I will be going Nainital from Delhi in the first week of May, and have been researching about the route to take, and to my suprise there is more than one route, so I am now confused to which route is the safest and best to choose. The routes which you can take from Delhi to Nainital are: Delhi - Moradabad- Tanda - Dadiyal - Bajpur - Kaladunghi - Nainital Delhi - Moradabad - Kasipur - Bajpur - Kaladunghi - Nainital Delhi - Moradabad - Rampur - Bilaspur - Rudrapur - Haldwani- Nainital I am someone who prefers driving at night so safety is something very important, so do consider this first. If there are any issues I can drive during the day time but would prefer night driving. I will be driving a Honda City. If I am correct according to the distance between Delhi to Nainital which is 300km it should take around 7 hours to get there? I know only of the lakes in Nainital where you can do boating, but what else is there to see and do in Nainital? When reaching Nainital are there any other places to visit which are within an hours drive?
If you are someone who prefers to drive at night, then I suggest you take the last route mentioned, Delhi - Moradabad - Rampur - Bilaspur - Rudrapur - Haldwani- Nainital route. This is the safest way and has the best road conditions. The distance mentioned is correct, you can say it would take 7 hours to reach Nainital as you will be driving at night, but if you were to travel during the day, it would take longer bearing in consideration the traffic. There is a lot one can do in Nainital, yes it is famous for the lake, but there is more to it. A list of places you can visit is: Naina Devi Temple, Eco Cave Gardens, Tiffin Top, Lands End, Snow View Point, Kainchi Dham and Naina Peak The two places which I can think of and are worth visiting are Ranikhet, Mukteshwar, and Bhowali. Ranikhet and Mukteshwar are an hour and a half's drive, whereas Bhowali is under a 30-minute drive.
Hello, @Dharmesh! Welcome to the forum! So let me repost the routes above and give you some insight about them: Route No. 1 - Delhi > Moradabad > Tanda > Dadiyal > Bajpur > Kaladunghi > Nainital. This is the first route you posted. From Delhi to Moradabad, you won't encounter any problems. Roads are in excellent condition here. The problem begins from Tanda to Kaladunghi, about 25 kms in this route have no roads at all. If you're taking a smaller car, it might pose some problems especially since it has lower ground clearance. From Kaladunghi to Nainital, road conditions are good enough and you won't have any problems here. The total covered distance with this route is 310 kms and it can take you 7 hours or more to reach Nainital through this route. Route No. 2 - Delhi > Moradabad > Kasipur > Bajpur > Kaladunghi > Nainital. This is the second route that we have. Road conditions are good up to Moradabad. From Kasipur to Bajpur, there are some stretches of bad roads, maybe about 5 kms. But after that, road conditions are smooth again. An added upside with this route is that there is no traffic unlike the other routes. The total distance covered here is about 320 kms, so it's longer than the first route. You can reach Nainital through this route within 7 hours or less. Route No. 3 - Delhi > Moradabad > Rampur > Bilaspur > Rudrapur > Haldwani > Nainital. This is the final route and also possibly the best route you can take. Delhi to Moradabad is easy and there won't be any problem. However, from Rampur to Rudrapur, about 15 kms of the stretch is in bad condition so go very slowly. You might also encounter some pot holes and craters. Average speed in here would be 30 km/h due to the road conditions. But thereafter, from Rudrapur to Nainital, road conditions are good with patches of bad ones, although very little. The total distance covered for this route is 310 kms and you can reach Nainital in 7 hours or less. I'd suggest Route No. 2 as it has minimal bad patches and the distance gap isn't that long. Since you're driving a Honda City, this is also the route that is best suited for it at it doesn't have much potholes or craters except for that five kms stretch. Night driving is okay as well in this route but you'd encounter some fogs more so in the early mornings. Route No. 3 is good too except for that 15 kms of bad road conditions. Plus, you might encounter traffic here so you need to leave early. Avoid Route No. 1 at all costs, it has pathetic road conditions. Here are some of the best attractions in Nainital: Nainital Lake - This is one of four lakes of Kumaon Hills and possibly the most popular one as well. It is believed that it was Mr. Barron who discovered the lake by accident in 1839 and he was captivated by its beauty that he made a European colony in it. The lake is bounded by the Naina Peak on the Northwest side, Tiffin Top on the Southwest side and Snow View Peak on the North. It is also believed that the two Indian sages visited the lake and hence bestowed some divine power in it. The Nainital Boat Club offers yachting activities in the lake. Tiffin Top - This is located about 2,290 metres above sea level in Ayarpatta Hill. Its other name is Dorothy's Seat, named after Dorothy Kellet, wife of Colonel JP Kellet who discovered the peak. It is about 4 kms from the Mall Road and most tourists enjoy the short trek to reach it. Some opt to ride a pony to reach the peak as well. From the top, the city of Nainital can be easily seen as well as the Kumaon Hills. Snow View - This is about 2,270 metres above sea level. From this point, you can view the mountains of Nanda Devi, Trishul and Nanda Kot. There's also a small