About Nainital District
Nainital is the most popular tourist district in Uttarakhand — home to the iconic Naini Lake, India's premier tiger reserve (Jim Corbett), and several stunning hill stations. The district's Kumaon lake belt (Nainital, Bhimtal, Sattal, Naukuchiatal) is one of India's unique natural landscapes.
Nainital Town
Nainital town (2,084m) is built around the Naini Lake — a crescent-shaped freshwater lake at the centre of town. A promenade (The Mall) runs along the lakeside. Famous for:
- Boating on Naini Lake — pedal boats, rowboats and sailing
- Snow View Point (2,270m) — accessible by cable car, views of Trishul and Nanda Devi
- Naina Devi Temple — a Shakti Peeth on the northern bank of the lake
- Tiffin Top (Dorothy's Seat) — 4 km trek, panoramic views
- Eco Cave Gardens — natural caves with illuminated gardens
- Nainital Zoo — Snow Leopard, Himalayan Bear, White Peacock
Jim Corbett National Park
Parts of Jim Corbett National Park fall in Nainital district. The Ramnagar gate is the main entry point. See our Jim Corbett safari guide for complete information.
The Lakes of Kumaon
Bhimtal
A large lake (1.5 km long) 22 km from Nainital — more peaceful and less crowded. Has a small island in the middle with a restaurant. Surrounded by fruit orchards.
Sattal (Seven Lakes)
Seven interconnected lakes 23 km from Nainital — a paradise for birders (over 500 bird species), kayakers and campers. Affiliated with a Christian retreat centre. Very serene and natural.
Naukuchiatal (Nine-Cornered Lake)
India's only lake with nine corners — 26 km from Nainital at 1,220m. Excellent for zip-lining, paragliding and boating. Relatively unexplored.
Mukteshwar
A charming hill village at 2,286m, 51 km from Nainital — known for its 350-year-old Shiva temple, rock climbing crags, apple orchards and breathtaking panoramic views. The Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) campus is located here. The best off-beat overnight destination near Nainital.
Ramgarh
The "Fruit Bowl of Kumaon" — orchards of peach, apricot, plum and apple cover the hillsides. Tagore and Jim Corbett both stayed here. Several heritage homestays are available in the orchards.
History of Nainital District
The hills around Naini Lake have been significant in Hindu tradition for centuries. The lake is identified in the Skanda Purana as Tri-Rishi Sarovar — the lake of three sages — and the Naina Devi temple on its northern shore is one of the 64 Shakti Peethas of Hinduism, where the eye (naina) of Goddess Sati is said to have fallen when Lord Shiva carried her body in grief. This mythological identification gave the lake and its surrounding hills a sacred status long before European arrival.
For much of its medieval history, the Kumaon hills in which Nainital district now sits were governed by the Chand dynasty from Almora (and before that, from Champawat). The Chand kings controlled the trade routes through the lower Himalayan foothills and maintained a network of smaller forts and administrative posts across the region. The forests of the lower Shivalik hills were hunting grounds; the higher villages practiced subsistence agriculture and pastoralism.
The modern history of Nainital is inseparable from the British discovery of the town in 1841. P. Barron, a sugar trader from Shahjahanpur, is credited as the first European to "discover" the Naini Lake, though local Kumaoni communities had known it for millennia. Barron's enthusiastic reports led to rapid British development of the area. Within a decade, the British had built roads, cottages, a boathouse and a church around the lake. Nainital became the summer capital of the United Provinces (UP) — the seat of the provincial government during the hot months — from 1862 until Independence. The Governor's House (now Raj Bhawan), the Secretariat, the High Court and several of the most important institutions of UP were relocated here each summer.
This colonial role transformed Nainital from a Kumaoni hill settlement into a fully developed hill station with European-style architecture, clubs, churches, schools and a distinctive social life. The famous Sherwood College (1869) and St. Mary's Convent were established in this period, along with the Nainital Boat Club and the iconic Flats (a playing field created by reclaiming a portion of the lake). The colonial administrator Jim Corbett, who would later become famous as a wildlife hunter and conservationist, spent much of his early life in Nainital and the surrounding forests, developing the intimate knowledge of Kumaon's wildlife that would later make him one of India's most celebrated naturalists.
The massive landslide of September 1880 — triggered by exceptional monsoon rains — destroyed the Victoria Hotel and the Assembly Rooms, killing at least 151 people in the worst recorded disaster in the town's history. The disaster led to systematic geological studies of the lake basin and more careful regulation of construction on the vulnerable slopes.
After Independence and the formation of Uttarakhand in 2000, Nainital became part of the new hill state. The Uttarakhand High Court is located in Nainital, maintaining the town's importance as a centre of law and administration. Today, with over 3 million visitors annually, Nainital is the most visited district in Uttarakhand — a status that brings both economic vitality and the challenge of managing a fragile Himalayan ecosystem under intense tourist pressure.
How to Reach Nainital
- By Road from Delhi: 310 km via Moradabad–Ramnagar or Rampur–Haldwani (6–7 hours)
- By Train to Kathgodam: 35 km from Nainital — trains from Delhi (Ranikhet Express, Shatabdi)
- By Air: Pantnagar Airport (65 km) — flights from Delhi