India is home to some fabulous mountain ranges such as The Great Himalayas, Sahyadri, Aravali and the Nilgiri Hills. There are lots of hill stations in India with the incredible beauty and the charming attractions that are nowhere found in the world. The hill station is encompassed by the mind-blowing sceneries all around and covered with lush greenery.

Hill Stations of India are the perfect destination to experience the nature’s beauty and the doorways to some veiled bewitching beauty. These destinations are a delight for adventure enthusiasts and allow you to indulge in an array of sports such as rafting, Para-gliding, skiing and rafting etc. These places are not only enjoyable but affordable and safe as well.

Some Popular Hill Stations in North India

When summer holidays are knocking at the door, it’s time to pack your bags and scuttle off to popular hill stations up north. Picturesque, pristine and playful, these hill stations in North India are the best bet for those looking forward to escape from the scorching heat of plains.

Manali

Nestled in the northern end of Kullu Valley, Manali gives a delightful experience to all sorts of tourists. From honeymooners to nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts to culture lovers, Manali attracts tourists of all profiles. The reason is quite simple that it offers something exotic for everyone. The unsurpassed beauty of nature coupled with salubrious climatic conditions makes it a hot favorite among honeymoon couples. Besides, thrilling adventures such as rafting, trekking and wildlife excursions will truly satiate adventure buffs. Moreover, delectable food adds spice to your holiday in Manali.

What to do in Manali

• Visit Hadimba Temple
• Get into the Mountains
• Dip in the Hot Springs
• Try Paragliding
• Catch a Trout

Gulmarg

Formerly known as ‘Gauri Marg’, Gulmarg is located in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. The name was changed to Gulmarg by King Yusuf Shah Chak. The literary meaning of Gulmarg is “meadow of flowers” and located amidst beautiful landscapes, gardens with magnificent flowers, lakes and a lot more. Gulmarg is also home to one of the best golf courses in the world. This spot was a destination to royal families and British too.

What to Do in Gulmarg

• Play golf in Gulmarg
• Visit Nanga Parbat, the fourth highest peak in the world
• November to February is the best season for Skiing in Gulmarg
• The main attraction of Gondola is Gondola Lift, a cable car commuting from Gondola to Kongdoor.

Shimla

The former summer capital of the Himachal Pradesh, Shimla is an ideal destination for perfect summer vacation. It is a famous hill station in North India and fondly known as a traveler’s paradise. The hill town is full of greenery, serenity, modern amenities, recreational facilities and enamoring flora and fauna. The age-old churches and superbly built mansions will certainly make you fall in love with the history and culture of Shimla. Besides, there are a handful of adventure activities you can partake in such as paragliding, trekking and birding.

What to Do in Shimla

• Explore the British colonial heritage
• Take the legendary walks
• Enjoy trekking
• Explore religious places
• Try Ice Skating
• Go Shopping

Must Visit Hill Stations of South India

South India has an abundance of beautiful hill stations such as Ooty, Munnar, Idukki, Coorg and many more. Tourists from far-off places visit South Indian hill stations to enjoy few days of scenic beauty, tranquility and peace. Here’s a list of some must visit hill stations of South India for your kind perusal.

Ooty

Also known as Udhagamandalam, Ooty is perhaps one of the most popular hill stations in Southern India. It is also home to many Britishers who fell in love with lush green tea plantations, picturesque landscape and peach & plum orchards. While on a tour to Ooty, one can visit places such as Lake View, Doddabetta Peak, Mudumalai National Park, Government Botanical Garden and Deer Park.

What to Do in Ooty

• Boating in Ooty Lake
• Visit the St. Steven’s Church
• Trekking in Nilgiri Hills
• Take a stroll in the Rose Garden
• Shooting Spots in Ooty

 Coonoor

Nestled in the Nilgiri Hills, Coonoor is a very popular tourist spot and a picturesque hill station in Karnataka. This place is praised everywhere for its green and natural environment. Tourists can also take a tour on the toy train to enjoy the scenic beauty of this hill station. Some popular viewpoints in Coonoor include Lamb’s Rock, Dolphin’s Nose and Lady Canning’s Seat.

What to Do in Coonoor

• Play golf at Wellington Golf Course
• Explore the beautiful and picturesque hill station of Coonoor
• Enjoy trekking trail to Lamb’s Rock, Lady Canning’s Seat and the Law’s Fall

Kodaikanal

One of the finest hill stations in South India, Kodaikanal lies in the Palani hill range in the southern part of India. The hill station is located at a height of 7,200 feet above sea level and offer picturesque views of the Western Ghats. The most salient feature of Kodaikanal is the full blooming of Kurunji flowers once in every 12 years. It also offers a host of adventure activities to its tourists such as Carnival games such as archery, cycling & trampling and horse riding around the lake.

