts Indian and international tourists alike. The places to see near Nainital are a perfect combination of soothing hill stations, a place for adventurous activities, wildlife sanctuary and a perfect weekend getaway for friends, families, and couples. The places to see near Nainital are ideal for rejuvenating and exploring oneself through nature.
ARIES
Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) is one of the leading research Institutes which specializes in Astronomy, Astrophysics and Atmospheric Sciences. An autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, the institute is situated at Manora Peak 1,951 m (6,401 ft), about 9 km from Nainital, ARIES observatory is a center of attraction for astronomy lovers in India. The astronomical observatory is open to the public during working days on afternoons. For night viewing however, three – four days on moonlight nights are fixed and prior permission is needed.
Khurpatal
Khurpatal is a small hamlet frequented by the tourists for its pleasant climate and a beautiful lake with crystal clear water. If you are interested in angling or fishing, this is the right place to go on vacation. At an altitude of 5500 ft (1635 Mt). It is considered to be anglers paradise having clear water and a good harvest of fishes. The route to Khurpatal is lined with tall trees.The place is ideal for a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. If you love peace and solitariness, come and enjoy the beauty of Khurpatal. The place is unexplored by the tourists and modern construction. Till the 19th century AD, Khurpatal was famous for making iron implements but today it more recognized for vegetable farms. Khurpatal seems a secret haven hidden in the hills, that is why it is still echoing with the sounds of nature and not the machine age man and his boisterousness. If you love serenity, then Khurpatal is just the place for you. A few, simple and helpful village folk are seen engaged in vegetable farming. Rejuvenating the spirits, quiet and greener more so after the rains Khurpatal is a welcome change one can long for. You Can Visit Khurpatal By Taxi Or By Tours & Travel Packages.
Bhowali
Bhowali is a gateway to many places in the Kumaon division like Almora and Bageshwar for people coming from the Haldwani route. Many Lakes neighbor Bhowali like Bhimtal, Sat tal, Naukuchiyatal, Nal-Damyanti Tal, Sukha Tal, and Khurpa Tal. The place is an ideal hill station. It is 1706 meters above sea level and 11 km away from Nainital. This is a road junction serving all the nearby hill stations from Nainital. Bhowali is famous for its scenic grandeur and as a hill fruit mart, Bhowali is also known for its T.B. Sanatorium established in 1912, where Kamala Nehru also stayed for a while. It is now an important fruit market for all the neighboring region, and an important road junction to neighbouring hill stationss, like Nainital, Bhimtal, Mukteshwar, Ranikhet and Almora. Also close is the popular shrine, Golu Devta temple at Ghorakhal, which stand on a hill above an Army school, the Sainik School Ghorakhal, established in 1966 in the Ghorakhal Estate.
Ghorakhal
Ghorakhal Tea Garden (Credit: utdb)
Ghorakhal is a small place, perched at an altitude of 2000 meters above the sea level, approximately 36 km from Kathgodam Station and 4 km from Bhowali. ‘Ghorakhal ‘ literally means ‘a pond for water to horses’. It is a picturesque site, with natural serenity and placidity. Ghorakhal is a must visit for all those who come to Nainital and Bhowali. It is the perfect destination for those who love to have a silent, serene and peaceful holiday, away from glitz-blitz of cities. One of the famous attractions in Ghorakhal is Golu Devta Temple, always in news for the unique rituals performed here. One such ritual is that devotees make petitions at the temple, using stamp papers, to seek desired decree in litigation’s. On accomplishment of their wish, the deity is shown gratitude by hanging bells or making animal sacrifice. People from all over the region consider Golu Devta, the presiding deity of the temple, to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva and ‘the God of Justice’. The first Sainik school of Uttarakhand is located at Ghorakhal. This is ‘one of its kinds’ school in the area and is surely worth a visit. This school prepares its students, mentally as well as physically, for joining the armed forces and inculcates the feeling of patriotism in them, right from childhood. The climate of Ghorakhal is cool and healthy throughout the year, making it an ideal place for setting up such an institution. The admissions take place only for VI and IX classes. Ghorakhal tea garden is located 1800 m above the sea level near the famous Golu Devta Temple at Ghorakhal. The tea factory here was established in 2007-08. It has its plantations scattered over an area of 14 hectares, which are best known to produce some of the richest qualities of tea. Ghorakhal Tea Garden production capacity is 11,000 Kilogram per year.
