What the brochures leave out

Aru lies on the left bank of the Aru stream, a tributary of the Lidder, and serves as the base camp for treks to the Kolahoi Glacier, Tarsar Lake, Marsar and Lidderwat.

Source: Aru, Jammu and Kashmir

There are about 20 alpine lakes, peaks and meadows within reach of the Aru valley, and in winter, when Aru gets heavy snow, skiing and heliskiing have been practised.

Source: Aru, Jammu and Kashmir

The Bakarwal and Gujjar herders who camp around Aru speak dialects of Gojri, have been listed as a Scheduled Tribe since 1991, and cross the Pir Panjal passes on their seasonal migrations.

Source: Bakarwal

Dachigam means ten villages, remembering the settlements relocated to create the reserve. The area has been protected since 1910 and became a national park in 1981.

Source: Dachigam National Park

The Dagwan river flows from Marsar lake inside the park and feeds the Sarband reservoir, a source of Srinagar's drinking water, which was one reason the catchment was protected.

Source: Dachigam National Park

Dachigam covers about 141 sq km and spans altitudes from about 1,676 m to 4,267 m, with forests, alpine pastures and steep gullies called nars.

Source: Dachigam National Park

Local tradition says the Kashmiri saint Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani prayed at Doodhpathri and, searching for water, pricked the ground with his stick so that milk came out, giving the valley its name.

Source: Doodhpathri

Shepherds from the plains of Budgam district send their cattle to Doodhpathri every summer for grazing, and the meadows are inaccessible in winter because of heavy snowfall.

Source: Doodhpathri

Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani, also called Nund Rishi or Sheikh ul-Alam, was a 14th and 15th century Kashmiri Sufi saint and poet, and Srinagar's airport is named after him.

Source: Nund Rishi

Gulmarg was known as Gaurimarg, the path of the goddess Gauri, until Sultan Yousuf Shah Chak, who ruled Kashmir in the 1570s and 1580s, renamed it Gulmarg, meaning meadow of flowers.

Source: Gulmarg

Skiing in Gulmarg has a long history: the Gulmarg ski club was set up in 1927, and the meadow hosted the first Khelo India Winter Games in March 2020.

Source: Gulmarg

The Maharani Temple on the meadow hillock was built by Maharaja Hari Singh for his wife Maharani Mohini Bai Sisodia in 1915, and St Mary's Church nearby was built in 1902.

Source: Gulmarg

The pyramid-shaped Habba Khatoon peak above Gurez is named after the poet Zoon, later Habba Khatoon, the wife of Sultan Yousuf Shah Chak, whose songs of longing were composed in Kashmiri rather than the court's Persian.

Source: Gurez

Because heavy snow closes the Razdan Pass, Gurez is cut off by road for about six months of the year, and its roughly 40,000 people, mostly Shina-speaking Shins, live in fifteen villages.

Source: Gurez

The Kishanganga hydroelectric project at Gurez diverts water from the Kishanganga through a tunnel of about 20 km towards the Wular Lake basin to generate power.

Source: Gurez

The name Pahalgam comes from the Kashmiri words for shepherd and village, and the town still marks the route herders take with their flocks to the summer pastures of the upper Lidder valley.

Source: Pahalgam

Two streams, the East Lidder and the West Lidder, meet near Pahalgam. The West Lidder rises from the Kolahoi Glacier, a hanging glacier reached on a 35 km trail via Aru.

Source: Pahalgam

The southern route of the Amarnath pilgrimage leaves from Chandanwari, 16 km from Pahalgam, and covers about 43 km to the cave at 3,888 m via Sheshnag and Panchtarni.

Source: Amarnath Temple

Kashmir saffron received a Geographical Indication tag on 1 May 2020. It is grown on the karewa highlands at roughly 1,600–1,800 m, mainly in Pulwama, Budgam, Srinagar and Kishtwar districts, with Pampore as the hub.

Source: Geographical Indications Registry, Government of India

Pampore was known in antiquity as Padmapura, and it remains so linked with the spice that it is commonly called the saffron town of Kashmir.

Source: Pampore

The Avantiswami Temple at Awantipora was built by King Avantivarman around 853–855 CE and dedicated to Vishnu. Locals call the ruins Pandav Lari, the house of the Pandavas.

Source: Avantiswami Temple

Sonamarg had no permanent settlement and was cut off every winter by snow and avalanches, which is why most hotels here historically opened only from spring to autumn.

Source: Sonamarg

Sonamarg was a gateway on the old trade routes linking Kashmir with Ladakh and Tibet, and Baltal, 15 km east of the meadow, sits at the foot of the Zoji La pass.

