Travel style
Food 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 ema datshi. Cheap, filling and the fastest way into a culture.
Photo: Umarsami · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsMountain food is built on what grows high and keeps through winter: barley, buckwheat, millet, potatoes, dried cheese and meat, apricots and walnuts.
Food is also where saver travellers win: a full thali or plate of momos costs little everywhere in the range.
Trips
Food and tea trips
Photo: Fulvio Spada from Torino, Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Comfort
Kashmir in autumn: saffron, chinars and Aru
Private car with driver
Photo: Fulvio Spada from Torino, Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Saver
Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam on a budget
Shared Sumos, the valley train and a shared union taxi in Pahalgam
Photo: Fulvio Spada from Torino, Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Signature
Signature Kashmir: palace, meadow and river
Private car with driver and a private guide
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: Saurabh Lall · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Saver
Srinagar road to Leh and Turtuk on a budget
Shared Sumo taxis, state buses and local shared cars
Photo: Ms Sarah Welch · CC0 · Commons
Comfort
Chamba, McLeodganj and Bir by private car
Private car with driver
Photo: Paul Hamilton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Comfort
Landour, Harsil apples and Gangotri
Private car with driver
Photo: Travelling Slacker · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Saver
Almora, Binsar and Jageshwar on a budget
Shared taxis and jeeps, with two shared private-cab legs
Photo: ParthaPratimNath · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Saver
Hostel trail: Mukteshwar and Kasar Devi
Shared taxis and jeeps
Photo: Skalvanov · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Signature
Kumaon in depth: lakes, orchards and oak
Private car with driver
Photo: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Saver
Kathmandu valley heritage on a saver budget
Local buses, microbuses and shared taxis
Photo: Auli Raha (অলি রাহা) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Comfort
Sittong, Takdah and Kalimpong villages
Private car with driver
Photo: Mayukh Ghose · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Comfort
Tea and toy train: Kurseong and Darjeeling
Private car with driver
Photo: Arne Hückelheim 2010-09-21 12:41:53 This is a … · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Saver
Darjeeling long weekend from Kolkata
Overnight train, shared jeeps, toy train joy ride
Photo: Mayukh Ghose · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Signature
Taj Chia Kutir, Windamere and Glenburn
Private SUV with driver
Photo: Arne Hückelheim 2010-09-21 12:41:53 This is a … · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Signature
Windamere, Sandakphu and Taj Chia Kutir
Private SUV with driver; reserved Land Rover on the Singalila Ridge
Photo: Arunachal2007 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Saver
Ziro Apatani homestay on a budget
Shared Sumos, with a shared taxi day in the valley
Photo: Itrajib · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Signature
Monpa and Apatani: Tawang to Ziro
Private SUV with driver and private guide
31 places
Where to go
Photo: Umarsami · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Pampore
Saffron town on the karewas, 15 km from Srinagar
Photo: Fulvio Spada from Torino, Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Srinagar
Houseboats, Mughal gardens and an old city of craftsmen
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Alchi and the Sham Valley
Kashmiri-style murals and apricot orchards on the lower Indus
Photo: Saurabh Lall · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Kargil
Purig's river town between Zoji La and Leh
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Leh
Old caravan town at 3,500 m, and where every Ladakh trip begins
Photo: Suryadasika · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Turtuk
A Balti village of apricots on the Shyok, open to visitors since 2010
Photo: Fredi Bach from Switzerland · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Bir and Billing
Paragliding over tea gardens and Tibetan monasteries in Kangra
Photo: Carlos Adampol Galindo from DF, México · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Kalpa
Apple orchards facing the Kinnaur Kailash peak at dawn
Photo: Pinakpani · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Kasol and the Parvati Valley
Pine forest, hot springs and walking villages along the Parvati
Photo: Rignam Wangkhang · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
McLeodganj (Dharamshala)
Tibetan temples and the Dhauladhar wall above Dharamshala
Photo: Ashish Gupta from Noida, India · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Sangla and Chitkul
The Baspa valley, from Kamru's fort-temple to the last village
Photo: Rodmantyler · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Kaza
Spiti's only town, base camp for every village loop
Experiences
Days that fit the style
Photo: Ashfaq ahanger · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Saffron harvest at dawn on the karewas
For about three weeks each autumn, Pampore's karewas turn purple with saffron crocus. Families pick the flowers at dawn…
Photo: Venkygrams · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Avantipora's 9th-century temple ruins
About 15 km beyond Pampore, at Awantipora on the Jhelum, lie the ruins of two stone temples built by King Avantivarman …
Photo: FADIND SOUL · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
How to buy genuine Kashmir saffron in Pampore
Pampore is the best place to buy Kashmir saffron, but fakes and blends are common across India. Knowing the grades, the…
Photo: Suhail Skindar Sofi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Dawn shikara to Dal's vegetable market
Before sunrise, farmers from Dal's floating gardens paddle their produce to a gathering point near Rainawari and trade …
Photo: ANSAR AHMAD · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Mughal gardens of the Zabarwan, terrace by terrace
Four gardens line the foothills above Dal Lake: Shalimar, Nishat, Chashme Shahi and Pari Mahal. Visiting in a morning s…
Photo: The original uploader was Lokantha at English … · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Old city walk: wooden shrines and craft lanes
Walk from the Khanqah-e-Moula on the Jhelum to the Jamia Masjid at Nowhatta through lanes where papier-mache painters, …
Photo: Prof Ranga Sai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Alchi's painted temples with a local guide
Visit the Dukhang and Sumtsek at Alchi, whose paintings in a Kashmiri style are among the oldest surviving in Ladakh. W…
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Apricot blossom walk in the Sham valley
In spring, walk between Saspol, Alchi and nearby villages while apricot orchards bloom white and pink against brown cli…
Where to sleep
Stays in these places
Photo: McKay Savage · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Budget
Zostel Srinagar
A backpacker hostel in the Nishat area, a short walk from the eastern shore of Dal Lake, with dorm beds, private r…
Photo: GharWapsi · CC0 · Commons
Mid
Ahdoos Hotel
A long-established city hotel on Residency Road in central Srinagar, best known for its restaurant, one of the val…
Photo: Vinayaraj · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Luxury
The LaLiT Grand Palace Srinagar
The former Gulab Bhavan, a summer palace completed in 1910 for Maharaja Pratap Singh, set in large lawns with chin…
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Budget
Zostel Leh
Zostel's Leh hostel offers dorm beds and private rooms within walking distance of Main Bazaar, with a common area …
Photo: Suryadasika · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Budget
Turtuk Balti homestays
Turtuk is a homestay village: dozens of Balti families in Youl and Farol, the two halves of the village, rent simp…
Photo: Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Mid
Stok Palace Heritage Hotel
Rooms inside part of Stok Palace, the home of Ladakh's former royal family since the 19th century, and in the orch…
Hive by hive