Kainchi Dham, Nainital and Mukteshwar — 3N/4D from Kathgodam
Package Highlights
- ✓Kainchi Dham — Neem Karoli Baba's ashram on the Nainital–Almora road
- ✓We time the Kainchi visit for early morning, before the tour buses arrive
- ✓Naini Lake boating and the Naina Devi temple at Nainital
- ✓Snow View Point ropeway with Nanda Devi and Trishul on a clear day
- ✓Mukteshwar — apple orchards, the Shiva temple and Chauli ki Jaali cliff
- ✓Bhimtal and Sattal on the drive down, away from the Nainital crowd
- ✓Small-group pace — no rushed 'cover 10 spots in a day' itinerary
Who this itinerary is for
Every other itinerary on this site is Garhwal — Haridwar, the four dhams, a trek. This one is Kumaon, the other half of Uttarakhand, and it starts at Kathgodam rather than Haridwar. The draw is Kainchi Dham, Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram on the Nainital–Almora road, and the itinerary is built around going there first thing on Day 1, before the buses fill the parking. Most people do Kainchi as a stop on someone else’s day trip and get an hour in a queue; three nights means you get the forenoon there and still have Nainital, Mukteshwar and Sattal without a rushed drive. Difficulty is Easy and there is no trek at any point — the highest you sleep is Mukteshwar at 2,286 m, well under the altitude where the Garhwal packages start asking things of you. Take it if you are travelling with parents, with small children, or in the March–June and September–November windows when the Char Dham road is either shut or at its busiest. If it is the four dhams you want, nothing here overlaps with them.
Itinerary at a glance
Day by day
Pick you up at Kathgodam and drive up towards Bhowali. Stop at Kainchi Dham for darshan — the ashram Neem Karoli Baba built beside the Shipra river. It is calm in the forenoon; by afternoon the parking overflows, which is why we go first. Continue to Nainital, check in, and keep the evening free for Mall Road and the lakeside. Overnight Nainital.
Distance70 kmMealsDinnerOvernightNainitalBoat across Naini Lake to the Naina Devi temple, one of the Shakti Peethas. Ropeway to Snow View Point for the Himalayan skyline. Tiffin Top and Eco Cave Gardens if the group is up for a short walk. The rest of the day is unhurried — chai, the flat lake walk, some shopping. Overnight Nainital.
MealsBreakfast · DinnerOvernightNainital Full DayDrive to Mukteshwar through Bhowali's fruit market. This is the quiet counterpart to Nainital — a 350-year-old Shiva temple on the ridge, the IVRI campus, and Chauli ki Jaali, a cliff with a sheer drop and long valley views. Apple and plum orchards line the road. Overnight Mukteshwar.
Distance50 kmMealsBreakfast · DinnerOvernightMukteshwarSlow morning with the sunrise over the peaks. Drive down via Sattal — a cluster of interconnected freshwater lakes that stays green and empty compared to Nainital. Reach Kathgodam by afternoon for your train. Tour ends.
MealsBreakfast · DinnerOvernightKathgodam
✅ What's Included / Excluded
Where you stay
- Nights 1–2Nainital
- Night 3Mukteshwar
Twin-sharing as standard.
Frequently asked questions
Kainchi Dham sits on the Nainital–Almora highway near Bhowali, about 17 km from Nainital and 38 km from Kathgodam. Our vehicle stops there on the way up on day 1, so you do not make a separate trip for it.
March to June and September to November are comfortable. The ashram is busiest around June 15, the Pratishtha Diwas (foundation day), when the annual bhandara draws huge crowds — plan for long queues if you come that week. On normal days, early morning is calmest, which is how we schedule it.
Yes. There is no trekking. The only walking is short and optional — Tiffin Top and Chauli ki Jaali. We arrange ground-floor or lift-access rooms where the hotel has them, and keep the driving days short.
Before you go
Run directly by Shiv Ganga Travels, Haridwar — founded by a retired Army officer, 4.5/5 from 76 Google reviews, no aggregator in between.
Ready to begin?
Free itinerary · Zero commission · Reply in 2 hrs