Being passionate about travel & adventure, this year I took a pledge to celebrate the new day in a backpacker's way rather than partying & enjoying city life in the regular mode.
Having a day off from the office is always bliss for a Delhiite. And if it's a new year day, it has to be given some special treatment. So, after much consideration(reading articles, watching vlogs) I picked Bhimtal & Naukuchiatal for my single day trip in the Himalayan wilderness.
A hidden gem in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, Naukuchiatal is a quaint village far from hustle and bustle of cities making it an ideal destination to chill out for a day from Delhi.
As my instant plan to cover this trip in a day got ditched by most of my friends, I determined and prepared myself to go on my first solo trip. Until luckily of my besties agreed to accompany me at the eleventh hour...
We managed to grab the best deal even when the bus tickets were slightly on a higher side, which timely departed from Anand vihar ISBT at 11 PM and dropped us at Haldwani early morning @ 6 AM. Our plan to rent a bike failed (due to unavailability) which forced us to board another bus that took some additional hours to reach Naukuchiatal.
Nonetheless, our trip got officially started with Maggi and parathas at the far end of the lake throwing an enchanting view in front of our eyes.
Finishing up our brunch, we negotiated the price for the most-awaited adventure sports - KAYAKING to 200 per person per hour and set foot for this exhilarating experience.
After some initial experiment with the moves soon we swiftly rowed our kayaks on chilled water of The Nine Cornered lake(i.e. Naukuchiatal) overcoming the wind, gusting through us, trying to drift the kayak backwards.
Our kayaks made it to the center of the lake after absorbing much of our muscle power but the breath-taking views from there were astounding and out of the world. The glittering sunlight on the surface of the water was no less than twinkling stars in a broad daylight. The only wish I had at that time was – Time should stop at this moment.
We ended our kayaking after a long photo session with the lake, pedal boats, Shikaras & mountains in the background. The Shikaras cruising alongside threw an aura of Kashmir around us. All these bizarre events are still alive in my heart.
The next stop was for some adventure activities situated just in the vicinity. Without a second thought, we decided to try our stamina at Rock climbing.
Initially thought it to be an easy one and a child's task, soon it turned out to be the most strenuous thing done in life. It took me 6 mins & 40sec of arduous effort to make it to the top(thanks to the constant motivation from instructors). Our forearms & fingers were dying out of pain & we reached the brink of exhaustion.
There were a lot more activities which can be enjoyed there such as commando net, zip line, Mountain Biking, etc. all of which we ignored and headed to refresh ourselves.
After a little refreshment(jalebi & soda lemonade), we gained back our spirit and started 6 km hike to bhimtal in absence of any public transport in the area.
The Bhimtal lake welcomed us with a cool breeze and cheerful surrounding which made the evening very picturesque.
Sipping coffee at the lakeside, our eyes constantly swung one after another to the aquarium at the center of the lake, smiling selfie faces on the Victoria Dam, vivid boats parked at the shore, drifting ducks in the water, and sunlight trying to hide behind the hills.
It was a perfect evening until time called us to head back. The return to Kathgodam by Hitchhiking was an audacious & venturesome journey for us which got more worsened by sleepless night in the train. The Ranikhet Express reached Old Delhi on time @4 AM and we were back to home filled with ecstasy and lifelong memories.
Nevertheless, All’s well That End Well. The Tryst with nature ended with night and our New Year celebrations concluded in a much unusual way.
There was a saying in our childhood – Jo kaam saal ke pehle din karoge, wahi pure saal karoge.
So, I hope i'll be travelling like this round the year this time….☺
Some tips for this trip:
1. If planning to rent a Bike, book it well in advance. Google maps can be helpful in getting their contact info.
2.Local buses for Bhimtal & Naukuchiatal are very rare and that also on their schedule time. So it will be better to book a private cab for a relaxed trip.
3. If u missed the above two(like us), local guys would always be helpful. It's a common practice of locals to hitchhike with any commercial vehicle there (although it's a paid one). So feel free to take a paid lift...😁