QUICK TOUR OF NAINITAL & ALMORA (FROM DELHI)

At a distance of 1.5 km from Tallital Bus Stand, Nainital Lake is a natural freshwater lake, situated amidst the main town of Nainital. It is one of the prime Nainital tourist places.

Nainital Lake is commonly represented to promote Nainital Tourism. The lake was built in 1839 by P. Barron. Situated at an altitude of 2,000 m, this is one of the four lakes of Kumaon hills, the other three lakes are Sattal Lake, Bhimtal Lake, and Naukuchiyatal Lake. Nainital Lake is lunar-shaped and has an outlet at the southeastern end. The lake covers a perimeter of 2 miles with a depth that varies from 6 m to 28 m. The northern part of the lake is called Mallital while the southern part is known as Tallital. Balia Nala is the main feeder stream of the lake. Other than this, 26 major drains, including the three perennial ones, feed it. It is surrounded by panoramic hills on three sides.

According to a legend, .....

At a distance of 2 km from Tallital Bus Stand, the Naina Devi Temple is a Hindu temple situated on the northern end of the Nainital Lake near the Nainital Boat House Club. It is one of the top places of pilgrimage in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, and among the must-visit places during Nainital Tour.

The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Naina Devi represented by two eyes. According to the legend, Naina Devi Temple is the place where eyes from burned body of Goddess Sati fall when her corpse was being carried by Lord Shiva. The word Naina is synonymous with Sati's eyes. The temple is one the main Nainital places to visit.

It is said that the current temple at Nainital actually replaces the original 15th-century temple. In 1842, a devotee Moti Ram Shah installed an idol of Naina Devi. A major landslide has destroyed the temple completely .....

At a distance of 3 km from Tallital Bus Stand & 2 km from Nainital Lake, Snow View Point is one of the most beautiful places in Nainital and also among the most visited Nainital tourist places.

Situated at an altitude of 2,270 m, Snow view point offers excellent views of snowcapped mountains like Nanda Devi, Trishul and Nanda Kot. It also offers great views of Nainital Lake and the town. Snow view point is well connected by road but a ride in aerial ropeway from Mallital is the best way to reach this place.

In order to provide a perfect view to visitors, a pair of huge binoculars is installed at this spot. A small temple housing images of Rama, Sita, Lakshman, Hanuman with Durga and Shiva is located on the peak. The Tibetan monastery Gadhan Kunkyop Ling Gompa of the Gelukpa order situated near Snow view point is also a must visit spot. An early morning trek to this place gives some of the best .....

At a distance of 1 km from Tallital Bus Station, Mall Road is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Nainital. It connects the North and South West corner of Nainital Lake known as Mallital and Tallital and runs parallel to Nainital Lake. Shopping in Mall Road is one of the top activities in Nainital.

The Mall Road was constructed during the British colonial rule. This is the main commercial area which runs through the heart of the Nainital town. The Mall road is now named as Govind Ballabh Pant Marg. The road has a number of Hotels, Banks, Showrooms, Department Stores, Shops, Restaurants and Cafes. It is a cluster of many small shops offering varied products.

Visitors can enjoy their leisurely evening stroll on the Mall Road, with a cool refreshing breeze blowing across the lake on to the road adding to the charm of the Mall. During summers, this road becomes crowded with locals and tourists enjoying the evening weather.

The entry of vehicles is restricted .....

At a distance of 3 km from Almora Bus Stand, Bright End Corner is a vantage point situated at the end of Almora ridge. The place offers some of the most picturesque views of the sunrise and sunset amidst the mighty Himalayas. The point marks the beginning of the Mall Road at Almora and is named after Mr. Brighton.

It is also known for its various meditational centers like Sri Ramakrishna Kutir Ashram and the famous Swami Vivekananda Library. Tourists from across the world travel to this place during April to June and September to October seeking to take up meditation classes. A little away is the Vivekananda Memorial where Swami Vivekananda had spent some time on his journey to the Himalayas.

At a distance of 700 m from Almora Bus Stand, Sri Govind Ballabh Pant Government Museum is situated at Central Lodge and is one of the popular places to visit in Almora city.

Govind Ballabh Pant Government Museum was established in the year 1980. It was built in honor to Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant's contribution as a freedom fighter as well as his efforts to develop Uttarakhand. The museum is known for possessing a varied and good collection of ancient antiques which date back to the Katyuri and Chand dynasties that ruled Uttarakhand for several centuries.

The museum has an interesting collection of art and crafts. It includes folk arts, textiles, Boshi Sen's personal collection, miniature paintings, woodworks. The museum also has an assortment of sculptures, terracotta, coins, bronzes, musical instruments, ivory copper plates, beads, manuscripts and many other things. There is a good collection of Kumauni ancient style painting called Aspen in the museum. These painting are .....

At a distance of 500 m from Almora Bus Stand, Nanda Devi Temple is situated above the Mall Road in Almora. It is one of the most famous and sacred temples in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.

