Western Ghats
The Sahyadri fort country: Bhimashankar to Kothaligad
Shivaji's hill forts, origin rivers and monsoon-soaked plateaus within a long weekend of two cities.
From Mumbai or Pune: fort tops and monsoon plateaus within a long morning's reach of either city.
best: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan
base: Bhimashankar / Karjat side
3+ days
Pune to Bhimashankar (3 hrs) or Mumbai to Karjat (2 hrs by local train), then to the fort bases.
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Himachal Pradesh
Kotgarh, Thanedar & the Satluj gorge country
Where the Indian apple was born: church spires, orchard ridges and a river a kilometre below.
From Chandigarh: orchard country above the Sutlej - the quiet side of the Shimla hills with half the drive.
best: Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
base: Kotgarh
2+ days
Shimla to Kotgarh via Narkanda (about 80 km, 2.5 hrs). The old Hindustan-Tibet road carries the views.
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Uttarakhand
Chakrata & the Jaunsar-Bawar hills
A cantonment ridge, Asia's great deodar groves and the Mahasu cult villages of Jaunsar.
From Delhi or Dehradun: Jaunsar villages and deodar ridges without the Mussoorie convoy.
best: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
base: Chakrata
3+ days
Dehradun to Chakrata via Kalsi (about 3 hrs, 90 km). The Tons valley road to Mori continues past the cantonment.
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Rajasthan
Bundi & the Hadoti stepwell country
Kipling's hill palace, fifty stepwells and a blue-washed old town that tourism keeps forgetting.
From Jaipur: a blue-washed old town, fifty stepwells and Kipling's palace, four hours by road or a slow train.
best: Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
base: Bundi
3+ days
Kota to Bundi (45 min) or Jaipur to Bundi via Tonk (4 hrs). Bundi has a rail station on the Kota line.
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Rajasthan
Shekhawati beyond Mandawa: the painted towns
The world's largest open-air fresco gallery, in merchant towns that the tour circuit drives past at speed.
From Delhi or Jaipur: the painted haveli towns the highway bypasses at speed.
best: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
base: Nawalgarh
3+ days
Jaipur to Nawalgarh via Sikar (about 3 hrs) or Delhi via Jhunjhunu (about 5 hrs).
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Rajasthan
Vagad: Banswara's hundred islands & Dungarpur's palaces
Rajasthan's green, wet, tribal south: lake islands, Bhil country and palaces nobody has queued for since ever.
From Udaipur: lake islands and Bhil country in Rajasthan's green, wet south.
best: Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb
base: Banswara / Dungarpur
3+ days
Udaipur to Banswara (3 hrs) or Dungarpur (2 hrs). Ratlam (MP) is the nearest big railhead for Banswara.
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Western Ghats
Goa's hinterland: Netravali, Tambdi Surla & the eastern ghats
The Goa beyond the beach: 12th-century forest temples, sanctuary waterfalls and villages that never sold a ticket.
From anywhere in Goa: swap one beach day for forest temples and sanctuary waterfalls ninety minutes inland.
best: year-round
base: Sanguem / Netravali
3+ days
Margao or Dabolim to Sanguem (1.5 hrs), then into the sanctuary belt. The beach is 90 minutes and a world away.
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Kerala
Nelliyampathy, Dhoni & the Palakkad gap hills
Orange-estate hills, forest treks and Kerala's most overlooked temple towns, in the shadow of nobody's itinerary.
From Coimbatore or Kochi: orange-estate hills and the Palakkad gap's forgotten temple towns.
best: Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
base: Nelliyampathy / Kollengode
3+ days
Palakkad railhead or Coimbatore airport, then Nelliyampathy (1.5 hrs from Palakkad).
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Western Ghats
The Konkan interior: Amboli, Tilari & Sawantwadi
India's herping capital, a forest the size of a district, and a craft town under the ghat's western lip.
From Goa or Belgaum: herping country and craft towns under the ghat's western lip.
best: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan
base: Amboli / Sawantwadi
3+ days
Belgaum or Goa airport to Sawantwadi (1.5-2 hrs), then up to Amboli (1 hr).
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North East India
Thenzawl & the Mizoram interior
Handloom towns, the state's tallest falls and the gentlest, greenest hill country in the region.
From Aizawl: the state's tallest falls and handloom towns on the gentlest hills in the Northeast.
best: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
base: Thenzawl
3+ days
Aizawl to Thenzawl (3-4 hrs). Aizawl connects by air to Kolkata and Guwahati.
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Kashmir
Yusmarg, Nilnag & the Tosa Maidan backcountry
The Meadow of Jesus and a former artillery range turned public pasture, an hour from Srinagar and a world away.
From Srinagar: the meadow bowl an hour from the city that somehow stayed quiet.
best: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
base: Yusmarg / Beerwah
3+ days
Srinagar to Yusmarg via Charar-e-Sharief (1.5-2 hrs). Tosa Maidan is reached from the Beerwah-Drang side.
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Himachal Pradesh
Tirthan & the Great Himalayan National Park ecozone
Cedar forests, trout water and kathkuni villages wrapped around India's youngest national park.
From Chandigarh via Aut: the Tirthan valley and the national park's gate villages, a weekend with homework-free trout water.
best: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov
base: Gushaini (Banjar valley)
3+ days
Chandigarh to Aut via Bilaspur (about 5.5 hrs). From Aut, take the Banjar road to Gushaini (about 1.5 hrs). Bhuntar airport is about 50 km away.
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