Sirmour is a quiet district by Himachali standards — the Shivalik foothills here are lower and gentler than the high mountains north and east, and the climate is correspondingly milder. The highlights are spread out: Nahan in the centre, Paonta Sahib on the Yamuna at the eastern edge, Renuka Lake in the hills to the north, and the Churdhar massif rising above everything to the northeast.