Issue 81: Snow Destinations of India — Gulmarg, Auli and Manali
January 2026: our snow issue. Gulmarg, Auli and Manali, the passes, the roads, and how to enjoy the Himalayan winter slowly and safely.
Editorial, Hill Station
Skiing in Auli
Skiing is a popular winter sport that annually draws millions of people to the mountains. Auli, located in the northern […]
Hill Station, Himachal Pradesh
The Town to Skip If the Road Is Shut
Sometimes the best decision on a snow trip is to give up on the famous town. Here is how to tell when, and where to go instead.
Adventure, Uttarakhand
One Meadow You Walk To
Above the ski slopes of Auli, a forest path leads to a high meadow with one of Garhwal’s finest Himalayan views. In winter, it is worth every step.
Fairs & Festivals, Nagaland
The morning the festival is quiet
Before the crowds arrive, the Kisama grounds are calm: smoke from morung kitchens, performers drinking tea, carvings you can actually look at. Why early mornings are the best of Hornbill.
Fairs & Festivals, Nagaland
One tribe’s explanation, not a costume list
Instead of listing every Naga tribe’s costume, we try to understand one: the Angami of Kohima, their villages, khels, terraces, gates, Sekrenyi festival and the questions worth asking.
Fairs & Festivals, Nagaland
Kohima before the stadium
Give Kohima a full, slow day before the Hornbill Festival: the War Cemetery, Kohima Village, the market and Aradura Hill, and why that context changes how you see Kisama.
Fairs & Festivals, Nagaland
A village night that is not the main stage
Step away from the Kisama arena for one night in a Naga village homestay: the hearth, the dinner table, the cold morning walk, and how it changes the festival.
Fairs & Festivals, Nagaland
A portrait with permission
How to photograph people at the Hornbill Festival and in Nagaland respectfully: asking first, children and elders, money, light, captions and when to put the camera down.
Fairs & Festivals, Nagaland
Kisama, and the hour you should leave
How a Hornbill Festival day at the Naga Heritage Village in Kisama tends to run, why mornings are best, and why the hour you leave matters as much as when you arrive.
