Lesser-known Treks
Hidden Gems
Trails that are not on the ten-trek lists, and are emptier for it.
19 places
Chopta (Tungnath)
Chandrashila Peak
The summit above Tungnath at about 4,000 metres, another kilometre and a half past the temple. On a clear morning you see Nanda Devi, Trisul and Chaukhamba from it. Start in the dark for sunrise.
Tsomgo Lake & Nathula Pass
Nathula Pass Checkpoint
The high-altitude international border gate at 4,310 metres on the Silk Road, featuring a victory monument and direct visibility of Chinese outposts.
Tosh
Kutla Trail
A short, scenic uphill trek from Tosh to the meadow hamlet of Kutla, popular for camping.
Kasar Devi (Almora)
Crank's Ridge
The famous viewpoint ridge above Kasar Devi, lined with cafes and known for sweeping Himalayan panoramas.
Kodachadri
Kodachadri Peak
The grassland summit with the Sarvajna Peetha shrine and panoramic cloud-sea sunrise views.
Mawsynram & Nongriat Root Bridges
Double Decker Living Root Bridge
The famous two-tier living root bridge reached by a steep forest trek.
Kasol
Chalal Village Trail
An easy riverside walk from Kasol to the quiet hamlet of Chalal, lined with chilled cafes and music hostels.
.jpg/960px-David_Ducoin_franchissant_le_col_du_Dolma-la_le_17_juin_2011_(Kailash%2C_Tibet_occidental).jpg)
Mount Kailash
Dolma La Pass
The highest point of the kora at ~5,630 m, a spiritual climax of the trek.
Om Beach (Gokarna)
Gokarna Beach Trek
A cliff trail connecting Om, Half Moon and Paradise beaches.
Tawang
Sela Pass
A dramatic high mountain pass (~4,170 m) with a sacred lake.
Dhinodhar Hills
Dhoramnath Peak Shrine
A stone shrine on the highest point of Dhinodhar, tied to the ascetic Dhoramnath and looked after by Kanphata yogis. The climb is the point — from the top you see the Banni grassland and the salt beyond it.
Rajgir
Griddhakuta (Vulture's Peak)
The hill where the Buddha delivered many teachings.
Vijaynagar Beach (Neil)
Natural Rock Bridge
A naturally formed coral rock arch near the island's shore.
Meghalaya
Cherrapunji & Living Root Bridges
Cherrapunji, known traditionally by its indigenous name Sohra, is a high tableland at 1,430 metres on the southern face of the East Khasi Hills in Meghalaya. The land drops away sharply from it into the low-lying plains of Bangladesh, and what lies between is cut by deep vertical canyons, honeycombed with colossal limestone caves, and hung with some of the world's highest plunge waterfalls — among them Nohkalikai, the tallest plunge fall in India. The valleys below hold the living root bridges. Khasi clans grow them over decades, training the aerial roots of Ficus elastica trees out across thundering mountain rivers. The finest of them is the Double Decker Living Root Bridge, deep on the valley floor at Nongriat village.
Delhi
Delhi Ridge
The rock underfoot is about 1.5 billion years old, which makes the Himalayas, at roughly 50 million, the young range in the room. This is the northern tail of the Aravallis, quartzite and modest in height, running some 35 kilometres from Tughlaqabad and the Bhatti mines in the south east up to Wazirabad on the west bank of the Yamuna. It keeps the hot winds off the Rajasthan deserts, and it is the reason Delhi is the second most bird-rich capital in the world, behind Nairobi. Go early and pick one stretch; nobody walks the whole 35 kilometres.
Himachal Pradesh
Manimahesh Kailash Peak
Nobody has climbed it. The 5,653-metre peak is the fifth of the five Kailash mountains, held to be Shiva's own, and no mountaineer has yet reached the top, so what you are actually doing here is walking to the lake at its foot: Manimahesh Lake, 3,950 metres up and 26 kilometres from Bharmour in the Budhil valley. The Gaddi hold that water in particular reverence. Go in Bhadon, on the eighth day of the new moon, and you share the shore with thousands at the fair. Go at any other time and the walk is largely yours.
Meghalaya
Mawsynram & Nongriat Root Bridges
Mawsynram, the wettest place on earth, and the nearby village of Nongriat anchor southern Meghalaya's wonder-region of living root bridges, deep gorges and waterfalls. The trek to the famous Double Decker Living Root Bridge is a bucket-list Northeast experience.
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Saddle Peak (Andaman Islands)
At 732 metres this is the top of the whole archipelago, which on an island means the walk up is modest by mainland standards and the view is not. The peak stands on North Andaman close to the east coast, south of Diglipur and southwest of Kalipur Beach, inside Saddle Peak National Park. If you would rather look at it than go up it, Mehendi Tikrey View Point sits just to the east and Kalpong Dam just to the west. Base yourself at Diglipur; this is not something to attempt from the south of the chain.
Sikkim
Tsomgo Lake & Nathula Pass
Tsomgo Lake, also written Changu Lake, is a high-altitude glacial lake at 3,753 metres in the rugged East Sikkim district, held in a steep oval valley just kilometres from the international border. The water changes colour through the year: deep blue in summer, turquoise later, then solid white once winter locks the surface into thick ice. Carry on up the same high-security mountain road and it climbs to the Nathula Pass checkpoint, at 4,310 metres on the ancient Silk Road route, where heavy military wire marks the line between India and China.
