Into the land of Mountains

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Into the land of Mountains



It’s impossible if you are living in India and you won’t dream about the mountains. We all know that India is one of the richest countries when it comes to awe-inspiring mountain and serene landscapes. So I thought to fulfill my dream along with my mother to visit one of the splendid sites of India, Nainital which is believed to be the jewel in the Himalayan necklace. So we picked up a date in the month of November which is said to be the best time for visiting Nainital. This is one of the prominent hill stations nearby Delhi which can be toured within the span of 2-3 and can be reached within 7-8 Hours by bus or car if cleared from the traffic or any other unpredictable obstacles. Else, other options could be taken into consideration like train (Ranikhet Express) which takes 6-7 hours to reach and terminate at the nearest train station called Kathgodam which is 35 kms away from Nainital. One can cover up the distance through air travel as well which is least opted by people. Out of all the alternatives, we chose to travel by bus especially to relish the scenic views.

We boarded bus at midnight and taken granted that we will be reaching to our destination by early morning but the Mother Nature turned out be unfavorable as we met with severe landslides due to heavy rainfall. Overcoming the 10 hours of long laborious journey, finally we made it to our destination. In Nainital, one can have all the hotel options ranging from low budget to high budget. Those hotels which are located beside the pristine Naini lake are priced in high range, however, if someone is in favor of living in the center of the charming mountains can consider the hotels based in the higher valleys. Beside of all the constraints, we choose to stay in a guest house placed in the higher terrains to witness the glistening sunrise and sunset and picturesque mountains.

Resting for one hour, we commenced to travel to the nearest not-so-famous attraction of Nainital called High Altitude Zoo which is indeed as its name said, based at the high altitude on the Sher ka Danda hill and was very close to our guest house. It is a very clean and very well maintained Zoo. It has several endangered species of animals like Snow leopard, Tibetan wolf, Sambar, Leopard cat and Himalayan bear. It also has a vast collection of high altitude birds, like Kalij pheasant, Lady Amherst pheasant, Rose ringed parakeet, Golden pheasant and Red junglefowl. But this Zoo has only one drawback. It needs extensive climbing for around 200 meters as the road to this Zoo is very steep and for the elderly people or those who can’t walk long distances it’s hard to cover up the road. Coming down to our hotel, we hired a taxi to see the other places in Nainital and we reached to Tiffin top which is also known as Dorothy’s Seat, is a terrace hill top atop the Aryapatta Hill located at a distance of around 4 Km fron the central Nainital. It was built in the memory of an English Lady Dorothy Kellet who was killed in air crash by her husband. As its name suggest, it is usually visited by the tourist who trek with their packed lunches and spend a nice time in tranquility.

Our next stop was linked to perhaps the highest peak of the town called Naini Peak. One can hire a pony or horse to visit this peak either from Snow view or from Mallital. We are much fortunate that we had our own hired car. At the Snow View Point, with the help of giant binoculars, we were fortuitous to take a glance at the awestruck panorama of the scintillating snow laden Himalayas from Bandar Punch in west to Api and Nari Peak peak of Nepal in the east, a full of Himalayan range in one side and an aerial view of the lake city of Nainital in its glory. Overwhelmed with the stunning view, we were encased in the charm of the shimmering beauty of the Himalayas, but we were compelled to move forward as we have to complete our journey.

So, we were forwarded to the ECO Cave Garden which is the latest entrant into the many attractions of Nainital. It is popular among the tourist of all the ages especially with little children. It is managed by Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam. This garden has six simple to complex natural caves of different animals like Tiger Cave, Panther Cave, and Bats cave, Porcupine Cave, Flying Fox Cave and Apes Cave. These caves are bit dark lighted with single petroleum lamps. It can be a bit adventurous for those who are not into much physical exercise. It leads its visitor into some mysterious world which gives a glimpse of the wilderness of the hill region. Individuals can cover up all the caves with a short flight of steps cut into the hill-side. There is a musical fountain present inside the Eco Cave Gardens which is a spectacle to watch as the evening descends. Walking down the garden stretch and crawling way through the caves, we finally made it to the hilltop-garden surrounded by the lush green hills where we relaxed for a while and had an uninterrupted view of the peaks.

Heading towards the next point, Sattal Lake, situated in the lower Himlayan Range near Bhimtal interconnected seven freshwater lakes located in the Nainital distracts of Kumaon Region. It is set in the middle of the dense forest of Oak and Pine Trees. This lake is a heaven of migratory birds as they stay for some time during their migration. You’ll see lots of ducks and swans making their way amid the boats. In the midst of the Sattal Lake, there’s a small Aquarium which can be reached only through a boat ride. Earlier it was a restaurant and later turned into an aquarium. You can spend 20 to 30 minutes inside the aquarium. Just few minutes’ drive, we landed up at Naukachiatal which is much similar to Sattal. It is said to be the deepest lake in all over Nainital region. It is also called as ‘Lake of Nine Corners’, embrace by majestic mountains and flourishing greenery amidst the twisting mountain roads. This is small hill station rich in Himalayan birds and verdant surroundings where one would prefer a nature walk through the woody forest with luxurious sceneries. With nothing much to do here, it gave us a scope of a boat ride and horse ride afterwards. Taking a peek of enchanting valley, we headed back to hotel. It was dazzling evening at the Mall Road; we went for a long walk for little shopping and appetizers. At night, I was standing in my hotel room’s balcony where I was star-gazing but another magnificent element I have noticed afar was the lighted houses located high in the mountain were reflecting a camouflage of small candles embedded on all over the valley which was a heart-stopping décor one can’t afford to miss.

As we had already covered the most attractions of Nainital, we decided to go to the nearest place to the Mall Road, where we got an exhilarating option for a Cable Ride at Nainital Ropeway. It connects Snow View point with Nainital near flats. Aerial Ropeway starts at mallital and there are only two trolleys to carry passengers. Even though the time duration is not so long but it’s a worth ride to take lasting for 2 Minutes 31 seconds only. It offers a bird eye view of the Nainital region while descending or vice versa. At snow view point, there are few stalls where you can sit back and relax for a while or can have some snacks along with relishing the panoramic view of snow-covered Himalaya. Apart from the mini-stalls, there are some adventurous rides available which a very good option is for kids. After dismounting from the Snow View Point, We took a quick glance at the famous Naina Devi Temple built on the upper edge of the Naini Lake. Inside the temple, devotees have darshan of three deities. On the extreme left is Mata Kali Devi, the centre representing two Netras or eyes is Maa Naina Devi and to right side is idol of Lord Ganesh. After visiting all the local attraction of Nainital, we, finally, afford to spend some peaceful time at the banks of the Naini Lake situated amidst the township of Nainital which is believed to be one of the emerald green eyes of Shiva’s Wife Sati that fell on the earth after her act of self-immolation. On the edge of the Naini Lake, there are several multi-cuisine restaurants out of which the most spotted and best restaurant is the Machan Restaurant. For vegetarians, the best choice is the “Giannis Pure Veg restaurant”.



At the end of day, we packed our bags and were ready to forego the pleasure of seeing the beauty of the Hills and the highly recommended hill station Nainital. We have all the more reason to come back again in next few years. True Enough!!

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