Source: Sonamarg

The 6.5 km Sonamarg Tunnel, also called the Z-Morh tunnel after the zigzag road it bypasses, opened in January 2025 to give Sonamarg road access through the winter.

Source: Sonamarg Tunnel

The floating gardens on Dal Lake are called raad in Kashmiri. Farmers build them from mats of reeds and lake weed and grow tomatoes, cucumbers and melons on them, and lotus flowers bloom across the lake in July and August.

Source: Dal Lake

Srinagar joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in November 2021 as a City of Crafts and Folk Art, recognising papier-mache, walnut wood carving, carpets, sozni embroidery and shawl weaving.

Source: UNESCO Creative Cities Network

The Jamia Masjid at Nowhatta was commissioned by Sultan Sikandar in 1394 and completed in 1402. Its roof rests on 378 wooden columns of deodar, and it has been rebuilt after fires more than once.

Source: Jamia Masjid, Srinagar

A trek of 4 km from Yusmarg leads to Nilnag, a small lake known for its blue water, and a 10 km trek leads to a lake in the Sang-e-Safed valley that stays mostly frozen even in summer.

Source: Yusmarg

Yusmarg sits on the bank of the Doodh Ganga, a tributary of the Jhelum, at 2,396 m, and lies about 18 km south of the town of Charar-e-Sharief.

Source: Yusmarg

The Charar-e-Sharief shrine honours Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani, a 14th and 15th century Sufi saint and poet whose Kashmiri verses, called shruks, are still recited across the valley.

Source: Nund Rishi

Bir Billing hosted the Paragliding World Cup in 2015, the first time the series was held in India. Billing's take-off, at about 2,400 m, faces south over the Kangra valley.

Source: Bir, Himachal Pradesh

Tea has been grown in the Kangra valley since the mid-19th century, and Kangra tea received a Geographical Indication tag in 2005. Production fell after the 1905 Kangra earthquake damaged many estates.

Source: Kangra tea

The Baijnath temple near Bir was built in 1204 by two local merchants, according to inscriptions on its walls, and has been in continuous worship since. It is dedicated to Shiva as Vaidyanath, the lord of physicians.

Source: Baijnath Temple

Chamba town is traditionally said to have been founded in the 10th century by Raja Sahil Varman, who moved his capital down from Brahmapura (Bharmour) and named the new town after his daughter Champavati.

Source: Chamba, Himachal Pradesh

The Chamba rumal is embroidered in a double satin stitch, so the image appears the same on both sides of the cloth. Designs were often drawn by Pahari painters before women embroidered them in untwisted silk.

Source: Chamba Rumal

During Minjar Mela, people wear a minjar, a silk tassel said to represent shoots of maize or paddy, and at the end of the fair the minjars are offered to the Ravi river.

Source: Minjar Mela

The Kinnaur Kailash range rises to about 6,050 m. A rock pinnacle about 24 m high on its slopes is worshipped as a Shiva lingam, and pilgrims walk a circuit around the mountain over several days.

Source: Kinnaur Kailash

Kalpa was the headquarters of Kinnaur district before the administration moved down to Reckong Peo, 7 km away and about 500 m lower, which is now the main town of the district.

Source: Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh

The chilgoza pine, Pinus gerardiana, grows on dry slopes of the north-west Himalaya including Kinnaur. Its large edible seeds are a valuable crop and an important source of income for local families.

Source: Pinus gerardiana

Manikaran's name comes from a legend that the goddess Parvati lost an earring, a mani, in the water here. The springs are hot enough that the gurdwara and temple kitchens cook rice in pots set in the hot water.

Source: Manikaran

The people of Malana speak Kanashi, a Sino-Tibetan language not spoken in any neighbouring village. Malana runs its affairs through a village council under its deity Jamlu, and is often described as one of the oldest democracies in the world.

Source: Malana

The Parvati, or Parbati, river rises below glaciers on the Kullu–Spiti divide and joins the Beas at Bhuntar. Its waters feed the Parbati hydroelectric projects built in the valley.

Source: Parvati Valley

The Hadimba Devi temple was built in 1553 by the Kullu raja Bahadur Singh. It has no idol in the usual sense: the shrine is built around a rock on which the goddess is believed to have meditated, and her footprints are worshipped.

Source: Hidimba Devi Temple

Old Manali's Manu temple is dedicated to the sage Manu of Hindu tradition, and local belief links the name Manali to him, reading it as the home of Manu, who is said to have stepped onto dry land here after the great flood.