temple with shrines for Rama, Sita, Lakshman, Hanuman, Durga and Shiva. Another must visit here is the Gadhan Kunkyop Ling Monastery. You can reach the point by walking, hiring a pony or riding the aerial ropeway from Mallital. Hanuman Garhi - This is about 3.5 kms from Nainital's city centre. It's a temple dedicated to the Lord Hanuman. You can find it in the South of Tallital. It was built by Neem Karoli Baba around the 1950's. It is best visited during sunset or sunrise as it is strategically located to a point where the views of these are stunning. PTGB Pant High Altitude Zoo - This is one of the few high altitude zoos in India. It was established in 1984 although it was only opened to the public in 1995. You can find it in the Sher Ka Danda Hill, at about 2,100 metres above sea level. Until 2001, the zoo was home to the only Siberian tiger in India but it died during that year. However, there are other animal species here like the Royal Bengal tiger, Tibetan wolf, sambar and leopard cat. Astronomical Observatory - This is about 4.5 kms from the city centre of Nainital. This was established in 1955 in the region but shifted to its present location in 1961. Tourists are shown the instruments during the day. During evenings, tourists can view the moonlight from the observatory but you need permission to do this. Eco Cave Park - This is just 1 km away from the Mall Road. This is a group of interconnected caves and hanging gardens. The caves resemble animals and are named accordingly: Tiger Cave, Panther Cave, Bat Cave, Squirrel Cave, Ape Cave and Flying Fox Cave. Some of the passages are too narrow and you'd have to crawl to be able to pass them. There's also a musical fountain at the site, with lights and music. Governor's House - This is also known as Raj Bhavan. This was built in 1902 and the former British Governor of Uttar Pradesh used to reside here. It's spread over 405 acres of land, with 45 acres for a Golf Course. After independence, the first Indian Governor to reside here was Sarojini Naidu. Gurney House - This was built in 1881 and it used to be the residence of Jim Corbett. The house was sold to Mr. Sharda Prasad Varma when Corbett's family moved to Kenya. St. John in the Wilderness - This church was built in 1844 making it one of the oldest churches in Nainital. It is located in Mallital, a bit further at the Northern end of Nainital Lake. The church has stained glass windows which is its best feature. Aside from that, there's also a memorial here commemorating the people who have died in landslide in 1880 in Nainital. Naina Devi Temple - This temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peeths. You can find it in the Northern side of Nainital Lake. It is believed that this is where Goddess Sati's eyes fell when her corpse was being carried by Lord Shiva. Thus, the Goddess is worshipped here in the form of eyes. The temple is believed to have been built by Moti Ram Shah in 1842. But a landslide destroyed the temple in 1880. In 1883, another temple was built in the same location. Land's End - This is about 4 kms from Nainital. This is about 2,118 metres above sea level. From the point, you can view the Khurptal Lake and the surrounding cities. Its name is just like the place as it's literally the end and there is nothing to go to beyond this point. Jim Corbett National Park - This is the oldest national park in India, established in 1936. It was named after Jim Corbett who played a key role in establishing the park. This is also the first park to come under the Project Tiger. The park has several areas and each one has different roles or attractions. You can also stay in the park as it has guest houses that they rent out to tourists. Some of the animals seen here are leopards, barking deers, sambars, leopard cats and chitals. Naina Peak - This is about 6 kms from Nainital. It is the highest peak in the region at about 2,615 metres above sea level. The trek to reach it is easy and enjoyable. Along the way, you'd be greeted by rhododendrons, deodars and cypresses. At the peak, you can enjoy the views of the Himalayas and valley below. Mall Road - This was constructed during the rule of the British. Vehicles are not allowed here that's why you'd see tourists and locals walking along the stretch. Hotels, restaurants, shopping areas and banks are all located around the Mall Road that's why it's a favourite attraction amongst all tourists. Walk a little bit further and you'd reach Lover's Point and Suicide Point, which have amazing views of the valleys below. Activities that you can do: Trekking - I've mentioned the different points in Nainital and you can trek to reach them. The treks are easy and can be done by beginners. You'd be rewarded by amazing views from the peak. Boating - There are boating facilities in the Nainital Lake. You can opt for yachting, canoeing or kayaking as they have equipments for all of these. Some of the nearest places to Nainital are: Mukteshwar - This is about 50 kms from Nainital. It is located in the Kumaon Hills at about 2,286 metres above sea level. It is known for the peaks here which are the Neelkantha and Trishul Peaks. You can view the Himalayas from these peaks. For the adventure seekers, Chauthi Jali is a good destination where rock climbing is a favourite activity. Almora - This is about 62 kms from Nainital. It's also a hill station at about 1646 metres above sea level. The Katarmal Sun Temple here is a must-visit, it's about 800 years old already. You can also visit the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary located here. I hope this helps.
