Himalaya only · eleven valleys, west to east

Every valley
is a hive

Villages packed onto the sunny side of a slope, joined by old salt, wool and pilgrim paths. We plan trips into eleven of them, from ₹7,500 Saver trips by shared jeep and homestay to the best lodges in the range.

Everest 8,849 m · Nanga Parbat to Namcha Barwa ≈ 2,400 km

No payment to start

Written, itemised quote

One planner, on WhatsApp

Altitude-safe pacing

The arc

Eleven hives on one mountain range

From Kashmir in the west to Arunachal in the east, the Great Himalaya runs about 2,400 km. The dotted line follows its crest through twelve real summits. Hover a hive to see what it costs and when it is open.

Compare every hive

1,580–2,730 m · best Apr – Jun · Sep – OctKashmir Lake houses, saffron karewas and shepherd meadows

Saver from₹12,500Dal Lake blue and chinar copper

2,676–4,522 m · best Jun – SepLadakh High desert of passes, gompas and apricots

Saver from₹23,500Pangong teal and Raktsey apricot

996–2,960 m · best Apr – May · Oct – NovHimachal Cedar villages, travelling gods and apple country

Saver from₹13,000Deodar green and Kinnaur apple red

3,050–4,420 m · best Jun – Jul · SepSpiti & Lahaul A cold desert of gompas, fossils and homestays

Saver from₹19,500Umber scree and Chandratal turquoise

340–3,583 m · best Mar · May · Sep – OctGarhwal Four dhams, two rivers, one long climb

Saver from₹11,500Kedar granite and marigold

1,370–2,400 m · best Mar – May · Oct – NovKumaon Lakes, oak ridges and the old Tibet road

Saver from₹7,500Oak moss and Aipan rice-white

822–3,840 m · best Mar – Apr · Oct – NovNepal Newar cities, Sherpa trails, the walled north

Saver from₹12,500Rhododendron wine and gilt bronze

1,200–3,636 m · best Mar – May · Oct – NovDarjeeling & Kalimpong Tea slopes, toy trains and Lepcha hills

Saver from₹9,500First-flush olive and toy-train blue

1,650–5,183 m · best Mar – May · Oct – NovSikkim Kangchenjunga, gompas and the high lakes

Saver from₹15,000Khangchendzonga violet and orchid

300–3,100 m · best Mar – Apr · Oct – NovBhutan Dzongs, cranes and chilli cheese, valley by valley

Saver from₹34,500Monk-robe maroon and Druk saffron

155–4,170 m · best Mar – Apr · Oct – NovArunachal Monasteries, rice valleys and India's wettest forests

Saver from₹12,000Dawn plum and Siang coral

KashmirSaver from ₹12,500 LadakhSaver from ₹23,500 HimachalSaver from ₹13,000 Spiti & LahaulSaver from ₹19,500 GarhwalSaver from ₹11,500 KumaonSaver from ₹7,500 NepalSaver from ₹12,500 Darjeeling & KalimpongSaver from ₹9,500 SikkimSaver from ₹15,000 BhutanSaver from ₹34,500 ArunachalSaver from ₹12,000 On a budgetThe affordable Himalaya

Pick your price, keep the valley

Every trip comes in three tiers

Same valleys, same altitude rules, same planner. What changes is how you move, where you sleep and what you spend.

Saver

Trips from, per person₹7,500

The affordable Himalaya. Shared jeeps and state buses, homestays and government tourist bungalows, local food. Simple, safe, and planned so the money goes to the valley.

All Saver trips

Comfort

Trips from, per person₹38,000

A private car and a driver who knows the road, good three and four star hotels and the best homestays, with time built in for altitude and weather.

All Comfort trips

Signature

Trips from, per person₹1,10,000

The best hotels and lodges each valley has, a private guide, and slow days. The Himalaya at its most comfortable.

All Signature trips

The affordable Himalaya

Real trips, small budgets

State buses, shared jeeps, homestays and government rest houses. Prices are per person from the start point, indicative 2026, with the trade-offs written down.

See the budget section

Saver trips

Under ₹15,000

Every trip under ₹15,000

Saver trips

Under ₹25,000

Every trip under ₹25,000

Saver trips

Under ₹40,000

Every trip under ₹40,000

Good in October

Where the weather works now

Season finder

Photo: KennyOMG · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

2,414 m · Valley · Kashmir

Aru Valley

Trailhead village for Lidderwat, Kolahoi and Tarsar

Best May – Oct1–2 nights

Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons

3,500 m · Town · Ladakh

Leh

Old caravan town at 3,500 m, and where every Ladakh trip begins

Best May – Oct3–4 nights

Photo: This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. … · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

