Visit the Romantic Hill Station of Ranikhet in the State of Uttarnchal in India

The State of Uttaranchal in India is full of natural beauty due to the presence of the great Himalaya Mountain at its Northern side. The state remains full of visitors and tourists all through out the year due to many such lovely hill stations. Ranikhet is one such most scenic hill station that attracts lot of tourists due to the most unique view of Himalaya Mountain summits. Ranikhet is located at the height of 5890 feet from the mean sea level. It is a very small town having the area of 22 square kilometers and a human population of around 30000. Ranikhet is 230 miles away from Delhi, 270 miles from Luckhnow, and 100 miles from Haridwar.

The nearest airport to Ranikhet is Pantnagar of Nainital, which is around 66 miles away from Ranikhet. The nearest railway station is Kathgodam, which is around 48 miles away from Ranikhet. Kathgodam is connected by railway from Delhi, Mumbai, and other major cities of Uttar Pradesh. There are regular buses plying from all the major cities like Delhi, Dehradun, and others. The story goes like that one famous Gorkha queen visited Ranikhet and liked it so much that she stayed here permanently. That is why the place is named as Ranikhet. Ranikhet is a quiet place that is not found full of visitors' crowd as compared with other famous and popular hill stations. There are couples of points and many hiking trails at Ranikhet. There is a thick, lust green forest full of oak and pine trees all around Ranikhet. There is an ancient temple of Kali Mata here, which is around 3 miles away from the town center. The black stone statue of Kali Mata here is really hypnotizing and is said to be 2000 years old. The Dharuwadi, the lovely garden here, is also worth visiting mainly during the morning and evening hours. There is an eighteen holes golf course, 4 miles away from Ranikhet. Playing golf here can be really a memorable experience of anybody's life. There is a Gandhi Ashram, around 5 miles away from Ranikhet. The temple of local god Gollu Devta is also worth seeing here. The large fair is held here every year in the month of October during Dussehra day. The local people present their traditional folk dances during this festival fair. Many foreign tourists visit Ranikhet during that period. I have myself visited Ranikhet from Nainital and have not stayed here at Ranikhet. However, I have been regretting that decision ever since due to fact that I was not able to enjoy the breathtaking beauty of this virgin hill station with ease and leisure.

Nainital, Almoda, and Ranikhet are the three hill stations located very close to each other. However, each of these is found having their own beauty in different ways. The real lovers of nature and the beauty must find time to stay at all these three places at least for 2 days each. There are few good hotels available here for the tourists. Hotel West View is the best hotel here. It has the most breathtaking view of Himalaya Mountain range from the room balcony. The charges of this Hotel are Rs.3000 ($75) per day for a nice double room. There are other hotels like Hotel Everest, Hotel Parvati, and the State Government guest house. It is really necessary to book the hotel accommodation in advance, particularly during the summer season, as there are very few nice hotels here at Ranikhet. The food is no problem here as lots of varieties in North Indian food delicacies are available here at very reasonable charges. The drinking water is also quiet clean here and you need not drink the bottled mineral water.

I would recommend all my AC friends to visit this beautiful hill station at least once during their life so as to visualize the beauty of Himalayas and to get the spiritual exposure to the healthy and spiritual environment of Ranikhet.