North India Hill Station Tour Itineraries - Indian Panorama

Most of the hill stations of North India came to be during the 19th and early 20th centuries, as large numbers of British military and civilians employed by the British East India company and later the British crown, sought refuge from their regular residences in the growing seats of colonial power - Delhi, Kolkata (then Calcutta) and Chennai (then Madras) among others. They looked for places which were reasonably accessible from these cities, but at altitudes high enough to escape the stifling summer heat which, in pre-air-conditioning days, would have made life very tough indeed.

Thus the hill station was born, and many of these are now just as popular with the burgeoning Indian middle-class as they were with the Raj in years gone by. Due to this extraordinary popularity, we recommend avoiding travel to the hill stations, if possible, during the peak domestic holiday months of April and May. During this period, facilities are stretched to breaking point, hotels run totally full (making bookings hard to secure) and there is little tranquillity to be found in places where escape into nature should be at the heart of the experience.

The best time to visit hill stations is from late February through to early April, and again from late September through to the start of December. During these periods of the year, skies are usually clear (and most hill stations afford spectacular views to higher mountains beyond and plains below), temperatures are pleasant and the pressure of numbers greatly reduced.

Whether you want a dedicated tour of several hill stations, or just to sample one or two, there are plenty of ways we can help.The best accommodation in most hill stations is in historic/heritage buildings, although this is expensive in some places, so we have plenty of other options besides.

Whether it’s as a base for trekking, a place to seek solace during a longer trip, or even retracing historic family roots, we welcome the opportunity to help you see the best of India’s hill stations on your trip.