3,200 m · Village · Spiti & Lahaul

Jispa

A riverside stop on the Manali–Leh road at 3,200 m

Best Jun – Jul · Sep – Oct1–2 nights

Photo: Atarax42 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons

3,293 m · Pilgrimage town · Garhwal

Yamunotri

The Yamuna's shrine, where rice cooks in a hot spring

Best May – Jun · Sep – Oct1–2 nights

Photo: Saroj Pandey · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons

1,401 m · City · Nepal

Bhaktapur

Potters, pagodas and the king of curds

Best Feb – Apr · Oct – Nov1–2 nights

Photo: Pinakpani · CC BY 4.0 · Commons

2,195 m · Village · Darjeeling & Kalimpong

Lava

Misty forest village at the gate of Neora Valley

Best Mar – May · Oct – Nov1–2 nights

Photo: Devsutapabublu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

2,100 m · Town · Sikkim

Ravangla

A ridge town with a giant Buddha and Sikkim's only tea garden

Best Mar – May · Oct – Nov1–2 nights

Photo: Christopher J. Fynn · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

1,200 m · Valley · Bhutan

Punakha

The old capital where two rivers meet below the dzong

Best Oct – Apr1–2 nights

Field notes

What the brochures leave out

Small, true facts from inside each hive, with the source named so you can check. They change each day.

Every field note

Sourced Kausani · 1,890 m

The Hindi poet Sumitranandan Pant was born in Kausani on 20 May 1900. His family home is now a museum holding drafts of his poems, letters, awards and articles of daily use.

Source: Kausani

Sourced Namche Bazaar · 3,440 m

Khumjung school, above Namche, was built by Edmund Hillary's Himalayan Trust in 1961. It began with two classrooms and now serves over 350 students.

Source: Khumjung

Sourced Gangtok · 1,650 m

Gangtok became Sikkim's capital in 1894, when the ruler Thutob Namgyal shifted the royal seat from Tumlong in the north. Before that it was a small hermitage and village.

Source: Gangtok

Sourced Haa · 2,700 m

Chele La, at 3,988 m on the road between Paro and Haa, is the highest motorable point in Bhutan; the asphalt road was built in the 1990s and is narrow and steep.

Source: Chelela Pass

Sourced Pasighat · 155 m

The Bogibeel Bridge across the Brahmaputra near Dibrugarh, opened in December 2018, is India's longest combined rail and road bridge at about 4.94 km. It cut the road journey from Dibrugarh to Pasighat to a few hours.

Source: Bogibeel Bridge

Sourced Sonamarg · 2,730 m

The 6.5 km Sonamarg Tunnel, also called the Z-Morh tunnel after the zigzag road it bypasses, opened in January 2025 to give Sonamarg road access through the winter.

Source: Sonamarg Tunnel

Kashmiri · KashmirKahwagreen tea brewed with saffron, cardamom, cinnamon and almonds, often in a samovar

Kashmiri · KashmirNun chaipink salt tea with milk and a pinch of soda, drunk with breakfast bread

Ladakhi · LadakhJuleyhello, goodbye and thank you, all in one word

Ladakhi · LadakhGur gur chasalted butter tea, churned in a wooden cylinder

Pahari · HimachalDhama festive community meal of rice, dal and madra, cooked by hereditary cooks and served on leaf plates

Kullvi · HimachalSiddua steamed wheat bun filled with walnut, poppy seed or lentil paste, eaten with ghee

Spiti Bhoti · Spiti & LahaulJulleyhello, goodbye and thank you, all in one word

Tibetan · Spiti & LahaulGompamonastery; literally a solitary place

Garhwali · GarhwalBugyalhigh alpine meadow used for summer grazing

Garhwali · GarhwalKafalthe bayberry Myrica esculenta, a red forest fruit sold by the roadside in May and June

Kumaoni · KumaonAipanritual floor and wall art drawn in rice paste on a red ochre (geru) base

Kumaoni · KumaonNaulaa stone-built tank that collects water from a spring, often with a small shrine

Nepali · NepalNamastehello and goodbye, said with palms joined

Nepali · NepalDal bhatlentils and rice, the everyday meal; refills are usually free

Lepcha · Darjeeling & KalimpongRongkupchildren of the Rong; the Lepcha people's name for themselves

Nepali · Darjeeling & KalimpongBhanjyanga pass or saddle on a ridge, as in Manebhanjan

Bhutia (Sikkimese) / Tibetan · SikkimTashi deleka greeting wishing good fortune, used for hello and on festive days

Bhutia / Tibetan · SikkimKhadaa white ceremonial scarf offered to guests, lamas and at shrines

Dzongkha · BhutanKuzuzangpo lahello; the 'la' adds respect

Dzongkha · BhutanKadrinchey lathank you

Tibetan, used by Monpa in Tawang · ArunachalTashi delekhello; good wishes and good luck

Monpa · ArunachalKhurasoft pancake of fermented buckwheat flour, eaten at breakfast

Planners' picks

One trip from each hive

Every trip

Photo: Fulvio Spada from Torino, Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons Comfort

