Hey All,
Mukteshwar is situated on a ridge between two himalayan ranges and I have been to this amazing place twice... in two months... and the experience has been nothing short of amazing. Different each time and better than before.
The roads by far are pretty good, if you leave Delhi by about 4-5 in the morning coz if you get stuck in one of the traffic jams, the trip would be spoilt. The reason for the jams is the numerous towns dotting the highway. There is another route to Mukteshwar, which is rarely travelled on, and provides you with a break from the pot holed roads of Rudrapur & Bilaspur. Take the turn towards Jim Corbett National park from the Moradabad Bypass and head towards Kashipur, from where you would find a right turn, headed towards Nainital, via kaladhungi. Amazing roads, and more importantly, no traffic to spoil the fun. The road leads you to Nainital, from where you can head out to Bhawali and then on to Mukteshwar.
The first time, we encountered rain and were drenched to our bones when we parked our bikes there and the second time, dry as a firewood log and each time, the views have left me breathless. Hailing from a hustling, bustling metro, the peace and quite this place has to offer comes as a much needed gift from God in these times of 24 Hour on the go mode.
The local sight seeing seems to gake your breath away. The Chauli Ki Jaali is an amazing place to see & feel the creativity of Mother Nature and then the TRH & the PWD Dak Bunglow Gardens have an amazing view to offer of the snow capped peaks of Nanda Devi, Trishul & Annapurna and the Panchachuli mountains.
For the nature buffs, there is a 4 Km walk from Sargakhet, where most of the hotels are located to the Mukteshwar town proper. inbetween, you would get a glimpse of a huge swathe of Oak Groves, planted and maintained by the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, which is the biggest establishment here and makes this town famous. Also, on offer are mind blowing views of the snow capped peaks and the gorgeous valleys
And then comes the hotel... We stayed in a 6 room property, in Sargakhet, going by the name Red Roofs, which I must say comes in at a pretty good rating on my scale... 1-10, I would rate the hotel, services& the staff at 9.5.
If you are looking for a rocking time and a place to party, please do not even think of going to this place. The townfolk are the quite sort and would not like the intrusion and disturbaces created by loud music and partying. But if you want to relax, enjoy the nature and its views and generally want to unwind... this is the place to be. Although the weather can be a tad unpredictable at times, it is worth the effort of spending 8 hours on the road to this slice of paradise.