Source: Manu Temple

The Atal Tunnel under the Rohtang ridge is about 9 km long and was opened in October 2020. It shortened the road from Manali to Keylong by around 46 km and lets traffic reach Lahaul for most of the winter.

Source: Atal Tunnel

McLeod Ganj takes its name from Sir Donald Friell McLeod, a Lieutenant Governor of Punjab in the British period. The 'ganj' ending, meaning a market or neighbourhood, is common across north India.

Source: McLeod Ganj

The Church of St John in the Wilderness, built in 1852, holds the memorial of James Bruce, the 8th Earl of Elgin, Viceroy of India, who died at Dharamshala in 1863 and was buried in the churchyard.

Source: St. John in the Wilderness Church

The 1905 Kangra earthquake, of roughly magnitude 7.8, killed around 20,000 people across the region and destroyed most of the buildings in the Dharamshala cantonment and McLeod Ganj.

Source: 1905 Kangra earthquake

Naggar Castle is traditionally dated to around 1460 and credited to Raja Sidh Singh of Kullu. It survived the 1905 Kangra earthquake and was converted into a hotel, now run by the state tourism corporation HPTDC.

Source: Naggar Castle

Inside the castle courtyard, the small Jagatipatt shrine holds a large stone slab. Local tradition says it was cut from a peak across the valley and carried to Naggar by bees at the command of the gods.

Source: Naggar Castle

Nicholas Roerich settled at Naggar in 1928, founded the Urusvati Himalayan Research Institute nearby and lived there until his death in December 1947. He was cremated on the estate, where a memorial stone marks the spot.

Source: Nicholas Roerich

The Baspa river rises near the border with Tibet and flows through the Sangla valley to join the Sutlej at Karcham. Its waters drive the Baspa hydroelectric project near Karcham.

Source: Baspa River

Chitkul is the last inhabited village of the Baspa valley on the road towards the Indo-Tibet border. The temple of the local goddess Mathi is the centre of village life, and travel beyond the village is restricted.

Source: Chitkul

Kamru, just above Sangla, was an old seat of the rulers of the Bushahr state. Its tall fort building houses a temple of the goddess Kamakhya, and visitors must follow the village's dress rules to enter.

Source: Kamru Township

Christ Church on the Ridge was consecrated in 1857 and is often described as the second-oldest church in north India. Its stained-glass windows depict faith, hope, charity, fortitude, patience and humility.

Source: Christ Church, Shimla

The Viceregal Lodge was completed in 1888 for Lord Dufferin and was fitted with electric lighting at a time when that was rare in India. Since the 1960s it has housed the Indian Institute of Advanced Study.

Source: Viceregal Lodge

The Gaiety Theatre on the Mall opened in 1887 as part of the Town Hall complex and staged amateur dramatics for colonial Shimla; it was restored and reopened in the 2000s and still hosts performances.

Source: Gaiety Theatre, Shimla

The Great Himalayan National Park was established in 1984 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. It spans altitudes from about 1,500 m to 6,000 m and protects snow leopard, Himalayan tahr and musk deer.

Source: Great Himalayan National Park

Chehni Kothi, above Jibhi, is a kath-kuni tower about 45 m tall, generally dated to the 17th century and built without mortar or metal fasteners. It was partly damaged in the 1905 earthquake and repaired by villagers.

Source: Chehni Kothi

The western tragopan, a pheasant known locally as jujurana, is the state bird of Himachal Pradesh and is listed as vulnerable. The Great Himalayan National Park holds one of its most important populations.

Source: Western tragopan

Auli hosted the inaugural South Asian Winter Games in 2011, and the slopes are run by the state agency GMVN, which with Uttarakhand Tourism stages winter sports competitions to promote skiing in India.

Source: Auli, India

Jyotirmath is the northern monastery, or uttaramnaya matha, one of the four cardinal institutions founded by Adi Shankara; the others are at Shringeri, Puri and Dwarka. By tradition the northern matha is in charge of the Atharvaveda.

Source: Joshimath

On 25 March 1974, with the men of Reni away in Chamoli, Gaura Devi led 27 women of the village into the forest above the Alaknanda and hugged the trees to stop contractors felling them. After a four-day stand-off the loggers left.

Source: Chipko movement

Badrinath's chief priest, the Rawal, is traditionally a Nambudiri Brahmin from Kerala, a tradition believed to have been started by Adi Shankara. He must be a bachelor with a postgraduate Sanskrit degree, and is formally approved by the former ruler of Tehri Garhwal.

Source: Badrinath Temple

In 1624 the Portuguese Jesuits António de Andrade and Manuel Marques crossed the Mana Pass and became the first known Europeans to enter Tibet. The pass remained a trade route until it was closed in 1951.

