Cool retreats Hill stations swamped by tourists fleeing heat

Until recently, the drive up the mountainous road to Landour was a highlight of a visit to the hilltop town, as drivers enjoyed glorious Himalayan views and breathed in the cool forest air. Today, the journey is something to be endured with up to 1,000 cars a day clogging the narrow, winding road - slowing to navigate hairpin bends. A journey that once took five to six hours from Delhi can now take up to 10 hours, especially at weekends in May and June.

- By Sapna Gopal UTTARAKHAND

Sitting in the foothills of the Himalayas at an altitude of more than 2,100 metres, Landour, a town of fewer than 4,000 people, was built by the British Indian army in the early 1820s as a convalescence station, thanks to its cooler temperatures. Although it is little more than 4km from Mussoorie, a popular tourist destination known as the “queen of the hills”, Landour was considered off the beaten track and attracted few visitors.

But today, the oven-like heat in India's cities has led to a big increase in visitors to the country's popular hill stations, encouraging people to explore lesser-known, more remote villages such as Landour. Now, this once tranquil haven, where tourists could delight in birdsong and the scent of warm cakes from the teahouses, is filled with the sounds of honking horns and the reek of exhaust fumes.

Exposure during the pandemic, when social media influencers started to visit Landour and highlight its isolation and lack of crowds in videos, has also contributed to its rising popularity.