Hey readers, how have you been? We are just back from a short but refreshing 6 days trip to Nainital Corbett Mussoorie – 3 of the most popular destinations in Uttarakhand. As usual, we planned this 6 days trip to Nainital Corbett Mussoorie completely on our own. From booking the flight, cab, and the hotels to deciding on how to do the sightseeing. In this post, I will share with you the itinerary for our 6 days trip to Nainital Corbett Mussoorie. Along with all the other information that you require to visit Uttarakhand and other similar destinations in Uttarakhand. So, without further delay, lets get started with the narration of our 6 days trip to Nainital Corbett Mussoorie for you. Before that, let me quickly introduce you to our destinations.
An Introduction to Nainital Corbett Mussoorie
Nainital
Nainital is a lake town in the northern state of Uttarakhand in India, surrounded by the Himalayan ranges. It has a pleasant climate for most part of the year. Also, Nainital experiences snowfall in the months of December and January. Boating on Nainital Lake is a world famous activity. Also, you can do a lot of day trips around Nainital. These include a Nainital to Bhimtal day trip. Bhimtal has a beautiful lake, just like Nainital, almost 20km away. You can also do day trips from Nainital to Almora, Ranikhet, Binsar, Mukteshwar and several other towns and scenic places in the upper Himalayas. And go trekking in the Himalayas from Nainital.
Corbett
Corbett National Park or Jim Corbett National Park is one of the most famous national parks of India. Particularly, Jim Corbett National Park is famous offers tiger safari and leopard sighting. The national park gets it’s name from Jim Corbett, the person who is attributed to killing of the deadliest man hunter tiger in the known history of mankind that had killed over 500 people across India and Nepal. However, in the last few years, Jim Corbett National Park has also emerged as a favourite destination for staycation in Uttarakhand and for leisurely weekend breaks from cities of UP and a weekend getaway from New Delhi. With several luxury resorts alongside the bank of the river Kosi which flows through the park. As well as in the heart of the forest itself.
Mussoorie
Mussoorie is a hill station in Uttarakhand near Dehradun. And hence makes for a perfect weekend getaway from Dehradun, a weekend getaway from New Delhi and other cities in the plains of Uttar Pradesh. Height wise, the height of Mussoorie is comparable to Shimla and Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh. The town boasts of a perfect cafe culture, with tons of cozy cafes that provide delicious meals, steaming hot tea and coffee and wonderful views of the surrounding Himalayas. Apart from it, there are several places to visit in Mussoorie, including waterfalls, gardens, view points, the famous mall road that buzzes with activities, the nearby sleepy locality of Landor for a perfect slow life experience, and the list goes on.
The trio of Nainital Corbett Mussoorie are located nearby each other. So that you can hop from one to another in half a day road trip. And hence make for a perfect trio to explore on a trip to Uttarakhand.
Our 6 days trip to Nainital Corbett Mussoorie
Day 1: Arrival in New Delhi, Departure to Bhimtal
How to reach Nainital, Corbett and Mussoorie
There are two popular ways to start the trip to Nainital Corbett Mussoorie if you travel by air :
#1 : A round trip from New Delhi
#2 : A round trip from Dehradun
Since both New Delhi and Dehradun have airports and both these are located almost equidistant from Nainital and Corbett.
If you live in New Delhi, or Uttar Pradesh, you can easily do a road trip to Mussoorie, Nainital and Corbett. In that case, you can break your journey into smaller weekend getaways. And cover these destinations in two to three trips.
However, since we were traveling from Bangalore, we booked a round trip flight from Bangalore to New Delhi. As flight tickets to New Delhi were cheaper as well when compared to a round trip flight from Bangalore to Dehradun. And there were many more options to choose from compared to a trip via Dehradun.
We took a late night flight from Bangalore to New Delhi . And arrived at New Delhi International Airport by 3:00am in the morning.
Cab for our round trip to Nainital Corbett Mussoorie from New Delhi
From New Delhi, we booked a round trip cab for the complete duration of the trip via Savari – an online cab service provider in India. The cab driver was really nice, very good person and drove very comfortably, never rushing at all. His name was Aarif and his phone number is – <> . You can contact him directly if you plan any trip to near by places from New Delhi or even for trips within New Delhi. The advantage of making a booking via Savari was that we didn’t need to pay any advance. The driver details were shared 24 hours in advance and we connected with the driver day before our trip.
Our cab was already waiting for us while we collected our baggage at New Delhi Airport. We started our road trip from New Delhi by 4:00am. Some advantage of the night travel was –
- Our younger kid slept peacefully through the plane journey, the deboarding and the road trip in the cab till 8:00am.
