Escape to India's Hill Stations: Relive the Raj Era in Cooler, Colonial Climes
In Mumbai's sweltering July heat, the air hangs heavy, deterring even the busiest auto rickshaw drivers. Fresh from a shower, you're soon sticky again, lounging poolside amid monsoon downpours or burning your feet en route to the water. After exhaustive exploration of India's landscapes, with days left before your flight home, the heat saps your energy for sightseeing, eating, or even thinking.
Your options? Retreat to air-conditioned havens like cafes, hotels, or malls—or follow the British Raj tradition still embraced by modern travelers: head to an Indian hill station for respite in cooler altitudes.
India boasts around two dozen hill stations—elevated towns and villages crafted for escape and leisure. Many served as summer capitals for provinces or British governors. Though their political roles have faded, they endure as beloved summer retreats and vivid windows into bygone eras.
The journey there is an adventure in itself. From Mumbai, reach Matheran via a thrilling narrow-gauge toy train—where daring locals dangle from doors—then proceed on foot, horseback, or palanquin, evoking Queen Victoria's time.
Darjeeling, nestled in West Bengal's lush tea hills, demands a day-long ride on a diminutive, rattling train that prompts locals to fold away laundry and awnings. Ooty in Tamil Nadu offers a UNESCO-listed miniature train journey taking five hours. En route to Kodaikanal, another Tamil Nadu gem, a local priest might bless your bus to safeguard against hairpin turns.
Arriving refreshed, immerse in a nostalgic world. Shimla, the Raj's Himalayan summer capital since 1864, features mock-Tudor town hall, library, and post office; a baronial Viceregal Lodge; and the Gaiety Theatre's ongoing amateur plays. Stroll Scandal Point or The Mall at dusk. In Darjeeling, join the Gymkhana or Planters' Club, or savor tea from white-gloved staff at the historic Windamere Hotel. In 'Snooty Ooty,' explore Victorian graves at St. Stephen’s Church or rare books at the 150-year-old Nilgiri Library.
Maximize your stay by timing it for post-travel recovery: play croquet at Shimla's antique-filled Chapslee Hotel, boat on Kodaikanal's lake, pony trek in Matheran, or sip fresh Darjeeling tea at Glenburn plantation beneath Kanchenjunga.
Whatever your pursuits, reserve time for the classic hill station cocktail hour, where echoes of Raj-era rajahs and rulers seem to drift from overgrown churchyards, seeking that flawless gin and tonic.
