India Himalayas

Himalayan States In India: Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim & North Eastern States.
Major Adventure Sports: Mountaineering, Trekking, River Rafting, Skiing
Major Peak: Kangchenjunga

Himalayan range covers the entire northern part of India, nestling five major states of the country within it. The ancient Indian pilgrims who have travelled in these mountains since time immemorial coined a Sanskrit word for the Himalayas meaning “Abode of Snow”.

Some of the reasons why people have been so fascinated by the Indian Himalayas is because of the Hindu pilgrim routes, the low valleys that abruptly rise up in high mountain ranges, the lovely trekking hikes, densely forested areas lying just a mountain range away from barren cold deserts, and the lovely people of the mountains with their unique hospitable lifestyles.

Major Indian Himalayan Regions

Jammu & Kashmir :
SrinagarJammu and Kashmir are really three regions: the foothill plains of Jammu; the lakes and blue valleys of Kashmir rising to alpine passes, the high altitude plains and starkly beautiful mountains of Ladakh, which lies beyond those passes. It's enough to move one to poetry. Srinagar is Kashmir's summer capital and Jammu, the winter capital. Among the most attractive part that this Indian state has is the adventure oppurtunities that can be seggragated into trekking, mountaineering and Trans Himalayan Jeep Safari.

What can make a mountaineering expedition, an adventure one could never forget? If its done on the glaciers that are still craving to be explored. The Himalayan range offers some of the most rigorous mountaineering challenges one can ever come across. The glaciers of Ladakh and Kashmir regions can test one's survival to the fittest and most testing of them all is the Siachen glacier, known as the largest glacier outside the Polar Regions.

Himachal Pradesh :
Himachal PradeshHimachal Pradesh is the land of snow, lofty peaks, cascading streams, alpine meadows & lush fruit-laden valleys. Many parts of the Himachal state have a distinctly Austrian look with conifer-clad mountains, chalet-like huts with overhanging balconies and serene blue valleys watered by snow-fed streams. Shimla the capital of Himachal Pradesh, is still very much a Raj township in appearance and atmosphere.

Himachal also store numerous wonderful hill stations, which are particularly cool in summers. Shimla, Dalhousie, Kullu, Manali and Kufri are a few of the hill Stations in Himachal Pradesh which offer breathtaking scenery and countless options of adventure sports. Dharamshala, where the Dalai Lama lives, is another important centre on the tourist map.

Uttaranchal :
Lying in the north of the vast and bountiful expanse of India and cradled in the awesome beauty and calm serenity of the stately Himalayas, Uttaranchal - the "Devbhumi" that has attracted tourists and pilgrims from world over since time immemorial. Comprising of eight hill districts and an area and population that equals the state of Himachal Pardesh, Uttaranchal is an expression of divinity, austerity, meditation, penance and attainment.

Uttaranchal is a paradise for adventure sports. The sheer variety ranging from Mountaineering, Trekking, Skiing, Skating, Water Sports to Aero Sports like Hang Gliding, Paragliding make Uttaranchal one of the most attractive destinations for adventure sports not only in India but the world over.

Sikkim :
SikkimA former kingdom , Sikkim is now the 22nd State of India. It is rooted to the Himalayan Massif like a scale on the neck of a Dragon. One of the smallest states of India, it is bounded by Nepal to the west and Bhutan to the east; by the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north and northeast and by West Bengal to the south.

Shrouded in heavy mist, the guardian deity Kangchenjunga both protects and terrifies the inhabitants of the magical kingdom of Sikkim. An awe-inspiring mass of rock clothed in dazzling white snow, this Himalayan giant in the world’s third highest peak at 8,590m (28,199ft). The name itself means ’house of five treasures’ represented by its five soaring summits

The North Eastern States - Seven Sisters :
The reason has so much to see, so much to experience and so much to write about that it would take volumes. The region of northeastern India will whet the appetite of the traveller, the tourist, the anthropologist, the observer. It is impossible to describe the nuances that make this area unique, challenging and interesting. Get to any one place and the result will be that you will return for more.

The seven sisters comprise of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram. While the seven sisters are unique in their own way, the major Himalayan destination over here is Arunachal Pradesh. The state provides abundant scope for angling, boating, rafting, trekking and hiking. Besides, there are a number of wild life sanctuaries and national parks where rare animals, birds and plants will fascinate the visitor.