CityDekho
Hidden Gems
Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh
Om Beach (Gokarna), Karnataka
Damdama Sahib (Talwandi Sabo), Punjab
Sonamarg, Jammu & Kashmir
Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh
Zanskar Valley, Leh & Ladakh
Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra
Arambol Beach, Goa
Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
Saputara, Gujarat
Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh
Key Monastery, Himachal Pradesh

Hidden Gems

Hidden Gems
All destinations

The India beyond the guidebook — quiet, raw and unforgettable.

144places31statesOctober–March

Browse hidden gems

Things to do

Individual sights and experiences, rather than whole places to stay.

Saputara Lake

Saputara

Saputara Lake

The lake in the middle of town, with boats on it and a path around the edge. Half an hour, and it is what everyone does on arriving.

Gira Waterfalls

Saputara

Gira Waterfalls

About thirty metres, on the Ambika near Waghai, and worth the detour only during and just after the monsoon. By February it is a wet rock face.

Serolsar Lake

Jibhi

Serolsar Lake

About five kilometres of level forest walking from Jalori Pass, through old oak. There is a small temple to Budhi Nagin at the water and a tea stall on the way. Snow shuts the pass in winter.

Vembanad Lake Basin

Alleppey (Backwaters)

Vembanad Lake Basin

India's longest lake expanse, forming the core for luxury houseboat cruising loops and traditional resort properties.

Punnamada Lake Track

Alleppey (Backwaters)

Punnamada Lake Track

The historic backwater stretch that hosts the annual Nehru Trophy snake boat races, popular for evening walks.

Sweet Water Lake

Arambol Beach

Sweet Water Lake

A freshwater lagoon just behind the beach, popular for a dip after the sea.

Jibhi Waterfall

Tirthan Valley

Jibhi Waterfall

A small fall a short walk through deodar from the village, on a path that gets slippery in the rain. Ten minutes each way, and busy through the afternoon.

Deoriatal Lake

Chopta (Tungnath)

Deoriatal Lake

A small lake that holds a reflection of Chaukhamba on a still morning, about two and a half kilometres up from Sari village. Camping on the far bank is permitted and is why most people come.

Charlotte Lake

Matheran

Charlotte Lake

The primary natural water reservoir basin on the plateau, surrounded by dense evergreen forests and hosting an ancient temple shrine.

Pushkar Lake Ghats

Pushkar

Pushkar Lake Ghats

Fifty-two ghats ring the water, each attached to a different community or ruler, and the lake is old enough to appear on coins from the fourth century BC. Hindu tradition calls it tirtha-guru, the teacher of pilgrimage places, and a bath here is held to wash away sin; more than five hundred temples stand around the shore. The crowds peak at Kartik Poornima in October or November, when the Pushkar fair runs. Shoes off on every ghat, and photographing people bathing is not welcome. A priest will press a puja on you the moment you sit down — fix the amount first or say no plainly.

Bee Falls

Pachmarhi

Bee Falls

A popular waterfall with a bathing pool amid the forest.

Chitrakote Falls Viewpoint

Chitrakote Falls (Bastar)

Chitrakote Falls Viewpoint

The horseshoe falls of the Indravati, widest in India.

Hidlumane Falls

Kodachadri

Hidlumane Falls

A multi-tiered waterfall on the trekking route up to the peak.

Nohkalikai Falls

Cherrapunji & Living Root Bridges

Nohkalikai Falls

India's highest plunge waterfall, dropping a sheer 340 metres down a vertical cliff face into an emerald-green plunge basin pool below.

Chhoie Waterfall

Great Himalayan National Park

Chhoie Waterfall

About three kilometres up from the road head, short but steep, through forest. Best during and just after the monsoon; a trickle by late spring.

Khajjiar Lake

Khajjiar

Khajjiar Lake

A small lake in the middle of the meadow with a floating mat of weed drifting across it. It is silting up and smaller than it was, so temper any expectation set by older photographs.

