Indian mountains have become a pet holiday destination for everyone living in and around north India. Often we reach certain famous destinations only to find that all the hotels are fully booked and the sightseeing spots jam packed with people. To avoid the main crowd, here are a few tips that might help you if you’re planning a trip soon:
- Go for an offbeat destination in place of the main towns.
There are always small and off beat villages around all main towns in Himachal and Uttarakhand. For instance, while Manali will be jam packed during the holidays, there are small villages around it like Naggar, Sethan, Gulaba, etc. that you can visit in place of Manali. Similarly, instead of heading to Nainital, plan a trip to Bhimtal, Naukuchiatal, Mukteshwar and other beautiful places around Nainital that will be a lot quieter and peaceful in comparison to Nainital. A plain Google search about offbeat places around your main destination will present you with many off beat options.
- If you can, book a trip on weekdays in place of weekends.
If you can work from home, or if you manage your own business, try to plan your trip on weekdays instead of weekends. Most people head to the mountains on weekends or long weekends. If you book your trips on working days instead, you’re most likely to find your favorite destinations crowd free.
- Visit the mountains in the off -season.
The off-season in India for mountains is the winter season. While everybody runs to the mountains in summer, the same crowd goes to the south beaches in winter. The winter is more or less a chilled out season for mountains, when only people who love that kind of cold visit hills. It is in fact a myth that beach areas are cooler in winters. The South is the coolest after the monsoon, in the months of September-October. Cover South India in these months and head to the mountains in winters. Do make sure that the routes to your destination are open, because in some places, the routes close down due to excess snowfall.