Bhimtal with Apple: The Birthday Road Trip That Almost Didn’t Happen

This is the one. In five years of travelling across India with our dogs, Emerald Trail in Bhimtal is the only place we'd call genuinely Pet-First — not pet-tolerant, not pet-allowed, but built around the dog. This is the story of the birthday road trip that nearly didn't happen, a lake near Delhi NCR where a Golden Retriever became a rescue dog by instinct, and the resort that put down a water bowl before the room keys.

Ekta's idea: a birthday surprise for the team at CV Infotech. Not a party, not a cake — an actual road trip. Five cars, the whole office, and two dogs: Apple, our 5-year-old Golden Retriever who has been on more road trips than most humans, and Shimba, a colleague's dog on his first big adventure. (Captain and Kimchi stayed home this time.) The destination: Emerald Trail, a resort above Bhimtal in the Kumaon foothills, about 295 km and ~6 hours from Delhi NCR via NH24. The kind of trip you plan for weeks and execute at 1 AM.

Gopal's Car Wouldn't Start

We hadn't even left Gurugram when the first message came. Gopal's car, serviced the day before, wouldn't start — stranded in Faridabad. He said what anyone who feels like a burden says: you guys go, I'll skip it. We weren't going without him. Within the hour a Zoom car was booked. By 1 AM we were on the road — five cars, slightly delayed, considerably more bonded than before.

Chai at 2 AM, Dinner at 3

Shiva Dhaba near Babugarh has open ground beside the highway — Apple and Shimba were out of the cars within seconds. Hot chai, a quiet NH24, seventeen people standing around two very happy dogs at 2 AM. By 3 AM we reached Moga Punjabi Dhaba, feeding travellers since 1969, where street dogs sleep inside and the staff step around them without a thought. The dogs ate with us at the outdoor tables. Dal makhani and parathas at 3 AM.

The Resort That Gets It

Forty minutes uphill from Bhimtal lake, Emerald Trail sits high enough that the May heat from Delhi feels like another country. Before keys, before forms, before anything: a water bowl. That is the moment you know a property genuinely understands what pet-first means. Apple and Shimba had the private fenced gardens to themselves — leash-free, no restricted zones, no extra pet charges. We've stayed at many pet-friendly stays near Delhi; at most, your pet is tolerated. This was different.

Emerald Trail hosted our stay — the experience and every word here are our own.

Apple Finally Gets His Lake

In the afternoon we drove to Sattal — 22 km from Bhimtal, inside an oak and rhododendron forest, one of the best dog-friendly lakes near Delhi NCR. Apple walked straight in, the single-minded confidence of a Golden Retriever collecting on a promise. He swam while the team sat on the bank. Shimba went in too.

What Apple Did at 8:20

One of our team went too far out. Sattal looks calm from the bank but deepens fast — no depth markers, no lifeguards, no ropes. He started struggling. Apple was already in the water. He swam directly to him — not toward us, not toward shore — to him. Our teammate held on. We pulled them both in. Everyone was safe. Apple shook off and went back to swimming within minutes. Golden Retrievers were bred as water-rescue dogs; Apple had never been trained — he just knew.

If you visit Sattal Lake with your dog, stay in the shallow water near the banks unless you're a strong swimmer. The water deepens fast.

Evening at Let Me Dine

On the way back we stopped at Let Me Dine on the Bhowali–Bhimtal road — outdoor tables, mountain evening air, staff who watched Apple settle under the table and kept taking orders without comment. A pet-friendly cafe in Bhimtal that treats the dog like the main guest.

What We Learned

The private fenced gardens mean Apple had space that was genuinely his. The water bowl on arrival meant someone thought about him before we arrived. These are design choices, not policies. Apple is not just a travel companion — he's a 5-year-old Golden Retriever who swam into a Himalayan lake to bring a teammate back, then went back to swimming five minutes later. The birthday trip was meant to be a gift to the team. It turned out to be something none of us expected.