VANAMCOVE ⛰ Mountains weekends
Hill stations, mist and viewpoints — the classic recharge.
The weekend you'll talk about all week is closer than you think.
Anthargange
Volcanic rock, boulder caves and an overnight camp experience an hour from Bengaluru. Anthargange is for the w…
Bhandardara
Arthur Lake, Randha Falls and the Ramgad fort in a forested valley at the foot of the Kalsubai range — one of …
Bir Billing
The paragliding capital of India: launch at 2,400 m from Billing, glide for 20 minutes down to Bir's landing f…
Chikmagalur
Mullayanagiri's 1,930 m peak, Baba Budangiri's pilgrim ridge and coffee as far as the eye can see. Chikmagalur…
Coorg
The OG Bangalore escape — and still the best. Coffee estates, Abbey Falls, Dubare's elephants and the Namdroli…
Kasauli
Shimla's quieter cousin: a pedestrian-only cantonment, deodar forests, the Gilbert Trail and Monkey Point's 36…
Kemmanagundi
A 1,434 m horticultural hill station built by the Maharaja of Mysore — manicured gardens, a Raj-era bungalow a…
Kodachadri
A 1,343 m peak in the Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary — trek through shola and grasslands to a summit with views…
Kudremukh
A 1,894 m horse-faced peak wrapped in rolling grasslands and shola forest — one of Karnataka's oldest national…
Ladakh
The fastest route to a landscape unlike anywhere else on earth: a flight to Leh drops you at 3,500 m into a hi…
Lansdowne
A living cantonment town at 1,706 m where the Garhwal Rifles kept the construction bans in place — no malls, n…
Lonavala
The default answer when someone asks where Mumbai goes for the weekend — Duke's Nose viewpoint, Tiger Point, B…
Mahabaleshwar
The Queen of Hill Stations at 1,353 m — strawberry farms, Venna Lake, Tapola's backwaters and viewpoint after …
Malshej Ghat
A misty ghat pass on the Mumbai–Nashik route where the Pimpalgaon Joga dam attracts flocks of flamingos, and t…
Matheran
No cars, no honking, horses for luggage and a toy train crawling up the mountain — Matheran is Asia's only veh…
Morni Hills
Haryana's only hill station — two lakes, forest trails and the Shivalik foothills. Morni is the NCR pick when …
Mussoorie
The 2,005 m Mall Road, Kempty Falls and the Doon valley spread below — Mussoorie is the classic NCR hill stati…
Nandi Hills
Bangalore's classic quick escape: a 1,478 m hill fort where the sunrise cloud-inversion is the whole point. On…
Ooty
Yes, it's touristy. And yes, it's still worth it: tea gardens rolling to the horizon, the UNESCO toy train and…
Panchgani
Asia's second-longest mountain plateau, Parsi-era bungalows and India's best paragliding thermals — Panchgani …
Panhala
One of Maharashtra's largest hill forts — 6 km of ramparts, 1,104 m high, where Shivaji spent months of siege.…
Sakleshpur
Karnataka's quiet coffee country: rolling estates, the Green Route rail trek, and Bisle Ghat's three-valley vi…
Saputara
Gujarat's only hill station: a lake at the centre, a ropeway to the summit and the Sunset Point where the Sahy…
Shimla
Colonial Shimla: the Mall Road, Christ Church, Scandal Point and the Kalka toy train that makes the journey as…
Toranmal
Maharashtra's quietest hill station — 1,125 m in the Satpura range, home to Bhil tribal culture, a sacred lake…
Wayanad
The Bandipur drive alone is worth the trip — wild elephants by the roadside, then Kerala's misty hills. Edakka…
Yercaud
Ooty without the queue: a 1,500 m hill town ringed by coffee and orange groves, 20 hairpin bends up from Salem…