Kashmir · 7 nights · sleeps to 2,730 m

Classic Kashmir: Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam

Private car with driver

From, per person₹54,000Apr – Jun · Sep – Oct

Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons Comfort

Ladakh · 10 nights · sleeps to 3,650 m

Leh to Zanskar and out to Srinagar by car

Private SUV with driver; local car in Padum where required

From, per person₹98,000Jul – Sep

Photo: Unknown author · Public domain · Commons Comfort

Himachal · 8 nights · sleeps to 2,050 m

Tirthan, Naggar and Manali by private car

Private car with driver

From, per person₹58,000Apr – Jun · Oct – Nov

Photo: Sumita Roy Dutta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Comfort

Spiti & Lahaul · 9 nights · sleeps to 4,420 m

Spiti circuit: Kinnaur in, Kunzum La out

Private SUV with driver

From, per person₹72,000Jul · Sep

Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons Comfort

Garhwal · 8 nights · sleeps to 3,583 m

Kedarnath, Tungnath and Badrinath by car

Private car with driver

From, per person₹54,000May · Oct

Photo: Skalvanov · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Comfort

Kumaon · 6 nights · sleeps to 2,084 m

Kumaon lakes family holiday

Private car with driver

From, per person₹42,000Mar – May · Oct – Nov

Photo: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Comfort

Nepal · 8 nights · sleeps to 3,440 m

Everest view trek to Namche Bazaar

Domestic flights to Lukla, private car in Kathmandu, five days on foot

From, per person₹92,000Apr – May · Oct – Nov

Photo: Auli Raha (অলি রাহা) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Comfort

Darjeeling & Kalimpong · 7 nights · sleeps to 2,045 m

Sittong, Takdah and Kalimpong villages

Private car with driver

From, per person₹44,000Mar – Apr · Oct – Jan

The almanac

Which hive, which month

Dark cells are the best months, pale cells are good, empty cells are closed or hard. A ₹ marks months when rooms and transport cost least.

Open the almanac

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Kashmir	Kashmir in January	Kashmir in February	Kashmir in March	Kashmir in April	Kashmir in May	Kashmir in June	Kashmir in July	Kashmir in August	Kashmir in September	Kashmir in October	Kashmir in November	Kashmir in December
Ladakh	Ladakh in January	Ladakh in February	Ladakh in March	Ladakh in April	Ladakh in May	Ladakh in June	Ladakh in July	Ladakh in August	Ladakh in September	Ladakh in October	Ladakh in November	Ladakh in December
Himachal	Himachal in January	Himachal in February	Himachal in March	Himachal in April	Himachal in May	Himachal in June	Himachal in July	Himachal in August	Himachal in September	Himachal in October	Himachal in November	Himachal in December
Spiti & Lahaul	Spiti & Lahaul in January	Spiti & Lahaul in February	Spiti & Lahaul in March	Spiti & Lahaul in April	Spiti & Lahaul in May	Spiti & Lahaul in June	Spiti & Lahaul in July	Spiti & Lahaul in August	Spiti & Lahaul in September	Spiti & Lahaul in October	Spiti & Lahaul in November	Spiti & Lahaul in December
Garhwal	Garhwal in January	Garhwal in February	Garhwal in March	Garhwal in April	Garhwal in May	Garhwal in June	Garhwal in July	Garhwal in August	Garhwal in September	Garhwal in October	Garhwal in November	Garhwal in December
Kumaon	Kumaon in January	Kumaon in February	Kumaon in March	Kumaon in April	Kumaon in May	Kumaon in June	Kumaon in July	Kumaon in August	Kumaon in September	Kumaon in October	Kumaon in November	Kumaon in December
Nepal	Nepal in January	Nepal in February	Nepal in March	Nepal in April	Nepal in May	Nepal in June	Nepal in July	Nepal in August	Nepal in September	Nepal in October	Nepal in November	Nepal in December
Darjeeling & Kalimpong	Darjeeling & Kalimpong in January	Darjeeling & Kalimpong in February	Darjeeling & Kalimpong in March	Darjeeling & Kalimpong in April	Darjeeling & Kalimpong in May	Darjeeling & Kalimpong in June	Darjeeling & Kalimpong in July	Darjeeling & Kalimpong in August	Darjeeling & Kalimpong in September	Darjeeling & Kalimpong in October	Darjeeling & Kalimpong in November	Darjeeling & Kalimpong in December
Sikkim	Sikkim in January	Sikkim in February	Sikkim in March	Sikkim in April	Sikkim in May	Sikkim in June	Sikkim in July	Sikkim in August	Sikkim in September	Sikkim in October	Sikkim in November	Sikkim in December
Bhutan	Bhutan in January	Bhutan in February	Bhutan in March	Bhutan in April	Bhutan in May	Bhutan in June	Bhutan in July	Bhutan in August	Bhutan in September	Bhutan in October	Bhutan in November	Bhutan in December
Arunachal	Arunachal in January	Arunachal in February	Arunachal in March	Arunachal in April	Arunachal in May	Arunachal in June	Arunachal in July	Arunachal in August	Arunachal in September	Arunachal in October	Arunachal in November	Arunachal in December