Revered by Hindus as the Land of the Gods, Uttarakhand is true traveller's nirvana, with its holy peaks, rivers and lakes.

The temple town of Rishikesh is an adventure lover’s paradise, with mountain biking and kayaking coupled with yoga, an escape for your body and soul. In Mussoorie, the favourite of the region’s hill stations, the mist often clears to reveal the lush Doon Valley, and sometimes even the snowy, white peaks of the Himalayas. Venture into the hills for an invigorating trek to Nag Tibba for splendid views of the mountains, or visit nearby Landour, an idyllic British-era cantonment.

In the romantic Kumaon hills, made famous by Jim Corbett’s compelling book The Maneaters of Kumaon, the little hamlets of Binsar, Almora and Mukteshwar harbour secret forest paths, spectacular view points and cosy homestays that promise an authentic mountain experience. Stay in a 150-year-old homestead with its own kitchen garden, make like a saheb in a restored English cottage, or meditate in the stillness of the mountains at an eco-yoga retreat. Whichever you choose, you’ll have the Himalayas as your backdrop, and there’s really no substitute for that.

Whispers of elusive striped beasts echo in the Jim Corbett National Park, where fresh pug marks and rustling in the long grass elicit loud alarm calls from the park’s other denizens. There’s even more wildlife (of the feathered kind) to be found in pockets of this state.

In the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, a rugged and remote park with gorgeous mountain vistas in every direction, visitors can go trekking into the thicket and play at explorer.