The great summer escapades

As the days only getting hotter and hotter, and we huff and puff, constantly complain of the sweaty, dusty and obnoxiously uncomfortable summer in our part of the world – we also dream of the icy mountains, wintery winds, endless green meadows, cool streams.

And many amongst us do not waste time before heading off to those cooler destinations. Our quick research on the favourite summer getaways with our travel writers and travel enthusiasts revealed a few interesting places in India and across the world that stand as all-time favourite destination for people who wish to escape the summer.

Even though, it looks like the whole world is heading towards Himalayas, there are a few places in South of India and across the world that came up during this exercise. Here’s a low down.

Sriparna Saha is a compulsive, habitual traveler, and travel writer. She had chosen to live in the picturesque Dehradun, where people from across India choose to go in summers. She has travelled extensively in the Northern part of India, discovering the not so well known, yet spectacular places in the nooks and corners of the country.

If given a choice, however, she loves to take up high altitude Himalayan trekking at Alpine valley. A trek to the beautiful Valley of Flowers is not open throughout the year. It is only open to public from the middle of May to August/September. If Sriparna prefers the Valley of Flowers is for its natural scenic beauty, she vouches for the City of Leh for its architecture, people and Tibetan settlements.

She says…
The valley in itself is beautiful with 100s of varieties of Alpine flowers in varied colours covering the landscape, quick passing streams – the beautiful mosaic is real treat for the eyes. The trek that starts from Govind Ghat, 50 km from Badrinath is even more invigorating.

And if one wants to stay near the valley, they need to come back to the base at Ghangaria, where there are small hotels and guest houses. Another option is to put up your own tent by the river side. Joshimet is yet another nearby place where you have luxury hotels.

This is the season when we can explore the many high attitude lakes that are otherwise inaccessible. One such lake that I love visiting is Deoria Tal. It is a great spot for camping. You can cook, eat, and enjoy the fabulous view of the mountains. From there you can choose to take a detour to Auli and Badrinath and several other places in the region.

More Recommendations

Uttarakhand Himalayas
Auli
Kausani
Chaukori
Munsiyari
Outside India
Nepal
Pokhra
Japanese countryside to watch Cherry blossom blooms
Sikkim
Varsey- valley of Rhododendrons

Suhasini, who is yet another avid traveler and a communication professional, loves to go to Srinagar. She shares
If given a choice, I would like to go to Srinagar. Last year, I went with my mother and father to Vaishnodevi and from there we flew to Srinagar.

At Vaishnodevi, we had booked a helicopter ride much in advance, but there was a hail storm and we were forced to traverse the route on horses with hail hitting us. We successfully completed our trip before coming to Srinagar. It was in March and there was snow everywhere.

The Dal Lake was frozen and we stayed just a few metres away from the lake and it was a beautiful experience. There are two luxury hotels in Srinagar that are located at a higher altitude perched on the hill top and from there you can get the view of the entire city, the lake and the flower garden. It is one experience, I would like to repeat.

Kalyan Sriperumbuduri is a Business Analyst from Hyderabad, and a major travel freak. He shares Leh makes for a good summer getaway. This Himalayan destination, otherwise inaccessible, opens to tourists in mid-May and June. I like it for its adventure and visual splendour of this cold desert.

When I last went, I took a flight from Delhi to Leh, and came back by road to Srinagar. It is usually done the other way that works well. From Leh one can visit the Pangong lake at the India – China border. It is a beautiful lake. You may have seen it during the climax scene of ‘Three Idiots’ and several other films.

I also like spending time in Munnar, a hill station in Kerala. Here, there is not much to do, but just being there, staying at any of those resorts that look like they are touching the clouds and enjoying the views. is pure bliss. The resorts in Munnar arrange these small forest treks that you can go on.

We stayed in a Tree house at the Nature Zone resort, and it was like living in the middle of a forest. I also heard Chikmanglur is a good place to visit during summer. I wish to go there someday. This summer I am heading to Manali to take up the Khatrain to Chanderkheni trek, and I am looking forward to it.

