Hill stations

A summer view of Khajjiar, a hill station in Himachal Pradesh.

Main article: List of Indian hill stations

Several hill stations served as summer capitals of Indian provinces, princely states, or, in the case of Shimla, of British India itself. Since Indian Independence, the role of these hill stations as summer capitals has largely ended, but many hill stations remain popular summer resorts. Most famous hill stations are:

• Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh - It is also known as The Queen of Satpura.
• Araku, Andhra Pradesh
• Gulmarg, Srinagar and Laddakh in Jammu and Kashmir
• Darjeeling in West Bengal
• Munnar in Kerala
• Ooty and Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu
• Shillong in Meghalaya
• Shimla, Kullu in Himachal Pradesh
• Nainital in Uttarakhand
• Gangtok in Sikkim
• Mussoorie in Uttarakhand

In addition to the bustling hill stations and summer capitals of yore, there are several serene and peaceful nature retreats and places of interest to visit for a nature lover. These range from the stunning moonscapes of Leh and Ladhak, to small, exclusive nature retreats such as Dunagiri, Binsar, Mukteshwar in the Himalayas, to rolling vistas of Western Ghats to numerous private retreats in the rolling hills of Kerala.

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Beaches

Main article: List of beaches in India

This section requires expansion.

Elephants and camels rides are common on Indian beaches. Shown here is Havelock Island, part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

India offers a wide range of tropical beaches with silver/golden sand to coral beaches of Lakshadweep. States like Kerala and Goa have exploited the potential of beaches to the fullest. However, there are a lot many unexploited beaches in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharastra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. These states have very high potential to be develop them as future destinations for prospective tourists. Some of the famous tourist beaches are:

• Beaches of Vizag, Andhra Pradesh
• Beaches of Puri, Orissa
• Beaches of Digha, West Bengal
• Beaches of Goa
• Kovalam Beach, Kerala
• Marina Beach, Chennai
• Beaches of Mahabalipuram
• Beaches in Mumbai
• Beaches of Diu
• Beaches of Midnapore, West Bengal
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Lakshadweep Islands

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Wildlife in India

Main article: Fauna of India

Royal Bengal Tiger in Sundarbans. The world's largest mangrove forest as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

India is home to several well known large mammals including the Asian Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Lion, Leopard and Indian Rhinoceros, often engrained culturally and religiously often being associated with deities. Other well known large Indian mammals include ungulates such as the domestic Asian Water buffalo, wild Asian Water buffalo, Nilgai, Gaur and several species of deer and antelope. Some members of the dog family such as the Indian Wolf, Bengal Fox, Golden Jackal and the Dhole or Wild Dogs are also widely distributed. It is also home to the Striped Hyaena, Macaques, Langurs and Mongoose species. India also has a large variety of protected wildlife. The country's protected wilderness consists of 75 National parks of India and 421 Sanctuaries, of which 19 fall under the purview of Project Tiger. Its climatic and geographic diversity makes it the home of over 350 mammals and 1200 bird species, many of which are unique to the subcontinent.

Some well known national wildlife sanctuaries include Bharatpur, Corbett, Kanha, Kaziranga, Periyar, Ranthambore and Sariska. The world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans is located in southern West Bengal. The Sundarbans is UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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