India, a land so vast and diverse
in culture, heritage, language and people is bestowed with an
equally rich and vast treasure of natural beauty. The British
must be given credit for developing most of India's hill
stations. They did to escape the blistering
heat of the long
Indian summer. Towering and as if blessing this land is the
world's youngest and largest East to West mountain chain, known
as the Himalayas Stretching some 2560 Kilometers in an arc
across the top of the Indian subcontinent.
The picturesque Hill stations are popular providing a relaxing
and salubrious retreat from the heat and dust of the plains. Not
only they offer relief from the heat and dust of the plains,
their beautiful green surroundings, solitude, salubrious weather
and spectacular views makes them ideal holiday spots offering
quick relief from the hustle and bustle of city life. India has
seven principal mountain ranges and the most important amongst
them are the Himalayas. Most are well
connected by rail and road and offer some beautiful retreats to
stay in.
Glimpse of few suggestive Hill Stations in India by State:
Ananthagiri Hills:
Located 60kms away from Vizag. Driving through
picturesque coffee plantations the road to Anantagiri
is enveloped with mango groves, waterfalls. Train travel is
also an exhilarating experience as lush landscapes of
forest afford a memorable
spectacle.
Araku Valley: Located
115km away from Vizag. This place lures people with
pleasant weather, hills and valleys. The area of the valley is roughly 36-km
and the altitude is between 600 and 900m above the
sea level.
Horsley Hills: Located
144km away from Tirupathi. It is situated at an
altitude of 1,265 m, which makes this place
delightfully cool, with a max summer temperature of
32°C, and minimum of 20°C. the shady slopes found in
this are wooded with luxurious vegetation.
Araku Valley
Along: Located 125km
away from Pasighat. Set in a wide open valley where
the Sipu river merges with Siyom against the
backdrop of hills covered with snow during winters,
it presents a panoramic view tot he delight of
visitors. Along by night with hundreds of electric
lights flickering and glowing over the broad valley
looks like a wonderland from the top of the hills.
Pasighat:
Pasighat and its surrounding areas abound
in natural beauty and the place has rightly been
called as a photographers delight. The mighty Brahmaputra River, called the "Siang"
here transcends down from Tibet and gives its name
to the district. It flows through the entire length
of the area until it descends down into the plains
of Assam south of Pasighat town, where it meets
Dihang and Lohit and becomes the Brahmaputra.
Pasighat
Haflong: Located 84km
away from North of Silchar, Assam. It is the name of
variety of orchids, one of them being the rare Blue
Vanda. Haflong Lake, situated in the heart of the
hill station is a picturesque area. The Jatinga
village unravel the mystery of the flocks of little
migratory birds crashing to death on still dark
nights.
Best Time To Visit: Aug - Nov
Umrongso/ Umrongshu: It is located at the borders of
Assam and Meghalaya, 112-km away from Haflong. This
hill station is blessed with the natural backdrop of
North Cacher Hills region. For the sake of enjoying
this alluring journey, one should travel from
Haflong Hill to Umrangshu and from their via Jowai
to Shillong hill. Near Umrangsu, there is a hot
water spring (Garampani) which is believed to
possess medicinal properties.
Chamba: Situated at the
height of 996m. above sea level on the south bank of
the Ravi River. The valley is noted for the
magnificence of it's scenery-touching the fringe of
the Shivaliks and having three well-defined snowy
ranges, the Dauladhar, constituting the outer
Himalayas, the Pir Panjal or the mid Himalayas, and
the Zanskar range or the inner Himalayas.
Kullu: Located at an altitude of 1220m. and by the
banks of the shining river Beas. The 'Silver Valley' has nature's
treasures that lie carelessly scattered as flowers
on the high meadows. The town of Kullu has long been
a centre of faith.
Chamba
Manali: Situated at an
altitude of 2,050m. The Kullu valley has an ancient
town in its lap called Manali. Surrounded by
towering peaks at an arm length, Manali's major
asset is its proximity to the snowline. It is a
flourishing orchard industry, a popular honeymoon
destination and trailhead for numerous treks as well
as a great countryside ideal for adventure sport
lovers.
Dalhousie: This hill
station spreads over five low-level hills at the
western edge of the Dhauladhar range, just east of
the Ravi River. The pine-covered slopes around it
are intersected with paths and treks, which are
ideal for short undemanding walks.
Manali
Dharamsala: Set against
the backdrop of the dramatic Dhauladhar mountains,
Dharamsala is perched on the high slopes in the
upper reaches of Kangra Valley. Dharamsala is
a busy bazaar town and has established itself as the
travellers base camp, who come to explore the nearby
mountains.
Shimla: Situated at an altitude of 2,159m. Dwelling on a panoramic location, the
hilly town is surrounded by green pastures and
snow-capped peaks. The spectacular cool hills
accompanied by the structures made during the
colonial era create an aura, which is very different
from other hill stations.