Tsomgo (Changu) Lake

Tsomgo Lake & Nathula Pass

Tsomgo (Changu) Lake

An oval lake at about 3,750 metres, held sacred locally and frozen over in winter. Yaks are brought down to the shore for photographs, at a price agreed before you sit on one. Permits are checked at the barrier below.

Agatti Lagoon

Agatti Island

Agatti Lagoon

A shallow turquoise lagoon for snorkelling and kayaking.

Explore hidden gems

Filter by state, or keep scrolling — 31 states for offbeat explorers.

Maharashtra

Paradise Beach (Shiroda)

Located at the southernmost tip of Maharashtra in Sindhudurg district, Paradise Beach (Shiroda) sits right on the border of Maharashtra and Goa. True to its name, this beach features broad stretches of silver-white sand, turquoise waters, and lush cypress groves with almost no commercial development.

Maharashtra

Kelshi Beach

Positioned near Dapoli in Ratnagiri district, Kelshi Beach sits about 220 km from Mumbai near the mouth of the Bharja River. Kelshi is a secluded 3-kilometer stretch backed by high naturally formed sand dunes and dense groves of Suru (Casuarina) trees. Geologically, it is famous for holding preserved fossilized seashell deposits nearby.

Maharashtra

Velneshwar Beach

Tucked away near Guhagar in Ratnagiri district, Velneshwar Beach is located around 300 km south of Mumbai. Velneshwar features a calm, crescent-shaped bay sheltered from harsh currents, making its rock-free waters remarkably safe for swimming.

Maharashtra

Vengurla Beach

Situated in far southern Sindhudurg near the Goa border, Vengurla lies roughly 510 km south of Mumbai and 50 km north of Panaji. Vengurla Beach is encircled by green hills, cashew nut orchards, and a historic 19th-century lighthouse on a cliff overlooking the coast and the offshore Burnt Islands (Vengurla Rocks).

Maharashtra

Anjarle Beach

Situated near Dapoli in Ratnagiri district, Anjarle is located about 230 km south of Mumbai near the estuary of the Jog River. Anjarle is a pristine white-sand beach backed by thick palms and casuarina trees. It is famous for the hilltop Kadiyavancha Ganpati Temple located nearby, which offers an unbelievable panoramic aerial view of the beach curve and river estuary.

Maharashtra

Guhagar Beach

Tucked between the Vashishti River and Jaigad Creek in Ratnagiri district, Guhagar is a broad coastal town situated about 290 km south of Mumbai. Guhagar boasts one of the longest, cleanest, and most unbroken white-sand stretches in Maharashtra, extending over 6 kilometers. The shoreline is backed by thick mango orchards, coconut plantations, and historic Konkani ancestral homes.

Maharashtra

Diveagar Beach

Located in Raigad district, Diveagar is a serene coastal village approximately 170 km from Mumbai and 160 km from Pune. The beach stretches over 5 kilometers along an uncrowded coastal belt. Diveagar is distinguished by its remarkably flat, hard-packed shoreline lined with betel nut orchards and coconut palm farms. It is famous for its peaceful village vibe, abundant migratory seagull flocks in winter, and the local Suvarna Ganesh temple.

Gujarat

Miyani Beach

A rugged, scenic beach near Miyani village featuring rocky shores, clear water, and a tranquil atmosphere.

Gujarat

Sarkheshwar Beach

An offbeat, serene beach known for white sand and gentle tides, ideal for a peaceful getaway.

Gujarat

Positra Beach

A hidden gem in the Marine National Park area, surrounded by rich biodiversity and calm marine waters.

Gujarat

Pingleshwar Beach

A peaceful beach near Kori Creek featuring an ancient Shiv temple, sand dunes, and frequent visits from migratory birds.

Gujarat

Okha Madhi Beach

An untouched, quiet beach located between Jamnagar and Dwarka, offering wide stretches of golden sand and clear water.

Gujarat

Suvali Beach

A secluded black-sand beach located away from city crowds, perfect for peaceful strolls and photography.