What to Do in Kodaikanal

• Enjoy boating at the Kodaikanal Lake
• Bird Watching in Kodaikanal
• Partake in Adventure Sports such as biking, horse riding, trekking and hiking activities

Munnar

Situated at the confluence of Mudrapuzha, Kundala and Nallathanni, Munnar is a quiet and peaceful hill station that attracts travelers from all around the world. It is also popular among the adventure-seeking travelers who can enjoy Paragliding. Some major tourist attractions in Munnar include The Christ Church, Mudapetty Dam, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and Eravikulam National Park.

What to do in Munnar

• Stroll through the tea estates
• Admire the gushing water streams
• Go for trout fishing
• Watch the Nilgiri Tahr
• Learn the art of tea making

Check out top 10 things to do in Ooty

Best Tourist Places in North – East India

Gangtok

A bustling and friendly hill station, Gangtok is visited by tourists from all around the world. It is the capital of the Himalayan state of Sikkim. Often known as the Switzerland of the East, Gangtok is one of the cleanest cities you’ll ever come across, highly organized and beautifully maintained. Some popular attractions in Gangtok include Rumtek Monastery, Tsongmo Lake, Flower Show, Banjhakri Falls and Tashi View Point.

What to Do in Gangtok

• River Rafting
• Paragliding
• Trekking
• Explore the market
• Samco Ropeway Excursion

Darjeeling

Situated in the north-east India in the famous state of Bengal, Darjeeling is one of the most soothing and pacific places in the world. Surrounded by the majestic Himalayas and overlooking bottomless valleys, Darjeeling is an exotic getaway to a hill paradise where tourists get flattered and besotted. Various films have captured the quintessential beauty of Darjeeling.

What to Do in Darjeeling

• Visit the Buddhist monasteries
• Stroll in the Lloyd’s Botanical Garden
• Visit the Dhirdham Temple
• Explore the tea gardens in Darjeeling

Shillong

Shillong is a part of most North-east India holiday tour packages and is decked with pine trees, waterfalls, mountain peaks and gardens. It resembles the highland of Scotland with it natural splendor and was named ‘Scotland of the East’. Some popular attractions of Shillong include Shillong Peak, Elephant Falls, Wards Lake and Lady Hyadri Park.

What to do in Shillong

• Visit the Lady Hydari Park
• Visit the Elephant Falls
• Visit the Wards Lake
• Visit the famous state museum to explore history, lifestyle and ethnography

So, come and explore the mystical beauty of India and discover a new perspective to everything. Snow clad peaks, lush green mountains and pristine natural beauty will let you enjoy these beautiful hill stations.you may also want to have a look at Top 10 Best Destinations in the World.

Contributed By Ashish Gupta

Ooty is always on the top when it comes to spend a rejuvenating summer vacation. A picturesque town nestled in the Nilgiri Hills is a singleton destination fulfilling various themes of tourism like nature trails, honeymoon, family vacation, adventure, etc. Ooty is blessed with abundant attractions that today flock tourist from all across India and abroad. The Botanical Garden, Rose Garden, Ooty Lake, Dodabetta Peak, Kodanadu's View Point, Kalhatty Waterfalls, etc. Apart from the Tourism Places in Ooty, The train journey from Mettupalayam to Ooty is a splendid attraction due to beautiful and terrifying landscapes that include dark tunnels, huge ravines and fearful curves.

The tourist attractions places and accommodation facilities in Ooty makes the trip memorable. There are various kinds of hotels, resorts and inns available with facilities, services and budgets to meet the preferences of the guests. Complimenting the standards of living of the guests, various facilities and amenities are updated on a regular basis. Nowadays, all modern facilities like internet, computers, spa, business cabinets, restaurants, bars, etc., are incorporated making the stay comfortable and luxurious. Special attention is also given to the interiors and exteriors of the hotels. Here are two of the budgeted hotels that are praised for their great discounted and complimentary offers. 

Hotel Lake View: 

 When it comes to check-in to a budgeted hotels in Ooty, Hotel lake view is the prime choice of the vacationers. With the rating of 8 out of 10, the vacationers are assured to make the second visit. The standard facilities and services have made the hotel praiseworthy in the list of budgeted hotels. An individual cottage with private gardens and accompanied by modern & basic amenities make the guests enjoy a comfortable stay. Additional facilities like bar, multi-cuisine restaurant, gaming facility, etc., are also provided. Heavy discounts on room rates and complimentary offers are also provided through online booking rooms.

