Ranikhet is situated in the northern part of the state of Uttaranchal, in the northern region of India. It is situated in the Kumaon hills and is located on an altitude of 1824 m above sea level. Ranikhet is 59 km from Nainital and 50 km from Almora. The weather in Ranikhet is alpine. Summers (April-June) are mild and winters are cold (November-February). It experiences southwestern monsoon rains in July-September and experiences snowfall in winters.

All the four seasons have something special to offer at Ranikhet. Therefore, it can be visited at any time of the year. Winters are cold and the entire region experiences snowfalls during the months of December and January.

According to popular belief, Ranikhet got its name when Rani Padmini, queen of Raja Sukherdev, the local ruler, saw this place and was struck by its beauty. She was so captivated by the place that she decided to stay there, and the place came to be known as Ranikhet (literally, queen’ s field). The region around Ranikhet was ruled by local Kumaoni rulers and later came under British rule. The British developed Ranikhet as a hill station for their troops and stablished a cantonment in 1869. Ranikhet is still a cantonment town and is the Kumaon Regimental Center.

Place to Visit

 Golf course
Ranikhet golf course is the second biggest natural golf course of the country. It is a nine hole course were rest of nine holes can be repeated. It is one of the prime attractions of Ranikhet. Very close to the golf course is the Kalika temple.

 Jhula-Devi
Jhula- devi is a temple of goddess Durga . It is 800 century old temple and it is said that if a person asks for something he gets it and on fulfillment of his desire ties a bell in the temple. Very close to jhula devi is the Ram Mandir temple of Lord Ram which runs under the close observation of Moni Maharaj.

 Chaubattia GardenChaubattia Garden
Chaubattia Garden is a world famous Apple garden famous for breeding apples plants one can get apples and other fruits during fruit season and a stroll amidst apple groves. One can also buy honey and fresh fruit juice from the sales counter at the outlet. A visit to the research laboratory is a worth watch. One can also have a spectacular view of Himalayas from here.

 Dronagiri & Pandavkholi
52 kms from Ranikhet lies the 1100 century old Dronagiri Temple. It is said that during Ram Rawan battle when Laxman got injured by Meghnath’s arrow Hanuman was send to got Sanjiwani Buti from Himalayas on his way back a part of it fell at this place were the present Dronagiri stands. 5kms ahead of Dronagiri is the famous cave of Pandavkholi which finds its description in the famous book Autobiography of a Yogi of Lahiri Mahashay fame it is also said that pandavas stayed here during exile, a beautiful meadow stands atop of the hill were pandavas meditated which can be reached by a good mild trek of 4 kms were Path Bhraman Sangh of Ranikhet has setup an ashram for meditation lovers one can go and stay at the ashram. From here one can get a commendable and close view of the Himalayas.

 Baijnath TempleBaijnath Temple
Baijnath is a temple which has a black stone Idol Goddess Parvati which is and exquisite work of art. This place is about 70 kms from Ranikhet ahead of Kausani. This place is on the back of river Gomti in the Garuda valley. At this place one can enjoy feeding large number of fishes but don’t get tempted by their size for fishing is strictly prohibited. Katarmal(Sun temple)- Katarmal is about 25 kms from Ranikhet. A beautiful trek leads you to one of the two sun temples of the country, first one being Konark. Now if anyone don’t feel like trekking can also drive very close to the temple. This beautiful temple is a 12 century creation and the ancient idol of Sun God is presently kept at the national museum Delhi this temple is now protected and preserved by the archeological survey of India.

 Dwarahat
37 kms from Ranikhet dwarahat is a prominent tourist attraction of Kumaon ones the power centre of the katyuri rulers in 16th century it became a part of chand dynasty and it has 11th century old temples which attract lot of tourist for their exquisite architecture. It has become more known due to presence of the YOGDA ASHRAM of Swami yogananadji’s fame.

 Hairakhan Temple Hairakhan Temple
4 Kms from Ranikhet Town at Chiliyanaula is the Hairakhan Temple which was established by Shri Hairakhan Maharaj who is said to be incarnation of lord Shiva. One can have a very good valley and Himalayan view from this place. The GD Birla Memorial School is very close to this place.

 Jageshwar
Jageshwar 80 kms from Ranikhet is the famous cluster of 128 temples the prominent of them being one of the jyotirling Jageshwar and the Mahamrityunjay temple which is the only temple of this incarnation of Lord Shiva in the world .

How to Reach us

By Air :
The nearest airport is Pantnagar 119 Km away

By Rail :
The nearest railway station Kathgodam 80 km, is directly connected by rail to Lucknow, Bareilly and Agra.

By Road :
Ranikhet is connected by road to many places.