Nainital is a glittering jewel in the Himalyan necklace, blessed with scenic natural spledour and varied natural resources . Dotted with lakes , Nainital has earned the epithet of 'Lake District' of India . The most prominent of the lakes is Naini lake ringed by hills . Nainital has a varied topography . Some of the important places in the district are Nainital , Haldwani , Kaladhungi , Ramnagar , Bhowali , Ramgarh , Mukteshwar , Bhimtal , Sattal and Naukuchiatal . Nainital’s unending expense of scenic beauty is nothing short of a romance with awe-inspiring and pristine Mother nature.

Historical Background
Nainital is referred to in the ‘Manas Khand’ of the ‘Skanda Purana’ as the Tri-Rishi-Sarovar,the lake of the three sages ,Atri,Pulastya and Pulaha who were reputed to have arrived here on a penitential piligrimage, and, finding no water to quench their thirst dug a hole and siphoned water into it from Mansarovar the sacred lake in Tibet.

The Second important mythological reference to Nainital is as one of 64 ‘Shakti Peeths’.These centres were created wherever parts of charred body of Sati fell ,when Lord Shiva was carrying around her corpse in grief .It is said that the left eye (Nain) of Sati fell here and this gave rise to patron deity of town Nainital . It is said that the lake is formed in the emerald eye shape . Naina Devi temple is located at the northern end of the lake . Thus name of Nainital derivated from Naina and the tal (Lake).

Places of Interest

Naini Lake
The nucleus of Nainital’s exquisite beauty is beautiful lake .In the day ,mirrored in its waters stand seven proud hills,dotted with pretty cottages and villas . This reflection alone holds one spell bound. More beautiful than this however is the lake at night when the myriads of bulbs from the hill sides and quite a large number hanging near the lake’s edge stab their magic light into its waters.

The lake offers the holiday makers ample opportunity for yachting, boating or paddling the boat. Rowing as well as paddling boats are available at both ends of lake.

The north end of lake is called Mallital while the southern one is called Tallital which have a bridge (Danth popularly named) having Gandhiji's statue and post office on its sides .It is the only Post Office on the lake bridge in whole of the world.There is Bus Station , Taxi stand and Railway reservation counter on the same lake bridge , both ends have well laid out shopping centres,with beautifully laid of marts ,stores and luxury shops.

The Flatts
At the northern side of the lake there is a place of rendezvous for people from all walks of life . Here evenings are heavily crowded. There is a statue of Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant and a beautiful fountain . There is a band stand . The Flats has playing ground used for sports games and cultural activities during festivals. There is Chat Bazar,Bhotia Market in the flats . In Bhotia Market vendors sell their fancy items .There is Mosque,Gurudwara and Naina Devi temple in flatts.Capitol cinema and Rink theatre which is used for roller skating are also situated in Flatts.A portion of the flatts is used for car parking .New club ,Boat House club ,Masonic Hall are in the periphery of the flatts for recreation.

Zoo
Around one Km. away from bus stand at an altitude of 2100 meters in sprawling open area there is Govind Ballabh Pant High Altitude Zoo . Now a days it has Monkeys, Himalayan black bear ,Leopard ,Siberian Tiger,Palm civet cat, Wolf, Silver Pheasants, Rose ringed Prakeet, Hill Fox , Ghoral, Barking Deer, Sambhar. The zoo remains closed for visitors on Monday, all national holidays , Holi & Diwali.

Aerial Ropeway
It is one of the main attractions of Nainital. This ropeway connects Snow-View Point (at 2270 Mts.) with Nainital near flats. Aerial ropeway starts at Mallital , there are two trolleys to carry passengers .It takes approx. 151.7 seconds to cover one way journey by trolley .Cabin capacity is 10+1 or 825 kg.
Timings 10 AM to 4 PM

Lands End
Its altitude is 2118 mts. & it is located at about 4 Kms from the town. The best feature of this spot is that one does not have to climb much and as the name suggests one feels on reaching the area that the end of the land has really come. Needless to say the view of the neighboring hills and valley and the Khurpatal lake is exquisite from this point. One can go to Barapathar on a vehicle and then walk about one Km. up to the spot.

Horse Riding
Horse riding is another important attraction for tourists in Nainital . Horses can be hired at Barapatthar . Several tourist use horses as their transport mode to visit the different peaks of Nainital.Horse Riding is now strictly prohibitted inside the Nainital town.

Kilbury
At an altitude of 2194 mts. and 10 Kms. from the town this place is accessible by a motor able road. There is a forest rest house for night stay.Kilbury is an ideal spot for a quiet and peaceful holiday.

Naina Peak or China Peak
Naina peak is the highest peak of the town , at an altitude of 2611 mts. and at a distance of 6 Kms from the town .It commands an entrancing view of sparkling snow laden Himalayas from Bandar Punch in west to Api and Nari peaks of Nepal in the east , a full Himalayan range in one side and a birds eye view of the lake city of Nainital in its full grandeur on the other. With a pair of binoculars a good panorama of the tract surrounding Nainital is obtained . Pony or Horses can be hired to visit this peak either from Snow view or from Mallital.

Snow View
It is the most easily accessible hill top, height 2270 mts. and at a distance of 2.5 Km from the town. The spot is accessible through ropeway . This peak is also connected by motor able road. Snow view as the name suggests offers an indescribably beautiful and breath taking picture of the glittering snows of Himalyas.It has a temple . Tea,snacks,Photographers are available at this place.

Hanuman Garhi
It is around 3.5 Kms away from the bus stop at an altitude of 1951 Mts. Hanuman Garhi is a religious centre and famous for its sun set view .One can go to Hanuman Garhi by taxi, bus or even on foot from Nainital .It has a temple complex presiding deity being Lord Hanuman besides Ram and Shiva. At the instance of Neem Karoli Baba around 1950 these temples were built. On the other side of the hill there is Shitala Devi temple and Ashram of Lila Sah Bapu

Caves Garden
This feature is the latest addition in the list of numerous tourism spots in Nainital . It is located in Sukha Tal around one Km from Mallital very near to Kumaun University Campus.