Hotel Maneck:

 With the guest recommendation of 70%, this 2 star hotel makes its place in the sought-after budgeted hotels in Ooty. Though being a 2 star hotel, Hotel Maneck offers all relevant facilities and services that are required to make the stay of the guests comfortable and pleasurable. The modern facilities like disco, table tennis, multi-cuisine restaurant/bar, swimming pool, etc., are available. This hotel is also children friendly as it has a separate kids’ corner. Complimentary offers like bed tea, breakfast, etc., are offered and lucrative discount deals could be availed with online booking of rooms in this hotel.

Ooty is renowned as the most desired hill stations of Tamil Nadu is famous for its lakes, waterfalls, wildlife sanctuary, botanical gardens, tea estates and shooting spots. Ooty stands true to its name as Queen of Hills, situated at an altitude of 2,240 meters above the sea level. Its beauty was first admired in the early nineteenth century and since then it remains the most sought after holiday destination place in India. Every year a large number of tourist visits Ooty to get glimpse old British colonial charm, lush green gardens, pleasant weather, boathouses and fascinating cottages. 

Doddabetta Peak

A holiday in Ooty can prove to be the best time ever spent in your life. Whether you are planning your family vacation, leisure trip or a romantic vacation, Ooty will not let you down.  Tour to Ooty will provide you with a number of Ooty tour packages that will give you immense options to explore this dream land. The town has a pool of tourist attraction places to let you indulge completely in its beauty and charm. The top most visited tourist attractions are Botanical Garden, Doddabetta Peak, Ooty Lake, Rose Garden and the Government Museum. The Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary is yet another exciting sight seeing places in Ooty. This wildlife sanctuary is one of the oldest wildlife sanctuaries in India that is located between Karnataka and Kerala at an elevation of 1000 meters. The sanctuary has a large number of langur, hyena, leopard, flying squirrel, elephants, bonnet macaque, wild dog, sloth bear and tiger.

The first most famous tourist spot in Ooty is the Botanical Garden. This garden is spread over 22 hectares of land and owns the fossil tree which is 20 million years old. This well maintained garden has lush green lawns, a monkey puzzle tree, a large variety of flowers, plants and bushes, a clear pool and a fern house having an immense variety of orchids and ferns. The garden is an ideal place for the nature lovers. While the Doddabetta Peak which comes second on the list, is the highest point in Ooty district. The peak stands at a height of 2,2623 meters is regarded as the best vantage point in and around Ooty. The place is ideal for photo shooting purposes offering a spectacular view of Ooty.

  The third most sought after tourist place is Ooty Lake is an artificial lake that stretches in L letter shape. This lake is one of the prime attractions of the city famous for boating and fishing. The fourth place on the list is the Centenary Rose Park. This park is situated at the heart of the city, is spread over 10 acres of land. The garden houses beautiful terraces with rose tunnels, bowers with rose creepers and pergolas. The last most popular tourist spot is The Government Museum. The museum has a large variety of tribal objects, crafts and sculptural arts of Tamil Nadu. These are some of the popular tourist spots in Ooty are visited by a large number of visitors.

Undoubtedly, Ooty is the destination to visit and spend a splendid vacation in the arms of nature. The location of the place has bestowed it with welcoming climate, tranquil ambience and scenic attractions. People from all round the globe; list this destination as their sought-after location in India. The reason behind is numerous Ooty tourist places worth visiting.

Dolphin's nose

 Make sure you do not miss any of the attractions in Ooty. The natural setting of the place has to offer numerous memories to be cherished lifelong. In towns like Wellington and Coonoor, you will find the glimpses of the British Era in the structures of the houses and buildings. Along with it, the lush slopes and the tea bushes also add a magnificent element to the aura. Along with Wellington town, also known as an army township, you can explore attractions of the Coonoor town like lamb's rock, Dolphin's nose and Sim's park. 

  

Kalhatty Waterfalls

Now, to experience some picturesque landscapes, you need to travel about 28 km towards east. Kotagiri is the destination. This was one of the towns built by the Britishers. This town is spread over an area of 26 km and includes attractions like Catherine Falls, Rangaswamy Peak and Kodanand View. If you want to explore the flora and fauna of the location, Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary is the perfect place to visit. This sanctuary is set over an area of over 321 sq km. Amazing ride through the dense forests will help you to spot wild elephants at the river Mayar shore performing their natural activities.

Doddabetta Peak also flocks tourists like ants being drawn to a piece of jaggery. This destination allows you to get the aerial view of Wellington, Coonoor and Coimbatore as this peak is the highest amongst the Nilgiri mountain range at 2623 meters. The tourist attraction places like Mukurti, Pykara, Upper Bhavani, Avalanche, and Narrow Trail are also worth visiting due to their natural appeal and scenic ambiance.