Dalhousie

Khajjiar is a saucer-shaped grassland at 1,950 metres ringed by thick deodar forest, often called the 'Mini Switzerland of India' — a comparison that a Swiss envoy's visit in 1992 made semi-official. A small lake and a 12th-century Khajji Nag temple sit at the centre, while horses graze the meadow and tourists zip around on zorbing balls, paragliders, and pony rides. The 24-kilometre drive from Dalhousie winds through the Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary, often thick with fog and occasional wildlife sightings.

Panch Pulla ('five bridges') is a shaded forest stream east of the town with a marble memorial to Sardar Ajit Singh, uncle of Bhagat Singh, who died here in 1947. A short walk away, Subhash Baoli is a perennial spring under a deodar canopy where Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose is said to have meditated during his 1937 stay. Together they form a gentle morning loop through some of the quietest woodland in Dalhousie.