Madhya Pradesh

Amarkantak

Amarkantak is where the Narmada is born — a hilltop sanctuary in the Maikal range where India's holiest westward river rises from a small white-tiled kund ringed by temples. The Sone river springs from the same plateau to flow east, making this a rare watershed of sacred geography. Around the Narmada Udgam cluster the ancient Kalachuri-era temples, Kapil Dhara falls where the infant river first leaps, and forests rich with medicinal herbs.

Karnataka

Sringeri Sharada Peetham

Sringeri, folded into the Western Ghats on the Tunga river, is the first and foremost of the four peethams founded by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century — chosen, says tradition, when he saw a cobra shading a frog in labour from the sun. The Vidyashankara temple's zodiac-pillared hall and the golden Sharadamba shrine anchor a living centre of Vedic learning, while thousands of fish swarm the ghats where pilgrims feed them as the goddess's own.

Punjab

Fatehgarh Sahib

Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib rises in white marble over the site of Sikhism's most heart-rending sacrifice — where in 1704 the two youngest sons of Guru Gobind Singh, aged just seven and nine, were bricked alive by the Sirhind governor for refusing to abandon their faith. The underground Bhora Sahib preserves the wall's site; nearby stand Mata Gujri's tower prison and the shrine of Todar Mal, who bought the cremation ground with gold coins laid edge to edge.

Jharkhand

Rajrappa (Chhinnamastika Temple)

At Rajrappa the Damodar and Bhairavi rivers meet below a red-washed shrine of Chhinnamastika — the self-decapitated Tantric goddess who feeds her attendants from her own severed head, an image of fearless self-sacrifice. One of India's most important Tantric peeths, the temple hums with drummers, sacrifices and river-bathing pilgrims, while the waterfall confluence below gives the place a wild, elemental setting.

Jammu & Kashmir

Kheer Bhawani (Tulmulla)

In a spring-fed pool at Tulmulla, shaded by great chinars, sits the marble shrine of Ragnya Devi — Kheer Bhawani, named for the rice-pudding offered to her. She is the beloved guardian goddess of the Kashmiri Pandits, and her spring is famous for changing colour, read for generations as an omen for the Valley. The annual mela on Jyeshtha Ashtami brings Pandit families home from across India in Kashmir's most poignant homecoming.

Arunachal Pradesh

Parshuram Kund

Parshuram Kund, on the Lohit river where it leaves the hills, is Arunachal's holiest Hindu site — the pool where, by legend, sage Parshuram washed away the sin of matricide and the axe fell from his hand. Every Makar Sankranti (mid-January), tens of thousands of pilgrims from Assam and beyond descend to the boulder-strewn river for a freezing holy dip, turning the remote gorge into a great mela. The rest of the year it is a quiet, mountain-ringed bend of jade water.

Chhattisgarh

Bhoramdeo Temple

Bhoramdeo, wrapped in the forested Maikal hills, is called the 'Khajuraho of Chhattisgarh' — an 11th-century Shiva temple of the Nagvanshi kings whose walls carry tier upon tier of sculpted musicians, dancers, deities and frankly amorous couples. The sanctum's dark stone Shiva sits behind a hall of carved pillars, and two earlier brick temples and a sculpture-filled lawn complete the complex beside a lotus pond.

Chhattisgarh

Dongargarh (Bamleshwari Temple)

At Dongargarh the goddess Bamleshwari watches from a 1,600-step hilltop — the Badi (elder) Bamleshwari — while her sister shrine, Chhoti Bamleshwari, stands in the town below. The temple is Chhattisgarh's busiest pilgrimage, its twin Navratri fairs drawing lakhs of devotees who climb through the night as the hill glows with lamps. A ropeway now glides over the boulders for those who skip the stairs.

