Nainital-Almora-Ranikhet-a triple saga to Uttarakhand vibes-The cute hill stations!

Uttarakhand is a state which ain’t to be underestimated for the beauty it presents as being a part of the Himalayan belt. Mussoorie, Dehradun, Almora, Ranikhet, and Nainital; not to forget Chardham-these names shall be ringing in your ears since early childhood and why not-these places are unique and have a characteristic landscape which makes a large sum of tourists flock over the place. Ranikhet has beautiful green meadows, Almora has a picturesque city view, and Nainital has many lakes that are simply stunning in their many ways! Do visit all these places when you knock on the door of Uttaranchal(UK, India)

Reasons why you must visit Nainital-Almora-Ranikhet Circuit:

Ranikhet is a “queen of meadows”-the stretch is all green, lush green to be honest, as far your eyes can go-beautiful place to sit, sleep under the sun, and just relax-this ain’t going to be on your to-miss list!

Almora is not known for its intrinsic value; it is more sorted for the treks it offers, like Kuari Pass and Binsar.On the way, you find many temples, along with Gobind Vallabh Pant Museum, Kumaon Regimental Centre Museum, Martola, and Thana Bazar. Views are great on sunny days in Almora.

Nainital’s nightlife is worth every penny. I hit the streets twice in Nainital’s Mall Road; the ambiance is excellent! It’s a lengthy walk mathematically the perimeter of Naini Lake as the whole market on Mall road is based around Naini Lake.
G B Pant High Altitude Zoo is a beautiful place to be with local Himalayan flora and fauna in store-something unique and confined to the Himalayan belt, so this should be your must-visit site when you do visit Nainital. Red pandas, Himalayan birds, and leopards are some of the most eye-catching species!
Nainital Winter Carnival is a wholesome three-day local-centric festival with a vibrant culture of Uttarakhand popping up. If you plan in winter, check out the dates of this Carnival, and you can plan accordingly!

Location: Nainital is around 300 km east of Dehradun- the capital of Uttarakhand- close to Kathgodam railway station(about an hour by road).

Tourist Attraction on the spot:

Sariyataal, Sitataal, Naini Lake, GB Pant zoo, Temple and Gurudwara, and Mall road are a few essential points in Nainital, along with some distinct viewpoints like snow view point. Ranikhet is known for its golf course, and Almora has some trek trails like Binsar and Kuari Pass and temples and museums.

Tourist Attraction in Vicinity:

Kausani, Auli, Pithoragarh, Joshimath, and Munsyari are some places within a 300-400 km radius of these three tourist places. All these places are equally worth a visit.

Distance Charts:(From Nainital-better base location for other places)

Thandi Sadak-the road sideways Naini Lake at night,Nainital

How to Reach Almora(Ex Delhi):

Road Routes:

Delhi-Moradabad-Rampur-Haldwani(Kathgodam)-Nainital-Ranikhet-Almora

IMPORTANT NOTE FROM MY EXPERIENCE:

1)Most places can be covered by buses/public transport.If you want to save a day or so,prefer hiring a car at 3000 INR/day which ll specially help in Nainital local sightseeing.

2)Best time will be post monsoon in september-november months when sky is clear on consistent basis

3)Monsoons are spoiler alert in all of Uttarakhand except for Valley of Flowers. The months from June till September create a havoc in the state, and it’s no way pleasant to be here. Landslides, cloudbursts and heavy rains-I have been here in mid-June as well, but rains didn’t allow me to explore the places and I had to call the plan off. April and May-Plan in these months, checking the overcast conditions beforehand, as April also consists of patches of rains with cloudy skies.

4)Roads are butter smooth for these places as well as there won’t be much issue of food and petrol bunks here and there.

RAIL: Kathgodam is the nearest railway station from where it takes just an hour to reach Nainital, provided traffic is smooth.

You can watch the below video to get a better idea! Do like and share if you find it worth it…

AIR: The nearest airport is Dehradun’s airport, from where you’ll get regular state buses to Nainital.

ROAD: You will need to get to Haldwani, or Dehradun (pretty far as compared to Haldwani)from any part of India by road, rail, or air, and then smooth roads will take you anywhere in Uttarakhand. UTC bus services may help you save some bucks.

Map:

tourist map for nainital ranikhet and almora — A simple map for nainital ranikhet and almora road route

Time to Visit:

Late April to the first week of June; Late September to March(for pleasant weather-October and November)

Spend Time With:

Family, Friends,Solo, Couple,Groups

Food and Lodging:

Hotels are plenty in Almora and Nainital. Ranikhet has pretty few to say. Food stalls are available all over the road routes here, so not an issue. Hotels can be prebooked or booked on the spot (if you come with family, better to prebook in peak season-Rush is for real!). Goibibo, Makemytrip, Easemytrip if you want a booking. Zomato and Swiggy can be used for food bookings!

Expense:

For a 2-day trip to these 3 tourist spots ,the estimate is as follows:

Food:INR 100/person/day(3 times a day)X2
Transport:3000 INR for Nainital local sightseeing;assume INR 500 for bus conncetivity to all these 3 places.
Lodging:INR 600/day X2 at Nainital(one night stay)
Entry Fees includes various places (varies):Entry fees at GB Pant zoo and boating charges(INR 300 / person)

Total: 5600 INR (can be possible in 3500 INR as well if you are having a rented scooty or you can walk a bit and spare a day more/curtail a few tourist spots in Nainital)

Nearby Attractions(Nainital)

Gurudwara close to Naina Devi Temple,Nainital

Mussoorie:(315 km)
Rishikesh:(260 km)
Almora:(65 km)
Auli:(280 km)
Kedarnath:(330 km)
Badrinath:(310 km)
Yamunotri:(480 km)
Gangotri:(520 km)