Ramgarh

Tucked on a quiet, sun-drenched horseshoe ridge in the high Nainital district at 1,789 meters, Ramgarh is affectionately celebrated as the Fruit Bowl of Kumaon. Unlike bustling tourist hubs, Ramgarh is an intimate mountain sanctuary draped in sprawling terraced orchards of crisp apples, sweet peaches, juicy plums, and golden apricots that bloom into a pink-and-white wonderland every spring.

Split into two scenic levels — Malla Ramgarh (Upper) and Talla Ramgarh (Lower) — this serene retreat has long enchanted literary giants and creative thinkers. Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore spent extensive periods living on the peaceful ridge now called Tagore Top, composing some of his most soulful verses of Gitanjali here. India's celebrated Hindi poetess Mahadevi Varma also established her literary home here, now commemorated as the Mahadevi Sahitya Kutir museum.

Facing the majestic snow ramparts of the Great Himalayas, Ramgarh rewards travellers with unobstructed panoramic vistas of Nanda Devi, Trishul, and Panchachuli peaks, making it an idyllic retreat for slow travel, heritage homestays, and crisp pine forest walks.