7 stunning holiday destinations for summer vacations in India

Singalila forest, West Bengal. Stunning summer vacation options extend from beach holidays to mountain getaways and forests across India. (Photo by Saheb Santanu via Pexels)

Summer holidays are around the corner and everyone is armed with cameras to share holiday pictures on social media. As someone who has trampled paths unknown and known I am glad to share secret and not-so-secret destinations that will help you make your holidays memorable. But before you read on, take a pledge: My family and I will leave the mountains and valleys and beaches as pristine as we found them. We will try local food and not disrupt the peace by yelling at the mountains in search of echoes. Here are some of the most amazing places in our beautiful country:

1. The Flower Valley in Sikkim

If you find snow, your kids will love it. If there is no snow, you will rediscover romance among the pinkest of wildflowers and meadows to make you want to lie down and pretend you own this paradise. There are plenty of hotels to choose from at Yumthang  Valley.

But if you want to explore further, you can travel 40 kilometres higher to Zero Point in another stunning valley (Lachung Valley) where the road literally ends. You can truly say to your loved ones, ‘I have travelled to the end of all roads for you!’

A yak near by the Tsomgo Lake in Sikkim. (Photo by Natalia Wiklent via Unsplash)

2. Pahalgam, Kashmir

You might be over 7,000 metres above sea level, but don’t forget sunscreen! You will see the most incredible blue skies during the day and stars will come out for you at night.

Pahalgam also has the most incredible pine forests that you might love to explore. You should remember that your senses will be heightened up there in the mountains, so don’t inhale the pine scent too hard. Get the kids to collect pine cones and they will love tasting instant noodles (goes without saying that they taste better in the mountains)!

3. Leh and Ladakh

It’s crowded in the summers, but if you are able to shut out the noise made by day trippers, Leh and Ladakh boast of 10 of the most incredible lakes in India. Pangong lake is so beautiful, you won’t begrudge sharing space with enthusiastic travellers.

Some of us who are mostly gobsmacked by the beauty will never understand squealing tourists who loudly exclaim, ‘Oo maa! Snow!’ But when their Insta reels are done and thirst for pictures sated, they do go away, leaving you to enjoy the coolest, cleanest breezes. You will come away rejuvenated.

(Photo by Vamshi Vangapally via Unsplash)

4. Mana, Uttarakhand

The pilgrimage to Badrinath takes away at least 90 percent of the tourists. You’re free to take your family to one of the most picturesque places in India. Mana Village will even make your children want to leave the city and live here. The views are so stunning, even the worst social media slaves will forget to take pictures, and you will begin to believe in the gods when a simple fare of freshly deep-fried puris shows up with a potato curry and make your children (even you!) forget fast food.

But if you live there long enough, you will discover the local man who can make you a goat cheese pizza on local tandoor bread…

5. Chandrabhaga Beach, Odisha

If you have older kids who enjoy adventure sports like jet skiing, and even fishing, then you must look at the stunning East-West beaches of Odisha. It’s hot during the day, but a smarter choice than Goa where you will bump into everyone you know at the beach.

Chandrabhaga beach, near Konark (the most incredible Sun Temple), has been voted the cleanest beach many years running and offers the most glorious views of sunrise and sunsets (the advantage of having an East West beach is that you just stay put in one place (go back to the cool rooms midday) and spend the laziest beach holiday. And you won’t have to fight for a spot on the beach at all…

6. Kumarakom, Kerala

How awesome it is to be lying on a four-poster bed on a boat, jumping off into the waters to cool off and being Bacchus’ slave all day as you float gently through coconut-tree-lined backwaters?

You will want to stop and shop for spices like cardamom and pepper, feast on fish and malabar parottas (the vegetarians will not go hungry either!). You will - as I did - fall in love with the planter’s chairs and get no reading done. Your intentions are good, but the spiked coconut juice and the chair’s extended arms which are superb for stretching your legs is a sleep-inducing combination that is magic…

7. Bhitarkanika Beach, Odisha

One word: bioluminescence.

It’s not that the place is surrounded by mists during the day (only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun, the song says) that makes for an adventurous holiday, but get your kids to sleep in and you will see the marvel, the wonder on their faces when they see the neon beach come alive at night. Science says the sea has organisms that emit this light, but you won’t care. It is an unforgettable scene.

Bhitarkanika is also located close to a national park, but check the temperatures before venturing into the wilderness…

Have a wonderful summer, y’all!