Delhi – Nainital – Mukteshwar Tour – Uttarakhand, is also known as Devbhumi (Land of the Gods) due to its religious significance and numerous Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres in the state. The state is divided into two divisions, one is the Garhwal region and the other Kumaon region with 13 districts amongst them.
Major places of interest in the Garhwal region are Mussourie, Chamba, Devaprayag, Chopta, Landsdowne, Auli etc.
Major places of interest in the Kumaon region are Nainital, Ranikhet, Almora, Munsiyari, Mukteshwar etc.
We went to Mussourie few years back which falls in the Garhwal region, so this time we wanted to explore the Kumaon Region, hence we chose Nainital and Mukteshwar.
Nainital – Is one of the most popular hill stations in the region. The name is derived from the famous Naina Devi temple. Tourists flock to Nainital through out the year from various part of the country and from abroad as well.
Nainital was basically founded by a European businessman in mid 80’s and later it became a summer tourist spot for the British who spent summers in these hills to escape the hot and humid climate of the plains. The Britishers built several schools, colleges and administrative buildings in this region over the years.
How to reach Nainital
Nainital is located at a distance of 294 km from New Delhi and 35 km from Kathgodam which is the nearest railway station to it.
By air – The closest airport is Pantnagar which is approximately 65-70 km from Nainital. However the number of flights are very less compared to New Delhi Indira Gandhi International airport which is the second option.
By rail – Kathgodam and Haldwani are the nearest railway stations to Nainital both located at a distance of 35 and 42 km away from the place respectively. There are frequent trains which goes from Delhi, Dehradun and Uttar Pradesh region. From Kolkata there is a direct train called Bagh Express which goes to Kathgodam and takes around 36 hours to reach there.
By road – Nainital is locatd around 294 km from New Delhi and around 118 km from Moradabad in UP. The place receives the maximum number of tourists from these regions with Haryana also not falling behind. There are lot of overnight buses which leaves from Delhi and reaches Nainital early morning.
To our suprise, Nainital is also one of the tourist hot spot area for Bengalis as well. The month of October and November receives the most number of tourists from West Bengal and is also known as Bangali Season.
When to visit Nainital
April, May and June are the peak season however the month of July to September offers the off season.
Nainital receives snowfall during the months of late December to early February.
Monsoons should ideally be avoided as most part of Uttarakhand hilly region falls under landslide zone and its quite frequent at this time of the year.
However we wanted to visit the place during monsoon only, just to view the raw nature with full of greenery spread across. We also heard that the place gets covered with thick mist and clouds through out the season with night temperature falling between 10-13 degrees.
Tourists can enjoy good discounts on hotels and transport and nature can be seen in its most glorious form.
Tip – We researched and tracked the weather everyday before visiting the place as it falls in landslide zone and at times it rains through out the day as well during this time.
Delhi – Nainital – Mukteshwar Tour : Day 1
We wanted to have a leisure trip this time around because we had very less number of days in hand and moreover as its monsoon so most of the places in this region will not be safe to explore.
If you choose to visit Nainital via Delhi it would generally take 5.5 hours to reach Kathgodam by train. As we were going from Kolkata we took the Howrah New Delhi Duronto express to reach Delhi first. The train leaves at around 8:35 am from Howrah and reaches early morning in New Delhi around 6:00 am, leaving you a full day to explore New Delhi.
If you want, you can catch an overnight bus on the same day or you can catch the New Delhi Kathgodam Shatabdi Express which leaves the next day around 6:20 AM and reaches at 11:40 AM giving you a full day rest and time to explore New Delhi as well.
We already had booked our hotel in Delhi near the Paharganj area called Hari Piorko (review to be shared soon). Upon checking in and getting freshened up we went to explore New Delhi.
Tip – Do not take local taxi, auto or talk to any people upon reaching Delhi. The place is full of touts who is always looking for extracting huge amount of money from tourists. Do not go to the prepaid booth also as they are also involved in this . Prepaid auto was charging us Rs 250 to cover a distance of 3 km when we were returning from Kathgodam. We booked an Uber for Rs 120 for the same distanxe.
Try to book a cab from Ola, Uber or Indriver. Also keep an eye on your wallet, mobile and other valuable belongings. Our hotel was in walking distance when we came from Kolkata, so we just walked 400 meter to reach the hotel.
Metro is the quickest and safest way to explore Delhi. Unlike the Kolkata, Bangalore or Mumbai metro, Delhi metro is very confusing for people who have landed in the city for the first time, but if you have a map handy with you, you can slowly get a hang of it.
If you want to explore the city via metro, go to the customer travel desk and ask for a tourist metro card for 1 day or 3 days, if you are staying for one or more than one day. Unlimited rides for 1 day will cost you Rs 200 (50 refund while returning the card)
As we had very less time on hand and it was so hot and humid outside we could only cover few places like Red Fort, Jama Masjid, India Gate, Supreme Court, Qutub Minar, Connaught Place and Karol Bagh market. We will share a separate blog on New Delhi and how you can explore the region.
