Kumaon Trip I: The Lakes

This is one of a series of posts describing short strolls/hikes from a trip of Kumaon undertaken with my family during December 2012. While sightseeing was an important aspect of this trip, it had added significance since I have family roots in this Himalayan region (indeed, both my parents were born and brought up here). I myself was born and brought up in the middle of the Indo-Gangetic plain (and visited limited parts of Kumaon only a few times), but almost all the family stories I heard as a child were rooted in that area. Interestingly, I myself acquired a love for the hills while living halfway across the world, when I moved to the NYC area for work, and became a (day) hiking enthusiast. This trip was an opportunity to both visit the places I had often heard about as well as acquire at least a passing acquaintance with a part of the mighty Himalayas that span the northern frontiers of India. Some hiccups at the start of the trip required us to modify our plans to omit long walks from our itinerary, but there were still enough opportunities to experience and visually document the natural beauty of the area, as well as some of the worrisome signs of its spoilage.

Date: December 7, 2012

Location: Misc. lakes in District Nainital, Uttarakhand, India

Description:  District Nainital is quite rightfully known as the Lake District of India. Large concentrations of lakes in a small area are rare in India, and here there are numerous! There is of course the Naini Lake that gives Nainital its name (note: the word tal means lake). Then there is nearby Bhimtal.  Naukuchiatal is a nine-corned lake of irregular shape. It is said that it is hard to find a spot along its edges where all none corners are visible at the same time. Garuda Tal is a small lake that is thankfully still mostly untouched and surrounded by lush vegetation.  Then is is Sattal which comprises a set of 7 inter-connected lakes. There are several other small lakes.

In this trip, we visited or saw from a distance Bhimtal, Naukuchiatal, Garuda Tal, and Sattal.

The use of HDR lent a painting-like quality to this partial view
of the Bhimtal lake from my hotel balcony

The rising sun casts an orange glow over Bhimtal

Bhimtal

More HDR in action: Bhimtal in late morning

Colorful boats at Naukuchiatal (HDR again)

Naukuchiatal

The surrounding hills are reflected in the waters of Naukuchiatal

Garuda Tal is surrounded by lush vegetation