Nainital and Beyond in My Polo: May 2012

[ToughGuy]

Day-3

Out of curiosity we wake up by early morning, planned to checkout by 10AM, a family from Gujarat was waiting at reception for our room they landed early in the morning even though checkout time was 10AM.

We had ample time in hand so drove on Rainikhet road towards Kainchi dham and returned to Bhowali after an hour long drive



We found this route quite scenic and full of greenery



Compared to Garhwal this region got much greenery on mountains



Explorer-1 also enjoyed this ride and happily poses for pics



In this route road is full of sharp turns and were twisty in nature, but road condition was excellent



Soon we headed towards Nanital, quite disheartened to to see the level of urbanization around Nainital, at this rate our future generation will left with no mountain views.



Paid 50bucks as Mall road entry fee beware they will try to overcharge you, had pleasure to drive along this beautiful lake



Nainital lake looks quite beautiful in the morning.​

 

[ToughGuy]

Day-3 contd

Soon we crossed Nainital mall road and went through this beautiful road



temperature started soaring right after we crossed the mall road, stopped for Maggi break on same dhaba on which we halted during our up journey



after a short break of 15-20 minutes we started our journey again towards Delhi



Enroute saw a right turn sign board for Corbett park which was marked some 40-45KM away, that looked quite tempting to me considering the condition of road



but decided against it due to high temperature, roads are very well maintained and it's a bliss to drive in Uttarakhand.



I was driving carefully considering the monkeys playing along road side, road through forest looked quite inviting for speed up



road condition from Bazpur to Tanda was mixed of good and bad patches



after every couple of km of well laid newly tar road you will find pothole filled road between Bazpur and Tanda stretch



but these patches are quite manageable for any hatchback and sedan so you needn't to worry​

 

[ToughGuy]

Day-3 contd

After crossing Tanda, we took left from T-point from here this road goes straight to Rampur and right turn will takes you to Kashipur, after few km of straight run on this Rampur road we found an right turn option to enter the Moradabad bye pass main highway via slip road.

Road condition after Tanda improved dramatically, this is newly laid tar road in amazing condition but beware of bikers.



Accidentally i entered the Moradabad-Rampur road much before the toll plaza, luckily there was no jam like what we saw during up journey, this is the very same place where one can find 2-3 hrs long traffic jam



One side of carriageway between Moradabad-Rampur was closed due to ongoing road widening and flyover construction work which sometimes lead to 2-3hrs traffic jam



We should enter this highway after below NHAI Moradabad toll plaza and for this we should had taken old by pass road via railway crossing.



After crossing above NHAI toll plaza road was in awesome condition till Delhi



There was numerous crossings on roads so beware of them while driving.

​

With above last set of pics this log comes to an end, thanks for your encouragement and appreciation.

Will soon start my next trip may be in July.

Regards,
TG

 

[mads2849]

Roadtrip- Delhi- Nainital- Delhi
Total distance driven- 739kms
2nd June to 4th June
Car used- Fiat Punto MJD Emotion Pack
Participants- I and my wife

I have been planning to beat the summers of Delhi from when it started. Initially my plan was to drive to Leh, taking the Srinagar- Kargil route. However had to drop the plan because my co driver ditched me at the last moment.

So plan B was to tale along my usual navigator, my wife. Started from Delhi at 5.30 AM, reached Nainital at 12 noon. Route taken was Delhi- Hapur-Moradabad-Rampur-Suar-Bazpur-Kaladhungi-Nainital. Best route with very less traffic. Toughguy suggested that the bridge in Tanda is broken, so took the Rampur road.

Gajraula is the best place to stop for a break. Bikanerwala and McDonalds would make you happy.

Stayed in Reva Retreat. This was also suggested by Toughguy. True to his word this is a wonderful place to stay. The resort is run by a young Capt. Saurav Chauhan. It was his ancestral home which has been renovated and turned into a resort. You have a feeling of putting up in a house, not a hotel. Food is wonderful. Service is excellent.

People who hate rush, I would suggest, not to stay in Nainital. It’s a chaos at this time. Bhowali, where I stayed, is a good option. Some other good options are Rampur, Gethia. Further up its Bhimtal or you may even try Mukteshwar. Mukteshwar is the most peaceful. Some good places to stay are Reva Retreat, Bowali, Rampur Bunglows, Rampur Cottages, Two Chimneys Gethia, Sitla Resort. However the road to Sitla is in a very bad condition.

