Warm and dry — the spring green fades to gold, and the springs run low.

Season by season

A year in the hills

The same hillside is never quite the same place twice. Across the year it turns through its ritu — five faces of one mountain, each with its own colour and weather, its own fruit and festival, its own mood. Step inside any one below to see it whole.

Wondering when to come? See the year at a glance

Ritu

/ ri·tu /ऋतु

KumaoniSeason

season — a turn of the year, each with its own weather, food and festivals — the hills live by them.

Spring· March – April

Buransh paints the whole hillside crimson, and the year begins again.

Prime time

In nature: Buransh in bloom · The forest wakes · Birdsong at dawn
Fruits & flowers: Buransh (rhododendron) · Plum & peach blossom · Mimosa (kesari) · Wild apricot (chuli) · First kafal
On the table: First spring greens · Buransh juice · Buransh chutney
Mornings, evenings & nights: Soft bright mornings · Warm easy afternoons · Cool evenings
Rain, snow & sun: Dry & clear · Mild through the day
How busy it gets: Busy, not crowded · Holi & weekends peak
What to watch for: Book the long weekends · Carry a light layer
Don't miss: A walk through the buransh · A glass of buransh juice
Festivals: Phool Dei · Holi · Bikhauti · Wedding season
What people try: Long forest walks · Photographing the blooms · Planting a tree
In the farms — and what's next: Wheat & barley · Kitchen gardens sown

Step inside Spring

Summer· May – June

Warm and dry — the spring green fades to gold, and the springs run low.

Easy days

In nature: Green fades to gold · The forest quietens · Streams run thin
Fruits & flowers: Kafal · Kilmod, hisalu & bamore · Kulam, khubani & aaru · Golden grass
On the table: Cucumbers & gourds · Buttermilk (chhanch) · Plains mangoes
Mornings, evenings & nights: Bright warm mornings · Hot middays · Cool nights
Rain, snow & sun: Warm & dry · Water at its scarcest
How busy it gets: Peak season · Holidays fill fast
What to watch for: Book well ahead · Water is scarce · Hazy, busier roads
Don't miss: Kafal off the branch · A cool terrace evening
Festivals: Ganga Dussehra · Temple fairs · Wedding season
What people try: Shady terrace days · Fruit-plucking · Last treks before the rains
In the farms — and what's next: Wheat harvest · Terraces readied

Step inside Summer

Monsoon· July – September

Beautiful, but wild — and honestly, not the time to come.

Best avoided

In nature: Impossibly green · Waterfalls overnight · Frogs & fireflies · An unstable mountain
Fruits & flowers: Aaru & naspati · First sauo · Wild mushrooms
On the table: Wild mushrooms · Lingude (fern greens) · Roasted corn · Pakoras
Mornings, evenings & nights: Grey misty mornings · Sudden bright spells · Heavy evening rain
Rain, snow & sun: Heavy rain · Leeches on the trails · Landslides & washouts
How busy it gets: The quietest months · There's a reason
What to watch for: Road washouts · Leeches & damp · Power & signal cuts · Unreliable travel
Don't miss: Cloud filling the valley · Rain on a tin roof
Festivals: Harela · Raksha Bandhan · Olgia (Ghee Sankranti)
What people try: Reading by the window · Fireside days
In the farms — and what's next: Madua & jhangora · Rice & beans

Step inside Monsoon

Autumn· October – November

The clearest skies of the year — the finest the hills ever get.

Prime time

In nature: The clearest air · Razor-sharp peaks · Golden light
Fruits & flowers: Sauo & naspati · Walnuts · Pomegranate (dadim) · Marigold & cosmos · Last wildflowers
On the table: Madua roti · New rice · Bhatt & gahat · Walnuts & winter roots
Mornings, evenings & nights: Crisp bright mornings · Warm gentle days · Star-thick nights
Rain, snow & sun: Dry, crisp & clear · Cold after dark
How busy it gets: Festival weeks busy · Then it eases
What to watch for: Cold nights · Book the festival dates
Don't miss: The Himalaya at its sharpest · A sky full of stars · Harvest festivals
Festivals: Khatarua · Dussehra · Diwali · Harvest celebrations · Wedding season
What people try: Long treks · Photographing the peaks · Stargazing & bonfires
In the farms — and what's next: Harvest & threshing · Wheat & barley sown

Step inside Autumn

Winter· December – February

Frost, woodsmoke, snow on the ridges — and absolute silence.

Snow season

In nature: Frost on the grass · Woodsmoke in the air · Snow on the ridges · A hushed forest
Fruits & flowers: Naring & malta · Bare orchards · First buransh buds
On the table: Gahat ke dubke · Bhatt ki churkani · Jhangora kheer · Jaggery & sesame
Mornings, evenings & nights: Late frosty mornings · Short bright days · Long cold nights
Rain, snow & sun: Properly cold · Snow on the heights
How busy it gets: Mostly quiet · Snow & New Year rush
What to watch for: Freezing nights · Snow can block roads · Short days, odd cuts
Don't miss: Snow on the ridgelines · A fire and a quilt · The deep winter silence
Festivals: Makar Sankranti (Uttarayani) · Ghughutiya · Winter fairs · Wedding season
What people try: Curling up by the fire · Snow-watching · Short sunny walks
In the farms — and what's next: Wheat & barley · Pruned orchards · The most peaceful fields

Step inside Winter