Kausani

Perched on a narrow ridge in the Kumaon hills, Kausani is celebrated for one of the widest and most spectacular Himalayan panoramas accessible by road in India. On a clear morning, an unbroken arc of nearly 300 kilometres of snow peaks rises across the northern horizon — Trishul, Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot and the distant Panchachuli — turning from grey to gold as the sun comes up. It was this view that moved Mahatma Gandhi to christen the place the 'Switzerland of India'.

Gandhi spent time here in 1929, staying at what is now the Anasakti Ashram, where he wrote his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita's doctrine of selfless action. The ashram, with its simple rooms and reading library, remains a quiet draw for those interested in his life and thought.

Surrounded by terraced fields, pine forests and the gentle slopes of a working tea estate, Kausani is unhurried and uncommercial compared with bigger hill stations. Nearby lie the ancient stone temples of Baijnath beside the Gomti river and the Rudradhari waterfalls, while the village of Someshwar and the poet Sumitranandan Pant's birthplace add further texture to a region steeped in Kumaoni culture.

March–June and September–November give the clearest mountain views. Winter mornings are cold but crisp.