Source: Mana Pass

Badrinath takes its name from the Sanskrit badari, the jujube tree, and natha, lord. The hot springs of Tapt Kund below the temple stay at about 55 °C all year, though the air rarely rises above 17 °C.

Source: Badrinath Temple

Unlike the other Kedar temples, whose priests come from South India, Tungnath's priests are local Brahmins from Makkumath village. In winter the deity's symbolic image moves down to the Markandeya temple at Makkumath, about 29 km away.

Source: Tungnath

In the Panch Kedar legend, Shiva in the form of a bull sank into the ground and reappeared in five places: the hump at Kedarnath, the arms at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, the navel at Madhyamaheshwar and the hair at Kalpeshwar.

Source: Panch Kedar

The Himalayan monal, the iridescent pheasant you may see on the Tungnath path, is the state bird of Uttarakhand and the national bird of Nepal.

Source: Himalayan monal

The original Gangotri temple was built by the Nepalese general Amar Singh Thapa, during the Gorkha occupation of Garhwal, and restored later in the nineteenth century. Its rituals are supervised by the Semwal family of priests from Mukhba village.

Source: Gangotri

The first recorded European visit to Gaumukh was made by John Hodgson and James Herbert on 31 May 1817. In 1937 the geologist J. B. Auden published the first scientific map of the Gangotri Glacier and its snout.

Source: Gomukh

Gangotri National Park, created in 1989, covers about 1,553 km² of the upper Bhagirathi and links Govind National Park with Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary. Snow leopard, blue sheep, Himalayan tahr and musk deer live within it.

Source: Gangotri National Park

Frederick Wilson obtained timber rights around Harsil from Raja Sudarshan Shah of Tehri in 1859 and cut deodar to supply sleepers for India's new railways. He grew wealthy enough to mint his own coins, and Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King is often said to draw on his story.

Source: Frederick Wilson (Raja)

Apples and rajma were introduced to the Harsil valley by Frederick Wilson in the mid-nineteenth century, and the apple variety he brought is still cultivated. His large wooden house in Harsil, Wilson Cottage, burned down in 1997.

Source: Harsil

When Gangotri temple closes after Diwali, the idol of the goddess Ganga is carried down to Mukhba village near Harsil and stays there through winter. The Semwal family of pujaris who supervise the Gangotri rituals come from Mukhba.

Source: Gangotri

During the June 2013 floods a huge rock was carried down and stuck behind Kedarnath Temple, diverting water and debris to either side. The temple suffered no major structural damage, and the rock is now worshipped as Bhim Shila.

Source: Kedarnath Temple

Kedarnath's head priest, the Raval, belongs to the Veerashaiva community of Karnataka, but unlike at Badrinath he does not perform the daily pujas himself; his assistants do, on his instructions. In winter the Raval moves with the deity to Ukhimath.

Source: Kedarnath Temple

After the 2013 disaster, the rebuilding of Kedarnath was handed to the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, which worked through a year of high-altitude construction so that the pilgrimage could resume the following season.

Source: Kedarnath Temple

Landour takes its name from Llanddowror, a village in Carmarthenshire in south-west Wales. It began in 1827 as a sanatorium for convalescing British soldiers, which is why much of it is still a cantonment today.

Source: Landour

The 14th Dalai Lama took up residence in Mussoorie on 20 April 1959 and stayed until April 1960, when he moved to Dharamsala. The first Tibetan school was set up in Mussoorie in 1960, and Tibetans settled mainly in Happy Valley.

Source: Mussoorie

Frederick Wilson, the English deserter known as the Raja of Harsil who brought apples to the Bhagirathi valley, died in 1883 and is buried in Mussoorie's Camel's Back Cemetery under a deodar.

Source: Frederick Wilson (Raja)

Rishikesh is a vegetarian-only, alcohol-free city. The sale of meat, fish and eggs has been banned since 1956, and in 2004 the Supreme Court of India upheld the ban on eggs.

Source: Rishikesh

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi leased the land for his ashram from the Uttar Pradesh forest department in 1961. After it was abandoned, the site reverted to the forest department in 2003 and was officially opened to the public in December 2015.

Source: Beatles Ashram

Ram Jhula, the suspension bridge between Sivananda Nagar and Swarg Ashram, was built only in 1986. Before it, visitors to the east-bank ashrams crossed by Lakshman Jhula upstream or by a ferry near the present bridge.

Source: Beatles Ashram

In 1931 Frank Smythe, Eric Shipton and R. L. Holdsworth lost their way while returning from their successful expedition to Kamet and came upon the valley in flower. Smythe named it the Valley of Flowers and later wrote a book with that title.

