Horsley Hills, Patnitop and other monsoon getaways

We invited readers to tell us all about the places they head to -- be it an idyllic beach or a breathtaking hill station -- when the heavens open up.

Kiran Thota from Hyderabad tells us all about Horsley Hills.

Getaway: Horsley Hills

Distance between your town and the getaway: 500 km

Nearest railhead: Madanapalle Road

Nearest airport: Tirupati

How to get there by road: Buses run from Tirupati, Anantpur and Bangalore

Where to stay: AP Tourism Resorts. Visit: www.aptourism.org

Room tariff: Rs 900 to 2,500 depending on the type of the room

Where to eat: AP Tourism Resort and couple of roadside stalls

What to see: Horsley hills is a hill station and there are some points to see on the hill. Rishi Valley school is a must visit place.

What to shop for: Hand-made pottery in villages near Horsley hills.

Describe your experience: Horsley Hills is a good place to visit during monsoons and also during winters. The crowd during this period is very little and so is an ideal place for monsoons.

Click here to recommend your favourite monsoon weekend getaway to our readers. Tell us where you go, how you go, how far it is from your city, where accommodation is available, what there is to do -- the works.Feel free to upload your own photographs and videos too!All entries that make the cut will be published right here on rediff.com (Note: email addresses will not be disclosed).

Paramita Mohanti from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh tells us about Bastar:

Getaway: Bastar

Distance between your town and the getaway: 320km

Nearest railhead: Jagdalpur (though with limited trains)

Nearest airport: Raipur

How to get there by road: Taxis / buses available from Raipur

Where to stay: Naman Bastar Resort, Village Pali, Jagdalpur

Room tariff: Starting from Rs 2,500 per night

Where to eat: Naman Bastar

What to see: Chitrakote Falls, Tirathgarh Falls, Kotamsar Caves, Keshkal Ghat, Kanger Valley National Park

What to shop for: Bell metal artefacts, Bastar woodwork, Kosa silk material and Sarees

Describe your experience: I had been to Bastar twice, once during the monsoons. We enjoyed the lovely green surroundings, heavy waterfalls and beautiful green Keshkal Ghats.

The rains welcomed us. We loved the hot bhajiya and tea near the Tirathgarh falls. We bathed in the waterfall here.

Chitrakote, the horseshoe-shape waterfall, looks like mini Niagara. It was roaring in its full fury. One misses one's heartbeat seeing it's force.

The Kotamsar caves have beautiful stalactite formations inside it. However during rains, one can't enter the jungle nor these caves.

Bastar is a perfect getaway for people in Central India.

More about Bastar from our archives

Nimish Nerlekar from Hyderabad shares with us his favourite monsoon getaway. Hear from him about Tyda, Araku Valley

Getaway: Tyda, Araku Valley

Distance between your town and the getaway: 670 Km

Nearest railhead: Aruku

Nearest airport: Visakhapatnam

How to get there by road: (Follow this route) Hyderabad-Suryapet-Khammam-Rajahmundry-Anakapalli-Tyda

Where to stay: Jungle Bells, Tyda Village, Visakhapatnam District, Tel: +91 891 271 3135, 274 6446

Room tariff: Up to Rs 1,800 + taxes

Where to eat: There isn't much of a choice. Stick to the resort's food, which is decent.

What to see: Aruku Valley, Borra Caves, Botanical gardens, trek into the jungle.

What to shop for: Coffee and Wild Honey sold on the roadside!

Describe your experience: We drove down to Tyda/Aruku at the end of monsoon last year wishing there will be no rain. However, as luck may have it, the rains were at the peak when we reached the foothills of Aurku.

The drive was simply amazing with the winding road, wet and full of excitement (read scary!). Tyda's Jungle Bells is a place where there are no televisions, no mobile signals and absolutely no entertainment.

The cottages were placed with a good distance from each other so that gave the place an amazing privacy in the wilderness. An odd monkey would land on your roof and any slightest of sounds can make you wonder which wild animal will pass by.

Watching the rain and sip coffee (or whatever you wish) in the verandah was all we did the whole day. They do take you for trek early in the morning and I would definitely recommend anyone with a decent amount of stamina to do it.

More pictures from Nimish's album

Gurpreet Singh from Jammu tells us all about Patnitop and how to get there!

Getaway: Patnitop

Distance between your town and the getaway: 115 km

Nearest railhead: Udhampur, Jammu

Nearest airport: Jammu

How to get there by road: Car, Taxi, Motorbike

Where to stay: J&K Tourism Huts and lot of Hotels

Room tariff: Rs.500 - Rs 3,000 per day

Where to eat: Dhabas provide simple and tasty food and some fast food outlets.

What to see: Several meadows enveloped by thick forests of Deodar (Cedar) and Kail (Blue Pine) trees, and affords peaceful walks amidst conifer groves, beautiful spots for enjoyable picnics and breath taking views of the Chenab basin and the Pir Panjal range beyond. For solace one can visit the beautifully located Nag Mandir at Karlah village.

What to shop for: Kud, small town 10 km from patnitop has a market, which has dhabas, general stores and pharmacy. Go for the famous Patisa and Kalakand by Prem Sweets at kud and lot of fresh vegetables on the way.

Describe your experience: The experience has always been wonderful. Lot of good scenery, cool fresh air, pure water springs, and adding spice to the trip are on the way spot of Jhajjar Kotli and neighbouring Patnitop, the spot called Sanasar.