Let's Go Travel: Treks of Uttarakhand "Treks From Nainital"

Treks of Uttarakhand "Treks From Nainital"

TREKKING

The hilly terrain of Uttarakhand provides plenty of opportunities for mountaineering, trekking and rock climbing. The easternmost hill district Pithoragarh, bordering Nepal and Tibet, often dubbed as ‘Miniature Kashmir’, is abundant in natural beauty, making it

the perfect base for many an exciting trek. Several interesting treks interlace the Gori Valley with some of the well-traversed trekking routes running along the Munsiyari – Martoli – Milam – Ralam Glacier. These treks are not just walks of adventure, but are also an interesting way to interact and understand the social and cultural life of the people in the Chaudans, Byans and Darma Valleys. The Bageshwar – Sunderdhunga – Pindari – Kafni Glacier trek is another highly preferred trekking route in the area.The Garhwal region also offers several thrilling treks, some of them being the Panch Kedar trek, Kedarnath – Vasuki Tal trek, Gangotri – Kedarnath trek and the Gangotri – Gaumukh – Nandanvan – Tapovan trek. The Panch Kedar trek passes through the five Kedars represented by Kedarnath, Madmaheshwar, Tungnath, Kalpeshwar and Rudranath. The fascinating routes are profusely intermingled with the widest range of flora and fauna. The Valley of Flowers and Hemkund trek start from Govindghat and lead to Badrinath. Other treks like the Kalindikhal trek, the Khatling – Sahasratal – Masartal trek, Har Ki Dun trek, Rishikesh – Pauri – Binsar trek and Roopkund trek are equally invigorating for both the eager amateur and the veteran mountaineer.

THE NEHRU INSTITUTE OF MOUNTAINEERING (NIM)

For the past 40 years, with the aim to produce trained mountaineers and mountaineering enthusiasts, NIM has trained thousands of Indians and hundreds of foreigners. The

proposal to set up such an institute was first declared by the Ministry of Defence in 1964. NIM was established on November 14, 1965 at Uttarkashi to honour the desire of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, who was passionate about mountains. Bachhendri Pal, the first Indian woman to climb Mt. Everest, was trained at this Institute. The core of the training covers a high degree of technical exposure and expertise, along with safety applications to instill the correct mountaineering ethos. Although it is one of India’s youngest institutes, it has managed to get ahead of most others and has become a trusted anchor when it comes to mountaineering training. The excellent training standards, good administration, along with dedicated staff, make it one of the finest mountaineering institutes in the world.


Trek From Nainital Nainital is referred 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 pilgrimage and penitence. Finding no water to quench their thirst dug a hole and siphoned water into it from the sacred Mansarovar lake in Tibet. The second mythological reference to Nainital is as one of 64 'Shakti Peeths'. Legend says that Sati, the consort of Shiva consigned herself to the sacrificial fire when her father Daksha insulted her lord. In grief, Shiva danced the tandava with the lifeless body of Sati, until Vishnu cut it into bits scattering it all over the land. It is said that the left eye (Nain) of Sati fell here. Consequently it turned into the patron deity of town Nainital. It is said that the lake is formed in the shape of an eye. Naina Devi temple is located at the northern end of the lake. According to recent historical records, Nainital was discovered by a British sugar merchant P. Barron in 1839. He was so deeply enthralled by the lake settlement and its forested surrounding that he came back with a sailing boat and built a house named 'Pilgrim's Cottage'. Thus started the process of settlement in this once secluded mountain resort, with colonial villas and promenades coming up one after the other. Soon, it became an important administrative town as well, with the summer capital of the erstwhile United Provinces being set up here. A major landslide in 1880 led to the formation of the flats, the level ground by the lake. Torrential rains resulted in a devastating landslide that destroyed several buildings including the Victoria Hotel at the north end of the lake near Mallital. The area was later levelled out and became a popular meeting ground and sports area. Known as The Flats it is now also used for parking vehicles during the peak tourist season. Prior to 1839, the valley was covered by thick forests and inhabited by hill tribes. The main attractions of Nainital range from quiet walks in meadows the forests of pine and deciduous trees to adventure sports (rock climbing, yachting etc.) to popular entertainment.

