LONAR CRATER:
Some 50,000 years ago, a rather large chunk of rock come out of space and hurled itself at the earth. The impact was a six- megtonne explosion-600 times the force of our first atomic bambs- that left behind a crater about two kilometers in diameter, with walls over 130m hight.With water held in, the lonar crater in maharashtra is now a brackish lake and a curiosity in many ways-geologists salivate at the idea of all that and a curiosity in many-geologists salivate at the idea of all that alien mass to study and ecologists rub their hands in glee at the unique ecosystem that has formed there. Lonar is 170km from Abramabad. Stay at MTDC’S Guesthouse, located on the lip of the crater..

RAJU’S GUEST HOUSE:
On the fringe of the great himlayan national park in himachal Pradesh, on the banks of the Teerthan River in Gushaini village, is raju’s guest house. It was among the first of such intimate hotels and it’s almost a byword for its kinds of place-off the road, cosy and simply fabulous. The homestay is run by raju and his wife lata, and has warm, immaculate guestrooms, filled with custom-made- wood furniture and hand-woven throws. Combine tucking into lata’s home-cooked meals with long walk and generous gulps of hill air and you might just about break even calorie-wise. Gushaini is 550km from Delhi and 40km north of mandi.raju’s guest house.

BACKWOODS, NILAMBUR:
In the tourim-savvy state of kerala, off-road surprises are a bit thin on the ground. But this homstay-thomas and cicely tharakan’s bungalow-in nilambur makes up nicely. Nilambur has had a longish affair with teak.H.v.conolly, a collector of Malabar, established a teak plantation here in the mid-19th century that contains some fine examples. Then the nilambur teak museum leaves you rather comprehensively informed. But to see the tropical hardwood as it was used by the tajas, see their magnificent kovilakams help up by great polished beams of teak. Nilambur is 45km from Kozhikode. Stay with the tharakans.

CHHATARPUR:
In 1923, a young Englishman called J.R Ackley came to India to take up a post as secretary to the maharaja of an obscure principality named chhatarpur. He stayed only five months, but from his journals emerged hindoo holiday- a funny and perceptive account of the raj. The house ackerley lived in still stands, albeit as a PWD bungalow; the palace itself shelters schools, as well as a court of law, a hospital and a supari warehouse. There’s nothing to see in chhatapur but then not all travel is about the sights. Chhatapur is 120km from Jhansi. Stay at alipura palace.

NARLAI:
It makes no very persuasive effort at tourism and it prefers horses to camels, so the small town of narlai is a bit removed from the popular icon that represents Rajasthan. In fact, the horses of marwar are legendary for their endurance and their gait; what’s more, they descend from an old lineage-native Indian ponies crossed with Arabian horses with a dash of Mongolian. Narlai is 140km from Udaipur 160km from Jodhpur. And rawla narlai, a 17th-century palace turned hunting lodge, is now a hotel and offers visitors wonderful experiences.

THE HERMITAGE, BELGAUM:
About 45 actes of eco-lodge in a secluded patch of the Western Ghats. Three cottages, each more rustic than the last; a campfire in the yard and delicious food of various kinds. On the farm, a dog, a goose and a duck, rabbits and hens. And yonder, in the hills, over 280 kinds of birds, 90 species of butterfly, and more bats than you could shake a bat at and 32 types of snakes. Also boars, bears and elephants. Trek to se the source of the Mahadai River or explore nearby villages. The hermitage is 45km/ 1hr from Belgaum.

DIU:

It shares its Portuguese colonial past with goa and Daman but Diu seems to ever elude the spotlight. It has an engrossing history, however. Marks of Portuguese rule abound-in the fortress built by nuno ad cunha, in the set Thomas church that is now a museum. In the houses that proudly wear their heritage-but mostly in the minds of Diu’s people who’re still quite a partuguese.Diu is 495km from ahmedabad.stay at hotel Kohinoor.

 

KUMAON REST HOUSES:

Kumaon, the stamping ground of colonial office and gentleman shikaris, was popular, at least in part, for its collection of romantic, isolated forest rest houses. Thereare over a hundred such buildings here and the template was simple: lime-plastered stone, sloping wooden roof; a verandah, three rooms, two bathrooms. Camp fork tail creek offers tours around such rest houses, customized depending on your interests.

SHAHPURA BAGH:

All men are equal, yes, but see if you can quell your pleasure at sitting down to breakfast with a nine-salute’ royal family, passing the butter and listening to family lore. Offering precisely that sort of intimacy is shahpura bagh, with 30 avres of tree, gardens, and lakes. Shahpura is 220km/4hr from jaipur and Udaipur.

 

DAH-HANU:

On the far side of the Indus, in remote dah-hanu valley, live the drok-pa.Burdened by the racial fantasies of others with a reputation of ‘Aryan purity’ these are people rich in their own myths and quite distinct from the rest of ladakh’s inhabitants. The villages are small but exquisite of a timeless rural aesthetic: whitewashed homes, fields of baley, apricot trees, streams and lots of flowers. Permits are needed from the district commissioner, leh, to visit most of the villages. in deh, stay at the skyabapa guest house. In biama, Aryan valley camp.

KLUKKUMALAI TEA ESTATE

About 35km off munnar a small estate pays homages to tea. At 7,500ft, the kolukkumalai tea estate is the highest tea plantation in the world-and the origin of some of south India’s finest produce. Theirs is the orthodox, seven-step process and the estate still works out of a small factory built by the British in 1930. The estate is a 3hr drive from munnar. The tea factory visit includes a tour of the factory and a cup of tea.

BOB’S PLACE, KUMAON:

A cosy house with 18-inch stone walls, pinewood floors, ENORMOUS TIMBERS HOLIDING UP A WOODEN ROOF, FIREPLACES, food and tea within calling distance and shelves of books…oh, and all this surrounded by the lush hills of kumaon –that is what bob’s place is like. Bob’s place in nathukuan is 340km/9hr from Delhi. Tariff: from rs 3,500 for two with all meals included.

 

SECRET GARDENS:

There’s no denying the northeast is a fertile tract. And when you have small pretty inns that make lush overflowing bowers their USP, you simple have to give in and make a booking. The orchid retreat in kalimpong has 2.5 acres of terraced gardens and woods. The hidden forest retreat in gangtok has an orchid nursery on the three-acre property.