What a luxury India trip costs, per person per night

A private luxury trip in our seven lands costs roughly INR 25,000 to 60,000 per person per night, twin sharing. That covers the hotels named in your itinerary, daily breakfast and some other meals, a private air-conditioned car and driver throughout, private guides at each stop and most entrance fees. The range is wide because the lands are different: a night in a Kerala heritage resort and a night in a lake-facing room at the Taj Lake Palace are not priced the same.

The figures below come from the starting prices of our own journeys, divided by the number of nights and rounded to the nearest 5,000. They are indicative, not quotes. Your price depends on dates, hotels, room categories and the shape of the route, and we confirm it in writing before you commit. International flights and visas are always extra, and so are most domestic flights.

Rajasthan and Nepal's high mountain trips cost the most, because palace hotels and helicopter flights are expensive. Kerala, Goa, Ladakh and the North East cost less per night for the same level of care, because their best hotels are smaller and more relaxed. UP & Bihar spans both ends: Agra and Varanasi have expensive river and Taj-view hotels, while the Buddhist circuit and Lucknow are more modest. All figures are per person per night, twin sharing, before flights.

What is not included matters just as much. International and most domestic flights, Indian or Nepali visas, travel insurance, meals and drinks not listed, spa treatments, camera fees and tips are extra. We list the inclusions and exclusions for every journey, and we repeat them in your final itinerary, so there are no surprises on the invoice and you know exactly what to budget for on the ground.

• The hotels named in the itinerary, in the room category agreed, with daily breakfast.
• The dinners and other meals listed, and full board at safari camps and on houseboats.
• A private air-conditioned car with an experienced driver for the whole trip.
• Private, licensed guides for sightseeing in each city.
• Monument entry fees and the activities listed, such as boat rides, safaris or craft visits.
• Airport meet and greet, transfers and support from our team in India.

Domestic flights add up on routes that cover large distances, such as Rajasthan to Kerala or Delhi to Leh, and fares rise close to the date. We suggest booking them as early as the airlines allow. The other drivers of cost are listed below; the first two make the largest difference to most trips we plan.

• Peak dates: Christmas, New Year and Diwali carry the highest rates, and many hotels set minimum stays.
• Room category: a historical suite or a pool villa can cost far more than the entry room in the same hotel.
• Landmark hotels: the Taj Lake Palace, Rambagh, Umaid Bhawan and The Oberoi Amarvilas sit at the top of the market.
• Helicopters and remote valleys: Everest by helicopter or a journey into Mustang adds sharply to a Nepal trip.
• Short stays: one-night stops spread the fixed costs of drivers and guides over fewer nights.
• Travelling alone: a single room usually costs close to the price of a double.
• Festivals: the Pushkar Camel Fair, the Hornbill Festival and Dev Deepawali raise prices and need early booking.

The simplest way to spend less is to travel outside the peak weeks. In Rajasthan the monsoon months offer better value, especially in Udaipur, though April to June is too hot for most guests. In Kerala and Goa, the monsoon from June to September brings much lower rates; our Monsoon Goa journey starts from INR 1,10,000 per person for 5 nights, and Monsoon Ayurveda in Kerala from INR 2,60,000 for 9 nights.

Longer stays in fewer places also help, since each move adds driving days and transfers. Mixing hotel levels works well: a grand palace for two nights, then a smaller family palace or heritage hotel. In Goa, a private villa shared by two couples or a family can cost less per person than separate hotel rooms. Ladakh, the North East and Kerala give a great deal of comfort and privacy for the price.

To make the numbers concrete, here are four of our journeys priced for a couple, at the starting prices and before flights. A 10-night Kerala trip through the spice hills to the backwaters starts from INR 3,25,000 per person, or INR 6,50,000 for two. An 11-night palace journey through Rajasthan, at Samode, Rambagh, Umaid Bhawan, the Taj Lake Palace and Udaivilas, starts from INR 6,50,000 per person, or INR 13,00,000 for two.

A 12-night grand circuit of Ladakh starts from INR 4,60,000 per person, or INR 9,20,000 for two. Our 6-night Taj Mahal and Varanasi journey starts from INR 2,90,000 per person, or INR 5,80,000 for two. Each price assumes twin sharing in the hotels named, and each can be adjusted up or down by changing the rooms, the dates or the number of nights.

A private trip carries costs that a group tour spreads across many people. Your car and driver are yours for the whole journey, including the days you spend resting at the hotel, and your guides work for you alone, at your pace. The driver's own room and meals, fuel, tolls, parking and the state taxes paid when a tourist car crosses from one state to another are all built into the price, as are the guide fees in each city.

The hotels are the largest single part of the cost on most of our journeys. The car, the guides, the entrance fees and the activities make up the rest. This is why changing a hotel or a room category moves the price far more than removing a sightseeing day or a guide, and why we usually suggest keeping the guides and adjusting the rooms when a budget needs to come down.

When you enquire, we ask for your dates, the number of travellers, the lands that interest you and the kind of hotel you prefer. We then send an itinerary with named hotels, named room categories and a single price per person, with inclusions and exclusions listed. If your budget is fixed, tell us; we would rather shape a trip to fit it than quote the most expensive version first.

Prices are in Indian rupees and are indicative until confirmed, because hotel rates, monument fees and fuel costs change. Fees for permits, parks and monuments are set by the authorities and can change at short notice, so check current status before you travel. We hold rooms for a short period while you decide, but peak-season rooms at the best hotels are rarely available for long.