Travel style
Photography
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 April. With notes on where photography is not allowed.
Mountain light changes fast. The best of it is the first and last hour, which means early starts and evenings without a long drive.
Many prayer halls ban photography inside, and drones need permission almost everywhere in the Himalaya. We list the rules for each place, so check current status before you travel.
Trips
Photography trips
Kashmir in autumn: saffron, chinars and Aru
Private car with driver
Classic Kashmir: Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam
Private car with driver
Gurez Valley on a budget by shared Sumo
JKSRTC or private bus to Bandipora, shared Sumos, one shared car day
Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam on a budget
Shared Sumos, the valley train and a shared union taxi in Pahalgam
Signature Kashmir: palace, meadow and river
Private car with driver and a private guide
Leh, Nubra and Pangong with a private car
Private Ladakh Taxi Union SUV with driver
Leh to Zanskar and out to Srinagar by car
Private SUV with driver; local car in Padum where required
Leh, Nubra and Pangong by bus and shared jeep
State bus over Khardung La, shared taxis to Nubra and Pangong, local buses in the Indus valley
Nubra, Pangong and Tso Moriri with a guide
Private SUV with driver and a private naturalist guide
Thiksey camp, Nimmu House and Nubra in style
Private SUV with driver and a private guide throughout
Kinnaur by HRTC bus: Sangla, Chitkul, Kalpa
HRTC buses and local shared taxis
Shimla and Kinnaur with Oberoi stays
Private SUV with driver and guide; toy train from Kalka
Spiti circuit: Kinnaur in, Kunzum La out
Private SUV with driver
Spiti village homestays: Dhankar to Langza
Shared car to Kaza, then local buses and short taxi transfers
Gompas of Spiti, in and out by Kinnaur
Private SUV with driver, private guide
Slow Spiti and Lahaul with a private guide
Private SUV with driver, private guide
Deoria Tal, Tungnath and Chandrashila
UTC and GMOU buses, shared jeeps and a shared taxi
Valley of Flowers and Hemkund by bus
UTC and GMOU buses, shared jeeps and walking
Kumaon birding: Sattal and Binsar
Private car with driver
Photo: Travelling Slacker · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Saver
Munsiyari and the Johar valley by shared jeep
Shared jeeps and buses via Almora, Chaukori, Thal and Bageshwar
Long weekend from Delhi: Nainital and Bhimtal
Overnight train to Kathgodam, shared taxis and walking
Photo: Travelling Slacker · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Signature
Kasar Devi and Binsar, slow and private
Private car with driver
Everest view trek to Namche Bazaar
Domestic flights to Lukla, private car in Kathmandu, five days on foot
Kathmandu, Bandipur and Pokhara by private car
Private car with driver
Kathmandu valley heritage on a saver budget
Local buses, microbuses and shared taxis
Pokhara, Poon Hill and Ghandruk on a budget
Tourist bus and shared jeep; three days on foot
Dwarika's, Bandipur and Tiger Mountain
Private car with driver; domestic flight Pokhara–Kathmandu
Everest lodges trek with Dwarika's
Domestic flights to Lukla, private car in Kathmandu, six days on foot
Tea and toy train: Kurseong and Darjeeling
Private car with driver
Darjeeling long weekend from Kolkata
Overnight train, shared jeeps, toy train joy ride
Taj Chia Kutir, Windamere and Glenburn
Private SUV with driver
Windamere, Sandakphu and Taj Chia Kutir
Private SUV with driver; reserved Land Rover on the Singalila Ridge
Sikkim monasteries and ridges, 6 nights
Private car with driver
North Sikkim: Lachen, Lachung, Gurudongmar
Private SUV with driver
North Sikkim on a budget, 5 nights
Seats on shared permit-tour vehicles
Sikkim heritage hotels, 6 nights
Private SUV with driver and local guide
Sikkim signature: Gangtok and the north
Private SUV with driver and local guide
The Siang valley and Mechuka
Private SUV with driver
Tawang and Dirang by private car
Private SUV with driver
Ziro Apatani homestay on a budget
Shared Sumos, with a shared taxi day in the valley
Tawang and Dirang in comfort
Private SUV with driver and private guide
76 places
Where to go
Aru Valley
Trailhead village for Lidderwat, Kolahoi and Tarsar
Dachigam National Park
Home of the hangul, 22 km from Srinagar
Doodhpathri
The valley of milk, 42 km from Srinagar
Photo: Aniketchoudhary87 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Gurez Valley
Log villages on the Kishanganga below Habba Khatoon peak
Pampore
Saffron town on the karewas, 15 km from Srinagar
Srinagar
Houseboats, Mughal gardens and an old city of craftsmen
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
Lamayuru
Ladakh's old gompa above the eroded moonland
Leh
Old caravan town at 3,500 m, and where every Ladakh trip begins
Nubra Valley
The old caravan valley over Khardung La, with dunes and orchards
Pangong Tso
A 134 km brackish lake at about 4,250 m, best at first light
Experiences
Days that fit the style
Aru to Lidderwat along the stream
A long but steady walk of about 10 km each way leads from Aru village through fir forest and meadow to Lidderwat, where…
Tarsar and Marsar lakes trek from Aru
From Aru, this trek climbs via Lidderwat and Shekwas to Tarsar, a deep blue lake below steep peaks at about 3,800 m, th…
Meet the herders' camps above Aru
From June to September, Gujjar and Bakarwal families camp in the meadows above Aru with goats, sheep and horses. A slow…
Morning wildlife walk in lower Dachigam
Lower Dachigam is a broad, gentle valley floor of forest, orchards and meadow along the Dagwan. A guided morning walk o…
Listening for the hangul rut in autumn
In autumn, hangul stags bugle across the forested slopes of Dachigam during the rut. Hearing their calls at dawn, and w…
Birding along the Dagwan river
The Dagwan river and the mixed forest of lower Dachigam are good for birds, especially in spring when summer visitors a…
Riverbank and meadow walk on the Shaliganga
Walk along the Shaliganga from the main meadow, cross on log bridges, and climb gently to open grassland with views of …
Pony ride from Doodhpathri to Mujpathri
Mujpathri is a small hamlet on the bank of the Shaliganga beyond the main Doodhpathri meadow. A pony ride there and bac…
Where to sleep
Stays in these places
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: Aniketchoudhary87 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Budget
JKTDC Tourist Bungalow and Huts, Dawar
JKTDC's accommodation at Dawar, the main township of Gurez, includes a tourist bungalow with rooms and log huts ne…
Ahdoos Hotel
A long-established city hotel on Residency Road in central Srinagar, best known for its restaurant, one of the val…
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…
Zostel Leh
Zostel's Leh hostel offers dorm beds and private rooms within walking distance of Main Bazaar, with a common area …
Turtuk Balti homestays
Turtuk is a homestay village: dozens of Balti families in Youl and Farol, the two halves of the village, rent simp…
Hive by hive