Source: Valley of Flowers National Park

Lady Joan Margaret Legge, sent by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, slipped and died in the valley in 1939 while collecting flowers. Her sister built the memorial, and in 2010 a balsam found nearby was named Impatiens leggei in her honour.

Source: Lady Joan Legge

Nanda Devi National Park was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1988, and the listing was extended in 2005 to include the Valley of Flowers as Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks.

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

The springs beside Yamunotri temple are hot enough to cook rice and potatoes. The temple opens on Akshaya Tritiya and closes on Yama Dwitiya, the second day after Diwali, and has been destroyed by snow and floods and rebuilt more than once.

Source: Yamunotri Temple

The Yamuna's actual source is a glacier at about 6,387 m near the Bandarpunch peaks. It is so hard to reach that the shrine was placed at the foot of the hill, and pilgrims offer worship at the temple instead.

Source: Yamunotri

Kharsali, home of Yamunotri's priests, hosts the goddess in winter. Around 1830 the village was painted by Charles Bentley, and an engraving of it, The Village of Kursalee, illustrated a poem by Letitia Elizabeth Landon published in 1838.

Source: Kharsali

Bandipur was founded as a trading point by Newar traders from Bhaktapur after the 1768 conquest of the Kathmandu valley, and became an important stop on the India–Tibet trade route.

Source: Bandipur Rural Municipality

Trade fell steeply in the 1970s when the Prithvi Highway was built in the valley below, bypassing the town; the Tanahun district headquarters then moved to Damauli. An 8 km road from Dumre arrived only in 1998.

Source: Bandipur Rural Municipality

Siddha Cave near Bimalnagar is about 437 m deep and up to 50 m high, and is said to be able to hold around 2,500 people.

Source: Siddha Cave

Bhaktapur's local Newar name is Khwopa, and it was long known to outsiders as Bhadgaon. The city stands about 13 km east of Kathmandu at 1,401 m.

Source: Bhaktapur

Nyatapola, the five-roofed pagoda in Taumadhi, was completed in 1702 and is the tallest temple in Nepal. It survived both the 1934 and 2015 earthquakes.

Source: Nyatapola Temple

Bisket Jatra follows the solar new year rather than the lunar calendar used by most Nepali festivals. A wooden pole of about 25 m called the yosin is raised and then pulled down to mark the new year.

Source: Bisket Jatra

Ghandruk is a traditional Gurung settlement about 32 km north-west of Pokhara at roughly 2,012 m, with views of Annapurna South (7,219 m), Machapuchare (6,993 m), Gangapurna and Hiunchuli.

Source: Ghandruk

The Annapurna Conservation Area, which includes Ghandruk, covers 7,629 km² across five districts and is Nepal's largest protected area.

Source: Annapurna Conservation Area

Poon Hill, the dawn viewpoint on the loop through Ghandruk, stands at 3,210 m and looks across to Annapurna I (8,091 m), Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South and Machapuchare.

Source: Poon Hill

The city's name comes from Kasthamandap, from Sanskrit kastha (wood) and mandapa (pavilion). Newar people call the city Yen, and older texts call it Kantipur, the city of light.

Source: Kathmandu

Kasthamandap's oldest features date to the Licchavi period; radiocarbon dating points to construction in the 7th century CE. It collapsed in the April 2015 earthquake and was rebuilt.

Source: Kasthamandap

Boudhanath's restoration after the 2015 earthquake was led by the local community, cost about USD 2.1 million and used over 30 kg of gold. It reopened on 22 November 2016.

Source: Boudha Stupa

Lo Manthang was founded in 1380 by Ame Pal, and the walled city has changed little in appearance since. The last king, Jigme Dorje Palbar Bista, traced his lineage to Ame Pal.

Source: Upper Mustang

Upper Mustang was a closed territory, off limits to outsiders, until 1992. The monarchy of Lo ceased to exist on 7 October 2008 by order of the Government of Nepal.

Source: Upper Mustang

In 2007 a shepherd in Mustang discovered a cave containing 55 paintings depicting the life of the Buddha.

Source: Upper Mustang

Marpha's people are Thakali, and the village name is said to mean hard-working people. It is known as Nepal's apple capital and produces Marpha brandy and fruit jams.

Source: Marpha

Chhairo gompa, across the Kali Gandaki from Marpha, is described as the first Nyingma monastery established in Mustang District.

Source: Marpha

At Muktinath, Hindus revere 108 water spouts called mukti dharas, while Tibetan Buddhists know the site as Chumig Gyatsa, the Hundred Waters. A nearby shrine holds a flame fed by natural gas.