Bhimtal
Situated at an altitude of 1370 meters above sea level and is about 22 kilometers from Nainital. The major attraction in Bhimtal is the Bhimtal Lake, which has an island at its centre on which there is a beautiful large aquarium which was previously a restaurent. Bhimtal affords splendid views and visual vistas of nature’s beauty. Bhimtal is an ancient place named after Bhima of Mahabharata. Bhimeshwara Mahadev Temple, an old Shiva temple in the bank of Bhimtal lake, is believed to have been built when Bhima visited the place during the banishment (vanvas) period of Pandavas. The present temple was built in 17th century, by Baz Bahadur (1638–78 AD), a King of the Chand dynasty, and the Raja of Kumaon. The climate of Bhimtal is pleasant and salubrious during summers but very cold during winters.Summer temperatures range from 15°C to 29°C, while winter temperatures range from 4°C to 18°C.
Sattal
Sattal or Sat Tal (seven lakes) is an interconnected group of seven freshwater lakes situated in the Lower Himalayan Range near Bhimtal,The names of the seven lakes of sattal are Purna Tal, Ram Tal, Sita Tal, Laxman Tal, Nal Damyanti Tal, Sukh Tal and Garud Tal, During the British Raj the area had a tea plantation, one of four in the Kumaon area at that time. The lakes sit at an altitude of 1370 metres below lush orchards in the Mehragaon valley. Set amongst dense forests of oak and pine trees, Sattal is one of the few unspoiled and unpolluted freshwater biomes in India. These lakes are a paradise for migratory birds. It is home to a few camps being operated mostly by local people catering to tourists looking for outdoor vacations.
Naukuchiatal
Naukuchiatal or ‘lake of nine corners’ is a small hill station in Nainital district. The lake is 175 feet deep and is situated at 1220 mts above sea level. According to myths and some stories, if one takes a glimps of all the nine corners at once with foots on earth, one can disappear in a cloud of smoke to attain nirvana, which means that it is impossible to look at all nine corners of the lake at once with your foot on the ground.It is surrounded by hills covered in trees and shrubs. It is the deepest of all the lakes in the Nainital region. It is within an enchanting valley offering an opportunity of angling and bird watching. There is ample scope for rowing, paddling or yachting. The lake is fed by an underground perennial spring. The lake is situated 4 km from Bhimtal, and 26 km from Nainital, 320 km from Delhi. Nearest railway station is Kathgodam.
Mahesh Khan FRH
The geography and the location of Nainital supports the culture of forest rest houses. Numerous varieties of flora and fauna can be viewed in Nainital and to enhance the pleasure, there is availability of rest houses amidst deep forests. Mahesh Khan Forest Rest House is one of them and a preferred stay option for the adventure lovers. It is one of the best places to stay with family or friends when one wishes to spend some serene moments in the lap of nature. Mahesh Khan Forest Rest House is located near Bhowali in Nainital. It is about 21 km away from Nainital city and 40 km away from Haldwani at an elevation of 2085 m. It is located about 5 km inside the dense forest on Bhowali – Ramgarh road. In order to enjoy some happy moments at this place, forest range office of Bhowali can be contacted. It is subject to frequent maintenance and renovation so that the beauty of this guest house remains intact.
Mahesh Khan Forest Rest House provides the opportunity for its visitors to perform several adventure activities. The natural surroundings and hilly region support these activities and make it a suitable place to experience the camping environment. The activities at Mahesh Khan Forest Rest House are sufficient to rejuvenate the tired nerves of Nainital tourists. The adventure sports and activities that are supported at Mahesh Khan Forest Rest House are bird watching, flying fox, bouldering, tarzan swing, solar lighting, night out, sightseeing, slithering, trekking, hikes, double roper bridge, commando crawl, yoga, rock climbing, valley crossing, rappelling, air gun shooting, treasure hunt and village roaming.
Kaichi Dham Mandir
Neem Karoli Baba Ashram – Kainchi Dham an altitude of (1400 mt) On the Nainital – Almora Road, at a distance of 9 Km from Bhowali and 17 Kms from Nainital is a modern pilgrim centre. This place has achieved recognition owing to the ashram of the famous Shri Neem Karoli Baba Maharajji. Many hundreds of people visit the temples here every day, in season. Each year, during the June 15th Bhandara, reportedly, more than one lakh people are fed. Kainchi 
is a term used for two sharp hairpin bends of the motor road in local dialect hence the name. Founded by the famous Maharaj Neem Karoli Baba in 1962 and is very well maintained and kept neat and clean. The concept of this place came into existence in 1942 when Maharaj Neem Karoli along with Shri Poornanand of the Kainchi Village proposed building an Ashram here dedicated to Sombari Maharaj and Sadhu Premi Baba who used to perform yagnas in this very place.