We are lazy guys, so just visited Mukteshwar Temple, Chauli is Jali, Ghorakhal tea estate, Ghorakhal Sainik School (As I am Sainik School ex student, not Ghorakhal though) and Rampur Village. The interesting part is, we didn’t go back to Nainital, fearing the rush and did not visit a single tal. All visits were done on the second day. First day we just lazed at the resort, but it was fun!

Left Reva Retreat on 4th at 12 Noon, reached Delhi at 7.30PM. Took the Kathgodam Haldwani road this time. There was lots traffic on this route. We took the Haldwani bypass, but I would suggest not taking this, as we had to cross a dried up river as the bridge is under construction. My Punto was very unhappy taking to road. Road is in shambles. Instead take the normal road through Haldwani. It started drizzling when we reached Delhi. Ha what an irony. The temperature throughout the journey was 40 degrees. On reaching Delhi it dipped to 27! We were happy that the trip ended on a good note. Ordered dinner as we were in no mood to cook. Hit the bed, slept like a log! I would like to thank Toughguy for his suggestions which helped me make this trip a good one.
Trying to upload the pics. Should be done in a while

 

[mads2849]

Reva Retreat where we stayed in Bhowali

Entrance of Reva Retreat
View attachment 53464 [/attach]

 

[mads2849]

Reva Retreat where we stayed in Bhowali


Entrance of Reva Retreat


En Route Mukteshwar


A Punto Moment


The Lush Mukteshwar


The Bungalow at Ranikhet where we stayed





An Adventure camp near Sitla





My Punto willing do some adventure, which I did not allow


Mukteshwar Temple





The narrow patch which for sure gives some adrenalin rush





En Route Ranikhet


Our room at Reva Retreat. They have named it 'Agra'

 

[ToughGuy]

Congrats mads2849 for successfully completing this trip, great to see you thoroughly enjoying this trip. Did you hired any guide at Rewa? Did you also visit Ramgarh valley of fruits?

You are right nowadays Nainital becomes chaotic and off beat destinations are best bet.

One more thing the bridge between Tanda-Bazpur (it is closer to Bazpur) is working nowadays, one caution board is put up prohibiting heavy vehicles for usage to which no one is paying heed.

 

[mads2849]

Congrats mads2849 for successfully completing this trip, great to see you thoroughly enjoying this trip. Did you hired any guide at Rewa? Did you also visit Ramgarh valley of fruits?

You are right nowadays Nainital becomes chaotic and off beat destinations are best bet.

One more thing the bridge between Tanda-Bazpur (it is closer to Bazpur) is working nowadays, one caution board is put up prohibiting heavy vehicles for usage to which no one is paying heed.

Thank you ToughGuy..for all your advice for making this trip a success. I did not take a guide from Rewa, though I asked about Manik n they said yes he is available. I also talked about you to Saurav, who is the owner of Rewa and told him its only because of you that he had me as a customer. Maybe we can plan out somthing together next time. You in your explorer 1 and I with my Italian tank :-)

 

[ToughGuy]

Thank you ToughGuy..for all your advice for making this trip a success. I did not take a guide from Rewa, though I asked about Manik n they said yes he is available. I also talked about you to Saurav, who is the owner of Rewa and told him its only because of you that he had me as a customer. Maybe we can plan out somthing together next time. You in your explorer 1 and I with my Italian tank :-)

Thanks for your kind words, i had not met Mr. Saurav though resides at ground floor, may be manager is able to recall me

We surely can plan something next in explorer 1 and Italian tank

 

[anadi1984]

Great Travelogue ToughGuy. The pictures and the narration, top notch. Nainital makes me nostalic.Nainital stays in my heart, deep down there. I have been to this place several times and also to Ranikhet, Kausani and Almora. I guess, You'll like the drive down to Kausani.
Your narration and detailing will help a lot of travelers going to that part of earth a lot. Keep it up .

Mads2849 :- your pictures are a delight and your cameo on this thread makes it a feast for all the Kumaon lovers, like me.

 

[ToughGuy]

Great Travelogue ToughGuy. The pictures and the narration, top notch. Nainital makes me nostalic.Nainital stays in my heart, deep down there. I have been to this place several times and also to Ranikhet, Kausani and Almora. I guess, You'll like the drive down to Kausani.
Your narration and detailing will help a lot of travelers going to that part of earth a lot. Keep it up .

Mads2849 :- your pictures are a delight and your cameo on this thread makes it a feast for all the Kumaon lovers, like me.

Thanks anadi1984 for your appreciation, UK is my favorite state i wish to settle over there in my current lifespan.