Hill stations that are not Shimla

Ziro

Ziro, tucked in Arunachal’s Lower Subansiri, is a sprint‑through‑the‑mountains rather than a destination you linger over, but the Apatani plateau rewards the patient. Set your base in Hapoli (the “Hao‑Polyang” strip of tea‑shop‑lined lanes…

Tawang

Tawang, perched at 10,000 ft on the Trans‑Arunachal Highway, is the only place in India where the wind smells of pine‑scented yak butter and the silence feels deliberate rather than accidental; get there in late spring (April–June) when…

Munnar

Munnar is the high‑altitude postcard you keep seeing on Instagram, and that’s exactly why you either love it or loathe it. Perched at 1,600 m in the Western Ghats, the town is a maze of tea‑plantation lanes, eucalyptus‑scented air and an…

Coorg

Coorg (Kodagu) blows up on the map only when travellers think a misty hill‑station will come with chain‑restaurant cafés and glitch‑y Wi‑Fi, so set your expectations straight: it is a coffee‑scented, pepper‑spiked slab of evergreen that…

Chopta

A Funky India editor's pick for “Hill stations that are not Shimla”.

Tirthan

A Funky India editor's pick for “Hill stations that are not Shimla”.

Pelling

Pelling, perched at 2,150 m in the Gyalshing district, feels less like a tourist‑capped hill station and more like a weary caravanserai waiting for the next wave of trekkers; the good news is the new asphalt is finally holding up, and a…

Mawlynnong

Mawlynnong, perched on the brink of the Khasi Hills, is the sort of place that feels like a cleanliness commercial gone rogue – every roof, every lane, every garden is swept to a shine that makes Delhi’s streets look like a mud‑pie. Arrive…