Darjeeling is the dreamland of the east and boasts of extraordinary natural splendor. At an altitude of 8,586 meters, the Darjeeling hills are the highest mountains in India. This beautiful hill station is largely under forest cover and surrounded by tea plantations. Buddhist monasteries dot the land.

Botanical Gardens

Dal Lake is the centre of attraction in Srinagar, especially the lake area, is by shikara. It is particularly pleasant to row over the waters of the Dal Lake to visit the Mughal Gardens and other lakeside sites, including the famous Hazratbal mosque. The well-known sights in the city are Shankaracharya Temple atop the hill called Takht-e-Suleiman, a 5 km climb from Nehru Park on a metalled road. Across the city is another, much lower hill crowned by the Hari Parbat Fort, built by an Afghan governor of Kashmir in the 18th century. The low wall enclosing the upper part of the hill was constructed by Emperor Akbar. On the hill are several famous places of worship: the temple of goddess Sharika, the shrine of Muslim saint Makhdoorn Sahib, and the historic Sikh Gurudwara Chatti Padshahi.

Sonmarg

Situated at the northern end of the kullu valley, Manali has spectacular views of snowcapped peaks and wooded slopes. Manali literally means the 'Home of Manu'. Manu is the mythological character who is supposed to have survived when the world was drowned in Flood. He then came to Manali and recreated human life. Thus, the area of Manali is sacred and Hindus treat the temples over here as pilgrimage.

A small town in the hills of Kumaon, Nainital is a lovely hill station surrounded by mountains on three sides. Once this area had many lakes and it was called the City of 60 lakes or 'Chakta'. Most of the lakes in the region have disappeared and whatever remains is just a glimpse of what they might have been in the past. Today the life of Nainital revolves around the lake of Naini. But there are few other lakes around Nainital which are equally beautiful and attractive as the Naini lake.

Udhagamandalam (Ooty), the capital of Nilgiri district, is popularly known as the "Queen of hill stations' among the tourist circuits. It is situated at a distance of 105 km away from Coimbatore. The height of the hills in the Nilgiri range varies between 2280 and 2290 metres, the highest peak being Doddabetta at a height of 2623 metres.

The echoes of the British empire linger on in Shimla (2130m). As the 'summer capital' of the British in India, this was the country's focus for the better part of every year and now, it is the state capital of Himachal Pradesh. Today, its well developed facilities, easy accessibility and numerous attractions make it one of India's most popular hill resorts. Placed in the lower ranges of the Himalaya mountains, it is surrounded by pine, deodar, oak and rhododendron foests. Towards the north lie the snow-covered high-ranges. Within the town are a host of splendid colonial edifices, quaint cottages and charming walks.

Parwanoo

Compared to other hill stations, Dalhousie, 80 winding kilometers from Pathankot, is markedly different and off the beaten track. Spread over five hills, Dalhousie has a serenity with its own distinctive flavor. Attractive cottages and villas cling to the deodar and pine mantled hills of Dalhousie. Here at Dalhousie, nothing seems to matter except the beauty and the moment. Pink and red rhododendrons are in bloom. The trees are dressed in different shades of green.

Set against the magnificent backdrop of the towering Dhauladhar ranges, which rise up to more than 4000 meters, Dharamshala, which literally means The Holy Refuge, lies perched up on the high slopes in the upper reaches of the Kangra valley. Founded in 1855, it is one of the 80 hill resorts developed in the seventeenth century by the British to beat the heat and dust of the sweltering plains.