10 latest experiences in Nainital, kumaon http://www.hereorthere.com/places/12704/rss en-us Centred on a pretty lake, Nainital is one of the closest hill stations to Delhi. It’s where the first foothills rise up to become the huge Himalaya. Come outside peak season (May-June and around the Diwali festival in autumn) and it’s much quieter. I hired a rowing boat to cross the lake, then got off near some shrines tended by a madcap devotee and then hiked up to Dorothy’s Seat where on clear days you can just glimpse the snowy mountains further north. Another good walk through forests leads to China Peak with slightly better views; the Forestry Dept. caretaker up here will probably offer you tea and reel off names of distant peaks. In the early evening just as a chill set in, I walked back down into town amidst the smell of wood fires, and back to my colonial era cottage built in the early 1900s. Depending on where you stay, it can feel like time-warp India, really nice without being sensational. Nainital, kumaon, India samarkand Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:12:53 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/samarkand/experience/334 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/334