- We saved a lot of time starting early from New Delhi on our road trip. And crossed the city within no time.
Road trip from New Delhi to Bhimtal
Next, Nainital was our first destination. But, we couldn’t get an accommodation of our preference in Nainital. As, we were looking for something peaceful, not so crowded. And still in close proximity to the lake. So, we decided to stay in Bhimtal. Bhimtal is just 20km from Nainital. And is fast becoming the second best option to stay near Nainital.
In Bhimtal, we booked our stay at The Lake Hill Hotel Bhimtal. It had an awesome location, right opposite to the Bhimtal Lake. And our rooms directly faced the lake. We had wonderful time here enjoying our meals in the balcony, basking in the sun and overlooking the beautiful lake. Read the complete details of our accommodation experience in Bhimtal. To browse hotels in Nainital, this is a complete list of accommodations in Nainital .
Some of the properties that we researched and added to our wishlist in Nainital and Bhimtal included –
Saffron Stays Gardens on the Lake, The Rosefinch Sarovar Portico, Naini Retreat Nainital and WelcomHeritage Ashdale for luxury
Naini Cottage, Lakeside Inn, Sakley’s cottages for staying nearer to lake and at affordable price.
The road we took from New Delhi to Bhimtal was :
New Delhi International Airport -> Gaziabad -> Muradabad -> Rampur -> Rudrapur -> Haldwani -> Bhimtal
Around 8:30am, we stopped for breakfast at a hotel around 30-40km before Haldwani. We were highly impressed by the cleanliness of this place. They have outdoor as well as indoor sitting, a small lawn. And a sparkling clean restroom. We had yummy aloo parathas with freshly made curd for breakfast. Followed with a cup of coffee that we enjoyed sitting in the sun. The morning air was crisp and slighly cold. Refreshing enough to fill me with energy for the rest of the road trip in spite of very little sleep that I had through the night.
Arrival in Bhimtal
Around 12:00pm, we reached our hotel in Bhimtal. The road trip from New Delhi to Bhimtal was smooth and beautiful. As we transitioned from the plains to the hills. And enjoyed some breathtaking views of the himalayan peaks and the valleys on the way. Upon arrival, we had a swift checkin into our hotel room. We were still not hungry as we had a heavy breakfast. So, we slept for a few hours before doing anything else.
We woke up around 4:30pm. Post which we took a stroll to the lake which was just across the road from our hotel. The kids enjoyed feeding the ducks here. An activity that was to become their ritual for the next two days that we were here 🙂 After this, we enjoyed some snacks and evening tea from the lake side stalls. Since, we were traveling during Dussehra festival time, right besides the lake there was a setup for Ramlila in the evenings.
Our activities for most of the rest of this day included walking around the lake and enjoying the natural beauty of Bhimtal. Post which, we had an early dinner in our room and slept off.
If you are heading to Bhimtal, spend a couple of days here. And you can explore the following places to see in Bhimtal and things to do in Bhimtal –
- Boating in Bhimtal Lake
- Visit the Aquarium Island in the center of the Bhimtal Lake. It has an Aquarium and a cafe.
- Try trekking near Bhimtal
- Go Paragliding over Bhimtal Lake and the surrounding mountains
- Visit the dam at the end of Bhimtal Lake
- Go to the Hidimba Parvat viewpoint
- Offer your prayers at Bhimtal Mahadev Temple, 17th century Bheemeshwar Temple and Karkotak Temple
- Visit the beautiful butterfly park in Bhimtal
- Do a day trip to Nainital from Bhimtal
- Take a day trip to Almora and Ranikhet from Bhimtal
- Visit Naukuchiatal from Bhimtal
Overall we had a wonderful staycation in Bhimtal.
Day 2: Exploring Nainital
On the second day of our trip to Nainital Corbett and Mussoorie, we explored Nainital. Post lunch, we started from our hotel in Bhimtal around 9:00am. And reached Nainital in an hour. We left our cab in the parking lot at the beginning of the Mall Road near the famous Naina Devi Temple of Nainital. Our first stop was Naina Devi Temple itself. I had imagined crowd at the temple. But was delighted to find it hardly crowded. Perhaps because we visited here in the morning.
After the temple, we went for a boating on Nainital Lake. It was an amazing 35 – 40 minutes boating trip on the Nainital lake. From which we enjoyed mesmerising views of the surrounding mountains and the town of Nainital. And had some conversations with the boat-man as well.