The temple is dedicated to Goddess Nanda Devi, the patron goddess of the Chand Dynasty. She is believed to be the destroyer of evil. Nanda Devi temple dates back to 11th century and is built in Kumaoni-style architecture within the premises of a Shiva temple. The idol of the goddess Nanda is a huge monument with a stone crown encircled by a wooden roof. The surrounding walls are graced by intricate stone carvings of several life size statues.

Nanda Devi temple is quite famous not just in Kumauni people but whole of Uttarakhand. There are numerous temples of Nanda Devi in Kumaon hills and the hills of far-western Nepal dedicated to goddess Parvati as the daughter of Himalayas. The temple is most famous for the Nanda Devi Fair that is hosted every year in the month of September. Tourists .....

At a distance of 10 km from Almora, Chitai Temple is a sacred temple situated near Falsima in Almora district of Uttarakhand.

Chitai Temple is devoted to the mythological and historical God of the Kumaon region, Golu Devata or Lord Golu. Perched on a hilltop, this temple was constructed in the 12th century by a general belonging to the Chand dynasty. Golu Devta is famously regarded as God of Justice.

According to the legend, once a king went into the forest for hunting, when the king became thirsty he ordered one of his servants to fetch water for him. In turn the servant disturbed a female saint deep in meditation. The woman, in a fit of anger, insulted the king. The king got fond of the lady and married her. As the other queens of the king became jealous of the new queen they stole the newborn child of the queen and replaced it with a stone and threw the kid in a lake where a fisherman found him. Later when the boy realized about his true identity he decided to seek on the .....

At a distance of 37 km from Almora, Jageshwar is a Hindu pilgrimage town in Almora district of Uttarakhand. It is located at an altitude of 1870 m on the banks of Jataganga River.

Jageshwar was once the center of Lakulish Shaivism (Lakulish is 28th Avatar of Shiva). Origin and history of Lakulish (Shiva with a wooden stick) traverse back to Gujarat region of current India. The temple city comprises a cluster of 124 large and small temples with many preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India, which include Dandeshwar Temple, Chandi Temple, Jageshwar Temple, Kuber Temple, Mritunjaya Temple, Nanda Devi or Nava Durga, Nava-grah temple, a Pyramidal shrine, and Surya Temple, amongst which the oldest shrine is the Mrityunjaya Temple and the biggest shrine is the Dandeshwar Temple.

There is no definite dating of the construction of Jageshwar group of temples but according to the ASI, they belong to the post-Gupta and pre-medieval eras. These temples range in the period from the .....

At a distance of 1.5 km from Tallital Bus Stand, G.B. Pant High Altitude Zoo is a high altitude zoo situated in Nainital. It is one of the three High Altitude Zoo Parks in North India, apart from those in Darjeeling and Sikkim, and among the top tourist attractions in Nainital.

The Zoo was established in 1984 and is spread over an area of 11 acres. It is situated on the Sher Ka Danda hill at an altitude of 2,100 m (6,900 feet) and is the only zoo in Uttarakhand. The Zoo was opened to visitors on 1st June 1995 and is managed by Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant High Altitude Zoo Management Society, Nainital from 1st March 2002.

The Zoo was established to conserve and protect the wildlife and biodiversity of the hill region of Uttarakhand. The zoo has several endangered species of animals in the Himalayas and animals like snow leopard, Tibetan wolf, Japanese Macaque, Sambar, Himalayan Civet, .....

At a distance of 3 km from Tallital Bus Stand & 1.5 km from Nainital Lake, St John Wilderness Church is located adjacent to the High Court of Uttarakhand at Mallital in Nainital.

St. John in the Wilderness is one of the oldest and finest churches in Nainital. The Church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. This Anglican Church was built in 1846 and is one of the earliest buildings erected in Nainital. As per the legend, Daniel Wilson, the Bishop of Kolkata visited Nainital in 1844 to lay the foundation of this church. During his visit, he fell ill and had to stay in an unfinished house which was on the edge of the forest. Hence, the church got the name of St John Wilderness Church.

The church was built in Neo Gothic style, amidst pine and deodar trees on the hilltop. The church is also famous for its stained-glass windows. It is said that Jim Corbett worshipped here during his tenure in the British army and was a great follower of this Church. St John Wilderness Church contains .....

At a distance of 5 km from Tallital Bus Stand, Tiffin Top also known as Dorothy's Seat is located in Ayarpatta Hill of Nainital. This is the second highest peak in Nainital after China Peak.

Situated at an altitude of about 2,290 m, Tiffin Top is a famous vantage point in the scenic hill station of Nainital. It is one of the most famous among Nainital places to visit. It is also one of the best places for short trekking in Nainital. This place is named after Dorothy Kellet, an English Painter, who died in a plane crash. Tiffin Top is a stonework bench built in the memory of Dorothy Kellet by her husband J.P. Kellet. This was the place where she used to sit and paint the beautiful town and its surroundings. Later, it started becoming a famous picnic spot for the Rajas who ruled this place and hence was officially converted into a picnic spot and locally named Tiffin top which denotes packed food consumed during the day.

Tiffin Top is a very popular picnic spot and is sought .....