Leh & Ladakh

Alchi Monastery

Alchi is unlike any other gompa in Ladakh: it sits low by the Indus rather than on a crag, and its temples preserve some of the finest 11th–12th century Buddhist art in the world. The Kashmiri-style murals of the Sumtsek and Dukhang — thousand-Buddha walls, colossal bodhisattvas painted with miniature scenes on their robes — survive from the era of the great translator Rinchen Zangpo. It is a quiet village of apricot orchards, a living museum of a vanished artistic world.

Jharkhand

Palamu Forts

Deep inside the sal forests of what is now Palamau Tiger Reserve stand the twin forts of the Chero kings — the old fort of Medini Ray on the banks of the Auranga river and the newer, unfinished fort on the hill above, with its ornate Nagpuri gateway. Abandoned to the jungle after Mughal and British campaigns, their moss-grown walls are now patrolled by langurs and the occasional elephant — ruins in the truest, wildest sense.

Jammu & Kashmir

Hari Parbat Fort

Hari Parbat rises at the heart of Srinagar, ringed by a wall Akbar began in 1590 and crowned by the fort the Afghan governor Atta Mohammad Khan completed in the early 19th century. The hill is sacred to every faith of the Valley: the Sharika Devi temple of the goddess Chakreshwari, the shrine of Makhdoom Sahib on the slope, and a historic gurdwara at its foot. From the ramparts the whole of Srinagar — Dal Lake, old city and Zabarwan hills — spreads below.

Odisha

Barabati Fort

Barabati is the moated riverside fort of the Eastern Ganga kings, raised around the 13th century beside the Mahanadi at Cuttack, the millennium-old capital of Odisha. Its carved laterite gateway and wide moat survive, and excavation has uncovered palace foundations within. The fort gave its name to the modern Barabati Stadium next door, and the Kadam Rasul shrine and silver-filigree lanes of old Cuttack are minutes away.

Tamil Nadu

Thirumayam Fort

Thirumayam's ring fort was built in 1687 by Vijaya Raghunatha Sethupathi of Ramanathapuram and later held by the Tondaiman rulers of Pudukkottai. Its concentric walls wrap a rocky hill in the heart of Chettinad, restored handsomely by the ASI, with a rock-cut Shiva shrine partway up. At the base stand the great twin temples of Sathyamurthi Perumal — with one of the largest reclining Vishnu images in Tamil Nadu carved into the rock — and Sathyagiriswarar.

Maharashtra

Harishchandragad

Harishchandragad is an ancient hill fort where the boundaries of Thane, Pune and Ahmednagar (Ahilyanagar) districts converge, renowned for the Kedareshwar cave temple, the dramatic Konkan Kada cliff, and Puranic-era origins predating most Maratha-era forts.

Maharashtra

Naldurg Fort

Naldurg is the Deccan's great water-engineered fort: a basalt stronghold of 114 bastions where the Bori river was dammed to fill the moat and, in flood, to spill over the Pani Mahal — a machine-room palace built inside the dam wall itself, with rooms behind the waterfall. Held by the Bahmanis, Adil Shahis and Mughals, its Upli Buruj and ravine-edge walls are astonishingly intact and astonishingly empty.

Uttar Pradesh

Kalinjar Fort

Kalinjar is one of the legendary strongholds of central India, crowning a flat spur of the Vindhyas above the Bundelkhand plain. Sacred to Shiva as Neelkanth — the rock-cut Neelkanth temple sits in a cleft of the cliff — it resisted Mahmud of Ghazni, saw Sher Shah Suri fatally wounded during his 1545 siege, and passed through Chandela, Mughal and British hands. Gates, tanks, palaces and centuries of sculpture lie scattered across its windswept plateau.

Madhya Pradesh

Chanderi Fort

Chanderi Fort looks down on a medieval town famous for its gossamer handloom sarees. Fought over by Malwa sultans, Rajputs and Mughals, it is remembered for Babur's 1528 assault and the jauhar of the Rajput garrison at the Jauhar Smarak. The Kirti Durg's walls, the Khooni Darwaza gate and the Kati Ghati — a gateway sliced clean through the hill's rock in a single night, says the legend — watch over lakes, tombs and bazaars below.