Top Hill Stations - India
India’s Hill Stations are largely part of the legacy of imperialist Britain- the heat of the plains during summer was too much for the British to bear and they sought refuge at higher altitudes and amidst the shade of the verdant forests which, at the time in the late 18th and 19th centuries, covered most of the hills of India. As a result, you can now find hill stations within reasonably close proximity of all India’s major cities- Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, even Chennai. Interestingly Bangalore, which itself sits at over 900 metres above sea-level, was vaguely akin to a hill station in its own right during the colonial era and has by far the most equitable climate of all the mega-cities of India.
Some of the North Indian hill stations become very cold indeed during the winter months, but only the very highest is often cut off by snow. But the most popular time to visit these places is in the spring/early summer and post-monsoon months (March to May and October/November) During monsoon rains, access to hill stations can become very difficult.
While inevitably some of the bucolic charms of these places has been lost over the decades, there is still much to recommend them and delightful heritage or boutique-style accommodation can be found in pretty much every hill station.
