The Journal
Read, then go
Straight answers to the questions travellers ask before they choose: which land, which month, which hotel, and what it costs.
A handful of festivals are worth planning a whole journey around: the Pushkar Camel Fair and Dev Deepawali in November, the Hornbill Festival in …
For a winter honeymoon in India, choose Udaipur for palaces and lake views, the Kerala backwaters for slow days on the water, or a …
Light makes the photograph. Our 12 golden-hour places run from the Taj Mahal at sunrise and the Varanasi ghats from a rowing boat, to …
For Christmas, Goa has the strongest tradition, with midnight mass and family feasts; for New Year, Rajasthan's palace hotels and the Kerala coast are …
Rajasthan, Kerala, Goa and UP & Bihar need no special permits. Ladakh needs online registration for Indians and a Protected Area Permit for foreigners; …
A week at a Kerala Ayurveda retreat is a rejuvenation programme, not full panchakarma. A doctor examines you on day one, then sees you …
Food is the best reason to slow down. In Lucknow, eat galouti kebab and nihari in the old city; in Kerala, a sadya on …
A private luxury trip with us costs roughly INR 25,000 to 60,000 per person per night, twin sharing, covering hotels, a private car and …
Give Goa two or three days away from the sand. Walk Fontainhas, Panjim's old Latin quarter, see the churches of Old Goa, visit the …
The easiest way to combine Nepal and India is to fly from Delhi or Varanasi to Kathmandu, about 1 to 1.5 hours. The Buddhist …
For older travellers, the most comfortable routes stay low, move slowly and stay longer: three nights at each stop, drives under four hours, one …
With ten days, choose one region and do it well. Palaces means Jaipur, Ranthambore, Bundi and Udaipur, from ₹5,20,000 per person. Backwaters means Munnar, …
Book a single-party premium kettuvallam with one or two air-conditioned bedrooms, board at Kumarakom or a quiet Alappuzha jetty and head south into the …
See the Taj Mahal at sunrise from the east gate, which opens about 30 minutes before dawn, and at sunset from Mehtab Bagh across …
Most health problems on a well-planned India or Nepal journey are minor: an upset stomach, a headache at altitude, too much sun. See a …
Pack in layers and pack for your hardest stop. Rajasthan and UP winters need a warm jacket for 5 °C mornings; Ladakh needs down …
Three Rajasthan palace hotels are worth paying extra for: the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, Umaid Bhawan in Jodhpur and Rambagh in Jaipur. In …
Goa and Kerala are the easiest lands for young children, with short drives and beach or lagoon hotels. Rajasthan, Nepal and Taj-and-tiger routes suit …
For rhinos, go to Kaziranga in Assam, where they are seen on almost every drive. For tigers, Ranthambore in Rajasthan gives the best odds …
From June to September, go to Ladakh: it sits in a rain shadow and these are its best months. Kerala is the traditional season …
October to March is the best time for most of our lands: Rajasthan, Kerala, Goa, the North East, UP & Bihar and Nepal are …
A private journey with us moves through five stages: your enquiry, a first route with hotels, drive times and an indicative price, a round …
India's luxury trains are moving hotels on fixed routes. The Maharajas' Express and the Palace on Wheels cover Rajasthan and Agra, and the Golden …
You can see Nepal's mountains without trekking a single day. Fly past Everest at dawn from Kathmandu or land near it by helicopter, spend …
Choose Rajasthan for a first trip if you want forts, palaces, markets and a strong sense of history, and can manage drives of four …
Go between mid-January and mid-March, fly into Leh, rest for three nights, then spend at least five days in the field at Rumbak in …
Meghalaya's living root bridges are rubber fig roots trained across streams by Khasi villagers. The double-decker at Nongriat needs a 5 to 6 hour …
Choose Ladakh for May to September: a dry high desert where you sleep at about 3,500 m from the first night. Choose Sikkim for …
The Buddha's life can be followed in one 12-night journey: Sarnath near Varanasi, Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda in Bihar, Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, …
Turn an article into a journey Tell us your dates and what you hope to feel. We draw the route around you. Begin Not sure where to start? We match the land to your month, your pace and the people travelling with you. Begin Talk to a planner A first route and an indicative price within one working day. No payment to start. Begin