Destinations
Ten regions we know properly, rather than a list of everywhere. Here is what each one is actually like, and who it suits.
Getting your bearings
Distance here is measured in hours, not kilometres.
India is roughly the size of the European Union, and the difference between two of its states can be greater than the difference between two European countries.
A sensible journey usually takes one or two neighbouring regions and gives them time, rather than crossing the country repeatedly. If you are not sure where to start, tell us what appeals and we will suggest the shape.
Regions listed below are the ones we cover directly. If somewhere you have in mind is not here, ask — we will tell you honestly whether we are the right people for it.
India’s desert state, in the north-west
Rajasthan was once a patchwork of princely states, and it still feels like one. Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur each sit a few hours apart by road, so a week here moves comfortably from painted havelis to marble courtyards to the edge of the Thar Desert. It pairs naturally with Delhi and Agra.
Best for
Heritage, architecture, a first visit to India
The capital and the Taj Mahal, three hours apart
Delhi is where nearly every international flight lands, and it rewards a slow first day — Mughal tombs, a Sikh kitchen feeding thousands, quiet colonial avenues. Agra, home to the Taj Mahal, is a straightforward drive or express train away. Together with Jaipur these cities form the route often called the Golden Triangle.
Best for
Arrivals, Mughal history, shorter first itineraries
On the Ganges, in the state of Uttar Pradesh
Varanasi is not a comfortable city, and that is rather the point. Life here happens on the ghats — the stone steps running down to the Ganges — from the first boats before sunrise to the fire ceremony after dark. It is a short flight from Delhi, usually given two nights, and is immeasurably better with a guide who can explain what you are seeing.
Best for
Ritual, river life, photography
High desert in the far north, above the Kashmir valley
Ladakh sits above 3,000 metres, which shapes everything about a visit: you fly into Leh and give yourself two days to acclimatise before going higher. The reward is monastery towns, wide river valleys and some of the most dramatic driving anywhere. The season runs roughly May to September.
Best for
Mountains, Buddhist culture, road journeys
The eastern Himalaya, between Nepal and Bhutan
This is the eastern Himalaya: greener and gentler than Ladakh, and easily reached by a short flight to Bagdogra. Darjeeling’s tea estates give way to the state of Sikkim, where Buddhist monasteries look straight across at Kangchenjunga. It combines naturally with Bhutan, which shares the same border.
Best for
Mountain views, tea country, gentle walking
An independent kingdom on India’s north-eastern border
Bhutan is a separate country with its own entry requirements, and travel there is arranged through licensed operators with a guide throughout. Most journeys fly into Paro or cross by road from the Indian plains, then move between fortress-monasteries and river valleys. The climb to Taktsang — the Tiger’s Nest — is the one most people come for.
Best for
Slow travel, Buddhist culture, walking
The states east of Bangladesh, reached via Guwahati
The Northeast is a cluster of small states with their own languages, cuisines and Indigenous traditions. Meghalaya has some of the wettest villages on earth and footbridges grown from living tree roots; Assam has the Brahmaputra and its grasslands. Some areas require permits, which we arrange in advance.
Best for
Travelling well off the route, landscapes, Indigenous cultures
The tropical south-west coast
Kerala is where travellers go to slow down. A typical week runs from the old spice-trading port of Kochi up into the tea hills around Munnar, then down to the backwaters — a network of inland waterways best seen from a houseboat — and finishes on the coast. It is easy travelling, and good for a first visit or a family.
Best for
Slow travel, families, food, first visits
The south-eastern state, neighbouring Kerala
Tamil Nadu has the great Dravidian temple complexes — vast, brightly painted gateway towers that remain working places of worship rather than monuments. Madurai, Thanjavur and Mahabalipuram are the anchors, with the hill station of Ooty for cooler air. It joins Kerala easily across the Western Ghats.
Best for
Temple architecture, classical music and dance, food
Inland from the south-west coast
Karnataka is best known for Hampi, the remains of the Vijayanagara empire spread over several square kilometres of granite outcrops and banana fields. Add the coffee estates of Coorg, the palaces of Mysuru and a quiet stretch of the Arabian Sea coast, and it makes an unhurried and largely uncrowded route.
Best for
Ruins and archaeology, coffee country, quieter routes
Most journeys combine two or three of these. We will tell you which pairings work in your month — and which are a long way apart.
Start the conversation
Tell us the time of year and roughly how long you have. We will come back with two or three routes across the 10 regions we cover.
