Seven Things You Need To Know About Nanital Today

Hello Awesome Readers,

I was waiting for a short trip for long, but every time we planned it got stuck for some reason or other. But this time me and my brother we just thought of finalizing the plan and making the bookings so none of us will change their minds later. So here come our “Weekend Getaway- Trip to Nanital”

Why Nanital? We all need a break from our monotonous daily routine life. And you know how Delhi summers are :(. So we needed a hill-station where we can relax and can get a taste of different culture and to experience some fresh air all away from Delhi’s Traffic and pollution. And Nanital is not even too far from Delhi.

Few weeks back I posted a short video on my Instagram, which you all loved and messaged me to know more about the place. So this post is all about the things you need to know about Nanital.

We were 5 Family members, and we started our journey on Saturday early morning around 7:00am by car.

Day1

1. How to reach Nanital– You can reach there by car, bus or a train. In case you are planning to travel by a bus or a train click here to make your bookings. In case you are planning to travel by plane, the nearest airport is Pantnagar which is 70 kms away from Nanital, you can then hire a private car or a taxi to whisk you to Nanital.
2. Places to Halt at– We took a halt or two for breakfast and for some snacks, on our way. As there is a saying by me, that your trip is incomplete if you can’t get a good food. And it was just a start so breaking the fast “Breakfast” was necessary 😉 We stopped at Shiva Dhaba by Mama Yadav, You will find many of the dhabas by the same name, but this is the original one.

Here you can have Indian and Continental both. We ordered for Aalo and Gobhi Parathas with chai.

Chai was too sweet for me but I loved that they served it in kullars. And Parathas were scrumptious. You can even use their lavatory as it was quite clean. We then continued our journey to Nanital.

We even stopped at other place in between for some munching and quick photo shoot 🙂

3. How far is Nanital from Delhi– Nanital is approximately 300kms away from Delhi NCR. It took us exactly 6-7 hours of decent drive. The time we reached there it started raining and as we were coming from Delhi summers we felt like heaven and enjoyed the untimely showers.

4. Nanital’s Weather– Nanital’s Weather is quite unpredictable and changes very quickly. It is preferable to carry a spare jacket or a sweater with you in summers too. As I did not expect the weather to be so chilly & windy, especially during nights and that too in the month of May. Although we all were carrying sweaters & jackets along so we didn’t face much trouble. And for my baby I preferred double layering of clothes.
5. Where to Stay in Nanital-There is end number of Hotels & Guest Houses available in Nanital. You can opt for anyone situated at mall road if you want to experience the beautiful view of the lake from your balcony. It is preferable to park your car at the hotel premises and travel the places either by walking or hire a taxi.

We were hosted by AbbottsFord Nanital Heritage Homestay, which is comforted in Oak Park, Mallital, Nanital.

Once you will enter the property you will get a vintage feeling as it’s a 145 year old heritage property, earlier owned by an Englishman John Hope Simpson and bought by the Prasada’s in 1903. We parked our car, and entered to our King and Juliet rooms which are within the old building.

My baby just went crazy after seeing a big lawn outside the building, which is an outdoor eatery, café chica & it’s open for public. Chica is a name of their bitch actually, and fortunately we met her too 🙂

You will find this place filled with antiques & fascinating decorative pieces from different ages and from different parts of the world.

We entered our massive rooms, got fresh

and sat at café chica for lunch to experience the epicurean paradise.

After our lunch and our never ending photo session 🙂 we planned to have some rest as we all were tired from our 7 hours long journey.

   

By the late evening we planned to go to the Mall Road, which is a walking distance from AbbottsFord Nanital Heritage Homestay. And For dinner we opted for a restaurant named “zooby’s kitchen”, here you can enjoy your meal by looking at the Naini Lake. And this restaurant is open till late hours, as most of the restaurants at mall road get closed by 9pm or 9:30pm.

Day2

The next morning we had our breakfast and went for the Tiffin Top.

6. Tourist Attractions of Nanital–
   • Tiffin Top also known as Dorothy Seat is one of the major attractions of Nanital, we hired a to & fro taxi and he charged us INR200/- He dropped us at Barapatthar. From where one can either reach to Tiffin Top by trekking of 4kms through dense forest or you can Ride a horse. We opted for the latter option and each horse cost us around INR 760/per pax. There rates are government rates and its non- negotiable.

Make sure you will get an attendant for each horse in case you are travelling in a group. As agents out there are smart and try to fool you. The riding path is not a piece of cake so be prepared for that. And it is recommended to be in a comfortable outfit and footwear and one must carry a sweater/ jacket or a stole along as it gets cold at the top. And in case you are travelling with a baby don’t forget to keep a Baby Carrier along, as we forgot to carry it so we somehow managed to tie her with a stole.

Once you will reach to the amazing view of Tiffin Top, there is an eating joint where you can order for a Maggi or Pakoras as these are the best snacking items when you are on heights.

Spend some good time there with Nature and appreciate the surroundings. And yes don’t forget to grab some great memories in your camera 🙂

• After spending 2-3 hours, we came down and took a drop by our taxi at Mall Road another major attraction of Nanital. At Mall Road you will find that your shopping nerve will get activated ;). Here you will get to see loads of funky jewellery, Kumaon traditional clothes (For those who don’t know, Kumaoni are the people from Kumaon region of Uttrakhand. And Uttrakhand is culturally divided into two regions of Garhwal and Kumaon). Nanital is also quite famous for its scented candles. So if you want to collect a souvenir, nothing can be a better idea than this.

• Street Food- It is a sin to go back empty stomach when you are at mall road. You can try delicious momos from the nearby Tibetan market; there is a restaurant Sonam Fast Food which is located just in the middle of the market. Try egg curry from “The Dhaba By Royal Kitchen” it was just mouth-watering. You can also try some local fruits like Mulberry, Strawberry & Black Currant. Luckily my baby just loved all the fresh fruits there :).

• Bal Mithai– This is one of the famous sweets of the Kumaon region. You must try this once. Dark brown in colour with white small balls. It just melts in your mouth and has a bit of chocolaty taste. Get it from one of the oldest and the best shop in Mallital “Mamu’s Naini Sweets”

Day3

• Naini Lake-The Next morning we had our breakfast and packed our bags with loads of memories of Nanital Trip but we were still left with one more major attraction to cover. So we thought of covering it on our way back. We kept our luggage in a homestay’s cloakroom and hired a taxi for Naini Lake. As no trip to Nainital is complete without experiencing Naini Lake. Boating at Naini Lake starts from 6:00am-6:00pm. They have two types of boats available. You can either opt for a paddling one, where you have to paddle it yourself or you can hire a boat with an assistant. We opted for an easy version, with an assistant ;). Naini Lake is surrounded by mountains and it has stagnant water. Boat with an assistant cost us INR 210 for half an hour.

7. How Many Days Are Enough For Nainital– Two-Three days are enough for Nainital. We actually covered most of the major attractions within this period of time. And I have tried to mention only those which are worth of spending money and time.

While coming back we halt at a dhabba for some munching which I think you should avoid as you will be travelling downhill and that nasty feeling of dizziness and nausea occurs. So it is recommended to drive very slow during turns to avoid that nasty feeling. Although you will see many lemonade stands while driving downhill. Lime juice helps in stopping that nasty feeling of nausea/vomiting.

So if you are planning for a short trip or a weekend getaway, head to Nanital and don’t forget to share your experiences with me. I will be more than glad to hear them out 🙂 You can either shoot me an email at [email protected], leave your comment below or can DM me on my Instagram or Facebook page 🙂

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