Vijaya Pratap is a travel writer, and a documentary film maker. While she has travelled across the world, her heart lies in the Swiss Alps, especially during the hot summer months. She says

In all my travels, there are quite a few places in one world that I would love to revisit, especially in the summer- Switzerland is definitely one of them. The most enchanting hills, clean, crisp air and the silence of the dales beckon me again.

One such is the beautiful Emme Valley in the canton of Berne in Switzerland where the rolling hills and green meadows are filled with yellow and white flowers that sway in the breeze; where plump Swiss cows graze contentedly as their bells make gentle sounds; where an occasional pear tree heavy with white blossoms takes your breath away! Yes, that’s where I want to go back and relive those moments.

If I were to choose one more place, it is in Belgium, the pretty city of Bruges that has already won my heart with its old world charm, scenic lakes, swans and dainty lace; all that it is famous for. Wandering down the old, cobbled streets that lead to countless historical, architectural and artistic wonders; gazing at ornate houses lining intricate canals; the medieval charm transporting me to ages bygone; eating chocolates at every corner; buying art pieces at flea markets, all these add a flavour of exoticism to my holiday, through its art, architecture, history, shopping, entertainment and romance. For me, nothing can match the bliss of a long boat ride where swans swim along and the placid waters hum in a soft voice.

More Destinations
Zermatt in Switzerland: A mountain resort renowned for skiing, climbing and Alpine recreation. The town of Zermatt (elevation: 1,620m) is set below the iconic, snowcapped Matterhorn peak.

Passau in Germany: A German city on the Austrian border, lying at the confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers, also known as the Three Rivers City.

Plitvice Lakes in Croatia: Plitviče Lakes National Park is a 295-sq.-km forest reserve in central Croatia. It's known for a chain of 16 terraced lakes, joined by waterfalls that extend into a limestone canyon.

Ghent in Belgium: A port city in northwest Belgium, at the confluence of the Leie and Scheldt rivers. During the Middle Ages it was a prominent city-state. Today it’s a university town and a cultural hub.

Gdansk in Poland: Gdańsk (Danzig in German) is a port city on the Baltic coast of Poland. At the center of its Main Town, reconstructed after WW II, are the colourful facades of the Long Market, now home to shops and restaurants.

Olomouc in Czech Republic: A university city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. Located on the Morava River, the city is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia.

Bratislava in Slovakia: It is the capital of Slovakiais set along the Danube River by the border with Austria and Hungary. It’s surrounded by vineyards and the Little Carpathian Mountains, crisscrossed with forested hiking and cycling trails.

Aruna Chandaraju is a freelance journalist, photographer, translator, who also loves to write on travel. While she enjoys travel for all the amazing sights she also gets to explore, it is the cultural facets that excite her more. She shares her recommendations for summer, thus :

Among the places I have really enjoyed visiting in summer, and would strongly recommend are Manali in Uttaranchal, Araku in Andhra Pradesh, Solden in Austria and Niagara Falls town in Canada.

Though I visited Manali in summer, it is an year-round destination and crammed in winter too, especially during the New Year. The scenic views in this green valley, cool climate (it dips to 5 degree C at night in summer), and its crisp, clean mountain air itself are justifications enough.

But if you want more, it is a big centre for adventure sports like canyoning, rafting, skiing, mountain biking. And paragliding too, which I tried though it was tandem paragliding. It was very scary as one has to go on horseback to a hilltop and then run off a cliff-sounds almost suicidal and I backed out twice before mustering the courage, the third time! But the great thrill of 'flying' through the lower Himalayas was worth everything!

Araku is our own little and beautiful hill station. It is picturesque, with rolling green hill-scapes, and also offers the best weather during summer in the two states- wonderfully cool. I have also loved the glimpses of tribal culture here and the shopping options of Etikopakka wooden handicrafts, Makavarapalem brassware, tribal artefacts, etc.

