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Winter · December 2026

The Cheapest Snowfall Places in India in December (and the Roads That Close)

Snow in December is easy to find in India. Snow you can reach on a budget, with the road still open, is not. Here are three underrated places where the record says winter brings snow, what a trip costs, and the closures to plan around.

Photo: Mike Prince from Bangalore, India, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Text added by Trip Under.

Most "snow in December" lists send you to the famous hill stations. The places below are each an underrated alternative to somewhere famous, and each one's own Trip Under record says winter brings snow. That is the only test we used. We left out anywhere the record does not mention snow.

Costs are one person, from the gateway city named, by the overland route named, there and back, plus beds, food, local transport and fees, from Trip Under's cost model. Couples and groups pay less each because rooms and taxis split.

The three, cheapest first

1. Chopta & Tungnath: snow for the price of a weekend

Instead of: Kedarnath in season. Snow: The Tungnath path is snowbound from December to March. Getting there: bus from Rishikesh to Ukhimath, then a shared jeep, about 9 hours. Start early; jeeps stop running by mid-afternoon.

Tungnath sits at 3,680 m, reached by a 3.5 km path from Chopta, and Chandrashila is another kilometre up. In December the path is under snow and the temple is shut for winter, but the walk and the view of Nanda Devi, Trisul and Chaukhamba are still there.

• Stay at Sari village, not Chopta: warmer, about half the price, and Deoria Tal starts at the door.
• Micro-spikes from December to March. The path ices over.
• It is cold at night in every month. Chopta is 2,700 m and Chandrashila 4,000 m.
• Check the rules. Uttarakhand's Char Dham registration can apply to this route in season.

2. Zuluk & the Old Silk Route: snow on the hairpins

Photo: Tsen2006, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Instead of: Gangtok. Snow: From December to February the route is under snow. Roads: Roads are often blocked from January, and the Kupup high road is most likely shut from December to March.

So December is a narrow window here. Our rating for December is "Passable". Go early in the month, keep a spare day, and ask your homestay about the road before you leave Gangtok. The shared taxi from Gangtok via Rongli costs about ₹1,500 to ₹2,000 each for the trip with four people in the car. There are no buses.

• Permit: Indian citizens need a Protected Area Permit, with two passport photos and an ID photocopy (Aadhaar, Voter ID or passport; PAN not accepted). Collect it at Rongli. The office shuts around 2 pm on weekdays and 11 am on Saturdays, and is closed on Sundays.
• Foreign nationals are not currently allowed on Zuluk or the Silk Route high road.
• Altitude: Zuluk is about 10,000 ft and the road climbs to 13,500 ft. Sleep the first night in Zuluk, not Nathang.
• Only Sikkim-registered taxis with local drivers may go up.

3. Tawang: the long road, kept open

Photo: Vikramjit Kakati, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Instead of: Gulmarg. Snow: December to February is cold, with snow at Sela and Bumla. Roads: The Sela tunnel, open since March 2024, keeps the road to Tawang open in winter, but Madhuri Lake and Bumla can shut after snow.

Tawang is the dearest of the three because of the distance: about 450 km from Guwahati over Sela Pass. Give it six days, with a night at Dirang on the way up. A shared Sumo from Guwahati costs ₹1,500 to ₹1,800 a seat and takes 14 to 16 hours, so most people break it.

• Inner Line Permit: Indian citizens need one before crossing into Arunachal at Bhalukpong. Apply at eilp.arunachal.gov.in only.
• Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit (USD 30 royalty) through an approved Arunachal tour operator.
• Ask about a heater before you book a room in December.
• Sela is about 4,170 m. Drink water, and come down if a headache gets worse.

Snow, but not a December trip

Photo: Original: Kulbhushan Singh Suryawanshi ( website ) Derivative work: Aristeas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

These three records mention winter snow too. Each also says the road, the guesthouses or both shut in December, so we do not count them as budget December trips.

All three are excellent in autumn. Chitkul and Tirthan are good in October and November, before the snow closes them.

Want to walk in the snow?

If you want a snow trek rather than a snow town, the Uttarakhand winter treks are the budget answer: Brahmatal has snow from late December, and Kuari Pass and Dayara Bugyal list December to March for snow. Each trek page has its cost, permit and kit list.

Five ways to keep it cheap

1. Go overland. Every cost above is by bus, jeep or shared taxi. For Chopta, the bus and jeep from Rishikesh is ₹800 each way; the flight route via Dehradun is ₹11,000.
2. Fill the car. On the Zuluk and Tawang roads, the taxi is the main cost. Split four ways, it is cheap.
3. Sleep in a village, not the famous stop. In Chopta, stay at Sari village: about half the price, and warmer.
4. Sort permits yourself. The Zuluk permit at Rongli costs a fraction of a Gangtok agency's fee.
5. Keep a spare day. Snow closes roads without notice. A missed bus home costs more than a planned extra night.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and how we priced this

• Snow, road closures, permits, fares and stays: each place's Trip Under page (linked above), from its own sources. Tawang and Zuluk permits: the Arunachal ILP portal and Sikkim permit rules as recorded on those pages.
• Costs: Trip Under's cost model. Fares are planning figures; check live prices before you book.

Keep reading

Costs come from Trip Under's place data and our cost model (see methodology). They are indicative ballparks for budget travel and move with season and demand. Check live bus, train and room prices before you book. Trip Under is reader-planned, not an agency, and takes no commission on any booking.