Delhi – Nainital – Mukteshwar Tour : Day 2
On our next day we had our train at 6:20 am from New Delhi and by 11:30 we reached Kathgodam. There is a prepaid counter just outside the station and they took Rs 1,250 for a snall cab for two people to go to Nainital.
Dont visit Nainital during a weekend or when there is a public holiday. The traffic gets crazy. We were stuck in traffic for 2.5 hours and in total it took us 3.5 hours just to cover a distance of 35km when it generally takes around 1 hour to reach Nainital from Kathgodam.
The Nainital lake area is divided into two parts one part is called Tallital which has the taxi and the Bus stand and the other part is called Mallital which is near to the Naina devi temple. The road which joins these two areas is known as the Mall road beside the lake. Dont forget to take a local rickshaw ride for Rs 20 from one side to the other.
We had pre booked our hotel in Tallital called Hotel Sweet Home (review to be shared soon). Upon checking in we spent the rest of the day at leisure as it started raining like crazy.
Delhi – Nainital – Mukteshwar Tour : Day 3
Now the reason why we said not to visit Nainital during an extended public holiday or during weekend or peak season is because of the crazy traffic. We had another hotel booked for our next two days of the tour in Malli Tal, so upon checking out from the one where we were staying the last day we found it very difficult to get a cab due to traffic jam (it was Independence day). It took us 2.5 hours to reach the hotel which might have taken maximum 15 minutes and moreover we paid double the fare.
Upon checking in to our hotel Pinewood (Rs 3300 standard room with breakfast) in Mallital we went out to explore the area on foot as we did not want to hire another cab and get stuck for hours while doing local sight seeing.
You can choose to do the local sight seeing or you can hire a cab for the lake tour which covers other lakes like Bhimtal, Nakuchiatal, Saattal etc. For the local sight seeing we would recommend you to explore by foot apart from the caves and the mango shaped view and ropeway for which you need to hire seperate cabs like we did. Our way of travelling is to cover maximum by foot and interact with the locals and explore hidden gems rather than roaming around in a cab and visit only the touristy areas.
Near to Mallital we started of by visiting the St John Wilderness Church. Situated adjacent to the High Court of Uttarakhand in Mallital, it is one of the oldest and one of the best churches in Nainital.
St John Wilderness Church is named after a Bishop from Kolkata who spent the better half of his life here and is dedicated to St John the Baptist.
From there if you walk down near the Mall road you can see the beautiful Nainital stadium. The stadium lies within the proximity of Naina Devi Temple and Jama Masjid.
Just opposite to the stadium you can opt for boating which is a must thing to do if you visit Nainital. The rate of boating is fixed and tickets are to be purchased from boating counters only. Rather than the paddle boat we tried the more conventional boating which costed us Rs 210 for a ride of 15-20 minutes (although they will say 30 minutes). They will provide you with life jackets during the ride. Boating facility is available by the side of the lake in many places around Mall road as well.
Beside the Naina Devi temple is a Tibetan market where you can buy winter clothes. But all of these comes from Delhi, so no point purchasing clothes from here if you are coming from Delhi
Just opposite to the Mall road on the other side of the Lake is the pathway known as Thandi Sadak. It starts from the Naina Devi Temple and ends at the bus stand. This entire pathway is so beautiful and its an ideal place for couples and people who want to spend a peaceful time amidst a chaos.
Note : Don’t walk along the pathway during monsoon as its prone to landslide
There are few temples along the way and the pathway is beautiful.
Nainital is also famous for their candles and walnuts. Dont forget to take away some on your way.
We spent the evening at leisure along the Mall road. There are plenty of cafes, restaurants you can explore on the Mall road. To note the price is on the higher side. Even price of alcohol is also high compared to other parts of the country.
Choice of food is very limited as mostly restaurants either serves pure veg or pure Non Indian food which might not be fit for the taste buds amongst other people coming from different parts of the country.
Try out Dominos, Subway etc to get slightly different variety of food.
Delhi – Nainital – Mukteshwar Tour : Day 4
On the next day we hired a cab for Mukteshwar which costed us Rs 2,200. We started off early after having a sumptuous breakfast.
Mukteshwar is about 45km from Nainital and will take you about 2 hours as you climb to about 2450m (8000 ft). The path leading to Mukteshwar is beautiful and sceneic.
Overlooking the peaks of Nanda Devi, Mukteshwar is also a celebrated scenic spot that is perfect for long walks with your beloved person and some quiet time in the closeness of greenery and nature.
The first spot we visited was Ghanta Mandir. This temple is known as Gollu devta mandir and the god is known as god of Justice. Often people write letters to god and offer it in the temple and one is sure to get justice.
