Situated at the altitude of 1829 m, Ranikhet is popular hill station in Indian state of Uttarakhand. The hill station lies in Almora district of the state. It is adorned with beauty of nature and has calm and cool ambience. Ranikhet is also a cantonment area and houses Kumaon and Naga regiments of India. A military hospital is also situated there. Ranikhet, queen?s meadow as it literally means, was mainly developed as hill station by the British. It is visited by thousands of tourist throughout the year. Places to see: Bhalu Dam is an interesting place to visit near Ranikhet. It is small man-made lake and is a nice place to spend holidays. The lake is surrounded by beautiful nature offers amazing views of majestic mountains of Himalayan ranges. Adding the beauty to the place, a fascinating garden is also situated over there. World famous Chaubatia is another place to be seen near Ranikhet. It is known for its wide orchards of delicious apples, peaches, plums and Apricots. Chaubatia has grown in to popular picnic spot over the years as it an ideal place to explore surrounding nature. One can also see from here the beautiful views of snow covered Himalayan Mountains. You can also visit the Jhula Devi temple situated near Ranikhet. It is built in 8th century and is dedicated to goddess Durga. The temple has large cluster of bells the sound of which can be heard from a long distance. The temple situated in serene environment and is visited by many devotees and tourists as well. Mankameshwar temple is another important place of worship in Ranikhet. It is located Pithoragarh near Ranikhet. The temple is built by Kumaon regiment of India. It is often visited by a good number of devotees and people related with defense. Dwarahat near Ranikhet is small town and houses many ancient temples. Here you can visit Shakti Devi temple and the temple of Naithana Devi. Majhkhali is another place of interest situated near Ranikhet. It fascinates the tourists with its imposing natural beauty. The place is gifted with hilly terrains, calm and cool ambience and beautiful natural surroundings. Sitalkhet and Upat are other places of attraction to be seen near Ranikhet. Ranikhet also offers its adventurous tourists thrilling experience of trekking as it house many trekking trails in and around it. How to get there: Many state run buses and other private vehicles connect the hill town of Ranikhet to nearby cities like Nainital and Almora. These modes of transport also connect it to many other cities and towns of the state and the country. Ranikhet is about 54 km away from Nainital while the distance between Almora and it is just 49 km. If you are travelling by train you can get down at Kathgodam railway station as it serves the nearest rail head to Ranikhet. It is just 80 km away from Ranikhet. The railway station is well linked to Delhi and many other cities and towns of the country. Pantnagar Airport is closest airbase to Ranikhet and is well linked to Delhi by regular flights.