Gulmarg: The valley of Gulmarg, a large meadow about 3sq.kms in area,
stands at 2,730 meters, 56km south west of Srinagar.
The name means 'Meadow Of Flowers' and in the spring
it's just that, a rolling meadow dotted with
countless colourful Bluebells, Daisies, Forget Me
Nots and Buttercups. The valley itself is about 3-km
long and up to a km wide. All around are snow-capped
mountains, and on a clear day one can see all the
way to Nanga Parbat is one direction and Srinagar is
another. It's a popular day trip from Srinagar to
Gulmarg.
Best Time To Visit: In Summer - May to September In
Winter - Nov to February
Pahalgam: At an
altitude of 2,130m and about 95-km from Srinagar and
is the most popular in the Kashmir valley. Since it
is rather lower than Gulmarg the nighttime
temperatures do not drop so low and it has the
further advantage of the beautiful Lidder River
running right through the town.
Best Time To Visit: In Summer-May To September In
Winter-Nov To Feb.
Patnitop: With all its
beauty at a hill station, it is a charming plateau
at 2,024m. Picturesquely situated at a high
altitude, there are good bridle paths passing
through wooded lanes and fascinating scenery. There
are three ice-cold freshwater springs in the area,
which are said to have medicinal properties.
Best Time To Visit:
Summer: May To June Autumn: September To October
Winter: December To March
Srinagar: The capital of Jammu and Kashmir
and the largest city in the state, Srinagar (1,730m)
is famous for its canals, houseboats and Mughal
gardens. The city itself is quite unlike most other
large Indian cities for here you are much more in
Central Asia than on the sub continent.
Best Time To Visit:
In Summer: June To Early Nov In Winter: Dec To Feb
Gulmarg
Srinagar
Biligiriranga Betta (B.R.Hills):
120 kms from Mysore and 247 kms from Bangalore, the
range of hills is picturesquely situated between the
Cauvery and the Tungabhadra rivers. At a height of
5,091 ft above sea level, this hill stretches from
north to south for about 16kms. Surrounded by
deciduous trees, the forests are teeming with
wildlife. So if you're looking for a 'cool' time
with a little bit of 'wild' excitement thrown in,
welcome to B.R. Hills.
Kudremukh: 95kms south-west of Chikmaglur town is
the Kudremukh (Horse Face) range. Overlooking the
Arabian Sea, the broad hills are chained to one
another with deep valleys and steep precipices. As
yet 'undiscovered' by tourists, Kudremukh is a
secluded hill station, which retains much of its
pristine, natural beauty.
Nandi Hills: 60kms north of Bangalore also known as Nandidurga.
This 1478m high hill was one of the summer retreats of Tipu
Sultan. It is a hot favourite among Bangaloreans who
find this an ideal get-away for weekends. The
Hill is the originating point of many rivers. Forests
around hills
abound with wild animals.
Devikulam:
Located 16 kms from Munnar, this gorgeous hill station
symbolizes nature in her pristine glory. The crisp
and cool mountain air heavily laden with the
fragrance of wild flowers and rare herbs is any
nature lover's paradise.
Topstation: The idyllic hill station is located 32 kms from Munnar, on the Munnar-Kodaikanal Road.
Perched at an altitude of 1700 m above sea level, it
is the highest point on Munnar-Kodaikanal Road. The
rare Neelakurinji (Strobilanthus), the flower that
blooms once in 12 years, belongs to this region.
Devikulam
Munnar:
Located at an altitude of 1600m above sea level, was
once the summer resort of the erstwhile British
government in South India. Sprawling tea
plantations, picture book towns, winding lanes and
holiday facilities make this a popular resort town.
Nelliyampathy: Located
at a distance of 52kms from Palakkad, nestling atop the Western Ghats, offer a breathtaking view of the misty
mountains and enchanting valleys interspersed with
sprawling tea, coffee, cardamom and orange
plantations.
Munnar-Boating
Pakshipatalam:
Located 7kms at an altitude of 1740m above
sea level, north east of Thirunelli Temple in
Brahma Giri Hills is a challenging tourist spot offers great
site for bird watching.
One has to trek 17kms through the wild forests, to
reach the hills.
Ponmudi: The salubrious
hill station of Ponmudi is at a distance of 61kms
from Trivandrum. Perched at an altitude of
over 100 m above sea level on the Western Ghats, the
picturesque view of Ponmudi is afford a memorable
spectacle and trekking is a passion to the visitors.
Mount Abu: The only
hill station in Rajasthan, Mount Abu huddles among
the rocks on a 1,220-m granite table mountain at the
far southwestern end of the Aravalli hills. It is
built around a lake and is surrounded by forested
hills. According to a legend, the place derives its
name from Arbuda, a serpent who descended to the
spot to rescue Shiva’s bull, Nandi. Besides having
all the features of a pleasant hill resort, Mount
Abu is also well known for the famous Dilwara
temples.
