Trip to Nainital, Mussoorie and Jim Corbett National Park with Kesari Tours :- Day 7

25th May 2009 :- The plan for the day included a day visit to Ranikhet which is located at a distance of 59 km from Nainital. As usual we left after breakfast by jeeps that took us away from the hill-top and close to the spot where buses are usually parked. Once again getting all families to the bus took an unbearably long time.

Ranikhet is a hill resort in Almora district and the home of the Kumaon and Naga regiment and is maintained by the Indian Army. Ranikhet means "Queen's Meadow" and it is said that Rani Padmini had made this her home. Pine, Oak and Deodhar forests abound in the area.

On the way from Nainital is the village Bhowali the birthplace of Govind Vallabh Pant. The guide coerced even the most of reluctant singers to participate in group "antakshari". The first halt was in a green valley that has a river that uncharacteristically flows from the South to the North.

The valley had spectacular scenery in all directions with ever changing looks along every curve of the road. At one particular point there was a toad shaped rock in the relatively dry river bed.

As we went forward we reached the rain shadow region, kept dry by the hill-station of Nainital. The difference in vegetation and greenery was pretty evident despite the high altitude. Terraced farming is popular in the area and primarily is used to cultivate potatoes.

We reached Ranikhet and noticed the strict guidelines of the Indian Army. Photography of the army training institute is strictly prohibited. The golf course was pretty green given it was peak summer. As it was located in the hills it made for pretty appearances all around.

Lunch was at a pretty small restaurant that offered distant but faded views of snow capped Himalayan mountains in one direction. The food was ordinary but relatively tasty. The itinerary was such that no sooner had we had lunch it was time to get back into the bus and head back to Nainital. The good sumptuous lunch and curved roads soon put most travellers to sleep.

Back within the vicinity of Nainital and it was time to get into the same routine of waiting for jeeps to take visitors back to the hotel. This time though we stopped at Mall road. As we had ample time we utilized it for shopping for candles and a sweater and Pashmina shawl. Nainital is famous for its candles that come in all shapes, sizes, colors, aromas and price range.

It was a day of viewing a variety of natural beauty. The lush green valley, the rain-shadow region and then the forested hill resort of Ranikhet. Now, that's what one expects in beautiful North India ...