Saputara Sunset Point and Governor's Hill Walk

Saputara is Gujarat's only purpose-built hill town, laid out on a Sahyadri plateau at around 1,000 m in the tribal Dang district, close to the Maharashtra border. It is compact enough to explore entirely on foot, and stitching its viewpoints together makes a satisfying half-day walk of three to six kilometres. The usual circuit starts at Saputara Lake, where pedal and row boats operate from roughly 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM at fares ranging from about INR 25 to INR 210 depending on the craft and duration (approximately USD 0.25 to USD 2.20), climbs through the terraced Step Garden, continues to Governor's Hill on the town's high ground, and finishes at Sunset Point, where the land drops sharply into the forested valleys of the Dangs. The Pushpak ropeway runs a short aerial link to the Sunrise Point ridge on the far side, taking five to seven minutes, and operates in two daily windows either side of a midday break. Gradients are modest and much of the route follows metalled road or made path, so this is a walk rather than a trek, though the climbs to Governor's Hill and Sunset Point are steep in short bursts. Saputara is at its most striking in the monsoon, when the hills are saturated green, waterfalls appear on the surrounding slopes and Gujarat Tourism runs the Saputara Monsoon Festival through the rains, and again in the cool, clear months from November to February. It is also the launch base for paragliding above the plateau and for the ropes courses and ziplines at the adventure park, so walkers can easily add an adrenaline element to the same day.