Unexplored

Mini switzerland of India: Why go to Europe when India offers much more

Khajjiar, often called "Mini Switzerland", is a small grassy meadow located in the picturesque Chamba valley. It is an important picnic spot whose quiet environs beacon the tourists traveling between Dalhousie and Chamba.It is also referred as the "Gulmarg of Himachal Pradesh".It is popular destination with trekkers too. The hamlet serves as the starting point for treks to Chamba, Dalhousie, Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary, etc.

10 unknown Indian hill stations that you should visit soon

There are several hill stations in India that are popular among people like Shimla, Nainital, Ooty, Darjeeling etc. but there are many other hilly areas in India that are not only good but even better than these popular destinations. These unknown hill stations are less crowded, comparatively clean and offer scenic beauty. In this blog we want to highlight some really good hill stations that are not popular but are really good options if you want to visit a hilly area in near future. We highly recommend visiting these places in our next vacation.

Diphu

State
Assam

Diphu is a minor hill station in Assam which is known for its calm and peaceful picnic locations.

Accessibility

By Air: Dimapur Airport is the nearest airport from Diphu, which is located at a distance of around 54 km.

By Rail: There is a local railway station in Diphu which is served by North-East Frontier Railways. Trains are available from this railroad station till the city of Guwahati.

By Road: Diphu is situated at around 270 km from Guwahati. Buses are operational from the cities of Dimapur, Guwahati, Tezpur and Hojai to visit this town of Diphu.

District
Karbi Anglong
STD Code
03671
Topic
Hill Station
Unexplored
Termperature
Summer 22 to 30°C, Winter 10 to 32°C
Best time to visit
Throughout the year

Kathua

State
Jammu & Kashmir

Kathua is the largest town of the district and is bounded by Pakistan in the south- west, Udhampur in the north- west, Jammu in the west, Doda in the north, Himachal Pradesh in the north- east and Punjab in the south- east. The most popular tourist destinations are Bani, Chandel, Bansal etc. River Sewa flows through the town of Bani which is known for its waterfalls, pastures and lush green forests. Kathua, due to its nearness to the border with Pakistan has a considerable presence of the Indian army.

History

It is believed that a famous Rajput, Jodh Singh of the Andotra clan migrated here about 2000 years ago from Hastinapur and settled down here. Later, his three sons established three hamlets known as Taraf Tajwal, Taraf Bhajwal and Taraf Manjali and the conglomeration of these hamlets were locally termed as Kathai.

Accessibility

By Rail: Kathua has a railway station that is located at a distance of around seven kilometres and trains are available from Delhi, Jalandhar, Karnal, Kanpur and Jammu.

By Road: Regular bus services are available from the towns of Srinagar, Katra, Udhampur, New Delhi, Shimla and even Chandigarh.

District
Kathua
STD Code
01922
Topic
Unexplored
Termperature
Summer 8 to 20°C, Winter -10 to 10°C
Best time to visit
Throughout the year

Rishop (Rishyap)

State
West Bengal

Rishyap is a small tourist village, located between the junctions of Sikkim, West Bengal and Bhutan. The place developed recently in 1998 and is rapidly becoming a popular tourist point. An excellent view of Kanchenjungha from 'Tiffin Dara' in Rishop attracts tourists to this place. The blue mountains of Sikkim by its side are also worth watching.

Getaways
Lava
Attractions

Forests in Rishyap
The forests in Rishyap are extremely beautiful which makes trekking more interesting.

Things to do

Trekking
Trekking is the major activity in Rishyap; places like Tifindara and Lower Tifindara are visited for trekking and camping.

District
Darjeeling
Topic
Unexplored

Lava

State
West Bengal

Lava is small hamlet town near Darjeeling and is one of the new hill resorts of West Bengal which is fast developing into a perfect holiday destination. In recent years, this almost virgin hill resort has attracted many tourists. During winters, Lava receives snowfall and tourist flock in large number to witness this galore of nature.

Accessibility

By Air: The nearest airport is Bagdogra airport at Siliguri, about 110 km from Lava.

By Rail: The nearest railhead is New Jalpaiguri Railway Station, at a distance of about 100 km from Lava.

By Road: Lava is well connected from Siliguri and Jalpaiguri by both private and shared vehicles and can be reached from Siliguri via Kalimpong (99 km) or via Gorubathan (105 km).

