Visiting Hill Stations in India For a Refreshing Change

It is a known fact that hill stations are most popular in India. In fact, the word "hill station" has been coined in India, according to a popular website http://www.hillstations.com (which happens to be my favorite resource whenever I plan to visit one of them). So, while most travel solution providers offer packages like "9 day travel in India" or even a "30 day travel", do you think it is really possible to visit the whole of India, check out all the sight seeing, go shopping and collect souvenirs, and actually experience the pleasures that each of them offer, all in a month? Certainly not - not by a long shot! Not even if you have a private jet plane or helicopter (or both) at your disposal. Even if you took a vacation of one whole year, you would never cover it all. My advice is - take a few locations which are close to each other at a time and keep the rest for next time. This way, you won't have to rush around hurriedly.

Ideally, I would suggest breaking up your plan into 4 major parts - East, West, North and South of India (assuming that you're not from India). You can then plan your visits to each of them in such a way that you can cover each part in one, two or three visits. Of course, this also depends on how much time you have at your disposal. Let us see what hill stations fall in these 4 parts:

In the North part of India, you can visit Shimla, Nainital, Kullu, Manali, Mussoorie, Chail, Badrinath, Gangotri, Mount Abu, Khajjiar and Sonamarg. Other hill stations in the North are Almora, Bhimtal, Chamba, Dalhousie, Dhanaulti, Dharamsala, Gulmarg, Kangra, Kufri, Kasauli, Khilanmarg, Kausani, Ladakh, Mukteshwar, Pachmarhi, Pahalgam, Patnitop, Ranikhet, Renuka, Srinagar, Zanskar and Pithoragarh.

In the East part of India, you can visit Darjeeling, Shillong, Tawang, Mirik and Kalimpong.

In the West part of India you can visit Lonavala, Khandala, Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani, Saputara, Matheran and Panhala.

In South India, you can visit Anantagiri Hills, Coonoor, Devikulum, Horsley Hills, Idukki, Kodaikanal, Ooty, Munnar, Nandi Hills and Peermade. Other hill stations in South are Agumbe, Horanadu, Kemmannagundi, Ponmudi, Coorg, Aruku Valley, Wayanad, Yercaud and Kotagiri.

Side note: I may have missed a few hill stations, it would be best to visit the website in the link from this article if you want the complete list and also the information on them.

Originally used by Britishers as summer capitals to escape the summer heat, hill stations now serve as tourist attractions after India got its Independence. All the hill stations are mostly known for the ambiance, the beauty, the sanctity, the peace and the serenity. So it would be impossible to give justice to them individually in a tiny article such as this. It would be in your best interest to read the information, watch the videos and pictures about them, work out your budget as per the hotel and resort tariffs, check which one matches your choice, nature, preference and budget, and then take an informed decision on which ones to visit.

I would like to give you some useful tips before you set off visiting them. Do plenty of research before leaving. Try to get good deals on hotels and resorts, especially if you're visiting off season. Carry plenty of cash - you may not get ATMs at some places, and some places don't accept credit cards. Carry battery operated torches, extra clothes depending on the weather and climate, and an extra pair of sports shoes. Don't forget your cameras, accessories and picture storage options (films or memory chips). And, of course, extra batteries too - you may not get a chance to recharge as often as required.

Since most hotels and resorts charge on a minimum twin sharing basis, it makes sense in having a colleague with you (better still, a group of like minded folks). It not only makes the tour more pleasant, it also allows you to save money and gives you a sense of security. I wish you the best of pleasure in your visit to hill stations!