Bhimtal - A Hill Station where the Clouds kiss the Lake

Boating on the Bhimtal Lake

Bhimtal is a hill station located below Nainital in the state of Uttarakhand. It is a less crowded and pleasant place especially as you don't have as many people visiting it as Nainital. Accommodation can be found thanks to homestays, Airbnb, and OYO. These can be found until Mehra Gaon; that is if you don't find a hotel in Bhimtal itself. Mehra Gaon is five kilometres away from Bhimtal.

Bhimtal lies at a distance of about 300 kilometres from Delhi and 335 kilometres from Gurgaon. The highways are mostly well-maintained expressways where you can easily cruise at speeds ranging from 80kmph to 100 K.M.P.H. The Hapur by-pass expressway on the outskirts of Ghaziabad has a speed limit of 100, although I rarely find anyone doing more than 80.

We left Gurgaon on the second of October, more so to attend my niece's destination wedding. While the roads from Gurgaon to Bhimtal were pretty good, there were a few patches after Moradabad that needed cautious negotiations. We started at 5:30 a.m. and reached our resort, the Royal Court House at Mehra Gaon at 3:00 p.m. having covered 348.6 kilometres from Gurgaon.

What to do at the Bhimtal Lake

The best things to do at Bhimtal include trekking and hiking, catching up with your sleep, general lazing off, spending time with your family, connecting with nature, and, of course visiting the Bhimtal lake, buying candles, having lots of hat Maggi, boating, and visiting the Aquarium Cafe which is on an island in the middle of the Bhimtal lake. One might even sit quietly on the Dam top watching the clouds waft in, literally kissing the surface of the lake.

Sitting by the lakeside, looking at the ducks drift by

An exotic fish at the aquarium at Bhimtal

An exotic fish at the aquarium at Bhimtal

Exotic fishes at the aquarium at Bhimtal

A private moment

Perhaps Zorbing on the Lake might be a good thing to do!

Places to visit while at Mehra Gaon

Mehra Gaon lies in between Bhimtal and Bhowali Gaon. Mehra Gaon is a stop where you can stay at hotels, Airbnb and homestays. Bhowali Gaon is above Mehra Gaon. I was part of a group of people attending a destination wedding and I was able to capture a few photographs in both places. We stayed at Mehra Gaon at the Royal Court Ananda Express homestay hotel which provided all the amenities including a gym.

A Game of Pool at the Royal Court Ananda Express Homestay

A Game of Pool at the Royal Court Ananda Express Homestay

Watching the Sun rise while on a trek in Mehra Gaon

A township viewed while on a trek in Mehra Gaon

Since our visit was a destination wedding that took place at Bhowali, I took photographs of an old church built in 1940. It is called the Church of the Three Friends and was dedicated by David Howard, Charlotte Leonara Tate, and George Passman Tate on Sunday, the 5th of May 1940.

The Altar of the Three Friends Church

The Three Friends Chruch at Bhowali