Boating was followed by a leisurely stroll along the Mall Road of Nainital while we were also on a lookout for a cozy place for lunch with nice view of the Nainital Lake. And finally we settled at Zooby’s Kitchen. Where we tried some tandoor delicacies. The soya chaap here was particularly delicious.
Post lunch we strolled further. And explored the fare markets setup on occasion of Dussehra Festival on the grounds besides the Naina Devi Temple.
Finally, we returned back to our hotel in Bhimtal. And were back to our room by 5:00pm. Once again, we spent the evening feeding the ducks and enjoying the views across the lake here.
There are a few activities that we gave a pass at Nainital. Because we wanted to keep it light with the kids. Some of these include –
- Taking a cable car to the top of the mountains to enjoy the views around
- Hiring a local taxi for 1.5 – 2 hours that takes you to several stops including some waterfalls and viewpoints around Nainital
Here’s our complete list of things to do in Nainital in a day
Day 3: Nainital to Jim Corbett National Park
On the third day of our trip to Nainital Corbett Mussoorie, we checked out from our hotel in Bhimtal and proceeded on a road trip to Jim Corbett National Park. The road trip from Bhimtal to Corbett was mostly smooth and in good conditions except for some 20km stretch in between. We reached our resort in Jim Corbett National Park, Tarangi Resort, by 12:00pm. Post this, we had a leisurely lunch in the resort campus at the in house restaurant – Lord of the Drinks. Post lunch, we explored the property.
Taragi resort is a river access property. There are stairs at the end of the resort lawn that lead all the way to the banks of Kosi River. We went to the river bed. And sat alongside the river for quiet sometime. Also, took a lot of beautiful snaps. Before heading back to the resort for our complimentary high tea.
We didn’t go for a safari in Jim Corbett National Park. As the time slots were not suitable for us. Also, at the time when we visited, the core zones of Jim Corbett National Park were not yet open for safari. Since we had a wonderful tiger encounter in Bandhavgarh National Park safari in the recent past during our Madhya Pradesh road trip. So, we decided to instead enjoy our luxury staycation in Jim Corbett National Park. However, before the trip, we had done all the enquiry and gathered all information about the safari in Jim Corbett National Park. And here’s our complete guide to a safari in Jim Corbett National Park.
Here’s a list of staycation resorts and accommodations in Jim Corbett National Park
Post high tea we spent more time in the resort. And then finally enjoyed our complimentary dinner spread before calling it a day.
Day 4: Jim Corbett to Mussoorie road trip
On the fourth day of our 6 days trip to Nainital Corbett and Mussoorie, we started our road trip from Jim Corbett to Mussoorie after breakfast at our resort. The route we took was :
Ramnagar -> Kashipur -> Dhampur -> Rajaji National Park -> Haridwar -> Rishikesh -> Dehradun -> Mussoorie
The original trip was of 6.5 hrs duration. But we took a halt at Rishikesh in a beautiful river view restaurant for lunch. And enjoyed a sumptuous meal along with the views of the Ganga River. The restaurant, Jal and Jalebi, has beautiful seating and delicious meals. We particularly enjoyed the platter of jalebi with rabri. Which is a must try if you happen to visit here. There is also an access to the Ganga river via a private ghat in this property. So, post lunch, we spent some time sitting on the bank of the river Ganga and enjoying the peaceful and calming views.
We started around 3:00pm from Rishikesh. And after crossing the town of Dehradun, started our ascent to Mussoorie by 4:30pm. But unfortunately, we faced a lot of traffic all along the 30km ascent from Dehradun to Mussoorie. On the brighter side, we caught awesome views of sunset behind the mountain ranges across the valley of Dehradun. We reached our hotel, Madhuban Sarovar Portico, by 7:30pm, had dinner and slept early. As all of us were tired from the long road trip.
You can plan this day in such a way that on your road trip from Jim Corbett to Mussoorie, you can visit some places in Haridwar and Rishikesh. Here’s our detailed writeup on the road trip from Jim Corbett to Mussoorie to help make the most of this day. Do check it out.
Day 5: Exploring Mussoorie
Today, post breakfast, we decided to explore Mussoorie slowly and on foot. We started our walk from our hotel. And walked all the way from Mussoorie to Landor via the Mall Road Mussoorie. Stopping at several view points and some souvenir shops on the way. Along our pit stops, we had coffee in a cafe with beautiful views of the Himalayas, a delicious lunch spread at the Little Llama Cafe, icecream and rabri-jalebi on the go!
