Uttarakhand

Almora & Ranikhet

Kumaon heritage towns where the cosmic energy at Kasar Devi attracted hippies before Goa did.

Kumaon Hills·easy·1638m

quiet

Garhwal Himalaya·easy·2800m

Auli

India's best (and basically only real) ski slope, with a front-row view of Nanda Devi.

moderate

Badrinath

One of the four Char Dham — a 1,200-year-old Vishnu temple at 3,133m that closes for six months because even the gods leave for winter.

·moderate·3133m

Binsar

300km Himalayan panorama from inside an oak forest sanctuary — and nobody around.

·easy·2420m

4/5

Chakrata

A cantonment town the army forgot to tell tourists about — Tiger Falls, Deoban's ancient forests, and zero commercial tourism.

·moderate·2118m

Champawat

Where the Chand dynasty ruled Kumaon for 800 years — temples, fort ruins, and zero tourists.

·easy·1615m

Chaukori

Tea gardens at 2010m with Panchachuli peaks as backdrop — the view Kausani gets credit for, but Chaukori does better.

·easy·2010m

5/5trek base

Garhwal Himalaya·moderate·2680m

Chopta & Tungnath

The Mini Switzerland of Uttarakhand, with the world's highest Shiva temple and the easiest 4000m+ summit in India.

moderate

Devprayag

Where Alaknanda meets Bhagirathi and the Ganges officially begins.

·easy·830m

Dhanaulti

The quiet alternative to Mussoorie — 24km further, 90% fewer tourists.

·easy·2286m

Gangotri

The origin of the Ganges — a temple at 3,100m where Goddess Ganga descended to Earth, surrounded by deodar forests and Himalayan peaks.

·moderate·3100m

Gopeshwar

Ancient Shiva temple + gateway to Chopta-Tungnath + the town where the Chipko movement began.

·easy·1488m

2/5

Guptkashi

The last comfortable town before Kedarnath — where smart pilgrims base themselves instead of suffering at 3583m.

·easy·1319m

Haridwar

Where the Ganges leaves the mountains and enters the plains — evening Ganga Aarti at Har Ki Pauri is India's most electric spiritual spectacle.

·easy·249m

4/5

Jim Corbett National Park

India oldest national park and the best place to see a wild tiger without Rajasthan crowds.

·easy·400m

👶 2/5

Joshimath

One of Shankaracharya four mathas — and the town that is literally sinking since 2023.

·moderate·1875m

Kanatal

North India glamping capital — apple orchards, stargazing, zero cell signal.

·easy·2590m

Kausani

300km of Himalayan panorama from your hotel balcony — if the clouds cooperate.

Kumaon Hills·easy·1890m

quiet

Char Dham Corridor·hard·3583m

Kedarnath

One of the 12 Jyotirlingas, sitting at 3583m beneath a glacier — open only 6 months a year.

crowdedRemote

Lansdowne

Army cantonment frozen in time — silent oak forests, no commercial circus.

·easy·1706m

Kumaon Hills·moderate·2200m

Mukteshwar

Kumaon ridge village with 180-degree Himalayan views and silence that makes you question city life.

·easy·2286m

5/5village

Hidden👶 2/5

Munsiyari

Direct front-row seat to the Panchachuli range — Kumaon's most spectacular viewpoint that almost nobody goes to.

emptyRemote

Mussoorie Belt·easy·2005m

Mussoorie & Landour

Mussoorie is the Queen of Hills. Landour is the secret garden above the queen that Ruskin Bond will never leave.

overrun

Nainital & Bhimtal

The hill station that India grew up with — and Bhimtal is the quiet cousin who got the better genes.

Kumaon Hills·easy·1938m

overrun

👶 2/5

Pithoragarh

Gateway to Panchachuli peaks and Nepal border — where Kumaon gets real.

·moderate·1514m

Ranikhet

An army cantonment town where the British came to escape the heat — pine forests, golf course at 1,800m, and Himalayan views without a single tout.

·easy·1829m

4/5

Garhwal Gateway·easy·340m

Rishikesh

Where yoga ashrams meet white-water rapids and the Beatles met their guru.

crowded

Roopkund

The Skeleton Lake — a glacial lake at 5,029m where hundreds of ancient human skeletons surface every summer. India's most haunting trek.

·hard·5029m

Rudraprayag

Where Alaknanda meets Mandakini — the confluence that routes you to either Kedarnath or Badrinath.

·easy·610m

Tehri Lake

Asia largest dam created India largest man-made lake — and now it is becoming a water sports hub.

·easy·640m

Tungnath

The highest Shiva temple in the world at 3,680m — a 3.5km trek through rhododendron forests with Chandrashila peak summit as the reward.

·moderate·3680m

Valley of Flowers Corridor·moderate·3658m

Uttarkashi

The Kashi of the North — a riverside temple town that doubles as basecamp for serious Himalayan mountaineering and the Char Dham circuit.

·easy·1158m

0/5trek base

👶 2/5

Valley of Flowers

A UNESCO valley that blooms with 500+ wildflower species for exactly 8 weeks a year. Miss the window, miss the point.

moderateRemote