11 Popular Tourist Places to Visit near Bhimtal

Before the freedom of India, Nainital was a British Hill station.  Being a Lake city Nainital is one of the prettiest Himalayan towns in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.

Perched at an elevation of roughly 2,000 meters above the sea level. Nainital is set around the beautiful kidney shaped freshwater Nainital or Naini Lake, a very much popular site for boating with the famous Naina Devi Temple on its north shore.

Nainital is truly the treasure trove of Kumaon, offering the visitors a fantastic ropeway ride to Snow View point (present at 2,270m height), with vistas over the town and mountains including Nanda Devi, the highest peak of Uttarakhand.

Nainital is not only a popular tourist destination but is also known for its British era prestigious schools and educational institutions. The glittering city Nainital not only attracts the domestic tourists but also a huge number of foreign travellers.

Naukuchiatal or you can call it the “Lake of Nine Corners” is a small yet a very popular Hill Station near Bhimtal in Nainital district of Uttarakhand. As far as the deepness of Naukuchiatal lake is concerned, it is 175 feet deep and it is situated at 1220 M above Sea level.  This small lake city is surrounded by Hills covered by trees and shrubs. Being in the valley it gives you the opportunities for angling and bird watching.

This is a popular saying that one glimpse of all the 9 corners of the lake with both feet on the earth can make the viewer disappear into smoke to achieve nirvana. It is believed that this lake was created after the very hard worship of Lord Brahmaji. Therefore there is a small temple dedicated to Brahmaji that exists near the KMVN guesthouse. According to the people of Naukuchiatal if anyone performs a parikrama of the lake will be blessed by Brahmaji.

Sattal or Sat Tal is located near Bhimtal in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand. It is called Sattal “Seven Lakes” just because of the seven freshwater Lakes which are mysteriously interconnected to each other. These seven lakes sit at an altitude of 1370 metres below lush orchards in the Mehragaon valley. Ram Tal, Lakshman Tal, Sita Tal, Nal Damyanti Tal, Panna Tal, Purna Tal and Sukha Tal are the names of these seven interconnected lakes.

Being in the lower Himalaya region Sattal is set amongst dense forests of oak and pine trees.

Just because of these 7 freshwater lakes Sattal is one of the few unspoiled and unpolluted freshwater biomes in India. For migratory birds the fresh water lakes of Satal is just a paradise. Sattal is a popular place among tourists for outdoor vacations because various camps are being operated  in this area mostly by locals.

Kainchi Dham Mandir is basically a Lord Hanuman Temple & Ashram established by a great Hindu Guru, Neem Karoli Baba (नीम करौली बाबा) or Neeb Karori Baba (नीब करौरी बाबा) in 1960s. Name of this place is called “Kainchi” just because of its location in between the two hills that cut and cross each other to create a shape of scissor. On 15th June every year a Bhandara is organized by Ashram for its Pratishtha Divas or Consecration Day, which is very famous among locals and tourists and people reach there in the number of Lakhs.

Neem Karoli Baba has a huge number of followers in India and outside India as well, He is known to his followers as Maharaj Ji. A huge number of Americans travelled to his Ashram to get the blessings.Except Kainchi there are so many other Ashrams of Neem Karoli Maharaj are available in different-different places in India including Vrindavan, Rishikesh, Shimla, Neem Karoli village near Khimsepur in Farrukhabad, Bhumiyadhar, Hanumangarhi, Lucknow, and Delhi. And also have Ashrams outside India like Taos, New Mexico, and US.

The holy temple of Hanuman Ji is surrounded by hills and trees and a river flowing besides it. And their followers say that the great strengths and presence of Hanuman Ji can be felt inside the Ashram. In the 70s the ex CEO of the well-known mobile company “Apple” Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg the CEO of famous social networking website “Facebook” also visited the Ashram for meditation and to get blessings from Maharaj Ji.

In the lap of the Hills of Kumaon at an altitude of 7500 Ft, Mukteshwar is a pleasing small village and popular tourist destination in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand. The name “Mukteshwar” came from a 350-year-old temple of residing Lord Shiva the Mukteshwer Dham. If you want to feel the mountains, you can get astonishing and marvelous views of the imposing Himalayan range from the top of the mountain on which Mukteshwar Temple stands.

The distance of Mukteshwar from the popular cities is 51 km from Nainital, 72 km from Haldwani, and 343 km from Delhi.

While driving towards Mukteshwar your vehicle drives through pine forests and then through the fruit orchards, so that you can get a chance to pick fresh fruits (peaches and plums) from the trees roadside. By staying in some camps here you can enjoy living right in the middle of a pine forest. Trekking up to the Mukteshwar Dham temple and sitting on a cliff quietly, and ziplining between two cliffs at Chauli ki Jali are the moments that you will remember your lifetime about your Mukteshwar trip.

Best time to visit Mukteshwar is in between March and July but if you want to experience snow, plan your visit around January and February.

Pangot and Kilbury Bird Sanctuary is the paradise for adventure & bird lovers near Nainital. This place is so cool & calm and offers a panoramic view of wide Range of Himalaya. Pangot village is about 13 km away from the Nainital city and located at a height of 6,510 ft above sea level.

