India Travel Guide

Where to go
The best Indian itineraries are the simplest. It just isn't possible to see everything in a single expedition, even if you spent a year trying. Far better, then, to concentrate on one or two specific regions and, above all, to be flexible. Although it requires a deliberate change of pace to venture away from the urban centres, rural India has its own very distinct pleasures. In fact, while Indian cities are undoubtedly adrenalin-fuelled, upbeat places, it is possible - and certainly less stressful - to travel for months around the subcontinent and rarely have to set foot in one.

The most-travelled circuit in the country, combining spectacular monuments with the flat, fertile landscape that for many people is archetypally Indian, is the so-called "Golden Triangle" in the north: Delhi itself, the colonial capital; Agra, home of the Taj Mahal; and the Pink City of Jaipur in Rajasthan. Rajasthan is probably the single most popular state with travellers, who are drawn by its desert scenery, by the imposing medieval forts and palaces of Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Bundi, and by the colourful traditional dress.

East of Delhi, the River Ganges meanders through some of India's most densely populated regions to reach the extraordinary holy Hindu city of Varanasi (also known as Benares), where to witness the daily rituals of life and death focused around the waterfront ghats (bathing places) is to glimpse the continuing practice of India's most ancient religious traditions. Further east still is the great city of Kolkata (Calcutta), the capital until early last century of the British Raj and now a teeming metropolis that epitomizes contemporary India's most pressing problems.

The majority of travellers follow the well-trodden Ganges route to reach Nepal, perhaps unaware that the Indian Himalayas offer superlative trekking and mountain scenery to rival any in the range. With Kashmir effectively off the tourist map since the escalation of its civil war, Himachal Pradesh - where Dharamsala is the home of a Tibetan community that includes the Dalai Lama himself - and the remote province of Ladakh, with its mysterious lunar landscape and cloud-swept monasteries, have become the major targets for journeys into the mountains. Less visited, but possessing some of Asia's highest peaks, is the niche of Uttaranchal bordering Nepal, where the glacial source of the sacred River Ganges has attracted pilgrims for over a thousand years. At the opposite end of the chain, Sikkim, north of Bengal, is another low-key trekking destination, harbouring scenery and a Buddhist culture similar to that of neighbouring Bhutan. The Northeast Hill States, connected to eastern India by a slender neck of land, boast remarkably diverse landscapes and an incredible fifty percent of India's biodiversity.

For all its jarring juxtapositions, India remains an utterly compelling destination

Heading south from Kolkata (Calcutta) along the coast, your first likely stop is Konarak in Orissa, site of the famous Sun Temple, a giant carved pyramid of stone that lay submerged under sand until its rediscovery at the start of the twentieth century. Although it bore the brunt of the 2004 Asian tsunamis, Tamil Nadu, further south, has retained its own tradition of magnificent architecture, with towering gopura gateways dominating towns whose vast temple complexes are still the focus of everyday life. Of them all, Madurai, in the far south, is the most stunning, but you could spend months wandering between the sacred sites of the Cauvery Delta and the fragrant Nilgiri Hills, draped in the tea terraces that have become the hallmark of South Indian landscapes. Kerala, near the southernmost tip of the subcontinent on the western coast, is India at its most tropical and relaxed, its lush backwaters teeming with simple wooden craft of all shapes and sizes, and red-roofed towns and villages all but invisible beneath a canopy of palm trees. Further up the coast is Goa, the former Portuguese colony whose hundred-kilometre coastline is fringed with beaches to suit all tastes and budgets, from upmarket package tourists to long-staying backpackers, and whose towns hold whitewashed Christian churches that might have been transplanted from Europe.

42 things not to miss
It's not possible to see everything India has to offer in one trip, and we don't suggest you try. What follows is a selective taste of the country's highlights: outstanding buildings, natural wonders, spectacular festivals and unforgettable journeys. They're arranged in five colour-coded categories, which you can browse through to find the very best things to see and experience. All highlights have a page reference to take you straight to the guide, where you can find out more.

01. Meherangarh Fort, Jodhpur
The epitome of Rajput power and extravagance, its ramparts towering above a labyrinthine, blue-painted old city.

02. Classical music
Winter is the season for classical music in India, when recitals can last all night. Cities renowned for their music styles, or gharanas, include Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Gwalior, Varanasi and Chennai (Madras).

03. Chauragarh Mountain, Pachmarhi
Thousands of Shivaite tridents are carried by pilgrims to the summit of this holy peak, from where the views are stupendous.

04. Dharamsala
Perched on the edge of the Himalayas, this is the home of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism in exile.

05. Ashrams
Brush up on your yoga and meditation in the holy town of Rishikesh on the Ganges, where the Beatles came to meet Maharishi Yogi.

06. Khajuraho
Immaculately preserved temples renowned for their uncompromisingly erotic carvings.

07. Hampi/Vijayanagar
Deserted capital of the last great Hindu empire, scattered over a bizarre landscape of giant golden-brown boulders.

08. Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur
Asia's most famous bird reserve, where millions of migrants nest each winter. The perfect antidote to the frenzy and pollution of nearby Agra and Jaipur.

09. Ajanta caves
Extraordinarily beautiful murals, dating from 200 BC to 650 AD, adorn the walls of caves chiselled into basalt cliffs.

10. Varanasi
City of Light, founded by Shiva, where the bathing ghats beside the Ganges teem with pilgrims.

11. Amritsar
Site of the fabled Golden Temple, the Sikhs' holiest shrine.

12. Zanskar
A barren moonscape with extraordinary scenery and challenging trails over the high passes.

13. Kathakali
Kerala is the place to experience Kathakali and other esoteric ritual theatre forms.

14. Jaisalmer
Honey-coloured citadel, emerging from the sands of the Thar Desert.

15. Camel trekking in the Thar
A wonderfully romantic if utterly touristy way to experience the Great Indian Desert. Most visitors trek out of Jaisalmer, but Bikaner offers more variety.

16. Cricket
The nation's favourite sport is played everywhere, from the Oval Maidan in Mumbai to Eden Gardens in Kolkata (Calcutta), the hot cauldron of Indian cricket.

17. Durga Puja
An exuberant festival held in September or October, when every street and village erects a shrine to the goddess Durga. Kolkata (Calcutta) has the most lavish festivities.

18. Ellora caves
Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves, and the colossal Hindu Kailash temple, carved from a spectacular volcanic ridge at the heart of the Deccan plateau.

19. Rajasthani handicrafts
The teeming bazaars of the Pink City in Jaipur burst with vibrant cloth, jewellery, Persian-style pottery and semi-precious stones. Simply the best place to shop in the subcontinent.

20. Movies
Take in the latest Bollywood blockbuster at one of Mumbai's mega movie houses, which feature huge screens, wrap-around sound and rowdy audiences.

21. Kaziranga National Park
Take a dawn elephant ride as the mists slowly lift: sightings of the one-horned rhino, symbol of Assam, are virtually guaranteed.

22. Palolem
Exquisite crescent-shaped beach in Goa's relaxed south, famous for its dolphins and local alcoholic spirit, feni.

23. Gokarna
The beautiful beaches on the edge of this temple town are popular with budget travellers fleeing the commercialism of nearby Goa.

24. Bandhavgarh National Park
Deep in the eastern tracts of Madhya Pradesh, this park is rich in animal and birdlife, including tigers and leopards.

25. Mysore market
Jaggery, incense and garlands are made and veggies and kitsch paraphernalia are sold in Mysore's covered market.

26. Manali-Leh Highway
India's epic Himalayan road trip, along the second-highest road in the world.

27. Boating on the backwaters of Kerala
Lazy boat trips wind through the lush tropical waterways of India's deep south.

28. Tikse
One of many dramatic monasteries within striking distance of Leh.

29. Kochi
Kochi's atmospheric harbourside is strung with elegant Chinese fishing nets.

30. Thrissur Puram
More than one hundred sumptuously caparisoned elephants march in Kerala's biggest temple festival, accompanied by ear-shattering South Indian drum orchestras.

31. Gangotri
An atmospheric village on the Ganges that serves as a base for the trek into the heart of the Hindu faith - Gomukh, the source of the Ganges.

32. Taj Mahal
Simply the world's greatest building: Shah Jahan's monument to love fully lives up to all expectations.

33. Orchha
This semi-ruined former capital of the Bundela Rajas is an architectural gem, rising up through the surrounding jungle.

34. Pushkar camel mela
November sees the largest livestock market on earth, where 200,000 Rajasthani herders in traditional costume converge on the desert oasis of Pushkar to trade and bathe in the sacred lake.

35. Udaipur
Arguably the most romantic city in India, with ornate Rajput palaces floating in the middle of two shimmering lakes.

36. Rath Yatra, Puri
Three colossal chariots with brightly coloured canopies are pulled by crowds of devotees through the streets of eastern India's holiest town.

37. Fatehpur Sikri
The Moghul emperor Akbar's elegant palace complex now lies deserted on a ridge near Agra, but remains one of India's architectural masterpieces.

38. Mamallapuram
A fishing and stone-carving village, with magnificent boulder friezes, shrines and the sea-battered Shore Temple.

39. Varkala
Kerala's low-key alternative to Kovalam boasts sheer red cliffs, amazing sea views and a legion of Ayurvedic masseurs.

40. Madurai
Definitive South Indian city, centred on a spectacular medieval temple.

41. Konarak
A colossal thirteenth-century temple, buried under sand until its rediscovery by the British.

42. Rafting on the Indus
A relatively sedate way to enjoy the grandiose scenery of the northwest Himalaya's most spectacular high-altitude valley.


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