Source: Muktinath

Nagarkot was an ancient fort of the Kathmandu valley, built to watch the activities of neighbouring kingdoms. It later became a summer retreat for the royal family before becoming a hill station.

Source: Nagarkot

Eight of Nepal's thirteen Himalayan ranges are visible from Nagarkot, including Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, Langtang, Jugal, Rolwaling, Mahalangur and Numbur.

Source: Nagarkot

Changu Narayan, at the end of the panoramic trail, is a hilltop Vishnu temple and one of the seven monument zones of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site.

Source: Changu Narayan Temple

Namche Bazaar holds a weekly market on Saturday mornings in the town centre, and many of the Sherpa people working in trekking and mountaineering come from the Namche area.

Source: Namche Bazaar

Namche's electricity comes from the 600 kW Thame–Namche hydropower plant, which opened in October 1995.

Source: Namche Bazaar

Khumjung school, above Namche, was built by Edmund Hillary's Himalayan Trust in 1961. It began with two classrooms and now serves over 350 students.

Source: Khumjung

Patan is locally known as Yala. Tradition holds that Emperor Ashoka visited around 249 BCE and erected four stupas at the city's cardinal points, which still stand.

Source: Lalitpur, Nepal

In the lost-wax method a model is made in wax, covered in clay, and heated so the wax melts out; molten metal then fills the mould. Patan's Newar casters still make statues this way.

Source: Lost-wax casting

Krishna Mandir in Patan Durbar Square was built in 1637 by King Siddhi Narsingh Malla and is one of the few stone shikhara temples in a valley of brick and timber pagodas.

Source: Krishna Mandir, Patan

In the 1770s the last King of Kaski brought sixteen Newar families from Bhaktapur to Pokhara to develop the market that became today's old bazaar.

Source: Pokhara

Machapuchare, the 6,993 m 'Fishtail', is the closest high peak to Pokhara. It is considered sacred and climbing it is prohibited.

Source: Pokhara

Davis Falls, known locally as Patale Chhango (underworld's waterfall), was named after a Swiss woman who drowned there on 31 July 1961. The water then runs about 150 m through an underground tunnel.

Source: Davis Falls

Gangtok became Sikkim's capital in 1894, when the ruler Thutob Namgyal shifted the royal seat from Tumlong in the north. Before that it was a small hermitage and village.

Source: Gangtok

Enchey monastery was built in 1909 on a site associated with Lama Druptob Karpo, a tantric master said in local tradition to have flown to this hill from Maenam.

Source: Enchey Monastery

The foundation stone of the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology was laid by the 14th Dalai Lama in 1957, and the institute was opened by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1958.

Source: Namgyal Institute of Tibetology

Gurudongmar is one of the highest lakes in the world and one of the highest in India, lying above 5,100 m in a high plateau area of North Sikkim close to the border with Tibet.

Source: Gurudongmar Lake

Local tradition holds that Guru Padmasambhava blessed the lake so that part of its surface stays unfrozen in winter, giving water to people and animals of the plateau.

Source: Gurudongmar Lake

Lakes and glaciers of this plateau feed the headwaters of the Teesta, which flows south through the whole length of Sikkim.

Source: Teesta River

Lachen, like Lachung, has a Dzumsa, a traditional council whose decisions on grazing, festivals and local rules carry weight in village life and in how tourism operates.

Source: Lachen, Sikkim

In October 2023 a glacial lake outburst flood from South Lhonak lake in North Sikkim swept down the Teesta, destroying the Teesta Stage III dam at Chungthang and cutting road links to Lachen.

Source: South Lhonak Lake

Lachung and Lachen are governed in part by the Dzumsa, a traditional village council led by Pipons; it handles local disputes and community rules alongside the state's administration.

Source: Lachung

The Lachung Chu and the Lachen Chu meet at Chungthang, about 25 km below Lachung, to form the Teesta, Sikkim's main river.

Source: Teesta River

The botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker explored the Lachen and Lachung valleys in 1849, collecting rhododendrons he later described in The Rhododendrons of Sikkim-Himalaya.

Source: Joseph Dalton Hooker

Pemayangtse monastery was founded in 1705 by Lhatsun Chempo, one of the three lamas who consecrated the first Chogyal at Yuksom. Its name is usually translated as perfect sublime lotus.

Source: Pemayangtse Monastery

Pemayangtse traditionally admitted monks only from established Bhutia families, and its head lama had the role of anointing Sikkim's Chogyals with holy water.