Getaways
Kalimpong
Neora National Park
Loleygaon
Accommodation

Some of the well known hotels of Lava providing a reasonably good staying options are:

Yankee Resorts: 03552-282345/234 or 9932869205, 9932561318
Hotel Paradise: 03552-282314
Hotel Rock View: 03324851959
Hotel Orchid: 03552-282213
Sherpa Lodge: 03552-282308
Hotel View Point: 03324761959)
Hotel Paljor: 9836489939)
Greenwood: 9830436274)

Things to do

Trekking

The trek of 12 kilometers to Jelep La and Rechi La Pass, situated at the junction of Sikkim, Bengal and Bhutan is very exciting.

District
Kalimpong district
Topic
Hill Station
Unexplored

Loleygaon

State
West Bengal

A small offbeat destination in the northern part of West Bengal, 123 km from Siliguri, 24 km from Lava and 54 km from Kalimpong, Lolegaon lies at an altitude of 1850 m above sea level. Lolegaon is basically a tiny Lepcha village also known as Kafer and has recently been introduced as a tourism place in the state of West Bengal, offering views of the Eastern Himalayan snow ranges.

Lolegaon is ideal for travellers looking forward to spend a leisure holiday enjoying the views of Mt. Kanchenjungha, Mt. Pandim and others. Located on top of a flat hill, Lolegaon is famous for its panoramic views of the Himalayas. A very important spot to look out for in Lolegaon is Jhandidara which is a wooded top of a hill and it offers views of all the peaks of Mt. Kanchenjunga and Mt. Everest.

Topic
Hill Station
Unexplored

Similipal

State
Orissa

Similipal is situated the biotic province, Chhotanagpur Plateau in the heart of the erstwhile Mayurbhanj State and derives its name from the magnificent and enchanting Simul (Silk Cotton Tree).

History

In the ancient days, this reserve was the hunting ground of the Mayurbhanj Maharajas. Their excessive hunting endangered the wildlife, and in 1979 the government declared a small area as a sanctuary. In 1986, the area of the National Park was increased to prevent poaching.

Accessibility

Air: Jamshedpur airport is the nearest air terminal, which is nearly 140 km away. Jamshedpur has regular flights to Kolkata. Kolkata is the major international airport nearest to Simlipal. Kolkata is nearly 250 km away from Simlipal and taxi fare from Kolkata to Simlipal is about Rs 5000. Kolkata is well connected with all major cities in India by air and is connected to many cities abroad.

Rail: Balasore railway station at a distance of 76 km is the nearest rail head to Simlipal. It is connected to many major railheads in Orissa by passenger and express trains. Kolkata (250 km) and Bhubaneshwar (300 km) are connected by direct trains.

Road: Orissa state public transport buses connect Simlipal with many cities in and around. Regular bus services are available from Simlipal to Kolkata, Jamshedpur and Bhubaneshwar.

Shopping

Local stone crafts can be found here but there''s not any more scope for shopping.

Accommodation

Within the park the accommodation and dining facilities are terribly inadequate. The best place to put up is Baripada, which has a choice of hotels to offer to the tourists. Forest reserve bungalows are available at Aranyanivas at Lulung (3 km from Pithabata . OTDC also offers dormitory accommodation for the budget traveler Private hotels are in Jashipur and Baripada. Barheipani has log cabins with a spectacular view of waterfalls and an abundance of orchids.

Things to do

Trekking: Most enjoyable activity in Simlipal National park is trekking. The forests with undulating hilly terrains offer all levels of trekking challenges to the adventurous tourists. Natural walks, hiking and rough trekking are the attractions in this park. One can enjoy the natural splendors, the exquisite ambience, breathtaking landscapes and the cool pleasant climate during the trekking activities in this wonderful park.

The trekking trails in Simlipal are mostly unexplored, with not much well defined trails. The unpolluted and unspoiled environments add the rejuvenating power of this adventurous activity in Simlipal. The camping facility nearby allows the trekkers to make necessary arrangements for the adventurous treks. Experienced guides can provide factual information on the trails and the dangers in the trails.

Safari
Take a wildlife safari and view the various flora and fauna in the park. You may get lucky and spot a leopard or a tiger apart from other animals you can expect to see like deers and herds of elephants.

District
Mayurbhanj
Topic
Unexplored

Koraput

State
Orissa

Koraput is an hilly area, quite near the borders of neighbouring states Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Being at the heart of tribal belt in south orissa, it has also many hill station tourist attractions though they are not that famous as other hill stations of India. The aircraft engine plant of Hindustan Aeronatics Limited (HAL) is located at Sunabeda about 20 km from Koraput.

Accessibility

Air

Nearest air port is at Visakhapatnam

Rail

Train Well connected from Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata.

Road

Road Convenient road transport facilities available NH43 passes through the District.

District
Koraput
Topic
Unexplored
Subscribe to Unexplored