Important Hill stations in India

• A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley, on a hill range.
• Hill stations are high-altitude towns for recreation, and a refuge from the blistering Indian summer.
• Most Indian towns and districts face a continental type of climate with very hot summers, since the coastal fringe is limited in a vast peninsular country. Height brings lower temperatures, so hill stations offer an escape from hot and humid conditions and a place for family holidays in the summer break.
• By altitude, hill resorts fall into three classes:

• The Most Popular Hills in India are:
  • Shiwalik Hills
  • Anaimalai Hills
  • Ashambu Hills
  • Cardamom Hills
  • Biligiriranga Hills
  • Palani Hills
  • Nilgiri Hills
  • Nallamala Hills
  • Lushai Hills
  • Garo-Khasi-Jaintia Hills
• Where they cluster: most Himalayan resorts, such as Shimla, Mussoorie, Ranikhet, Nainital, Almora and Darjeeling, stand on the Middle Himalaya, at about 1,500–2,000 m. In the Peninsula they lie in the Western Ghats, the Nilgiris, the Palani Hills, the Satpura and the Aravalli.

List by State

List of Important Hill Stations in India

• Khandala on this map belongs on the Western Ghats beside Lonavala.

Minor Hill Stations

Important Hill Stations in Detail

Jammu and Kashmir

• Gulmarg:
  • In the Baramulla district, 50 km from Srinagar, at an elevation of 2,690 m.
  • A hill resort of rulers such as Yusuf Shah Chak and the emperor Jahangir.
  • The Gulmarg Gondola has long been described as Asia’s highest cable car project.
• Sonamarg (Sonmarg):
  • Situated along the left bank of the Sindh Nala, a tributary of the Jhelum.
  • It is 84 km from Srinagar on the Srinagar–Leh road, about 10 km from the Zojila. The Sonamarg (Z-Morh) Tunnel, opened on 13 January 2025, gives it all-weather road access.
  • The pilgrimage to Amarnath by the Baltal route proceeds through it.
  • A popular hill station and tourist place, with the Thajwas Glacier only 2 km away.
• Patnitop:
  • In Udhampur district, near the Chenab River.
  • The name comes from “Patan da Talab”, meaning “pond of the princes”.
• Pampore:
  • Known as Pampar or Panpar, and originally called Padampur, a historical town on the eastern side of the Jhelum, on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway.
  • One of the few places in the world where saffron, the world’s most expensive spice, grows.
  • It has three lakes treated as wetlands, one of them Sarbal Lake.

Himachal Pradesh

• Dalhousie:
  • A popular hill station in Chamba district, on the western edge of the Dhauladhar Range.
  • Established in 1854 by the British as a summer retreat for troops and bureaucrats.
  • A repository of ancient Hindu culture, art, temples and handicrafts.
• Dharamshala:
  • The winter seat of the State government and headquarters of Kangra district.
  • McLeod Ganj, a village within it, is the home of the Dalai Lama and the seat of the Central Tibetan Administration in exile.
• Shimla:
  • The capital of Himachal Pradesh, in the Lesser Himalaya.
  • Built by the British as their summer capital of India.
  • Industries: handicrafts, artefacts and woodwork.
  • The Kalka–Shimla Railway is a World Heritage Site, since 2008.
  • National Highway 5 (NH-22 before the 2010 renumbering) connects it with Kalka and Chandigarh.
• Palampur:
  • In the Kangra Valley, often called “the tea capital of north-west India”.
  • The name comes from the local word “pulum”, meaning plenty of water.
  • Greenery and water together give it a distinctive look.

Uttarakhand

• Mussoorie:
  • 34 km from Dehradun, at a height of 1,880 m, and known as the Queen of the Hills.
  • The Dalai Lama set up the Tibetan establishment in exile here in April 1959, before moving to Dharamshala.
  • The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration is situated here.
• Almora:
  • An important hill station on the southern side of the Nanda Devi massif, in eastern Uttarakhand.
  • The cultural capital of Kumaon, where the Gorkhas built a fort in 1790, and a cantonment town.
  • The native place of Govind Ballabh Pant, Sumitranandan Pant and Ronald Ross.
• Nainital:
  • Set around Naini Lake in eastern Uttarakhand, a famous hill station and tourist place.
  • Built by the British, and the summer capital of the United Provinces, now Uttar Pradesh.
  • It divides into upper and lower parts, locally known as Mallital and Tallital.