Solden in Austria--visited for an official purpose--was simply breathtaking! It has stunningly beautiful views to offer located as it is in the heart of the Alps! It draws tourist hordes in summer and winter too though the latter may be too cold for our tropical bodies.

Often called the skiing capital of Europe, it offers many mountain-related adventure activities, which are great ways to enjoy the Alps though I preferred the more sedate option of gondolas and mountain lifts! The splendid mountain scenery took my breath away.

The Niagara Falls in Canada is a kind of place where you will exhaust all superlatives. The gigantic cascade is jaw-droopingly beautiful! Winter leaves it frozen so summer is an ideal time to visit as we did on an official trip. We viewed the Falls in most of the ways it can be experienced - from the roadside; via a cruise to the mouth of the falls where you feel its thundering might; walking around and through tunnels to an observation deck and feel the spray all over you; a helicopter ride over it, etc.

Vidya and Navin Sigamany, who work in Hyderabad, escape the corporate grind whenever possible to chase dreams in lands near and far. From Coimbatore to Cairo and Mumbai to Milan - any destination is fair game during the holiday! Navin shares

In India, I would like to go back to Kodaikanal to spend a few days of summer. Even though, it is commercialised and crowded; most of the day-tourism happens in central Kodaikanal. You can explore these little places in the outskirts that are pleasant and not so populated. And the place is so small that there is no way you can get lost.

Take relaxed long walks, people are friendly here, and life goes on at a slow pace. There are affordable home stays available. The eateries are not just for tourists, and are available for locals too. You get good baked stuff and tea. The food is basic, but good, and not very expensive. Kodaikanal, over the years has taken measures to reduce environmental pollution, and has turned into a very pleasant destination.

Italy is also a good place to go to, especially now. It is pleasant and the biting cold of March would have passed. Yet, the tourist season is yet to begin in Italy (which is usually July and August onwards), and so you will get to stay at a lower cost. The eateries are less expensive, the historical sites would have opened, but the tickets will be prices low.

The flower beds would be laid in March, and the flowers would start to bloom in the many gardens, and for Indians this is the right time to visit Italy when it is more pocket friendly and less crowded, and mostly filled with friendly locals. You can visit smaller towns of Italy like Florence, Tuscany, Vienna that are really good.

Usha Tummala is an architect and an avid traveller. She loves to go to Australia to beat the heat. Australia being in the Southern Hemisphere has completely opposite seasons to us, their summer is infact during Christmas! So which better place to head during the summer!?

The months from March to May are comfortable for travel, and at times there is a cool drizzle in the evening which is like the icing on the cake. Australia is best experienced by long road trips as you get to sample coffee, cheese, chocolate, liqueur and wine all across the vast country.

For the more bucolic traveler, Australia offers coastal scenery,heritage and of course some exotic wildlife. My most unforgettable experience is the penguin parade at sunset where one can watch the magic of the worlds smallest penguins make their way to their homes after a long day in the sea. Do go to Australia,where else can you feed a kangaroo and hug a Koala!?

Mahesh Babu
I am someone, who never misses out on summer vacation and love to spend quality time with my family away from work. In fact, we recently returned from a Goan holiday where we had great time chilling out. I don’t have a specific summer destination, but prefer places where I can try out an activity besides cooling my heels.

Taapsee
To me, holiday always means beach destinations, and I am more fascinated with Europe. In India, I prefer Andamans. Also, I don't repeat my holiday destinations and I try and look for some good food and adventure sports. Recently, I’ve been to the US and explored quite a lot of that country.

Sukumar
My favourite holiday destination is the US. I usually take breaks and spend leisure time with my family and relatives in California. I love the Anaheim beaches. I recently came from a US holiday

Tamannaah
There’s nothing like a favourite summer destination, but I would like to chill out in Europe (Paris and Amsterdam). I keep travelling to various places for shootings, so I need to really plan to take off and go on a holiday.

Compiled by: Rajeshwari Kalyanam & Sashidhar Adivi