Stunningly green places in India to go for Forest Therapy

If you are one of those people, who call themselves “tree huggers’’, you will know what Forest Therapy is. The uninitiated would know it by the warm, calm feeling they get every time they take a walk in a forest, which is more of a luxury now. This story is what you need if you have been craving for some green respite in life. While we have some really famous names that deserve a place, let us stick to the more offbeat ones, for forests should be sans any major human interference.

Agumbe
Forget forests, Agumbe has rainforests that are so green that you might be in a temporary daze once you reach. A reserved zone, Agumbe Reserved Forest sprawls in the Western Ghats of South India, in Karnataka’s Shimoga to be precise. A hill station, it is also the place where the cult TV show, Malgudi Days, was shot in parts. Expect surprisingly rich biodiversity and a lot of rains when here. Perhaps your place if you love rains and forests in equal measure.
Kudremukh
Another treasure in Karnataka, this small hill station is replete with nature’s bounty, almost looking like a never-ending meadow. Kudremukh should be your go-to if you are in love with hiking, trekking, waterfall hunts and all things that take one away from the madding crowd. The hills around are largely untouched and make for the perfect place for camping or a day out in the woods.

Chitkul
High up in the Himalayas, at 3450 m, there is a place that is still very green and magical, even in the face of growing tourism. This hamlet lies in the mountains by the side of River Baspa, and is surrounded with towering pines. The forests around are so dense in some places that even daylight finds it difficult to find its way to the ground. A few camps have recently sprung up in Chitkul, and you can book for a stay there. My word would be to set up a camp by the river there, waking up in the green and falling asleep to the gregarious sound of water.
Kalpa
This is perhaps one of the most beautiful places in India, again surrounded by the mighty Himalayas. While the centre of this small town by River Sutlej is seeing a spurt of hotels and restaurants for tourists, the outskirts are very much untouched. Do not forget to look up often as you find peace in the woods here, for there is the very stunning Kinner-Kailash range that would be surrounding you all the time.

Dzongu
Dzongu village, at just a 2-hour drive from Gangtok, is a forested surprise. This is wedged in the mountains by one side of River Teesta, right by the Kanchendzonga National Park, and thus makes for a great forest escape. Here, you can roam in the nearby hills, come across sudden waterfalls, have some really interesting time bird-watching, and a lot more. A few homestays here would make your stay all the more comfortable; in Dzongu, your hosts are your best guides for the forests around.

The forests of Peora in Uttarakhand, Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh, Kaziranga’s lush greens in Assam, and the escapes in Meghalayan hills are some of our other favourite names that deserve a mention here. So yes, now you can give a green twist to your vacation, and go in for some real Forest Therapy too.