How to visit hill stations in india

tips while visiting hill stations in india

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. India is a vast country and is having number of various places of tourist interest. Hill stations of India are one of the best alternatives available for traveling. Hill stations are located in almost all the areas of the country. The most beautiful and fascinating hill stations are available in the Northern and Southern parts of India. The northern hill stations are mostly linked up with the Himalayas and Southern hill stations are in the Nilgiri mountain range. There is a lot of difference in visiting hill stations here in the USA and in India. Even, the basic preparations and the principles also are different. I am going to cover the basic tips that will be useful while visiting hill stations in India.
2. The first and vital aspect is to select a good hill station of your choice. If you like virgin beauty, then select hill stations like Almoda, Kausauni, etc.in North India however, if you prefer busy and crowded places, go for Simla, Nainital, Kulu, Manali, Utakamund etc. The best season to visit hill station in India is from March to June, during the summer. However, if you want to have real taste of hill station, visit during the winter. You will have to face lot of cold but shall be able to enjoy the beauty of winter that is altogether different from summer. The rates for hotels, food and the travel shall be much cheaper during the winter. Once you have made the selection, the next step is to book your train/air tickets for your destination. Make sure to book your tickets and the hotel accommodation in advance only. Arrange to collect the details like places of tourist interest, maps of the place you are going to visit. Such details are available with the concerned state government's tourist offices that are located in almost all the cities. Most of the hill stations have a toy train plying between its base and the top. Make sure to travel in such trains as they provide excellent views of nature while traveling. For example, Toy train journey of around 5 hours between Siligury and Darjeeling is really enjoyable and full of natural beauty. Once you reach the hill station, arrange to hire a vehicle for you and your group. It will be very convenient and easy to travel in this way rather than taking public transports. In long run, it may prove little expensive but the expense is worth doing.
   
   Make your plan of visiting all the places in consultation with the local tourist office or the government approved guide. You may carry the clothes depending upon the weather. Various types of food items are generally available at all hill stations but try to select the standard items rather than trying the local unknown items. Always carry the bottled mineral drinking water with you as the mountain water in India is heavy at most of the places that can result in the stomach upsets. Take heavy breakfast in the morning and then, go for the sight seeing and long walks. I would suggest light refreshments in the afternoon and a heavy dinner in the evening. If you really want to enjoy the hill stations, take long walks through the woods and the forests to be as close to the nature as possible. Some hill stations have some specific points from where you can have lovely vie
3. Restrict your shopping only to the specialties of that particular place as the cost of most of the items shall be exorbitantly high. Always negotiate the prices to around 50% before you decide to buy any item. Make sure to do your shopping mostly from the state government shops on such hill stations. The prices are generally fixed here and there are less chances of cheating. Avoid booking your items to be sent through sea mail/air mail by the shop management as you may not get the same items in your country of residence due to the cheating by some shop keepers. The standard credit cards are accepted in most of the shops of the market as well as in the hotels. Try to avoid local make alcoholic drinks as they may be extremely strong and/or contaminated. Stick to your standard drinks. Do not move around during the late night hours in the hilly forest area as the threat of wild animals is still there at some of the places.
   
   If you stay around a week in any average type of hill station, the total expenditure including middle class hotel, food and the tours can come to around Rs.10000 (around $250) during off/medium season. It can be high by about 30 to 40 % if you select a peak season of midsummer. An outing of around a week in any hill station in India shall charge you for at least one year at a very reasonable cost as compared to the cost in the USA.

Tips & Warnings

• Traveling to rural India is an experience in a great number of ways. To ensure sweet memories, it is a good idea to eliminate some aspects of the overwhelming experience by remembering a number of small but important details. My experiences come mainly from travels in North India and Bengal, but ought to apply all across the great land of India. The following travel tips are by no means a comprehensive outline of all things you need to consider, but are nonetheless a good deal more than you'd find in your average travel guide. Always wash your hands. Wash them carefully before eating to avoid ingesting all the bacteria stuck on your hands from the change you received from the shopkeeper, from the fruits you purchased, from the railing you leaned on, and so forth. A common source of diarrhea is, uh, touching items that were touched by someone other who had diarrhea and who didn't wash his hands... Wash your hands after eating, too - many locals, especially cultured and religious Indians, will love you for that. One of the most common reasons for diarrhea and a horde of other diseases is bad water. Don't drink from taps or wells - purchase bottled water to stay in good health. If you live at a fixed location, 25 liter containers of reverse osmosis treated water are often available. Purchasing a bigger container saves you over 50% in expenses, and avoids producing a pile of plastic garbage - that mighty curse of the Indian environment. Remember to drink enough, drink a minimum of two liters per day. Sufficient water is very important to keep you in health, particularly during the warm season.
• Eat with discrimination. If the place you're about to eat at doesn't look hygienic, it most likely isn't - not for your Western stomach, anyway. Don't buy ready-made food from the streets, they're a health hazard. By far the best recipe for staying healthy is to cook yourself. You can get a gas-bottle and a burner for less than $10, and a set of pots and utensils for another $5. Otherwise, eat at clean and reputable restaurants. Factory produced snacks packed in sealed wrappings are generally safe. But don't eat beyond your limits! The bacteria your tummy faces in rural India is not off your friendly home-town eco-system, what you'd digest back home isn't what you can handle in India! When you purchase fruits or vegetables from the market, keep them in a cloth bag or a back pack. To use a transparent plastic bag is to invite a band of monkeys for a meal. They'll come and grab it before you had a chance to say "monk...". Once purchased, keep all foodstuffs well packed and sealed, lest you risk their being infested with ants and flies. Ants in particular, in all sizes and shapes, are very dedicated to finding your food. Especially the sweet flavor! Sometimes you may need to pack foodstuffs into air-tight containers or to hang them with thread from the roof to keep them outside the greedy ants' reach. Discard foods that smell bad or even a bit suspicious, they're a risk for your health. Pick-pockets of different species abound. Keep a watch on your camera, glasses and the rest even if the place isn't reputed for pick-pockets, for there generally are the local monkeys who'll do a meaningless pick-pocketing job with formidable skill. If the monkeys become a constant nuisance, you may want to keep a stick with you to keep them at a distance. Beating the ground with force is generally enough to keep away an approaching monkey - though one needs a good deal of attitude to scare away the big, grumpy male. Don't carry large quantities of money, your passport, flight ticket, or other such valuable or important items with you. Keep them somewhere safe and locked away. Most cities will have ATMs you can use your credit card or Visa Electron if you need more cash. Remember that the sighting of a white man on a dark alley means money and electronics are one knock away - be aware of thieves! Be discreet in displaying anything of value. Avoid lonely places after dark, and this applies especially to ladies who should never be walking around alone in the dark, or