Chhattisgarh Travel Guide: Where to Go, When to Visit

Photo: Gsrinivasarao4, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

Chhattisgarh is a forested state in central India, rice country in the middle and hills to the north and south. Travellers come for the waterfalls and caves of Bastar, the weekly markets and crafts of its adivasi (tribal) villages, old brick and stone temples, and a Dussehra that lasts for weeks. It is still lightly visited, so the roads are quiet and the welcome is simple.

Rivers that fall off the plateau, and markets that come together once a week.

Where to go

• Chitrakote Falls: the Indravati river pours over a wide, curved cliff about 40 km from Jagdalpur, at its fullest from July to October.
• Kanger Valley National Park: forest, the Tirathgarh falls and the limestone caves of Kotumsar. The park and caves close in the monsoon and reopen around 1 October.
• Jagdalpur and the Bastar markets: the town's Anthropological Museum, weekly village haats, and dhokra bell-metal casting at Kondagaon.
• Sirpur: the brick Lakshman temple and old Buddhist monasteries on the Mahanadi.
• Bhoramdeo: a carved stone temple among hills near Kawardha.
• Dongargarh: the Bamleshwari temple on a hilltop, reached by a long stairway or a ropeway. See Chhattisgarh's temples.
• Rajim: an old temple town where three rivers meet, busiest during the February fair.
• Mainpat: a cool plateau in Surguja with Tibetan settlements and viewpoints over the forest.
• Achanakmar and Barnawapara: sal forests north of Bilaspur and east of Raipur, for quiet wildlife drives.

Main cities

Raipur is the capital and the usual way in, with a new planned capital, Nava Raipur (Atal Nagar), on its edge. Visitors use it as a base for Sirpur, Rajim and Barnawapara. The other cities are gateways to the regions around them.

• Bhilai and Durg: twin cities west of Raipur, known for the steel plant and as the junction for trains west.
• Bilaspur: the Mahamaya temple at Ratanpur and the road to Achanakmar.
• Jagdalpur: the base for Bastar's falls, caves, markets and the Dussehra.
• Ambikapur: the gateway to Mainpat and the hills of Surguja.
• Rajnandgaon: the stop for Dongargarh.
• Raigarh: a town of Kathak dance and music, home to the Chakradhar Samaroh.
• Korba and Kanker: Korba is a coal and power town in the north; Kanker, on the road to Bastar, has a small palace below rocky hills.

Hill stations

Chhattisgarh has no classic hill stations. Most of its cities, including Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg and Korba, sit on the plains, and Jagdalpur is on a low plateau.

The one place that feels like a hill station is Mainpat, a plateau at about 1,085 metres in Surguja, about 50 km from Ambikapur. Tibetan refugees were settled here in 1962–63, and their camps, monastery and woollen weaving are part of the visit. There are viewpoints such as Tiger Point and Fish Point, and Jaljali, a patch of spongy ground that shakes underfoot.

Amarkantak, the source of the Narmada, is often listed with Chhattisgarh but lies just across the border in Madhya Pradesh. For a full hill station, go to Pachmarhi in the Satpura hills; see Madhya Pradesh.

Festivals

• Rajim Kumbh Kalp (February): a fortnight of bathing, worship and a fair at the river confluence in Rajim.
• Hareli (July or August): the first festival of the farming year, when farm tools are worshipped and children walk on bamboo stilts called gedi.
• Chakradhar Samaroh (August or September): ten evenings of classical music and dance in Raigarh during the Ganesh festival.
• Bastar Dussehra (about 75 days, ending in October): a festival for the goddess Danteshwari, with a huge wooden chariot pulled through Jagdalpur and a council of village heads, the Muria Darbar. In 2026 it runs from 12 August to 27 October.

Dates follow the Hindu calendar and shift each year; check before you go.

Food to try

• Chila: a thin rice-flour pancake, eaten for breakfast with tomato or green chutney.
• Fara: steamed rice-flour dumplings tossed with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
• Bore baasi: cooked rice left in water overnight, eaten in summer with onion, chilli and pickle.
• Thethri and khurmi: crisp fried snacks, one savoury and one sweet, made for festivals such as Hareli.
• Chaprah: a sharp chutney of red ants and their eggs, sold in the markets of Bastar.

Stories from Chhattisgarh

• Temples of Chhattisgarh: Dongargarh, Sirpur and Bastar Dussehra
• Chhattisgarh Hill Stations: Mainpat, Chaiturgarh and Jashpur
• Cities in Chhattisgarh: Raipur, Bilaspur, Jagdalpur and More

Plan your visit

Best season	October to February is cool and dry, best for temples, caves and forests. The waterfalls are at their fullest from July to October, but Kanger Valley and its caves close in the monsoon. March to June is hot.
How to reach	Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur, is the main airport; Jagdalpur (Maa Danteshwari Airport), Bilaspur and Ambikapur have smaller regional airports. The main railway stations are Raipur Junction, Durg Junction and Bilaspur Junction; Jagdalpur is on the line from Visakhapatnam.
Getting around	Trains link Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur and Raigarh. Elsewhere, travel is by road: hire a car with a driver from Raipur or Jagdalpur, as public buses are slow and sights are spread out.
Where to stay	Raipur for the centre (Sirpur, Rajim, Barnawapara); Jagdalpur for Bastar; Ambikapur or Mainpat for the north; Kawardha for Bhoramdeo; Bilaspur for Ratanpur and Achanakmar.
How long to spend	Three or four days for Jagdalpur, Chitrakote and Kanger Valley. A week to add Raipur, Sirpur and Bhoramdeo; ten days with Mainpat.
Permits	No permits are needed. Kanger Valley National Park and Kotumsar Cave close in the monsoon and usually reopen around 1 October. In Bastar, keep to the main tourist routes around Jagdalpur, avoid night drives on remote forest roads, and ask locally before going into the far south (Bijapur, Sukma, Narayanpur).

Open Chhattisgarh, India in Google Maps

Questions people ask

What is the best time to visit Chhattisgarh?

October to February for comfortable weather. Go in August to October to see Chitrakote Falls at full flow and the Bastar Dussehra.

Is Bastar safe to visit?

The tourist circuit around Jagdalpur, including Chitrakote, Tirathgarh and Kanger Valley, is regularly visited and well connected. Stay on main routes, travel by day, and check local advice before going deeper into south Bastar.

Is Kanger Valley open in the monsoon?

No. The park and Kotumsar Cave close for the monsoon and reopen around 1 October. Tirathgarh falls has usually stayed open; check with the forest office.

Does Chhattisgarh have hill stations?

Not in the classic sense. Mainpat, a plateau at about 1,085 metres in Surguja, is the nearest thing. Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh is the closest full hill station.

How do I reach Chitrakote Falls?

Fly or take a train to Jagdalpur, then drive about 40 km. From Raipur it is a long day's drive of around 270 km.

Written by Muthu, editor of Aura of India. Sources: Bastar District, Government of Chhattisgarh: places of interest, Surguja Division, Government of Chhattisgarh: Mainpat, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board: Rajim Kumbh Kalp. Last verified: 13 October 2026.

Your turn: Have you been to a Bastar weekly market or the Dussehra in Jagdalpur? What should a first-time visitor not miss?