Source: Pemayangtse Monastery

Rabdentse was the second capital of the Kingdom of Sikkim from 1670 until 1814, when it was abandoned after attacks by the Gurkha army of Nepal.

Source: Rabdentse

The Buddha statue at Ravangla's Buddha Park, also called Tathagata Tsal, stands about 130 feet high and was consecrated by the 14th Dalai Lama in March 2013 to mark the 2,550th anniversary of the Buddha's birth.

Source: Buddha Park of Ravangla

Temi tea garden, established by the Government of Sikkim in 1969, is the only tea estate in the state, and its tea is grown on the slopes of Tendong hill.

Source: Temi Tea Garden

Lepcha tradition holds that Tendong hill, above the Temi tea garden, rose to save the Lepcha people from a great flood, and the hill is honoured in an annual festival.

Source: Tendong Hill

The name Tsomgo is usually translated from Bhutia as source of the lake. The lake is fed by melting snow from the surrounding mountains and freezes over in winter.

Source: Lake Tsomgo

On Guru Purnima, jhakris, the traditional faith healers of Sikkim, gather at Tsomgo, which is believed to have healing properties.

Source: Lake Tsomgo

Border trade over the Nathu La was halted in 1962 and reopened in 2006, for the first time in 44 years, with a trade mart at Sherathang below the pass.

Source: Nathu La

In 1642 three lamas consecrated Phuntsog Namgyal as the first Chogyal of Sikkim at Yuksom, and the stone seat at Norbugang is remembered as the site of the coronation.

Source: Yuksom

Dubdi monastery, on the ridge above Yuksom, was established in 1701 and is regarded as the first monastery built in Sikkim.

Source: Dubdi Monastery

Khangchendzonga National Park was inscribed in 2016 as India's first mixed World Heritage Site, recognised for both its natural landscape and its sacred meaning to the people of Sikkim.

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

The Shingba rhododendron sanctuary below Yumthang was created to protect the many rhododendron species of the upper Lachung valley, including Rhododendron niveum, Sikkim's state tree.

Source: Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary

Sikkim's state tree is the rhododendron and its state flower is the noble orchid, Dendrobium nobile, both common in the hills you drive through to reach Yumthang.

Source: Sikkim

Yumthang is used as a summer grazing ground by Lachung's herders, who move yaks and cattle up from the village as the snow recedes.

Source: Yumthang Valley

Zuluk lies on part of the old trade route between Lhasa and Kalimpong that crossed the Jelep La, used by mule caravans carrying wool, salt and other goods.

Source: Zuluk

The Jelep La, at about 4,270 m, connects Sikkim with the Chumbi valley in Tibet and was a main route between India and Lhasa; it was used by the British expedition to Tibet in 1903–04.

Source: Jelep La

The Kameng river rises in the Tawang area near the border with Tibet and flows south through West Kameng. Once it crosses into Assam below Bhalukpong it is known as the Jia Bhoreli, and it joins the Brahmaputra near Tezpur.

Source: Kameng River

Pakke Tiger Reserve, across the Kameng from Bhalukpong, is home to great hornbills, wreathed hornbills and Oriental pied hornbills. Nyishi communities around the reserve take part in a hornbill nest adoption programme that pays villagers to guard nest trees.

Source: Pakke Tiger Reserve

Nameri National Park in Assam lies directly across the state border from Pakke, on the other side of the Jia Bhoreli. Together with Pakke the two parks form one continuous forest block of more than 1,000 sq km.

Source: Nameri National Park

Bomdila became the area's administrative headquarters in 1954, when the political officer's headquarters moved there from Charduar in Assam. It is now the headquarters of West Kameng district.

Source: Bomdila

The Bugun liocichla was first spotted in 1995 in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary and formally described only in the mid-2000s. It is named after the Bugun people, in whose community forests it was found, and is listed as critically endangered.

Source: Bugun liocichla

The Bomdila area is home to Monpa, Sherdukpen, Miji, Bugun and Aka communities, each with its own language and customs, making West Kameng one of Arunachal's most diverse districts.

Source: Bomdila

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research set up its national research centre on yak at Dirang in 1989. Its experimental yak farm is at Nyukmadung, about 31 km away at roughly 2,700 m.

Source: Indian Council of Agricultural Research

The Sangti river flows through the Sangti valley and meets the Dirang river at Dirang Dzong village. The valley's main village lies about 15 km from Dirang and is mostly home to Monpa families who follow Mahayana Buddhism.

Source: Sangti Valley

Dirang is the site of a geothermal power project and has been proposed as the first geothermal-powered town in India, drawing on the same underground heat that feeds the local hot springs.

