Aura of India: Gujarat Hill Stations: Saputara, Don, Wilson Hills and Girnar

Saputara lake under green hills on a cloudy day in the Dang district of Gujarat

Photo: JB Kalola (patel), CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

Cloud low over the lake at Saputara in the August rains, the forested Sahyadri ridges of the Dangs all round.

Gujarat has one hill station and a handful of sacred hills, and the best of them are about rain, forest and stone steps rather than cool air.

Saputara and the Dang hills

Saputara is the only place Gujarat Tourism calls a hill station. It sits at about 1,000 m in the Sahyadri, the northern end of the Western Ghats, in Dang district on the Maharashtra border. It is a small planned town around a lake, with boating, a sunrise walk to Gandhi Shikhar, sunset points on the plateau edge, and forest on every side. The hills are greenest, and busiest, in the monsoon; in 2026 the state's Saputara Monsoon Festival ran through most of August.

The rest of the Dangs is quieter. Don is a plateau village near the border, at about the same height as Saputara and some say higher. It has few places to stay and suits a long day out from Ahwa, the district town. Near Waghai, the Gira falls drop about 30 m into the Ambika river, but only in and just after the rains.

Wilson Hills and the Valsad forests

Wilson Hills is a forested ridge at about 750 m, some 27 km from Dharampur in Valsad district, beside the Pangarbari Wildlife Sanctuary. On a clear day the district says you can glimpse the Arabian Sea from the top, which is rare for a hill in India. There is a marble chhatri (a domed open pavilion) on the summit, a few viewpoints and forest roads. It is the nearest hill country to Surat and Valsad, and works best as a day trip or a night in Dharampur.

Girnar and Pavagadh: hills of pilgrimage

Two hills on old lists are holy mountains, and are best visited as such. Girnar rises above Junagadh in Saurashtra. Its highest summit, Gorakhnath, at about 1,117 m, is the highest point in Gujarat. Hindu and Jain temples line a stone stairway usually said to have about 10,000 steps. A ropeway from Bhavnath Taleti lifts pilgrims to the Amba Mata temple, saving roughly half the climb; the higher shrines are still on foot.

Pavagadh, in Panchmahal district, rises to about 800 m out of a flat plain. The Kalika Mata temple stands on the summit, reached by road to Machi, then a ropeway or a long walk, then steps. At its foot lies Champaner, a fifteenth-century capital of the Gujarat sultans, and together they form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Navratri crowds here are very large.

The Aravalli edge: Polo Forest and Idar

In the north-east, Gujarat meets the last of the Aravalli. Polo Forest, near Vijaynagar in Sabarkantha district, is dry deciduous woodland along the Harnav river, with the ruins of fifteenth-century Hindu and Jain temples among the trees. It is about 150 km from Ahmedabad and 70 km from Himmatnagar. Idar, about 115 km from Ahmedabad, is an old town under rounded granite hills, with a fort, Idariyo Gadh, on top.

Neither is a hill station; both are best on a cool winter morning. Bhuj and Thol, on some old lists, are a desert town and a bird lake on the plains.

Rain in the south, winter in the north

The Dang and Valsad hills are at their best from July to September, when the waterfalls run and cloud sits on the ridges. That is also when they are busiest: the Saputara Monsoon Festival ran from 8 to 29 August in 2026.

The old narrow-gauge train from Bilimora to Waghai, the slow classic way into the Dangs, was cancelled until further notice from late July 2026 after a technical fault. Check with Western Railway before planning around it; otherwise go by bus or car from Surat, Navsari or Bilimora. Girnar, Pavagadh, Polo Forest and Idar are best from November to February, when an early start up the steps is a pleasure.

Hill stations to know

Saputara (Dang, altitude about 1,000 m): Gujarat's one hill station, a lake town on the Maharashtra border.
Don (Dang, altitude about 1,000 m): a quiet plateau village, best as a day trip.
Gira Falls (Dang): a wide monsoon waterfall near Waghai, dry for much of the year.
Wilson Hills (Valsad, altitude about 750 m): forest, viewpoints and, on clear days, a glimpse of the sea.
Girnar (Junagadh, altitude about 1,117 m): Gujarat's highest summit, with temples, steps and a ropeway.
Pavagadh (Panchmahal, altitude about 800 m): a hilltop temple above the ruins of Champaner.
Polo Forest (Sabarkantha): old temple ruins in Aravalli woodland.
Idar (Sabarkantha): granite hills and a fort above an old town.

In Gujarat you climb a hill for the rain, the view or the shrine at the top, and almost never for the cold.

Plan your visit

Best season	July to September for Saputara, Don, Wilson Hills and Gira Falls, when the hills are green; November to February for Girnar, Pavagadh, Polo Forest and Idar. April to June is hot almost everywhere.
How to reach	Surat for Saputara (Gujarat Tourism puts Surat airport about 120 km away) and Wilson Hills; Junagadh station, or Rajkot airport about 103 km away, for Girnar; Vadodara airport and station for Pavagadh; Ahmedabad for Polo Forest and Idar.
Getting around	State buses reach Saputara, Junagadh and Idar. A hired car is easier for Don, Wilson Hills and Polo Forest.
Ropeways and fees	The Girnar ropeway runs from Bhavnath Taleti, 7 am to 5 pm on the operator's site; the standard adult return fare in 2026 was ₹699. Pavagadh has a ropeway from Machi. Fares change, so check before you go.
Where to stay	Saputara town; Ahwa or Waghai for Don and Gira; Dharampur for Wilson Hills; Junagadh for Girnar; Vadodara for Pavagadh; Vijaynagar or Idar for Polo Forest.
How long to spend	Two nights at Saputara with a day for Don; a day for Wilson Hills; a full day for Girnar; a day for Pavagadh and Champaner together. More in our Gujarat guide.

Open Saputara, Dang, Gujarat in Google Maps

Questions people ask

Is Saputara really the only hill station in Gujarat?

Gujarat Tourism calls it the only one. Don and Wilson Hills have few facilities, and Girnar and Pavagadh are pilgrimage mountains.

How many steps are there on Girnar?

About 10,000 to the top, by the usual count; the ropeway operator gives 9,999. The ropeway to the Amba Mata temple saves roughly the first 5,000, but the higher temples, including Gorakhnath and Dattatreya, are on foot.

Can you really see the sea from Wilson Hills?

On a clear day, Valsad district says so. Haze and monsoon cloud often hide it, so do not plan the trip around the view.

Is Pavagadh worth it if I am not a pilgrim?

Yes, for the old mosques and city walls of Champaner below. Avoid Navratri if crowds trouble you. For other sacred places in the state, see Gujarat's temples.

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Gujarat Hill Stations: Saputara, Don, Wilson Hills and Girnar