Later in 1962, their dream materialised and the forest from this area was cleared and a rectangular platform was constructed. After due permission from the Forest Conservator, Maharaj Ji acquired the lease of this land and constructed a Temple devoted to Lord Hanuman over that rectangular platform and adjacent to it is the Kainchi Temple and an Ashram built for devotees. The Hanuman temple is built over the platform mentioned above. His devotees started coming from different places and a chain of bhandaras, kirtans, bhajans started. The Pran-Pratishtha of idols of Hanumanji and others was performed on 15th June in different years. Thus, 15th June is celebrated every year as Pratishtha Divas when a large number of devotees come to Kainchi and get Prasad.
The number of devotees and the associated vehicular traffic is so large that the district administration has to make special arrangement to regulate the same. Accordingly some changes have been made in the whole complex so that people do not face any difficulty in movement. There is also a cave beside the temple where Baba Neem Karoli used to spend his time praying and is considered a sacred area.
Mukteshwar
This beautiful place is 2286 meters (7500 feet) in altitude and 51 Kms from Nainital, 72 km from Haldwani, and 395 km from Delhi. Surrounded by fruit orchards and thick coniferous forest it was developed by the Britishers as research and education institute (IVRI) in 1893. It is the celebrated scenic spot overlooking long ranges of Himalaya. An old temple of Lord Shiva exist on the top of a rock. Surrounded by a magnificent oak and rhododendron forest, Mukteshwar commands a breathtaking view (380 km.) of Garhwal, Kumaon & Nepal snow ranges which include Bandar Poonch, Chaukhamba, Neelkanth, Trishul, Nandadevi, Panchachuli, Mt. Api, Nampa to name a few. Mukteshar also offers a relaxed atmosphere replete with leisure and during the fruit season orchards laden with apples, peaches, pears, chestnuts & plums. Mukteshwar is an offbeat destination & one of the best resort for various eco-activities. Mukteshwar is where Noble laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore started writing Gitanjali.
Jim Corbett National Park
Jim Corbett National Park is the oldest national park in India and was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger. It is located in Nainital district of Uttarakhand and was named after Jim Corbett who played a key role in its establishment. The park was the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative, Corbett has been a haunt for tourists and wildlife lovers for a long time. Tourism activity is only allowed in selected areas of Corbett Tiger Reserve so that people get an opportunity to see its splendid landscape and the diverse wildlife. In recent years the number of people coming here has increased dramatically. Presently, every season more than 70,000 visitors come to the park from India and other countries.
Corbett National Park comprises 520.8 km2. area of hills, riverine belts, marshy depressions, grass lands and large lake. The elevation ranges from 1,300 feet (400 m) to 4,000 feet (1,200 m). Winter nights in Corbett Park are cold but the days are bright and sunny. It rains from July to September. Dense moist deciduous forest mainly consists of sal, haldu, pipal, rohini and mango trees, and these trees cover almost 73 per cent of the park. The 10 per cent of the area consists of grasslands. It houses around 110 tree species, 50 species of mammals, 580 bird species and 25 reptile species. The endangered Bengal tiger of India resides here.
Ramgarh
Ramgarh is a small hill station and tourist destination on the way to Mukteshwar in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, India. This place is rich in orchards. An unobstructed view of the snow-capped ranges of the Himalayas from this place can be seen. The place was once the cantonment of the English army. The famous poets Rabindra Nath Tagore and social worker Narain Swami had established their ashrams over here. There is also a library dedicated to famous writer Mahadevi Varma, who got the idea of writing Lachma, the famous story, in Ramgarh. Ramgarh, which is located near Mukteshwar, is visited and known by a few people. Mainly, people from Delhi and Dehradun visit Ramgarh to live in their cottages. The shops in Ramgarh comprise of real estate and confectioneries. Ramgarh is also known as the “Fruit Bowl of Kumaon” owing to its verdant orchards of Peach, Apricots, Pears & Apples. It comprises two parts – Malla, located on an elevation and Talla, located downhill. There are also nearby places like Hartola and Nathuakhan, all accessible from Nainital and Bhimtal.