Budget Trip To Nainital from Delhi - In Rs.5510 ( A little over $77)

If money was not a factor you would probably not see me in one place. I love traveling so much. But sadly money is a factor. You have to always choose between things on which you will be spending it. So this April when I was craving to move out of the cities and to the hills all I was looking at was my bank balance and that I had been saving for something I wanted to buy. So I just dropped the plan to travel.

While spending my time through the social media I came across this:

And that's when it was decided that I need to move out of this city and take a break. So here in this blog, I will list down all the places that I visited in this trip, the hidden gems and a break up of how much it costed me.

Day 1:

The biggest plus was that we had our own conveyance and thus booking tickets was not the issue. So in spite of being a spontaneous trip, we could manage to reach Nainital comfortably. We left Delhi early in the morning on the Good Friday and though there was a lot of traffic we managed to reach Nainital by around 12.

The second trouble was the hotel. So the ones with lake views were quite expensive and mostly booked so instead we chose a hotel on the hills. A little away from the hustle of the main market and with this breathtaking sunrise :

So this was not any 5-star hotel or for that sake, not even a proper hotel. It was more like a Guesthouse but with all the comfortable things you need. So the room was clean, the washrooms were clean and they could serve you tea and paranthas in the morning. That was more than what we needed. So we saw the hotel, confirmed we had all we needed and then booked the same online. So we knew what we get when we booked the place. Online discounts are amazing, you just have to search a little for different offers.

After having lunch and taking rest for an hour we moved to our first destination- The Tiffin Top. Journey is more beautiful than the destination and this was proven here. Though the view from the top was amazing what I enjoyed more was the whole journey, the ride on horseback and different places that we stopped at. It took us around 2 hours to view this point. Warning: At some point, the horse would leave the road and start climbing the mountains directly, so, all the best.

An evening boat ride in the Nainital lake feels so serene. The view is so calming and the water so clean. This water is considered pure among the locals. It is believed that Sati's eye had fallen here creating this lake ( which also looks a little like an eye). Thus this place is known as one of the Shakti Peeths in India. After the boat ride, we had a walk on the Mall Road and saw the local market. The specialty of Nainital is beautiful designer candles. Trust me you would want to buy a bagful of them but buy only if you really are going to use them.

The day ended with a good dinner and hot cups of tea in the corridor of our hotel.

Day 2:

The second day started with an amazing sunrise and tea. We started our day early and the first destination was the Naina Devi Temple. Considered as one of the Shakti Peeths this temple was made in the 19th century. Though we find references of Naina Devi temple in the Puranas, it is said that the original temple was destroyed and so this temple was built to offer prayers.

After the Naina Devi temple, we went to the Pashaan Devi Temple. A little place that is of real importance for the locals but not many tourists visit this place. It is a temple of Navdurga and has a mysterious story about it. The Idol wasn't carved it was discovered on the mountain and also you cannot see the whole idol. It is covered. All you can see is the face and neck. You can feel a strong energy presence in this place and not everyone can handle it for long. Not many people are aware of the Pashaan Devi Temple's story.

We got to know about Eco Cave Gardens that not many tourists visit and decided to give it a go. The caves are given names of animals on the basis of there structures and some are really not easy to cross. But it was really fun and when you have a company always up for adventures. This place is a must-go if you love to explore the new but if you are with kids or elderly you may want to avoid a few caves, especially the porcupine and bat caves. 

Tip: There is a lot of walking involved while visiting the Eco Cave Garden, make sure you are wearing a comfortable pair of shoes and a water bottle to keep yourself hydrated.

Largest Space Available In The Cave

Bhimtal is a mini version of Nainital and many people prefer to book their stay in Bhimtal for a more peaceful environment. But the issue that you face here is food which is just not good enough. For Maggi lovers - you can spend a day here. After spending a little time around the lake we went for an adventure- Paragliding. Most of the day passed by in that because they had a queue. But the experience was so surreal. What I felt was just out of this world.

By the time we reached back to Nainital, the sun had already set. We had loved taking a stroll on mall road around the lake the previous day and wanted to do the same. 

Day 3:

Only one thing that everyone was talking about was left from our list. The ropeway and the viewpoint. For us, we felt that the money spent was not worth it. There was no Himalayan view as the weather was cloudy. only the top view of the lake was beautiful as you could make out the shape of the lake which was indeed the shape of an eye.

Before leaving I wanted to visit the Pashaan Devi Temple once more. The journey ended with a roadside Maggi stall while our way down.

That's when we had to say goodbye to the hills and embraced the city traffic.

Hidden Gems:

Pashaan Devi Temple 

Eco Caves Garden

Must-Do's:

Have Maggi in the cold.

Have Softy on Mall Road

Check Out the Local Tibetan Market for warm clothes and beautiful candles on Mall Road( They are good if you know how to bargain)

Horse Ride ( If you are up for an adventure)

The total cost per person for my trip was: Rs. 5510 which is $77 appx.

Conveyance: Rs.700

Hotel for 2 days( twin sharing ) : Rs.1300

Horse Ride: Rs. 700

Boat Ride: Rs.150

Eco Cave Entry: Rs.60

Paragliding: Rs.1200

Ropeway: Rs.300

Approximate Food Expense: Rs.1100

This does not include my personal shopping.

Tip: Carry a bottle of water with you so you don't have to buy overpriced water everywhere. And you may not get proper food joints to eat and may have to skip a meal so carry some snacks and dry fruits with you to keep going.

Places I did not visit in Nainital but are suggested by most people :

Hanuman Garhi

Gorakhal 

Sattal