The whole walk upto Landor and back consumed our full day. But it was so satisfying and refreshing. There are many more tourist places to explore in Mussoorie in a day. Which include –
- Kempty falls – the famous waterfalls of Mussoorie
- Cable car to the top of the hills
- Lal Tibba Scenic Point
- Company Garden
- Jharipani Falls
Day 6: Departure from Mussoorie
Finally arrived the 6th and final day of our trip to Nainital Corbett Mussoorie. Today, we started early from our hotel, by 6:00am in the morning. To avoid any congestion on our Mussoorie to New Delhi road trip. We stopped for breakfast along the way. And reached New Delhi by 12:00pm. Although, our flight from New Delhi was in the evening around 7:30pm, we wanted to catchup with some relatives in New Delhi. Hence the early exit from Mussoorie. You can also start your trip from Mussoorie to Delhi post breakfast at your hotel. However, do consider that during weekends and long holidays, traffic starts building on the Mussoorie – Dehradun route as early as 10:00am in the morning.
If you have a flight back home the same day from New Delhi, then better to start early. However, you can book your return flight from Dehradun as well. If there’s no traffic, you can reach the Dehradun Airport from Mussoorie within 1.5 hrs.
General information for planning a trip to Nainital Corbett Mussoorie
When is the best time to make a trip to Nainital Corbett Mussoorie
October and November are like shoulder seasons to visit Uttarakhand. We did our trip to Nainital Corbett and Mussoorie in October end during Dussehra Holidays. The weather was pleasantly cold in Nainital and a little colder in Mussoorie. It was almost hot in the day in Corbett, and pleasant in the evening. We could do with a jacket each and also caps for kids. The best part was that, post monsoon tourism was just picking up. So, there was not too much crowd anywhere. And we enjoyed at each place to our heart’s content.
From mid November onwards comes winters in Uttarakhand. December end and January see snow fall in Mussoorie and Nainital. To enjoy fresh snow, the months of December through February make for the best time to visit Nainital and Mussoorie.
While from mid-march starts the summer season and goes on till end of june. The temperature in the plains, including Corbett National Park, soars during summers to as high as 40 degrees. Making it uncomfortable to explore around. And summer is followed by the monsoon in the Himalayas. The regions of Uttarakhand have started seeing a lot of landslide and flash flood during the monsoon season since last few years. So, it is best to avoid a trip in this season.
Overall, from end of September to March makes for an excellent period to visit Uttarakhand. You can plan a trip to Uttarakhand depending on how much cold you want to experience 🙂
How to reach Nainital Corbett Mussoorie
You can take a flight to New Delhi or Dehradun and take a road trip from there to Nainital Corbett Mussoorie either by renting a self-driven vehicle or hiring a taxi.
Kathgodam is nearest railway station to Nainital. You can arrive from New Delhi to Kathgodam via a train as well. Another train comes from east India and crosses through Lucknow as well. From Kathgodam you can hire a taxi or take a bus to Nainital.
Inter city buses comply between these towns. So, you can travel via the Uttarakhand tourism bus or privately operated buses as well.
What are some of the other places to explore around Nainital Corbett Mussoorie
If you have time, there are many more places to explore around each of these destinations. You can extend your stay at each destination and explore places around in this order, depending on the time you have.
- Visit Almora from Nainital or Bhimtal. Almora is a beautiful cantonment town in Himalayas for a peaceful and laid back holiday or a day trip. It also has some ancient temples and sites to explore.
- Ranikhet is another beautiful small town located just 2 hours drive from Nainital or Bhimtal. It is also emerging as an alternative to Almora.
- If you stay overnight in Almora or Ranikhet, you can further visit Binsar, a sleepy town with mesmerising views of Himalayas
- Further, you can visit Auli – the skii capital of India. Particularly if you are planning a visit in the winter months of December and January
- When on the road trip from Corbett to Dehradun, you can halt on the way at Haridwar for one night and Rishikesh on the second night. Both these are very important Hindu Pilgrimage centres. While Haridwar is particularly famous for it’s Ganga ghats, Hari Ki Pauri Temple and it’s evening artis. On the other hand, Rishikesh has gained popularity as the Yoga capital of India. And the best place in India for river rafting. the town of Rishikesh has several amazing stays along the river Ganga, ancient temples and the famous Ram and Lakshman Jhoola
- Dhanaulti, situated 60km from Mussoorie, is another off the beaten track hill station.
- Dehradun, around 30km from Mussoorie and the gateway to Mussoorie, also serves are a gateway to several important treks in India. Including the trek to Valley of Flowers, Gangotri, Jamnotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath – that I took with my family when I was just 5 years old 🙂 . And several other treks to upper Himalayas, all the way to Everest Base Camp!
Hope the information I have compiled here helps you plan your own trip to these three places of Uttarakhand and nearby locations.
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