Simlipal National Park, Odisha
1. Tinchuley, Darjeeling
Source: trekearth.com
HolidayIQ Traveller Partha De Sarkar from Kolkata shares, “The beautiful Tinchuley village is 30 km away from Darjeeling. We drove down to Tinchuley in two hours through magnificent mountainous countryside. Location was selected away from the main road to avoid too many flocking and destroying its ambiance. The village had prospect for creating rock climbing facilities, caving in near by caves and bird watching. Nature is bountiful here. Hills are covered with green pine and oak trees. The gurgling Teesta runs through a narrow gorge. Rainfall in upper reaches creates waterfalls when it rains.”
2. Mainpat, Ambikapur
Source: ticketgoose.com
Mainpat is known as the 'Shimla of Chhattisgarh'. Viewed from Mehta Point and Pharphatia, the valley and hills of Mainpat offers beautiful waterfalls, like Tiger Point where tigers roam and Machali or Fish Point as the river here was known for a type of fish. A strange sight includes the bouncing swap of Jaljali and charming Chota Jharan? tucked away in a pocket of jungle with a small waterfall with beautiful scenic views. Other notable sights are the beautiful Buddhist Temples on this remote jungle plateau and attractions such as Bageecha and Zalzala as well as much more.
3. Daringbadi, Odisha
Source: incredibleodisha.org
Situated at a height of 915 m in Kandhamal district, Daringbadi is gifted with natural bounties like pine jungles, coffee gardens and beautiful valleys. It has thick rain forests with wild animals, and is an ideal summer resort. HolidayIQ Traveller Sumeet Patel from Jharsuguda shares, “Awesome place, cool and calm. Best time to visit is winter to experience the hill station type feeling in Odisha. Areas near by are worth watching with many waterfalls, sunset point and wildlife sanctuaries. Nights are more calm with no sound at all. Best place for a techie staying in Bhubaneswar for a relaxing weekend.”
4. Gurudongmar Lake, Sikkim
0Source: flickr/soumyajit pramanick
HolidayIQ Traveller Nishit Jain from Mumbai shares, “We left Lachen at 4 am to visit Lake Gurudongmar. It took us 5 hours of driving (on a really bad road) to reach, but it was worth every minute. The drive is beautiful. If you are lucky and have a clear sky (like we did), you see brown and white mountains on all four sides with a deep blue overhead. Parts of the journey seemed surreal; you are brought back to reality by the few army bases you cross en route. I've never seen a frozen lake before and it is a sight worth beholding. Nestled in between large snow capped peaks, the lake can't be spotted from a distance at all. You chance upon it suddenly and the first view takes your breath away. It's huge. A solid white mass! And you can walk and jump on it, frightfully at first and with abandon after.”
5. Dharchula, Uttarakhand
Source: holidayiq.com
Dharchula is a small hilly town in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, India. In Hindi ‘Dhar’ means peak and ‘Chula’ means stove, and since this hill town is shaped like a stove, the name is apt. Dharchula is around 90 km from the Pithoragarh district, and is enroute the famous pilgrimage, Kailash Mansarovar.
6. Garamur, Majuli
Source: placesiwannavisit.wordpress.com
Garmur is among the chief attractions of Majuli, which is counted among the holy seats. Other prominent holy seats in the destination are Auniati, Dakshin Path and Kamalabari. During the establishment, separate structures were built for different purposes. The vaishnavite centre founded by Lakshmi Kanta Deva preserves ancient artefacts and articles, Bartop being the most prominent among these. Raasleela is performed with great zeal and enthusiasm during autumn. Garmur can easily be reached from Jorhat Nimatighat, Dhokuakhana and Luit-Khabolughat.
7. Pelling, Sikkim
Source: flickr/ Santanu Chandra
HolidayIQ Traveller Koustuv Bhattacharya from Delhi shares, “If anyone wants to see Kanchenjunga closely from the window of his room, I think it's the right place. Very excellent and close view can be seen from here. I visited Pelling on and from 14th to 16th April, 2015. The picturesque view of Mt. Kanchenjunga, Kabru etc were seen clearly from the very beginning of the day from our view rooms at hotel Simvo. Nature lovers should not miss this place. I visited west Sikkim from 12th to 16th April 2015 including the wonderful destinations like Rinchenpong, Pelling and Ravangla. The first day was sorrowful to us for it was raining all the day and sky was cloudy. But from the second day, nature began to show her beauty by the grace of God. Local sightseeing from Pelling like Kanchenjunga falls, Rimbi falls, Changey falls, Singshore bridge, Dentam valley, Khecheopalri lake etc can not be missed.”
8. Phawngpui, Aizawl
Source: tourismmizoram.gov.in
Phawngpui, the Blue Mountain of Mizoram, is a highly revered peak, considered to be the abode of the gods. Phawngpui peak is the highest mountain peak in Mizoram, rising about 2157 m. It is famous for orchids and rhododendrons. With spectacular trees and flowers of all colours, Phawngpui presents a fairytale view of the blue hazed hills, and vales unfolding below.
