Travel style
Adventure 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 operators and honest notes on season and risk.
Photo: Skywayman9 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · CommonsAdventure sports are regulated differently in each state. We use operators who hold the licences their state requires, and we tell you what insurance to carry.
Season matters: rafting stops in the monsoon, paragliding pauses in July and August, and skiing depends on snow.
Trips
Adventure sports trips
Photo: Fulvio Spada from Torino, Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Signature
Kashmir in winter: Gulmarg snow and Srinagar
Private 4x4 with driver and snow chains
Photo: Ms Sarah Welch · CC0 · Commons
Comfort
Chamba, McLeodganj and Bir by private car
Private car with driver
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Signature
Taj Rishikesh and Mussoorie in comfort
Private car with driver
Photo: Skalvanov · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Comfort
Kumaon lakes family holiday
Private car with driver
Photo: ParthaPratimNath · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Saver
Hostel trail: Mukteshwar and Kasar Devi
Shared taxis and jeeps
Photo: IamBumba · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Comfort
North Sikkim: Lachen, Lachung, Gurudongmar
Private SUV with driver
Photo: IamBumba · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Signature
Sikkim signature: Gangtok and the north
Private SUV with driver and local guide
14 places
Where to go
Photo: Skywayman9 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Gulmarg
A ski meadow at 2,650 m with a gondola to Apharwat
Photo: Wikiditot · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Sonamarg
The meadow of gold on the old road to Ladakh
Photo: Fredi Bach from Switzerland · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Bir and Billing
Paragliding over tea gardens and Tibetan monasteries in Kangra
Photo: Neerajsinghazm · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Manali
Head of the Kullu valley, under cedar forest and snow peaks
Photo: Adarsh Patel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Chandratal
The crescent moon lake, open June to early October
Photo: Vaibhav 369 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Auli & Joshimath
Ski slopes and meadows facing Nanda Devi, above Joshimath
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Rishikesh
Where the Ganga leaves the hills and the yatra begins
Photo: Krishan09 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Bhimtal and Sattal
Kumaon's quieter lakes, oak forest and the best birding near Kathgodam
Photo: ParthaPratimNath · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Mukteshwar
Orchards, cliffs and a Shiva temple on a 2,171 m ridge
Photo: Super Trekkers · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Namche Bazaar
The Sherpa capital and the Everest trail's acclimatisation stop
Photo: Utsab Raj Giri · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Pokhara
A lake town under the Fishtail and the Annapurnas
Photo: solarshakti · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Sandakphu and Singalila
West Bengal's highest point, with Everest on the skyline
Experiences
Days that fit the style
Photo: Arup1981 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Gondola to the Apharwat ridge
The Gulmarg Gondola climbs in two phases from the meadow to Kongdori and then to the Apharwat ridge close to 4,000 m. I…
Photo: Rudolph.A.furtado · CC0 · Commons
First ski lessons on the Gulmarg nursery slopes
Gulmarg is the best place in India to learn to ski. Gentle slopes near the meadow, rental shops by the gondola and cert…
Photo: Vinayaraj · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Meadow walk to the Maharani Temple and St Mary's
A gentle walk across the meadow links Gulmarg's two heritage buildings: the Maharani Temple, built by Maharaja Hari Sin…
Photo: Original: Ganesh Mohan T Derivative work: Unpe… · CC BY 4.0 · Commons
Walk or ride to the Thajiwas glacier valley
From the main Sonamarg meadow, a 3–4 km trail climbs gently into the Thajiwas side valley, ringed by peaks with glacier…
Photo: Owais Mushtaq Zargar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Kashmir Great Lakes trek from Sonamarg
This seven-day trek starts at Shitkadi near Sonamarg, crosses Nichnai, Gadsar and Zajibal passes, and passes a chain of…
Photo: Mehrajmir13 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Rafting the Sindh below Sonamarg
In summer, local operators run short rafting stretches on the Sindh river just below Sonamarg. The water is glacier-fed…
Photo: Fredi Bach from Switzerland · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Tandem paragliding from Billing to Bir
Drive up to the Billing take-off at about 2,400 m, run a few steps with your pilot and fly for 15–30 minutes over pine …
Photo: Gannu03 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Monastery walk in Bir's Tibetan colony
A gentle walk through Bir's Tibetan colony at Chowgan, visiting monasteries, prayer wheels and stupas, then out through…
Where to sleep
Stays in these places
Photo: Chongkian · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Mid
Hotel Highlands Park
A heritage hotel from the early 1960s on a rise above the Gulmarg meadow, with a main lodge and separate cottage-s…
Photo: Skywayman9 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Luxury
The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa
Gulmarg's top resort, opened in December 2012, with rooms and private cottages looking over the meadow and pine fo…
Photo: Neerajsinghazm · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Budget
Zostel Manali
A backpacker hostel in Old Manali, in the orchard village above the Manalsu stream, with dorm beds and private roo…
Photo: Fredi Bach from Switzerland · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Budget
Zostel Bir
A Zostel hostel in Bir, close to the paragliding landing fields and the Tibetan colony, with dorms, private rooms …
Photo: Original: Biswarup Ganguly Derivative work: Un… · CC BY 3.0 · Commons
Luxury
Span Resort and Spa
A riverside resort on about 12 acres on the banks of the Beas near Katrain, south of Manali, with cottages, garden…
Photo: Adarsh Patel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Mid
Chandratal camps
A group of seasonal Swiss-tent camps in the designated camping area a few kilometres before Chandratal. Beds, heav…