Naukuchiatal and Bhimtal: Enchanting beauty

ANY trip to Nainital is incomplete without savouring the pristine beauty of Bhimtal and Naukuchiatal. When I visited nainital for the first time in 2007, we headed to ranikhet and somehow missed Bhimtal and Naukuchiatal. So this time since we had plenty...
of time, a trip to these two lakes was on our itinerary.  
Our next destination was Bhimtal and Naukuchiatal or ‘lake of nine corners’. It was Holi and therefore we had to give our boat ride at Bhimtal a miss. But the scenic Naukuchiatal didn’t disappoint us. Bhimtal is famous for tourists and a number of Hindi films have been shot here. Koi Mil Gaya was primarily shot here. Shahid Kapoor’s Vivah was also shot in some locations here.
Naukuchiatal is a small hill station in Nainital district. The lake is 175 feet deep and is situated at 1220 metres above sea level. The lake is situated 4 km from Bhimtal, and 26 km from Nainital.

It is surrounded by green hills covered in trees and shrubs. Naukuchiatal is the deepest of all the lakes in the Nainital region. Length of lake is 983 mts., breadth is 693 mts & depth 40.3 mts. It is within an enchanting valley offering an opportunity of angling and bird watching.

Paragliding, fishing, rowing, paddling or yachting are some of adventure sports you can try here.
The lake is fed by an underground perennial spring. Naukuchiatal is also famous for the 'escape festival' that takes place every year in the month of May.

Water level here remains almost same as there are some underwater springs here.
Mythology
Legends say that the lake was created as a result of hard worship (tapasya) of Brahmaji and a small temple dedicated to Brahma still exists near the KMVN Guesthouse. Locals believe that anyone performing a parikarma of the lake will be blessed by Brahma.
The best time to visit Naukuchiatal is between the months of March –June and September - November.

The temperature remains comfortable and is apt for sightseeing. We didn't try any adventure sports there but the boating was a great fun. (As you can make out from the video)

Bhim Tal 
Bhim Tal is 22 kilometers from Nainital and 5-km from Naukuchia Tal and is at an altitude of 1,375mts above sea level. The main attraction in Bhimtal is the Bhimtal Lake which has a small island at its centre. Bhimtal is named after Bhima of Mahabharata. When the Pandava visited the place during the exile period of pandavas. Bhimtal is an ancient place named after Bhima of Mahabharata. Bhimeshwara Mahadev Temple, an old Shiva temple in the bank of Bhimtal Lake, is believed to have been built when Bhima visited the place during the banishment (vanvas) period of Pandavas. Bhimtal is older than Nainital.
The present temple was built in the 17th century, by Baz Bahadur (1638–78 AD), a King of the Chand dynasty, and the Raja of Kumaon.