10 amazing ways to see India - The Telegraph

Posted: 16 Apr 2018 12:00 AM PDT

It is the most colourful, chaotic and life-affirming country in the world – but planning a trip can feel daunting. The best advice is to curb your ambitions. Trying to cover too much ground on a first visit is a mistake. You will get much more out of a leisurely exploration of a small corner, mixing just a few major tourist sites with downtime in villages or wildlife reserves. Nothing evokes the spirit of India more than strolling through a village during the sundown "dust hour" as the cattle make their way home along dirt streets to mud-brick houses bathed in a soft orange glow.

The best time to visit India is from October to March, unless you are travelling north into the foothills of the Himalayas when the air is warmer in April and May and the forests full of colour.

1. A journey through Kipling's India

With a film version of The Jungle Book, based on the work of Rudyard Kipling, one of the giants of English literature, released on the big screen last year, and another version starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett out this year, the world's biggest democracy has been drawing much attention. Go on the trail of the author's footsteps in India, from Shimla - the area covered by the author as a young newspaper reporter - to the ever-bustling city of Mumbai, where he was christened at St Thomas Cathedral.

A 12-day private tour with Cox & Kings (0330 037 2754; coxandkings.co.uk), with visits to Kipling's birthplace in Mumbai, Shimla and Pench National Park which inspired The Jungle Book, costs from £3,345 including flights, accommodation, transfers and most meals.

2. Kerala for foodies

Kerala has supplied the world with spices since antiquity. Its cuisine has absorbed Chinese, Arab and European influences, from the breakfast rice idlis and dosas to the ginger-and-tamarind pickle accompanying its delicate curries and fragrant birianis. Explore the highlights of Kerala on an 12-night Explorer tour with Kuoni, from Cochin to Kumarakom, including a cooking demonstration and meal in a local family home, a tour of a spice garden in Periyar, an overnight cruise on Kerala's backwaters and lunch at a local working farm which cultivates various ingredients including coconut, nutmeg, cocoa, bananas, peppers and other spices.

From £2,395 for January 2019 - November 2020 departures (0800 540 4827; kuoni.uk).

A tea plantation in Kerala Credit: Alamy

South India and the backwaters of Kerala

Provided by Riviera Travel

3. In search of tigers

A Wild Cats tour, led by wildlife photographer Nick Garbutt, spends five nights in the Tadoba Reserve near Nagpur in northern Maharashtra – a vast open teak forest that gives the best chance of seeing tigers in India. There are reputed to be more than 70 tigers in the reserve which are regularly seen coming to drink at its two lakes and open waterholes. The second half of the trip focuses on the Jawai Hills near Udaipur in Rajasthan where there is a thriving population of leopards. Accommodation is in luxurious safari-style camps in the reserves. Garbutt will also hold photography workshops.

The tour departs in March 2019, from £6,795 for 14 days including flights and most meals. Tailor-made options also available. Wildlife Worldwide (01962 302086; wildlifeworldwide.com).

The Tadoba Reserve is one of the best places to spot tigers Credit: PA/Staffan Widstrand/WWF

4. Classic Rajasthan

Rajasthan is the cultural centrepiece of India: the homeland of Hindu Rajput princes who fought Mughal sultans and British politicians to preserve their cultural identity. The result is a feast of flamboyant architecture and traditional arts and crafts that give pleasure at every turn. See my full detailed itinerary for the perfect holiday in Rajasthan offering a unique and carefully-tailored tour of some of India's most fascinating sights. Wild Frontier's Ultimate tour of Rajasthan (0333 0059549), made exclusively for Telegraph readers, costs £3,515. Terms and conditions apply.

Or combine a tour of Rajasthan with visits to the Taj Mahal, Amritsar's Golden Temple and more of India's most spectacular buildings on a 13-night escorted tour with departures between May 2018 and November 2019. From £1,799.

Amritsar

5. On the river

To cruise along the Brahmaputra River in Assam is to step back in time. Even the teak-decked riverboats are replicas of those used a century ago to bring tea planters and colonial officers into this remote part of north-east India. A particular highlight of Jules Verne's seven-night cruise is a safari on elephant back through the Kaziranga National Park in search of tiger and rhino. Other treats on the 12-day Assam and the Brahmaputra itinerary include visits to ancient Hindu monasteries, a tea estate, and sightseeing in Kolkata.

From £2,295 including twin-berth cabin, most meals and international flights; single supplements from £895. Jules Verne (020 3131 6796; vjv.com).

6. On the rails

Indian Railways has one of the largest networks in the world, reaching into every corner of the country. The view through the train window is often far more interesting than that from a car or coach. And there are plenty of opportunities to meet the locals. Transindus has a well-balanced rail tour from Kolkata to Delhi. It includes time in Varanasi and Agra as well as rides on two of India's famous hill railways up to Darjeeling and Shimla, the location for the Channel 4 drama Indian Summers.

The 17-day tailor-made trip costs from £2,874 based on first-class train travel, accommodation in four-star hotels, excursions, guiding and transfers. Transindus (0844 879 3960; transindus.co.uk).

The hill railway to Shimla, in the foothills of the Himalayas Credit: Alamy

7. A driving adventure

The Hindustan Ambassador, based on the Morris Oxford, was the first car to be made in India in the Fifties and is still a favourite of older taxi drivers. Classic Car Journeys offers self-drive touring holidays using lovingly maintained white Ambassadors to explore the southern states of Kerala and Karnataka. Its Classic Himalaya tour in the north uses modern 4x4s and Enfield Bullet motorcycles. You drive at your own pace, supported by a team of mechanics, and meet up with the rest of the group in the evening at the next hotel.

The 13-day Classic India tour costs from £2,595 for October 2019 departures, including half-board accommodation, insurance and car rental; excluding flights. Classic Car Journeys (01458 224109; classiccarjourneys.co.uk).

8. A walk through village India

Village Ways pioneered walking holidays in rural India, working with communities to establish guesthouses and train guides. There's a choice of five areas for inn-to-inn walks but the Kingdom of Kumaon is the most scenic. Designed as a tailored experience for a couple or a group of friends, you walk with a guide along gentle trails through terraced farmland and the wooded hills of the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary in the foothills of the Himalayas. Luggage is carried separately by porters.

The 11-night itinerary also includes a visit to Corbett National Park. From £902 including accommodation, most meals and guided walks; excluding flights. Departs May 1 and September 15 2018. Village Ways (01223 750049; villageways.com).

Corbett National Park Credit: getty

9. Jaipur for book lovers

Since its founding in 2006 by William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale, the Jaipur Literature Festival has gone from strength to strength. More than 200 authors and thinkers take part in five days of talks and workshops staged in the grounds of the Diggi Palace Hotel in the heart of Jaipur. There are also concerts featuring contemporary and traditional musicians.

A three-day guided tour of Jaipur, with visits to the City Palace, the Amber Fort and the 18th-century Janta Mantar astronomical observatory, costs from £355 (£50 single supplement) with On the Go Tours (020 7371 1113; onthegotours.com).

The Amber Fort Credit: getty

10. In the saddle in Kerala

Pedalling along country lanes watching India go about its daily business is a constant pleasure. Adventure tour specialist Explore offers small group cycling adventures in Rajasthan and Kerala. Its Kerala tour is graded easy and offers a diversity of rural rides from the highland coffee and tea plantations and forest hills to leisurely explorations of coastal communities and unspoilt beaches.

The 13-day Backroads of Kerala tour costs from £2,029 including b&b homestay, cycle hire and services of a tour leader; excluding flights. Explore (01252 883898; explore.co.uk).

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