Mount Abu
Gangtok: Gangtok, the
"Lofty Hill" or the "Hill made flat to build the
Gangtok monastery in 1716". Gangtok is a city,
which, till one sees it, one would believe exists
only in picture-story books.
An air of enchantment hangs over the city, indeed
the whole valley; the mysticism, the stupas, the
monasteries reach out as soon as one has crossed the
border. While across the hills and valleys comes the
sounding of the long trumpets by robed lamas.
Coonoor: Situated on
the eastern side of the southern extremity of the Doddabetta range, at an altitude of 1,858m
above the sea level. It is the second largest hill
station in the Nilgiris and is located just 19kms
away from Ooty. Coonoor is
essentially a small tea garden town where the
weather remains pleasantly cool throughout the year.
The town is physically divided into upper and lower
Coonoor.
Ketti: Ketti is famous
for having the highest railway station in the
country, situated at a height of 7,000 ft, in the
Nilgiri Mountains of South India. The weather of
Ketti valley is salubrious. Ketti is a wealth of
natural beauty reposing in the Wenlock Downs, the
Municipal Gardens and Doddabetta Peak, at 2,623 m
the highest in the Nilgiris.
Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal: It is
located amidst the folds of the verdant Pali hills.
With her wooded slopes, mighty rocks, enhancing
waterfalls and a beautiful lake, Kodaikanal is a
charming hill station which mesmerises any visitor.
Kodai is situated at an altitude of about 2,133-m
high and covers an area of 21.45sq.km. The pride of
Kodaikanal is the 'Kurinji-flower', which blossoms
once in 12 years. The hill-plantain fruits and plums
are known for their freshness and taste.
Kotagiri: Kotagiri is
located 16-km away from Ooty and it is the oldest
hill station of the Nilgiris. Kotagiri is situated
at an altitude of 1950m, which was once a British
hill resort, that dates back to 1819 and is quieter
than Ooty. Elk Falls, Kodanad Viewpoint and
Catherine Falls are a few places to visit.
Toy Train -Ooty
Udhagamandalam (Ooty):
The capital of Nilgiri district, is popularly known
as the "Queen of hill stations' among the tourist
circuits. It is situated at a distance of 105km away
from Coimbatore. The height of the hills in the
Nilgiri range varies between 2280 and 2290 meters,
the highest peak being Doddabetta at a height of
2623 meters.
Yercaud: Yercaud is a lesser-known hill station when
compared to Ooty and Kodaikanal. Yercaud is situated
at an altitude of 1,500 meters (4,920 feet), on the
Shevaroy hills of the Eastern Ghats. The lofty hills
are of extraordinary scenic beauty endowed with a
salubrious climate. Yercaud is also called "Ooty of
the Poor " and is known for Coffee Plantations and
Orange Groves.
Mussoorie: It is
located at a height of 2,500m in the green
Himalayan range. Due to its location and beauty it
is considered as the best hill station in the
northern region. The name is derived
from plants of 'Mussoorie' which were found in
abundance here. The modern bungalows, malls and well
laid gardens around the area are enough to attract any tourist.
Nainital: A small town in the hills of Kumaon,
Nainital is a lovely hill station surrounded by
mountains on three sides. Once this area had many
lakes and it was called the City of 60 lakes.
Most of the lakes in the region have disappeared and
whatever remains is just a glimpse of what they
might have been in the past. Today the life of Nainital revolves around the lake of Naini.
Pithoragarh: The easternmost hill district Pithoragarh is often referred as
“Miniature Kashmir”. Nestling in a small valley,
barely 5km long and 2km wide, the Sore Valley was an important landmark of the Chand
Rajas of Kumaon. It is situated at an altitude of
1,650 m above sea level.
Naintal
Darjeeling: It is the
dream land of the East, it has been a popular hill
station since the British period rich in natural
beauty and surrounded by lofty mountains and
Buddhist monasteries. The real fun in coming to
Darjeeling is on the toy train from Siliguri. It
takes six to seven hours to cover a distance of
82kms and the slow speed gives you enough time to
watch and appreciate the beauty which nature has
provided it. This train passes through the Forests,
waterfalls, over deep valleys and through the
mountains and tunnels.
Mirik: It is 52kms from Siliguri and 55kms from the
nearest Airfield of Bagdogra. Mirik is being
developed as a new hill station in the mountains.
Mirik is surrounded by tea estates, orange orchards
and cardamom plantations with all the facilities to
fulfill the needs of a tourist. This place is 5,800
feet above the sea level and has very thin
population of 10,000 people. Mirik has not yet
acquired the hustle and bustle of the a regular hill
station and is from pollution. Thus the little time
spend here is enough to refresh you.
Darjeeling
Customized packages are
available on request based on
Individual needs/Budget/Interest and Time
duration....
heat of the long
Indian summer. Towering and as if blessing this land is the
world's youngest and largest East to West mountain chain, known
as the Himalayas Stretching some 2560 Kilometers in an arc
across the top of the Indian subcontinent. 
