My Travel Pursuits: Autumn Colours in India

"Delicious autumn!

My very soul is wedded to it,

and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth

seeking the successive autumns."

George Eliot

When 22 September heralded the onset of Autumn Equinox, pictures of beautiful fall foliage naturally started flooding my social media feed. This prompted me to jot down this pictorial blogpost.

Autumn is nature’s way of weaving magic by changing the colour of the leaves of deciduous trees from green to red, yellow, brown, purple, and orange. Typically India is not a fall destination. The only places in India where we can witness and experience fall foliage are the foothills of the Himalayas such as Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim.

I got my chance to experience fall foliage when I travelled to the above mentioned places over the years. Enjoy the collection of a few autumn pictures through my pictorial narrative.

My first brush with autumn colours was when I saw this tree from afar during my visit to Lansdowne (Uttarakhand) in first week of December 2012. I walked up to this tree to be mesmerized by its yellow-coloured leaves.

autumn colours in Lansdowne

autumn colours in Lansdowne

It was in late September 2017 during my solotripping to Leh and Pangong Tso (Ladakh), I had my next brush with beautiful autumn colours. These trees were in the neighbourhood where my accommodation was located. They towered above me as their golden coloured foliage added to the beauty of the area.

autumn colours in Leh

Some autumn colours on the banks of the absolutely beautiful Pangong Tso in Smangmik village.

autumn colours in Pangong Tso

The visit to Spiti Valley and Kalpa (Himachal Pradesh) in late November 2017 rewarded me with gorgeous autumn colours. It was an absolute delight to be surrounded amidst these beautiful autumn landscape.