Rajasthan and Gujarat

• Mount Abu:
  • Rajasthan’s one true hill station, at about 1,158 m in the southern Aravalli, near Guru Shikhar.
  • It is famous for the Dilwara Jain Temples, and is called “an oasis in the desert”.
  • The Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary is established here, and the Nakki Lake and Achalgarh Fort are nearby.
  • It is the headquarters of the Brahma Kumaris international organisation.
• Pavagadh (Pavagarh):
  • In Panchmahal district of eastern Gujarat, known for its Mahakali Temple.
  • The Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2004.

Central India

• Pachmarhi:
  • In the Satpura Range, in Narmadapuram (Hoshangabad) district of Madhya Pradesh, near Dhupgarh Peak.
  • It has an army cantonment.
  • The nearby Satpura National Park lies within the area declared the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve.
• Mainpat:
  • In Surguja district of northern Chhattisgarh, about 50 km from Ambikapur.
  • Tibetan refugees have lived here for about six decades, with the Dhakpo Monastery.
  • It has three waterfalls, notably the Fish Point and Tiger Point falls.
• Netarhat:
  • In Latehar district of Jharkhand, referred to as the “Queen of Chotanagpur”, at about 1,119 m.
  • It is famous for its fine sunrises and sunsets in the summer months.
  • Netarhat Vidyalaya was set up here in 1954.

Eastern India and the North-East

• Darjeeling:
  • An important hill station in the northern part of West Bengal.
  • Established by the British as a military sanatorium.
  • It is famous for Darjeeling Tea.
  • The Mahakal Temple on Observatory Hill is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists.
• Kalimpong:
  • In West Bengal, in the Kalimpong district, carved out of Darjeeling district on 14 February 2017.
  • An Indian Army Mountain Division is located on the outskirts of the town.
  • It stands on a ridge overlooking the Teesta.
  • It was a gateway for trade with Tibet before the war of 1962.
• Tura:
  • In West Garo Hills of western Meghalaya, right below Tura Peak, and the cultural and administrative centre of the Garo people.
  • Nearby tourist places are the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, Balpakram and Siju Cave.
  • In 1973, the town became the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tura.

Western Ghats

• Matheran:
  • On the Western Ghats in Raigad (Raigarh) district of Maharashtra, and often called the smallest hill station of India.
  • It is 90 km from Mumbai and 120 km from Pune, and was developed by the British.
  • One of the few places in the world where vehicles are not allowed. It is an eco-sensitive area.
  • A toy train connects it to the main rail route at Neral junction.
• Lonavala:
  • On the Western Ghats in Pune district, 64 km from Pune.
  • Known for the hard candy sweet called chikki, and it comes to life in the monsoon.
  • With Khandala, it forms a twin hill station.
• Mahabaleshwar:
  • A hill resort in Satara district of Maharashtra, on the Western Ghats, and the source of the Krishna River.
  • The town stands at about 1,372 m, and its highest point reaches 1,438 m. It has historical associations with Shivaji.
• Toranmal:
  • A Satpura plateau resort in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra, at about 1,150 m.

South India

• Udagamandalam (Ooty):
  • A health-giving hill station in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, also called Ootacamund or Udhagamandalam, and headquarters of the Nilgiris district.
  • It served as the summer capital of the Madras Presidency and of small kingdoms around it.
  • The British named it the “Queen of Hill Stations”.
• Kodaikanal:
  • An important hill station in the Palani Hills of Tamil Nadu, in Dindigul district.
  • Kodai Lake, an artificial lake, is very famous, and the town is open for tourism throughout the year.
  • It is referred to as “the Princess of Hill Stations”.
  • Meadows, grasslands, eucalyptus and shola forests cover the hills.

Other Names to Place on the Map

• Khajjiar: a meadow resort in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, often called the mini Switzerland of India.
• Coorg (Kodagu): a Karnataka hill district with Madikeri as its headquarters, known for coffee.
• Chikhaldara: a Satpura hill station in Amravati district of Maharashtra, next to the Melghat forests.
• Daringbadi: in Kandhamal district of Odisha, known as the Kashmir of Odisha.
• Thenmala: an eco-tourism area in Kollam district of Keralam, in the southern Western Ghats.
• Ziro Valley: in Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh, home of the Apatani people.
• Tawang and Bomdila: in western Arunachal Pradesh, on the road to the Bum La and Sela high country. Tawang is known for its Buddhist monastery.
• Mawlynnong: a village of the East Khasi Hills in Meghalaya, known for its cleanliness.