S. No.	Name of Trek Route	Distance in Kms.	Duration of Trek	Gradient of Trek
1	Sapta Shrang Trek (Altitude 2075 Mtr)
Nainita - 1 km trek - Ayar patta (Tiffen Top) - 1 km trek - Dev Patta - 1 km trek - Handi Bandi - 1 km trek - China - 1 km trek - Alma - 1 km trek - Snow View - 1 km - Sher ka Danda		7 Kms.	1 day	Normal
2	Nainital-Khurpa Tal Trek (Altitude 1635 Mtr)
Nainital - 2 km Trek - Hanuman Garh - 3 km trek - Rusi Gaun - 5 km trek - Khurpa Tal		10 Kms.	1 day	Normal
3	Rajbhawan Darshan Trek (Altitude 2222 Mtr)
Nainital - 4 km trek - Lands end - 1 km trek - Semi Dhar - 2 km trek- Tiffen Top - 1 km trek - Sherwood - 1 km trek - Rajbhawan		9 Kms.	1 day	Normal
4	Van Vihar Trek (Altitude 2286 )
Nainital - 1 km trek - Snow View - 1 km trek - Tanki - 8 km trek - kilvari		10 Kms.	1 day	Normal
5	Brahmsthali Trek (Altitude 3260)
Nainital - 20 km motorable - Vinayak - 7 km trek - Brahmsthali		7 Kms.	1 day	Normal
6	P.Barren Trek
(Nainital- 1 km trek - Snow view - 4 km trek - Duni Khal - 4 km trek - Naya Chaursa - 3 km trek - Ratighat)		12 Kms.	1 day	Normal
7	Ravindra Nath Tagore Trek (Altitude 2200 )
Nainital - 25 km motorable - Ram Garh - 3 km trek - Tagore Top - 4 km trek - Maheshkhan - 17 km motorable - Nainital		7 Kms.	2 day	Normal
8	Himalaya Darshan Trek (Altitude 2292)
Nainital - 8 km trek - Pangut - 7 km trek - Vinayak - 18 km trek - Kunj kharak - 38 km motorable - Nainital		33 Kms.	3 day	Normal
9	Nainital-Betal ghat Trek (Angling Trek)
Nainital - 8 km trek - Pangut - 7 km trek - Vinayak - 18 km trek - Kunj kharak - 15 km trek - Betal Ghat - 69 km motorable - Nainital		48 Kms.	4 day	Normal
10	Nainital-Kotabagh Trek
Nainital - 8 km trek - Pangut - 6 km trek - Dauliya Khan - 8 km trek - Titeshvari Devi - 5 km trek - Taliya Gaun - 4 km trek - Panday Gaun - 2 km trek - Kotabagh - 52 km motorable - Nainital.		33 Kms.	4 day	Normal
11	Corbett Trek
Nainital - 8 km trek - Pangut - 7 km trek - Vinayak - 18 km trek - Kunj kharak - 5 km trek - Kunltani Gaun - 5 km trek - Bagani Gaun - 5 km trek - Raiyan Gaun - 4 km trek - Lakhan pur - 4 km trek - Rampur Gaun - 12 km trek - Kayari Camp - 70 km motorable - Nainital		68 Kms.	6 day	Normal
12	Devguru Parvat Trek (Altitude 2436 Mtr)
Nainital - 74 km motorable - Karayal Band - 5 km trek -Tushrad- 5 km trek - Chida Khan - 7 km trek - Devguru Parvat		17 Kms.	2 day	Strenuous
13	Twin lake Trek
Nainital - 109 motorable - Dal Kanya - 18 km trek - Syonear - 1 km trek - Lokham Tal- 2 km trek - Harish Tal - 12 km trek -Gaza Gaun -14 km trek - Logagad Gaun - 80 km motorable - Nainital		47 Kms.	4 day	Strenuous
14	Nainital-Adi kailash Trek
Nainital - 46 km motorable - Bhataliya Gaun (Pinrau) - 6 km trek - Adi Kailash - 9 km trek - Hairakhan - 75 km motorable - Nainital		15 Kms.	2 day	Normal
15	China Peak Trek (Altitude )
Nainital - 4 km trek- China peak - 3 km trek -Taki - 2 km trek - Nainital		9 Kms.	1 day	Normal