9. Janjehli, Himachal Pradesh
Source: flickr/ vinod bahal
Located inside the district of Mandi, the journey to Janjehli Valley is an enchanting experience. The valley is at an height of 2150 metres in Thunag tehsil and called a trekkers paradise. Laden with open grounds with lush green meadows, it bears a striking resemblance to Gulmarg. Janjehli offer numerous trails for trekkers to explore this beautiful valley and along with some wildlife sanctuaries.
10. Champhai, Mizoram
Source: wikimedia
The road to Champhai is not for the weak. The journey is a grueling 8-hour mountain drive with multiple blind curves to tackle. Famed for its colourful tribal traditions, orchids and beautiful surroundings, Champhai has several hamlets that are dotted with monuments and monoliths. HolidayIQ Traveller Dolly Jha from Gurgaon shares, “Champhai, which was the coldest place we went to in Mizoram, seems to be the food bowl of the state. Paddy fields can be seen everywhere on this mountain spot. It is a village-cum-town where you can spend all your time walking around leisurely watching nature and exploring the market. We’d gone there in November and it was very cold there then. It was colder than Aizawl, Zokhawthar and Saitual.”
11. Chakrata, Dehradun
Source: wikimedia
Chakrata is known for its beautiful and pollution free atmosphere. With green valleys and dense forests of conifers, rhododendrons and oaks, Chakrata is an ideal retreat from city life. Beautiful landscapes attract nature lovers, trekkers, bird watchers and wildlife enthusiasts for exploring the small hill resort. HolidayIQ Traveller Kshitij Deopa from Delhi shares, “Chakrata is unlike any other hill station, ice paved roads, small tea stalls and even less hotels. Peaceful journey incredible views and the road less travelled are the synonyms for Chakrata. Chakrata and the direct long romantic road to Mussoorie are places one must visit. It is 50 km from Dehradun in a very extreme end, food is normally available on the stalls. The view of ice caped mountains can be seen from Chakrata. It is a must visit place.”
12. Simlipal, Odisha
Source: wikimedia
Vast expanses of jungle and pristine nature. Simlipal is home to the Simlipal National Park and Barehipani Falls. Originally an elephant reserve and a hunting ground for the royal family, Simlipal was declared a tiger reserve in 1956. HolidayIQ.com Traveller Sabyasachi from Baripada says, “It is an ideal place to spend time with family and friends. Places like these need to be popularised to attract more tourists.”
13. Gandikota, Andhra Pradesh
Source: wikimedia
The Gandikota fort has a few temples, a granary, a masjid, a palace and a few more structures inside its walls. The temples are particularly known for their architecture, composed of many fine sculptures and carvings in the Vijayanagara style. HolidayIQ traveller Arindam Halder shares, “If you are looking to go to an unusual place which will blow you away then Gandikota is the place that you are looking for. A 13th century fort beside the Penna river in the state of Andhra Pradesh, which is surrounded by the Eramala range of hills. Surrounded by a deep valley and impassable hills, with massive boulders of red granite and the river Pennar that flows about 300 ft. Below on the west and northern sides. This is also popularly known as the grand canyon of India.”
14. Samsing, Darjeeling
Source: wikimedia
Samsing is a small village in the area of Dooars, which is located in the Kalimpong subdivision of Darjeeling district in West Bengal. Famous for its landscape, green tea gardens, hills and forests it’s a perfect place to spend some quality quiet time alone. HolidayIQ Traveller Dhritiman Baidya from Kolkata shares, ”Samsing is a wonderful quiet place, if you want to enjoy the nature stay there for 2 days, the scenic beauty if awesome, get a lots of fresh air.”
15. Dundlod, Rajasthan
Source: rajasthantourism.gov.in
Dundlod village is part of Shekhawati region, which comes under Jhunjhunu District of the state of Rajasthan. This small village resembles an open art gallery, which comprises different types of forts, havelis and baolis.
16. Galtaji, Jaipur
Source: flickr/photographingtravis
HolidayIQ A S from Hyderabad shares, “Very old temple situated about 10 km from Jaipur city. There is also a huge kund or water tank with natural water springs, we saw a lot of devotees taking a holy dip over here. A local told us it is also known as monkey temple as a famous monkey tribe lived here once upon a time. As it is surrounded by hills this temple gets an exotic look.”
17. Pangot, Nainital
Source: flickr/gkrishna
HolidayIQ Traveller Aritro Dasgupta from Gurgaon shares, “Pangot is what one can categorize as heaven on earth, an idyllic destination. Pangot is actually one of those remaining untouched spots of natural beauty. Ideal for bird watching early morning. There are some good resorts in this area. As the place is so remote, the costs are a bit high. One can view the majestic panoramic view from Pangot.”
Source: wikimedia
It's a major attraction of the district is the Samadhi of Bhai Gurdas, which is frequented by tourists. HolidayIQ Traveller Pranav Goyal from Mansa shares, “This is a very nice place to be visited and I recommend everyone to visit here. The food over here is very nice. The shops, the hotels everything was good.”
Source: Yahoo!
