8 UNDERRATED DESTINATIONS IN INDIA

　Someone wise once said, ‘About half the things in life are underrated. The other half are overrated.’ While we don’t necessarily agree with this sentiment, we do believe that especially when it comes to travelling, there are many locations – especially in a large country like India – that many people don’t even know. And those who know them don’t rate them.
　So we’ve made it our business to make a list of all the underrated travel destinations in India. Make sure you check some of these off your list on your next visit.
Auli, Uttarakhand
Notwithstanding the destruction caused by the floods last year, Auli is still the least known destination for ski buffs. Little known to many people, Auli hosts the National Championships of Snow Skiing, and it also has the world’s highest artificial lake right next to Clifftop Hotel. We generally tend to associate snow with Himachal and Kashmir, but humble Lambasingi
, quaint Auli deserves more than she gets. The state is called ‘Dev Bhoomi’, which means ‘the land of the Gods’. Indeed, anyone who has visited Auli will believe this to be true, because somewhere in the snow-clad mountain peaks, amid the crystal clear waters and pristine whiteness, it’s not hard to imagine fairy folk and angels prancing about.
Unakoti, Tripura
In the local language, the word ‘unakoti’ means one less than a crore. Legend has it that when Lord Shiva went to Kashi along with a crore other gods and goddesses, they halted for a night at this place. The next morning, though, the Lord of Destruction woke up early and performed all his ablutions only to find the rest of them sleeping. Seething in anger, he cursed them all to be stones for eternity, and they became beautiful carvings of smooth rock that exist to this day. Whether your forte is history, mythology, sculpture or nature, you will find your fix at Unakoti.
Killar-Kishtwar Highway, Himachal Pradesh
This is right up your alley if you have the blood of an adventurer flowing in your veins. It’s a treacherous, rock-ridden ride from Himachal Pradesh to Jammu & Kashmir, but it can also be life-changing. Best covered on a bike with fellow bikers and enthusiasts, this scenic mountain pass is in equal parts fun, adventurous and exhilarating. Just keep yourself updated on news about landslides and roadblocks that may affect your journey. Not many people know of this place, and of those who know, very few dare to make this trip, so be sure to take pictures as evidence that you had indeed been there, done that.
Lonar Crater, Maharashtra
Formed by meteor impact in the Pleistocene epoch (570,000 years ago), the Lonar Crater in Maharashtra houses a lake that is both fresh and salty in nature. Along the edges, the water is fresh, but in the middle, the water is alkaline. Both these waters don’t mix, so they house completely different flora and fauna. It finds mentions in historical documents such as Ain-e-Akbari and also in the Skanda Purana and the Padma Purana.
Loktak Lake, Manipur
Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India. It is also sometimes called the only ‘floating lake’ in the world because it has floating within it various elements of vegetation, soil and other composites. The name ‘loktak’ means ‘stream’s end’, which signifies that all the streams in the state lead to this lake. Imagine a large water mass with tufts of grass and other decomposing plant material floating on it, arranged neatly in circles. If you’re lucky, you can even catch sight of the endangered Sangai deer.
Lambasingi, Andhra Pradesh
Who said that it doesn’t snow in South India? If you go to Lambasingi, a small village situated off Chintapalli mandal in Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, you will not be able to see the Sun before 10 AM on any given day, and in the afternoon, fog begins to collect from around 4 PM onwards. Temperatures are in the range of 0-10 degrees Celsius, and that means that Lambasingi is the only place in South India that can boast of snowfall. So why go to Kashmir or Himachal when you can go to Lambasingi? Discover it before everyone else does.
Kasar Devi, Uttarakhand
Kasar Devi is a village near Almora, Uttarakhand. It is named after the Kasar Devi Temple, a Devi temple that stands in the village. Probably most famous for being Swami Vivekananda’s meditation retreat, in the 1960s it became quite a destination of choice for many foreigners taken in with the hippie movement. Crank’s Ridge, or Hippie Hill as the locals call it, has housed legends like Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg and Cat Stevens who visited the peak during the hippie movement. It continues to attract trekkers and nature lovers to this day.
Haflong, Assam
The only hill station in Assam, Haflong is a small town that derives its name from a Dimasa word that means ‘Ant Hill’. Haflong is known for its cool climate, local liquor and an overwhelming love of pork. The Haflong Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in all of North East India, so if you’re travelling to that part of the country, make sure you have Haflong on your ‘must see’ list. One of the interesting pieces of trivia about Haflong is that it has an average literacy rate of 92%.