Underrated places to visit in India

Travel & Places · 6 min read

Goa, Jaipur and Manali are wonderful, but they are also crowded for much of the year. India has hundreds of quieter corners where you can wander without queueing for a photo. Here are ten that deserve a spot on your list, with a note on when to go for each.

1. Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh

Home to the Apatani tribe, Ziro is a bowl of rice paddies, bamboo groves and pine-covered hills. Villages like Hari and Hong are good for slow walks. The best time is roughly March to October; the Ziro Music Festival, usually held in late September, draws a young crowd. Remember that Arunachal needs an Inner Line Permit for Indian visitors, which can be obtained online.

2. Gokarna, Karnataka

If Goa feels too busy, Gokarna is a calmer cousin. It combines a temple town with beaches such as Kudle, Om and Half Moon. The trek between beaches along the cliffs takes a couple of hours and is the real highlight. Aim for the cooler months from October to February; the monsoon makes the sea rough.

3. Chettinad, Tamil Nadu

The Chettiar merchants built huge mansions here with Burmese teak, Italian tiles and carved doorways. Towns such as Karaikudi and Kanadukathan are great for heritage walks, and the food, with its peppery chicken and kuzhi paniyaram, is famous. Go between November and February when the heat is bearable.

4. Majuli, Assam

Majuli is among the largest river islands in the world, set in the Brahmaputra. It is the centre of Vaishnavite monastery culture, with satras where monks perform traditional dance and make masks. You reach it by ferry from Jorhat. The river erodes the island each year, so go in the dry months of October to March.

5. Mawlynnong and Dawki, Meghalaya

Meghalaya is no secret anymore, but villages like Mawlynnong, known for cleanliness, and nearby Dawki, with its clear Umngot River, still feel gentle outside holidays. Try the living root bridges near Cherrapunji, and be ready for stairs, because the famous double-decker bridge requires thousands of steps down and back. Winter is clearer; summer and monsoon mean lush waterfalls.

6. Orchha, Madhya Pradesh

Orchha has palaces, cenotaph spires and temples on the banks of the Betwa River, without the crowds of Khajuraho or Agra. It pairs well with a visit to nearby Jhansi or Khajuraho. Visit from October to March, and try a short rafting trip on the Betwa if the water is high enough.

7. Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh

This high-altitude cold desert is better known than it used to be, yet it still rewards patient travellers. Key Monastery, Chandratal Lake and the village of Langza with its fossils are the usual stops. Altitude sickness is a real concern; go slowly, drink water and plan a day or two of acclimatisation. The road via Kinnaur is generally open for longer than the Manali route, which usually opens around June.

8. Hampi's quieter corners, Karnataka

Hampi is not a secret, but most visitors cluster around the Virupaksha Temple and Vittala Temple. Rent a bicycle and visit Anegundi across the river for sunrise, or the less-visited Hemakuta Hill. Winter is ideal because the boulder landscape gets very hot from March.

9. Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh

Tawang has one of the largest monasteries in India and sits above 3,000 metres. The drive via Sela Pass is dramatic, and snow can close the route in winter, so check road status. Like the rest of Arunachal it needs a permit, and acclimatising en route is smart.

10. Pondicherry's Auroville side and Chidambaram area, Tamil Nadu

Most people stay in Pondicherry's French quarter. Spend a day in Auroville, an experimental township built around the golden Matrimandir, and then add Chidambaram's Nataraja temple. It is a good combination of calm, architecture and coastal food. November to February is the most comfortable window.

Quick planning table

Place	Best months	Permit or special need
Ziro	Mar to Oct	Inner Line Permit
Gokarna	Oct to Feb	Comfortable walking shoes
Majuli	Oct to Mar	Ferry schedule
Spiti	Jun to Sep	Acclimatisation
Tawang	Mar to Oct	Inner Line Permit

Tip: Rules, permit processes and road conditions change often. Check the latest information with the state tourism website or your homestay host before you book.

Final thoughts

Underrated does not mean undiscovered, and local communities live in these places. Stay in homestays, buy from small shops, carry your waste out and ask before photographing people. Do that and these places will stay pleasant for the next traveller as well.