Sattal, the seven lakes
lake · 2.7 km away
lake47 min from Nainital
Bhimtal Lake
Bhimtal Lake at about 1,370 m, the largest lake in Kumaon by area, with a ferry island, a Bhima legend and an old dam, 20 km and 47 minutes from Nainital.
What it is
Bhimtal Lake is the centre of the small town of Bhimtal in the Nainital district, at about 1,370 m. Wikipedia gives its area as 47.8 hectares and describes it as the biggest lake in Kumaon by surface. It is a natural lake, and the Pandava legend says Bhima made it with a blow of his mace. The town was a fortified outpost in the days of the Katyuri kings, and a Chand dynasty ruler built a fort here in the thirteenth century.
Photos: AnonymousUnknown author (Public domain) · Inder S Kharayat (CC BY-SA 3.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Getting there
By road it is about 20 km and 47 minutes from the hub point of Nainital on our routing, heading east. Wikipedia says the town is 21 km north of Kathgodam railway terminus and 30 km north of Haldwani. We have no verified bus timings, so a taxi is the practical way.
The visit
You come for the water and the shore: a walk along the lake, a ferry to the island, and the aquarium on it. Our photographs show the lake from the island with houses stepping up the slope, a winter view and an 1895 photograph of the dam with a small temple beside it. Wikipedia says the Bhimeshwar Mahadev shrine stands on the southern shore.
Bhimtal is quieter than Nainital; it is a lake-edge town rather than a ridge of hotels. We have no verified information on boating prices, ferry timetables or aquarium opening.
When to go
The pleasant seasons are spring and the clear weeks after the rains; winter is cold and the monsoon is wet. See when to visit Nainital.
Around it
Sattal is the next stop on the second day, and Nainital Lake is back in town. The two-day plan puts Bhimtal on its second morning.
Plans that include this
All 1 plans that stop here →Nearby places
Questions people ask
How big is Bhimtal Lake?
About 47.8 hectares, which Wikipedia describes as the biggest lake in Kumaon by surface. The town of Bhimtal lies at about 1,370 m, and the lake has an island, set 91 m from the southern dam embankment, with a public aquarium reached by ferry. We have no verified ferry fares or aquarium hours.
How did Bhimtal get its name?
From Bhima, the second Pandava prince of the Mahabharata, and tal, meaning lake. In the regional legend, when Draupadi was thirsty during the Pandavas' forest exile, Bhima struck his mace into the rock and a spring flooded the hollow. The Pandavas are said to have founded the Bhimeshwar Mahadev shrine on the southern shore.
How far is it from Nainital?
About 20 km and 47 minutes by road from the hub point on our routing, east of Nainital. Wikipedia says the town is 22 km east of Nainital and 21 km north of the Kathgodam railway terminus. It pairs well with Sattal, which is close by.