Naini Lake is the pear-shaped lake at the heart of the hill station of Nainital, ringed by seven forested hills. Rowing boats, paddle boats and yachts of the old Boat House Club cross the water, and the Mall Road runs along one shore between Tallital and Mallital. Legend links the lake to the eyes of the goddess Sati. Evenings, when the hillside lights reflect in it, are the prettiest time.

Naina Devi Temple stands on the northern shore of Naini Lake in Nainital and gives the town its name. It is counted among the Shakti Peethas, said to mark where the eyes of Sati fell. The original temple was destroyed by a landslide in 1880 and rebuilt. The goddess is represented by two eyes, and the temple is busiest during the Nanda Devi fair in September.

Snow View Point sits at about 2,270 metres above Nainital and is reached by an aerial ropeway from Mallital or by road. On a clear day it gives a sweeping view of the Himalayan snow peaks, including Nanda Devi, Trishul and Nanda Kot, with telescopes to pick them out. There is a small temple and amusement area on top. Mornings from October to March offer the clearest skies.

Bhimtal is the largest lake in the Nainital district, about 22 km from Nainital at a lower and warmer altitude. A 19th-century masonry dam holds it back, and a small island in the middle, reached by boat, houses an aquarium. The Bhimeshwar Mahadev temple beside the dam is linked to Bhima of the Mahabharata. It is quieter than Nainital and good for boating and lakeside walks.

Naukuchiatal, the 'lake of nine corners', is the deepest lake of the Nainital region, fed by an underground spring and surrounded by wooded hills. A local belief says anyone who sees all nine corners at once attains nirvana. Rowing, paddling and kayaking are available, and the ridges above are used for paragliding. It lies about four kilometres beyond Bhimtal.

Sattal is a cluster of seven small interconnected freshwater lakes set in dense oak and pine forest below Bhimtal. Largely undeveloped, it is one of the best birdwatching areas in Kumaon, with several hundred recorded species. Boating and kayaking are available on the main lakes, and forest paths link the others. A Christian ashram and a few camps are the only settlements.

Garjiya Devi Temple stands on top of a large rock in the middle of the Kosi River, near Ramnagar on the edge of Corbett National Park. A flight of steep steps leads to the small shrine of the goddess, regarded as a form of Parvati. The setting, with the river on all sides and forested hills behind, is striking. A big fair is held on Kartik Purnima.

Jim Corbett National Park, founded in 1936, is India's oldest national park and the place where Project Tiger was launched in 1973. Its sal forests, grasslands and the Ramganga River shelter tigers, elephants, leopards, gharials and several hundred bird species. Dhikala, deep inside the park, has the best-known forest lodge and grasslands. Safaris must be booked in advance; the core zones close in the monsoon.