Secret Lakes & Waterfalls

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.

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.

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.

Alleppey (Backwaters)

Vembanad Lake Basin

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

Alleppey (Backwaters)

Punnamada Lake Track

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

Arambol Beach

Sweet Water Lake

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

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.

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.

Matheran

Charlotte Lake

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

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.

Pachmarhi

Bee Falls

A popular waterfall with a bathing pool amid the forest.

Chitrakote Falls (Bastar)

Chitrakote Falls Viewpoint

The horseshoe falls of the Indravati, widest in India.

Kodachadri

Hidlumane Falls

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

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.

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

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 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.

Himachal Pradesh

Chandratal Lake

Chandratal Lake, translating to the Lake of the Moon, is a high-altitude glacial gem at an elevation of approximately 4,250 metres in the Lahaul and Spiti district, on the Samudra Tapu plateau overlooking the thundering Chandra River valley, the lake gets its name from its natural crescent contour shape. The body of water spans roughly 2.5 kilometers in circumference and is entirely surrounded by snow-covered mountain ridges. The lake is known for its hyper-clear water, which reflects the surrounding peaks and changing sky like a mirror. The color shifts dynamically from clear turquoise to aquamarine and deep emerald green as the day advances. The entire area is a protected Ramsar wetland eco-zone, preserving a fragile alpine meadow ecosystem.

Chhattisgarh

Chitrakote Falls (Bastar)

Chitrakote, often called the 'Niagara of India', is the country's widest waterfall, where the Indravati River plunges in a dramatic horseshoe in the tribal heartland of Bastar, Chhattisgarh. A full horseshoe in the monsoon and a few channels by winter, it anchors a region rich in tribal culture and forests.

Lake Mansarovar

Lake Mansarovar, at 4,590 metres one of the highest freshwater lakes in the world, lies at the foot of Mount Kailash on the Tibetan plateau. Its turquoise water is deeply sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, and pilgrims bathe in and circumambulate the lake as part of the Kailash yatra.

Manipur

Loktak Lake

Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India, famous for its phumdis — floating islands of vegetation that dot the water like a green patchwork. Near Moirang in Manipur, it has become an emerging offbeat destination for travellers seeking surreal landscapes far from the mainstream trail. The lake is home to the only floating national park in the world (Keibul Lamjao, refuge of the rare Sangai deer) and to fishing communities who live on the phumdis. Homestays on the lakeshore, sunrise boat rides and birdwatching make it a quiet, photogenic stop in India's far east.

Sikkim

Tsomgo Lake & Nathula Pass

Tsomgo Lake, written as Changu Lake, is a high-altitude glacial lake at an astounding elevation of 3,753 metres in the rugged East Sikkim district, inside a steep oval valley just kilometers from the international border, the crystal-clear waters are known for their unique ability to reflect changing shades, shifting from deep blue in summer to turquoise and solid white as winter freezes lock the surface into thick ice sheets. Driving further up the same high-security mountain corridor highway pass leads directly to the monumental Nathula Pass checkpoint, at a daunting altitude of 4,310 metres on the ancient Silk Road route, cutting directly through heavy military wire barricades separating India and China.