Much of the Indian subcontinent's landscape is dotted by hills and mountain ranges, while hill resorts on these ranges are popular getaways with both locals and foreigners. Not only do 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. Most are well connected by rail and road and offer some beautiful retreats to stay in.
The British
must be given credit for developing most of India's hill stations. They did so to escape the blistering heat of the long Indian summer. And with seven principal mountain ranges all over the country available to them they had the opportunity to explore each one of them and create their retreat towns, many of which have been well maintained and still retain their old-world charm. Till date most of the summer packages and the honeymoons are enjoyed in the hill stations that dot India.
In the North, the Himalayan ranges stretch 2,500 km across the breadth of the subcontinent, and house some of India's oldest and most charming hill stations. The most popular of these is Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, which was the erstwhile summer capital of British India. Also popular are Kasauli, a cantonment town also developed by the British, Nainital, famous for its beautiful lake, and Mussoorie, popularly known as the queen of the hills. Towards the East in the lower Himalayan ranges are hill stations, which produce the world's finest tea - the most famous of them, being Darjeeling. Also well known are Shillong, Kurseong and Kalimpong.
A little further south of the Himalayas are one of the world's oldest mountain ranges, the Aravallis, that stretch along the West of the country from Delhi to Gujarat. The most popular hill resort in these ranges is Mount Abu. In Central India, the Vindhyas separate the wide Northern plains from the South. Though the ranges aren't very high, a few small hill stations dot them offering retreat from the heat. The Satpura ranges, which run parallel along to the Vindhyas, have quaint and charming hill resorts like Pachmarhi.
Along
the West coast, the Sahyadris ranges have many pretty hill stations - many of them are near Mumbai like Mahabaleshwar and Matheran. In the South, the Nilgiris have beautiful hill towns such as Ootacamund, commonly known as Ooty. Further south are the hill stations of Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu and Munnar in Kerala.
The hill stations in India are a paradise for adventure seekers and offer a wide variety of sports ranging from skiing, hiking, mountaineering, paragliding, rafting, trekking, kayaking to mountain biking. So regardless of the fact that you wish to beat the heat of the scorching summer sun or need to chill out in the winter vacations, it's the hill resorts of India that you should head towards.
Take a break in any of India's hill stations and you will always come back for more of their idyllic beauty and quaint charm.
Tourist Information in India
More Information on Tourism in India
| 