Source: Dirang

The name Mechuka is usually explained as three Memba words: 'men' for medicine, 'chu' for water and 'kha' for snow, after the medicinal springs said to flow into the valley from the snow.

Source: Mechuka

Samten Yongcha, the monastery on the hill above Mechuka, is a Mahayana Buddhist gompa said to be about 400 years old, built and maintained by the Memba community of the valley.

Source: Mechuka

Shi Yomi district, which includes Mechuka, was carved out of West Siang district in 2018, with its headquarters at Tato. Name both Shi Yomi and West Siang on your Inner Line Permit.

Source: Shi Yomi district

Namdapha is one of very few places in the world where four big cats have been recorded in the same park: the tiger, leopard, clouded leopard and snow leopard, thanks to its range from lowland forest to alpine ridges.

Source: Namdapha National Park

The Namdapha flying squirrel is known to science from a single specimen collected in the park in 1981. It has not been confirmed since and is listed as critically endangered.

Source: Namdapha flying squirrel

The Ledo Road, later renamed the Stilwell Road, was built by Allied forces in the Second World War to link Ledo in Assam with the Burma Road to China. Its route crosses Arunachal through Jairampur and Nampong to the Pangsau Pass.

Source: Ledo Road

Pasighat was founded by the British in 1911 as an administrative post, making it the oldest town in Arunachal Pradesh. It is the headquarters of East Siang district and sits at about 155 m on the Siang.

Source: Pasighat

The Bogibeel Bridge across the Brahmaputra near Dibrugarh, opened in December 2018, is India's longest combined rail and road bridge at about 4.94 km. It cut the road journey from Dibrugarh to Pasighat to a few hours.

Source: Bogibeel Bridge

Daying Ering Wildlife Sanctuary near Pasighat covers islands, grasslands and riverine forest in the Siang. It was declared a sanctuary in 1986 and is known for wintering water birds.

Source: D'Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary

The Dhola–Sadiya Bridge, also called the Bhupen Hazarika Setu, crosses the Lohit river for about 9.15 km. It opened in May 2017 and made Roing a few hours' drive from Tinsukia and Dibrugarh.

Source: Dhola–Sadiya Bridge

Bhismaknagar near Roing is an archaeological site with brick fortifications and a palace complex attributed to the Chutiya kingdom. Local tradition links it with King Bhismaka, father of Rukmini in the Mahabharata.

Source: Bhismaknagar

Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, which rises directly behind Roing, protects forest from the foothills to high ridges and contains Mehao Lake. It was declared a sanctuary in 1980.

Source: Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary

Sela Pass stands at about 4,170 m, and local Buddhist tradition says there are about 101 sacred lakes in and around the pass. The main lake beside the road sits at roughly 4,160 m.

Source: Sela Pass

The Sela Tunnel project has two tunnels, one 980 m single-tube and one 1,555 m twin-tube, linked by a 1,200 m road. It was built by the Border Roads Organisation under Project Vartak and dedicated in March 2024.

Source: Sela Tunnel

Nuranang Falls near Jang, on the Tawang side of the pass, is a curtain waterfall about 100 m high fed by a river that rises on Sela's northern slopes. A small hydroelectric plant at its base supplies local power.

Source: Nuranang Falls

Tawang Monastery was founded in 1680–81 by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso at the behest of the 5th Dalai Lama. Its compound wall runs about 925 feet, and the library holds handwritten Kangyur volumes lettered in gold.

Source: Tawang Monastery

Tsangyang Gyatso, the 6th Dalai Lama, was born on 1 March 1683 at Urgelling, a temple near Tawang founded in 1489. An inscription at the site marks it as his birthplace.

Source: Urgelling Monastery

Mon shugu, the handmade paper of the Monpa, is made from the bark of the shugu sheng shrub. It was used for Buddhist scriptures for centuries, nearly died out, and was revived with a production unit in Tawang in 2021.

Source: Khadi and Village Industries Commission

India submitted the Apatani Cultural Landscape in Ziro valley to UNESCO's tentative World Heritage list in 2014. The listing highlights rice paddies where fish are reared and millet is grown on the bunds between plots.

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Dree, the Apatani agricultural festival, is celebrated every year on 5 July to keep pests, disease and famine from the crops. It was unified from scattered village rituals into one central celebration in 1967.

Source: Dree Festival

Hapoli, Ziro's administrative and market centre, takes its name from the Apatani 'Hao-Polyang'. The Apatani practise permanent wet paddy cultivation, unlike neighbouring communities that traditionally practised shifting cultivation.

Source: Ziro