Tag Archives: Nainital Diaries

4 Day-Treks worth adding to your Nainital Trip

“The best views come after the hardest climb”

Nainital is the most famous tourist destination in Uttrakhand and it offers a lot to its visitors. Every traveler is aware of Naini Lake, Ropeway, Snow point, Tibetan market, Nainital Zoo etc.  But have you heard about the treks from Nainital? Yes, there are few of day treks which are unexplored and unexploited. Treks rush your adrenaline and pump up blood in the body. They let you see what others have not seen. How beautiful nature is? So, here I am listing the 4 adventurous treks which you can add to your Nainital trip.

  1. Trek to China Peak/ Cheena Peak /Naina Peak

The Naina or the China Peak is the highest point of Nainital. It is located at an altitude of 2612 meters above sea level. And one can trek, go by ponies or cabs to this point. The path for trek passes through thick pine, cypresses and deodar forests. On the way, rhododendron strewn path looks fantastic and is a delight to the trekkers. You also get to see waterfalls, water springs, natural beauty, various animals, and birds. The top offers the panoramic view of the Nainital town, the Himalayas, and the Kumaon region.

Naini Peak, China peak - Day Treks in Nainital trip

Difficulty Level: Easy

Distance – 6 km from Mallital

Timings for Visit – 9:00am – 5:00pm

Time to complete trek – 3-4 hrs

Must Carry – Do carry food and water along as there are no restaurants on the way or on the top.

  1. Hike to Land’s End

Land’s end, as the name says itself is the dead end of the land.  It is located at an altitude of 2118 meters above sea level and the point can be reached by trekking or through ponies. The trek path first ascents and then descents. It passes through beautiful shaped cliffs and mountains slopes. The place offers you magnificent views of Khurpatal, nearby villages, and forests. You can also see plantation and fields over terraced fields giving the place its own charm.

Khurpatal View from Lands end - Day treks in nainital trip
Source – nainitalbuzz.com

Difficulty Level: Easy

Distance – 5 km from Nainital Town and 1 km from Barapathar

Timings for Visit – 5:30am – 6:00pm

Time to complete trek – 1-2 hrs 

  1. Trek to Guano Hills

The Guano hills are situated in the Pangot village of scenic Nainital at an altitude of 1985 km. The place is away from the hustle bustle of city and offers a calm, relaxing and serene environment. The Guano hills can be reached by trekking, cab or auto rickshaw. The craggy and rocky hiking trail passes through dense forests of oak, bamboo, and deodar. The place offers you lush green spectacular views and can spot rare birds like gray woodpeckers.

Guano hills - Day treks in Nainital trip
Source -groupouting.com

Difficulty Level: Easy

Distance – Pangot Village lies at a distance of 17-18 km from Nainital

Timings for Visit – 8:00 am – 6:00pm

Time to complete trek –2 – 3 hrs

Must Carry – Water and camera

  1. Trek to Tiffins Top (Dorothy’s Seat)

Tiffin Top also known as Dorothy’s seat is a stone bench built in the memory of English artist Dorothy Kellet on the hill top. The passage to the Tiffins top is a bit tricky and make sure to climb up and down with some local guy instead of getting lost in the jungle. The roads are cobbled so the trek is a bit tough than the others mentioned. The other option to reach can be through horses. The hilltop gives you the breathtaking spectacular views of Nainital town and Naini Lake. You will be counting the buildings and spending hours viewing the nature’s beauty. So it is worth adding to the Nainital trip.

Tiffin Top - Day treks in Naiinital trip
Source -holidfy.com

Difficulty Level: Moderate (as compared to others in Nainital)

Distance –4 km from Nainital Town

Timings for Visit – 9:00 am – 5:00pm

Time to complete trek –2 – 3 hrs

Must Carry – Water, camera, sunscreen and good walking shoes

The beauty of Uttarakhand state is unimaginable. The Himalayan ecology is well conserved and these treks offer a great retreat for nature lovers and bird watchers. So, add these treks too, when you plan your next Nainital trip.

Leave a comment to let us know which one you added to your Nainital Trip.

Weekend getaway to an old world charm – The Grand Hotel Nainital

Sometimes you feel like running away from the scorching heat, traffic of Delhi. That is what happened with me and my husband last weekend and we planned to rush out. But now the question was where to go? The limited options for weekend getaway from Delhi are Mussorie, Nainital, Jaipur, Shimla etc. Somehow we decided over Nainital. We started from Delhi at 2:00 p.m. and reached around 9:00 p.m. Thanks to NHAI (National highway authority of India) for making it a pleasant journey. We checked into our hotel “The Grand Hotel Nainital  on the mall road. It’s a colonial style hotel with magnificent panoramic views of the Naini lake.

 

The Grand Hotel - Nainital
Naini Lake View – The Grand Hotel Nainital

Architecture

The Grand Hotel, Nainital was first built hotel by Britishers in 1872. They have maintained their architecture in traditional style – long open verandahs, stone walls, wooden floors, high ceilings, preserved firewalls and veteran style furniture. We could even found the ball room dance lounge and grand banquets in the dining hall.

Colonial Style Verandhas - The Grand Hotel Nainital
Long Open Verandahs – The Grand Hotel Nainital

Comfort

In the room of The Grand Hotel Nainital there was everything; from water to glasses to neat and clean bedding, attached washrooms with traditional cloth drying racks, old wooden cupboard, tall mirrors, ethnic style lighting and carpeting throughout the room to make it comfortable during winters.

Food

In The Grand Hotel Nainital , for meals we had to place an order and they are served only in the dining area, to give the perfect feel of grand banquets, whereas snacks are served to rooms, throughout the day.

Nearby, there are good eating joints which are open till 12 midnight.

Weather

March end and April starting is the perfect timings to explore this place. There was a blend of cool breeze with sun warmth during the day and evenings are chirpy, cool. At one point of time I felt the need of shawl or jacket, but without it was more joyful.

 Sitting in the verandah of The Grand Hotel Nainital, we could get the panoramic view of Naini Lake with tall trees around it and people chirping on the streets of mall road.At night around 11, strolling mall road hand in hand was an amazing experience. You can see wonderful reflections of light and moon in the water.
Reflections in Nainital lake - The Grand Hotel Nainital
Night View of Lake – The Grand Hotel Nainital

 Staff

Staff was courteous, mannered and well dressed. The welcoming smiles on their face made you actually speak to them.

In short, I will say The Grand Hotel Nainital is a perfect blend of traditional and modern culture and a must visit once.