Posts Tagged ‘Nainital Sightseeing’

Around Nainital - Naukuchiatal Lake

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Naukuchiatal, the name which can be broken into three parts Nau-kuchia-tal to derive its meaning is an absolute wonder in the lake district of Nainital. If you translate Naukuchiatal in English, that’s what you get - Nau (Nine) Kuchia (Corner) Tal (Lake). Naukuchiatal is indeed a lake of nine corners offering magnificent views and different shades of the lake from every corner.

Naukuchiatal is set amidst oak forests in lesser Kumaon region of Uttarakhand State in India. Part of the rural tourism initiative of Uttaranchal Tourism, this faded blue lake is surrounded by green forest mountains from all sides. A scenery which is forgotten and out of sight for all the lakes in district, Naukuchiatal along with its forests is one of the only few virgin destinations in North India. While the people of Naukuchiatal believe in the Nirvana folklore, I strongly feel that its very difficult to see all the nine corners through 1 angle. However, I have also heard a true story that our beloved Goving Ballabh Pant succeeded in attaining that.

I am one of the lucky ones who have been going to Nainital for years now. Me and my father used to go to Naukuchiatal to experience solitude when there were no pacca roads in Naukuchiatal. We used to hire a bike from Nainital town and ride the twisting hilly roads and carefully cross the kutcha road to visit this paradise. Upon reaching the place, we used to trek the jungles and then have our lunch by the lake or sometimes in a boat while rowing and touching every single corner of the lake. Those were the days…Ma friend :)
Naukuchiatal is a place of character and sheer beauty. Sitting pretty at about 4000 ft above the sea level, Naukuchiatal is a place that you could visit at any time of the year. The weather is very pleasant throughout the year and one can go and visit Naukuchiatal anytime. I have been there in every season and and whenever I go, I never get tired of witnessing the ever green beauty of Naukuchiatal.

The kind of activities one can do in Naukuchiatal are far more superior to any other hill station in India and around Delhi. A comfortable drive of not more than 6 hours travelling time from Delhi, brings you to Naukuchiatal where birding, fishing, boating and paragliding are still alive. There are hundreds of exotic birds in the forests of Naukuchiatal and highly recommended to birders. Here you can do fishing in the lake and catch India’s most famous game fish, the Mahaseer. You can also climb up the hill of Pandegaon, face the lake and jump from the cliff and glide through the mountains of Naukuchiatal.

In a way I am happy that not too many people come to Naukuchiatal. We have already witnessed and seen the price Nainital has paid to become the tourist hub of Kumaon. But we also want more and more people to witness the beauty of this paradise lake. Its definitely a must do while you are in Nainital and anywhere around Nainital. The place is only 25 kms from Nainital, 04 kms from Bhimtal and 15 kms from Sattal. There are enough reasosns to visit Naukuchiatal - attaining Nirvana being the most gifted one :)
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Nainital Tibetan Market - Shoppers Delight!

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Oh what a delight!!! But we must warn you that Nainital Tibetan Market is highly addictive and may cause a dent in your pockets :) Nevertheless, shop wholeheartedly here cause you wont get a better place or deals to shop elsewhere. Nainital Tibetan Market is located on one side of the Naini lake and next to the famous Naini Temple. As you enter the Market, you are greeted by ever smiling Tibetans who own different shops here along with some ambitious Indians. Its a very narrow path and you have shops on both sides…So there is a great variety to choose from and if you are good in bargaining, trust me, you will not be disappointed.

As we entered the Nainital Tibetan Market, we were thrown to a lot of shouts, calling “Sir, Sir, Sir” and as we tried picking on who the person was, there were more shouts forcing us to ignore the one we heard…:) So now we knew for sure that bargaining was on and big time! It was actually quite dark there but the shops were fully lit up to showcase the products. In fact I came across a shop which was owned by an Indian and there was this whole range of (duplicate) Designer Colognes and Perfumes. Honestly, we found people wearing the best and ORGINAL colognes but still buying from this shop. I asked one of the Sardarjis (Sikhs) and his idea was to take these colognes for day to day wear :) There were plenty of shops where one could buy shoes, jackets and sweaters. We were told that these products were sourced from China. We actually picked up a jacket and a pair of shoes. There was a very good range of funky shoes and poly-fill jackets so we had a chance to bargain and guess what…It clicked also! A decent pair of shoes were not at all a bad buy for Rs. 400/-

Nainital Tibetan Market is actually a treat for women…So its very dangerous to go there (for men) with women. We saw a lot of women buying face packs, perfumes, nail polishes and some more things which cannot be told here ;-) We also liked the variety of Bags, Wallets, Key Chains, etc. Its actually a good place for commercial tourists as it falls right next to the Temple, the Gurudwara (Sikh Temple) and the famous Naini Lake. So its not a bad idea to come here and also help the Tibetans at the same time.

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Nainital Sightseeing - Himalaya Darshan

Monday, February 2nd, 2009

As the name suggests, Himalaya Darshan or Snow View, is a scenic spot close to main Nainital where you could see the snow capped Himalayas from a distance. Located about 5 kms from Nainital Mall Road, Snow View is an excellent place to view the picture postcard view of the Himalayan Peaks.

On the way to Kilbury, Snow view is all about witnessing the mighty Himalayas from a point which is roughly 2200 meters from the sea level. As you view it from down to up, the first beautiful sight is of a forested valley and as you move up, one of the most uninterrupted and clear views of the Himalayas can be seen.

The place is quite popular among tourists and a local Chai wala will make it more a pleasing affair by offering a round of Hot Chai/Coffee. But that’s not all, a plate of Eggs with bun or local Maggi (Noodles) will taste like never before. You will also come across a local air gun shooting wala where you can shoot plastic bottles hooked on a tree.

Some of us who are more adventurous would like to explore the place in the dark. We will play Pink Floyd in our cars and take a drink or two while no one is around… Just the hills, music and the Himalayas :)

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Picture taken in August…For best results, please visit Nainital from March - June :)