One of the first questions that leaves most travelers looking to visit India puzzled is, where all should we go in India?
It is hard to give a brief answer to that question. The following list of curated questions will give you a good understanding on the interesting regions one can visit in India. It will help you understand which regions are popular, which are not as touristy and delights and challenges of the said regions.
Wow, India is really diverse! What can we expect?
India is the seventh largest country in the world. We are blessed with some stunning and diverse geographical terrain. A desert holiday, a beach holiday, an island holiday, a mountain holiday, a wildlife holiday, a lush green plains and backwaters holiday each or a combination of them are possible when you visit India.
Add centuries of history under different rules, their architectural influences, India’s deep religious and spiritual culture and your holiday can be centered on history/architecture and spirituality.
Most of the trips we plan include one-two-or even sometimes three geographical elements. You can rarely escape history/culture and places of worship in India. Indeed, almost all our trips include elements of the same.
Even if your trip is short/and you do not visit multiple regions you will still have different experiences within the same holiday.
Give us an overview on the regions we could visit
The popular, (but, rightly so) regions
Rajasthan with stunning forts and palace, national parks where one can spot a tiger, the endless desert and charming (many very affordable) heritage hotels.
Indian Safaris recommends minimum 7 nights for this region and up to 14 nights can be spent in this region
*Visiting Agra and/or Varanasi would be an add on to a Rajasthan tour
Kerala, hills with spice and tea plantations, backwaters, rainforests, balmy beaches and fabulous food all in one small state. Lovely traditional hotels/ houseboats and innumerable homestays.
Indian Safaris recommends minimum 5 nights for this region and up to 10 nights can be spent in this region
Goa with warm beaches all winter long, Portuguese influences, lush green countryside, delicious Indian and international food (lots of seafood) and nightlife for the younger travelers.
Goa is one of the most touristy regions in India, but Indian Safaris knows places to stay that are miles away from the maddening crowd. Again, lovely beach front properties, beach huts, boutique hotels and luxurious resorts are on offer in Goa.
Indian Safaris recommends a minimum of 3 nights and up to 7 nights.
*Visiting Hampi for 2-3 nights can be an add on to Goa
We are mountain-lovers, looking at a mountain/trekking holiday or including a visit to the Himalayas
India is home to thousands of kilometers of the Himalayan mountain range. We love the mountains; and have done several weeklong trekking trips in different parts of the Himalayas. You can look at a trekking holiday in India or include few days in the Himalayas
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are reachable from Delhi. Both states have innumerable multi day trekking routes. One even look at relaxed mountain stays, soaking the surrounding and going on day hikes.
Indian Safaris recommends a minimum of 4 nights, and upto 10 nights for the Himalayas. Look at between 6 to 10 days if you wish to do a multiday trek, crisscrossing idyllic Himalayan villages. (Indian Safaris helps you organize the logistics for multi-day treks)
Leh and Ladakh, accessible only between May to October, Leh and Ladakh is a part of the high Tibetean Plateau. One can do a trekking holiday or just a sight-seeing and relaxing holiday.
Indian Safaris recommend a week to 10 days to include a visit to this region. One can take up to three days to reach Leh and Ladakh from Delhi.
Sikkim another tiny, but beautiful Himalayan state in the North – Eastern part of India. Strong Buddhist influences with remarkable monasteries.
Indian Safaris recommend allocating a week to nine days to include a visit to Sikkim.
Tell us about some less touristy and interesting regions to visit
Tamil Nadu a state in south India that neighbors Kerala receives a lot less tourists than its neighbor. Home to stunning temple complexes (tens of centuries old), it also shares the hills with Kerala and has lovely hill stations and national parks.
Pondicherry (a former French, coastal colony) is a convenient stopover while including Tamil Nadu.
Indian Safaris recommends a minimum of 6 days and upto 12 days for Tamil Nadu
Karnataka is a state above Kerala. It is home to the Unesco World Heritage town Hampi, endless coffee plantations and forest stays. Mysore is a convenient drive from the city of Bangalore.
Indian Safaris recommends a minimum of 6 days and upto 10 days for Karnataka
Gujarat is just south of Rajasthan and receives a fraction of the number of tourists that Rajasthan receives. Once can easily include a few days in Gujarat while visiting Rajasthan. It is dotted with temples, vibrant handicraft industry, coastal stops and home to the only National park in India that has the Asiatic Lion.
Indian Safaris recommends 3 day to upto a week for Gujarat
Madhya Pradesh in the very centre of India is a large state with a lot of interesting architecture and home to some of the finest National Parks in India. If you are willing to endure a longer travel times, Madhya Pradesh is the ideal destination to plan a wildlife holiday.
Khajuraho (home to the Erotic temples) and Orchha (lovely quaint temple town) can be conveniently included when planning a North India i.e. Delhi – Agra – Varanasi – Rajasthan trip.
Indian Safaris recommends allocating a minimum of 4 days and upto 10 days for Madhya Pradesh
Are there more off-beat and less touristy regions to visit in India?
Yes there are states like Orrisa and Chattisgarh, unfortunately we do not know these states well and do not plan trips there. The Himalayan state of Kashmir is often avoided by tourists due to security concerns, it is a breathtaking region and we are happy to plan trips for our guests there. (However, we cannot take responsibility for their safety)
The North East is a gorgeous remote region of India. We plan trips to this region with the help of a likeminded travel agency.
Okay, we are already confused. If we only have two weeks where should we go?
A lot of choices, only advice would be do not try to visit too many regions in two weeks.
We usually recommend either just a North India trip, or just a South India trip. To a North India trip, a short visit to the Himalayas is possible to add. If you love the beaches, it is possible to add a few days in Goa to a South India or North India trip.
If you love hiking/or just want to be completely away from other tourists then look at two weeks then look at a trekking holiday or an entire two weeks in one of the less touristy states.
A trip across the highlights of both North India and South India is possible. We usually ask our guest to look at least a two and half week holiday to include both regions.
Click here to look at some of the two week long trips our guests took.
And if we have three weeks?
If you have three weeks you can look at two regions.
Again your options are an extensive North India or an Extensive South India trip.
A combination of both North India and South India.
A trek in Himalayas plus a visit around Rajasthan
You can almost always allocate beach time. Or look two weeks in the popular regions and a week in the not so popular regions.
