Experience the best of Nainital

Nainital lies at roughly 2,000 metres in the Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand, wrapped around a curved, deep lake. British officers developed it as a hill station in the nineteenth century, and the lake is ringed by a promenade, the Mall, with boats, a colonial church and Gothic-style government buildings. The Naina Devi temple on the north shore marks one of the sacred sites said to be where the goddess Sati's eyes fell.

A cable car rises to Snow View, where the snowy Himalayan peaks show on clear days, and walkers climb Naina Peak, which is 2,611 metres. Neighbouring lakes include Bhimtal, Naukuchiatal and Sattal, Corbett Tiger Reserve lies to the west, and the hill towns of Almora, Ranikhet and Mukteshwar are further into the mountains.

Kumaoni food includes bhatt ki churkani, a stew of black soybeans, and aloo ke gutke, spiced potatoes, with bal mithai, a fudge covered in sugar balls, from nearby Almora. Momos and roasted corn cobs are sold along the Mall. The town is a summer escape from the plains, and snow occasionally dusts the ridges in winter.