From there our cab driver wanted us to visit a tea garden known as Small Tea Garden. Its a normal tea garden where you can stop for some nice clicks if you are going towards Mukteshwar from Nainital. As we have seen the best of tea gardens in Darjeeling and Assam earlier, we skipped visiting another tea garden of similar type this time around.
We directly went towards the very famous Apple Garden in Khabrar District on our way to Mukteshwar. The entry fee is Rs 100 per person and they will also allow you to pluck 2,3 apples from the trees as well.
As we entered the orchard we noticed that few trees had full of apples and realized that the owner did not pluck it to attract tourists. There were plum trees as well. Don’t forget to have the fresh apple juice from the trees for Rs 50 per glass.
From there we went to the famous Mukteshwar temple. It is an ancient temple dedicated to lord Shiva. This hill temple is located at an elevation of 2,312 meters above sea level and offers a beautiful view of the surreal landscape.
Just below the path, we have the famous Chauli ki Jali. One of the most prominent myths amongst the local, is that if one crosses this stone hole on the event of Shivratri then they would be successful in having a child.
If you are planning for a short trip to Nainital and you have your own car or you have booked a car for your entire trip already, try to stay in this little hamlet of Mukteshwar. Its more beautiful, less crowded and cheaper compared to Nainital.
We spent the remaining part of the day at leisure.
If you want you can also add the lake tour along with this tour as most of the other lakes like Bhimtal, Nakuachiatal fall in this region only.
Delhi – Nainital – Mukteshwar Tour : Day 5
We planned to return to Delhi from Nainital on this day. Our train the Kathgodam NDLS Shatabdi express had a departure time at 3:10 pm and was supposed to arrive at Delhi at 8:50 PM.
Upon checking out early from the hotel, we headed towards the famous Nainital zoo. The locals wont recommend you going there not sure why. But we thoroughly enjoyed it. The total fee is Rs 60 (for shuttle) + Rs 100 (entry fee) = Rs 160. We felt its definitely worth it.
There is a steep climb which you need to make so its not easily recommended for elderly people. There are plenty of animals and birds to see in the zoo. It would be worth of spending 2-3 hours definitely.
Upon seeing the zoo we headed back towards Kathgodam station.
Don’t forget to try the famous Mutton and Chawal along the way for lunch. So start early as there might be a long queue to Uncle ji’s restaurant. His local dhaba is off the road and almost in the middle of a forest. The mutton is made on woodfire. He opens his dhaba at around 10 am and by 1pm the food is literally sold out!
We landed in New Delhi at around 9 pm and checked in to our Hotel – Fab Hotel Marble and Arch near Karol Bagh. It costed us Rs 2100 with breakfast.
Ps: Skip this hotel as there are plenty of other hotels available in the area within this budget with much better facilities,. Detailed review to be updated later
Delhi – Nainital – Mukteshwar Tour : Day 6
We had to catch the NDLS Sealdah Rajdhani express at 4:30 pm so we had the entire first half to roam around other parts of Delhi.
You can utilize this time to visit other historical or interesting places in Delhi or you can just keep it to do last minute shopping like we did in the famous Sarojini Market.
We utilized the full time to shop like crazy. Its one of the cheapest market in Delhi to buy clothes with tops for women starting for Rs 50 to Rs 300 only and for men ,t-shirts and denims starting from Rs 100- Rs 300. Just get down near Sarojini Nagar metro station gate no 1 and the market is just opposite to it.
Once we were satisfied with the quantity of shopping we did, we headed towards the hotel, and after checking out we headed back home to the railway station to catch our train back to Kolkata.
Important Tips for the trip
- Nainital is expensive, so book your hotels early. Try to stay close to Mall road as if you stay uphill every time to come down and go up you have to pay Rs 200 for cab charges as there is no sharing concept. Although the best hotels are located uphill towards Malli Taal.
- Delhi is not safe to roam around after 9pm, so be at your hotel by 9 o clock at night. If you are planning to roam around the city, don’t hire a local cab or auto, take the metro as this is the most easiest way to explore the city. The yellow line has most of the historical places to visit. Download a pdf copy of the map of the metro as its very confusing unlike major cities of Kolkata or Bombay. Although the good part is that the metros are quite frequent and it covers almost all corners of the city
- Don’t talk to touts, auto or cab drivers upon landing to Delhi. 90% of the time they will try to trick you to extract hefty money out of your pocket. Read our blog for a complete one day trip in New Delhi.
- Delhi is quite hot and humid through out the year, so try to remain hydrated and avoid visiting places during day time.
- The food of IRCTC in Duranto, Shatabdi and Rajdhani has deteriorated with the passage of time. Try to get your food from outside as much as possible and avoid opting for food on your tickets. Its not worth it.
- Don’t do shopping at Nainital, as all products come from Delhi. Also avoid visiting during peak season and on national holidays as the place is filled up with tourists and its not worth it.
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