Himalaya Botanic Garden houses collection of several rare flora of Uttarakhand. It is situated in a mountain-side, the entry fee is Rs. 50 per head. The garden path takes one through the various plants and flowers at different levels of the garden. Top of the gardens offers nice view of the surrounding mountains and part of the gardens. Overall a nice place to visit.

These beautiful gardens showcase the flora of Nainital and around, spread out across a mountainside and encompassing a range of different smaller gardens. You buy tickets at the entrance (Rs 50 per adult, children go free) and just beyond, the path leading up to a building takes you to the auditorium (where local song and dance performances are held). Next door to the auditorium is a small insect museum and seed display; the range of insects, especially butterflies and moths, here is very impressive, with interesting trivia on different pollinators, camouflage, poisonous butterflies, common butterflies of Kumaon, etc. Further along, various paths take you, along well-labelled plants, shrubs, and trees (also lots of beautiful flowering plants) to other parts of the garden. One of the first is the tiny Butterfly Park, where an attendant pointed out to us a Common Windmill (a large and striking black, red and white butterfly that is very common in the gardens); she also showed us a cocoon and a caterpillar. There is the Fernery and Orchidarium (an enclosed garden with high humidity, lots of moss and ferns, and three types of orchids that were then in bloom), which lies beyond a section of Medicinal Plants. Off to one side, there are the Domes, three interconnected hemispherical green houses in which grow cacti and succulents: these are very varied, and what with some beautifully coloured and shaped succulents, flowering cacti, etc, even appealing to those who may not usually find desert plants attractive. Right at the top of the gardens is a Viewpoint, offering a view of the mountains and part of the gardens. All in all, a lovely and very satisfying place to visit for a plant lover.