Pangot village is the most popular destination among the bird lovers as it houses almost 580 different species of birds. It  has a huge variety of birds that attracts tourists to visit this place includes Lammergeier, White-throated laughing thrushes, Little pied flycatcher, Himalayan bulbul, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Rufous-bellied niltava, Khaleej pheasant, Brown wood owls, Himalayan Griffon, Blue-winged minla, Spotted and Slaty-backed forktail, Collared grosbeaks, Striated Prinia, Altai accentor, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Dollarbird, Green-backed tit etc.

The village Pangot is located in the forested zone around Naina Peak Range.The route to this village comes under the Himalaya darshan area, which allows you to see a splendid view of the Great Himalayas, especially mountain Nanda Devi.

Pangot and Kilbury Bird Sanctuary Nainital Timings are Monday to Sunday 6:00 am to 5:00 pm

A small village Ghorakhal, which is famous for its Army School “Sainik School Ghorakhal” and “Golu Devta Temple” is located at the height of more than 2,000m near Bhowali in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand. The word Ghorakhal means pond for water to horses. The Sainik School Ghorakhal is a very popular school in India, was established in 1966 at the Ghorakhal Estate of the Nawab of Rampur.

Golu Devta, the presiding deity of the temple is said to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva and the temple is one of the main attractions in Ghorakhal. Being a legendary God of Kumaon and eastern region of Garhwal of Uttarakhand, Golu Devta or Lord Golu is worshiped by all the people of this region. In Kumaon he is known as Golu and in eastern Garhwal as Goril Devta.

In Kalyug, Lord Hanuman ji is considered to be the 11th incarnation of Lord Shiva. Hanuman Ji is one of the most worshiped Gods in India. Therefore several ancient and miraculous temples of Lord Hanuman are located in entire India. “Hanuman Garhi Temple Nainital” is also dedicated to Lord Hanuman Ji and the most famous temple of Nainital, which is located about 3 kilometers away on the observatory route via Tallital of Nainital.

This famous temple of Hanuman Ji is situated at an elevation of 1951 meters above the sea level.

Hanuman Garhi temple was built by Neem Karoli Baba in 1950. Apart from this, “Sheetla Mata Mandir” and “Leela Shah Bapu’s Ashram” are located on the other side of the hill. You will have to climb 70 steps to reach the temple complex.

Hanuman Garhi Temple was built in 1950 by Neem Karoli Maharaj, a local saint and a great devotee of Lord Hanuman Ji. He used to visit the temple to seek the blessings of Lord Hanuman regularly. This temple has bedcome a special attraction among tourists and religious travelers.

Golf Course Ranikhet, a property of Kumaon Regiment is a famous tourist destination located in Ranikhet of Almora district. This beautiful green grass ground surrounded by pine trees is located 5 km from Ranikhet on the Ranikhet Almora road. Golf Course Ranikhet is the second largest golf course in India, featuring 9 pits, while also providing membership plans to outsiders.

If we talk about the beauty of this ground this beautiful ground is covered by green and velvety grass. It attracts so many native tourists as well as foreign tourists per year. This Golf Course is also having a rest house full of all kinds of amenities for golf players.

The green velvety grass of this golf course at such high altitude is really an amazing place to watch and a beautiful picnic spot. This Golf course is considered the second largest scenic golf course in Asia after Gulmarg. Due to this natural beauty, many directors have shot the film in this ground.

The famous Kalika Mandir is also present at a distance of 5.5 km from the Golf Ground. This Kalika Mandir is situated on the top of a small hill amidst dense trees.

The famous Haidakhan Ashram or Haidakhan Temple is a pilgrimage and pilgrimage center located on NH-87 in Chiliyanaula, Ranikhet of Almora district in Uttarakhand state. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Baba Haidakhan ji Maharaj. This grand temple is built with the white marble. Chiliyanaula is a small village, which is 4-5 Kms from Ranikhet and located on a beautiful hill in the picturesque plains of the Himalayas.

In clear weather, the snow-covered Himalayan main peaks such as Panchchuli, Nandadevi, Chaukhamba etc. are visible hundreds of kilometers away. This famous temple was founded by the great saint Baba Haidakhan of Kumaon. He meditated on this place for many years and local people worshiped him.

After the demise of Haidakhan Baba, the idol of Baba in the temple is being worshiped by the devotees. Local residents and numerous devotees consider Baba as an incarnation of Lord Shiva and Baba is known as Sri 1008 Baba Haidakhan Maharaj. There are so many other stories of the miracles of Baba Ji can be heard by the devotees of Haidakhan Baba. This Ashram is not recognized only in India but also in many other countries of the world.

Chaubatia Garden, one of the best tourist attractions in Chaubatia, Ranikhet, in Almora district of Uttarakhand state. Chaubatia Garden the largest fruit garden in Asia is about 10 km from Ranikhet. The tourists visited here are thrilled by seeing the huge number of fruit trees stuffed with fruits. This garden is a lush green garden of 200 different species of fruits and flowers. These orchards produce delicious apples, peaches, plums and apricots.

Chaubatia Garden is surrounded by forests of silver oak, rhododendron, cypress, cedar and pine offers a panoramic view to the visitors. The Government Apple Garden and Fruit Research Center are located near it and this place is mainly famous as Phalodyan, Bagich and Government Fruit Research Center. This is also a famous picnic spot. Atleast 36 varieties of apples are grown in this garden and some of them are also exported.