Travel styles
What kind of trip
Start from what you want to do and we show you the valleys, the trips and the places that fit.
Each style page lists the trips, places, stays and experiences that suit it across every hive, with links to the hive-by-hive pages where there is enough to say.
Road trips
The high roads, driven at the right speed
The Himalaya has some of the highest motorable roads in the world: Manali to Leh, the Spiti circuit, Sela Pass, the Old Silk Route. We plan them with…
40 tripsTreks and walks
From an afternoon ridge walk to two weeks on foot
Day walks between villages, teahouse treks in Nepal, camping treks to high lakes and passes. We grade every walk by hours, height gain and the highes…
21 tripsMonasteries
Gompas, dzongs and the mornings they keep
Ladakh, Spiti, Sikkim, Bhutan, Arunachal and the Nepal Himalaya hold some of the oldest Buddhist monasteries still in use. We time visits to morning …
32 tripsPilgrimages
Char Dham, Hemkund, Muktinath and the high shrines
The Himalaya is sacred ground for Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs. We plan the Char Dham Yatra, Hemkund Sahib, Muktinath and monastery circuits with regi…
7 tripsWildlife and birds
Snow leopards, red pandas and black-necked cranes
Winter snow leopard trips in Ladakh and Spiti, red pandas in Singalila, cranes in Bhutan's Phobjikha and Arunachal, hornbills in Namdapha and the bir…
13 tripsSnow and winter
Gulmarg powder, Auli slopes and white Spiti
Skiing in Gulmarg and Auli, winter Spiti at minus twenty, frozen Ladakh and snowfall weekends in Shimla and Manali. We plan winter trips with heated …
4 tripsHoneymoons
Quiet rooms with the mountains outside
Honeymoons in Kashmir houseboats, Bhutan's valleys, Himachal orchards and Sikkim's hills, from saver homestays to the best lodges. Slow days, good ro…
19 tripsFamily holidays
Short drives, low altitudes, room to run
Family trips that keep drives short and sleeping altitudes sensible: Kumaon lakes, Shimla and the toy train, Darjeeling, Gangtok, Paro and Thimphu. W…
14 tripsHomestays and villages
Sleep in the hive itself
Homestays are the Himalaya's best value and its best way in: Ladakhi kitchens, Spiti mud houses, Kumaoni stone homes, Lepcha villages in Dzongu, Apat…
26 tripsFood and tea
Wazwan, momos, thukpa and first flush
Food trips through the Himalaya: Kashmiri wazwan, Ladakhi skyu, Himachali dham, Garhwali mandua, Newari feasts, Darjeeling tea tastings and Bhutan's …
18 tripsFestivals
Masked dances, fairs and harvest days
Tshechus in Bhutan, Hemis in Ladakh, Losar across the Buddhist Himalaya, Kullu Dussehra, Ziro's music festival and the Black-necked Crane festival. P…
2 tripsPhotography
Light, height and the right hour
Trips built around light: first sun on Khangchendzonga from Pelling, star skies over Chandratal and Hanle, prayer halls at dawn, apricot blossom in A…
41 tripsAdventure sports
Paragliding, rafting, skiing and high passes on two wheels
Paragliding at Bir Billing, rafting on the Ganga at Rishikesh, skiing at Gulmarg and Auli, motorbike trips over Ladakh's passes. With certified opera…
7 tripsWellness and yoga
Rishikesh mornings and hot spring afternoons
Yoga in Rishikesh, meditation courses in McLeodganj, hot springs at Manikaran, Gasa and Yumthang, and slow stays in forest retreats from Binsar to Bh…
8 tripsOr by valley