The India travel specialists · London
Private, tailor-made India tours with your own car, driver and local guides. From £297 per person for the land arrangements, on your dates rather than a fixed departure.
India is not one holiday, it is about nine of them, and the hardest part is working out which one you actually want. A first trip is usually the Golden Triangle. A second is Rajasthan, or Kerala if the first was hot and busy and you fancy something slower. Tamil Nadu is for people who like temples, Ladakh for people who like mountains and do not mind thin air.
Every tour below is private rather than a coach group: your own car, your own driver, a guide who meets you in each city, and dates that are yours rather than a fixed departure. Prices are per person for the land arrangements. We quote your flights separately, because we can usually do better running a few airlines against your dates than tying you to one.
Best first trip Delhi, Agra, Jaipur
The short one, and the one almost everybody starts with. Delhi, the Taj Mahal, and Jaipur in under a week, with Fatehpur Sikri on the drive between them. Easy to bolt a few beach days or Kerala onto the end.
Good with children Delhi, Agra, Ranthambore, Jaipur
The Golden Triangle with two days at Ranthambore dropped into the middle of it, and two canter safaris looking for tigers. All meals are included at the park. The one that works best with teenagers.
Our most complete route Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer
Everything the Golden Triangle has, and then the part people really come back talking about: the lake at Udaipur, the blue city at Jodhpur, and the desert at Jaisalmer. Thirteen days, one car, no internal faff.
Ends at Varanasi Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Orchha, Khajuraho, Varanasi
The Triangle, then east into the bits most people miss: the abandoned fort at Orchha, the carved temples at Khajuraho, and finally Varanasi, where the morning boat on the Ganges is the thing nobody forgets.
Cheapest per night Cochin, Alleppey, Kumarakom, Kovalam
A week in the south: old Cochin, a night on a houseboat at Alleppey, the backwaters at Kumarakom, then the beach at Kovalam with a run down to Kanyakumari where the three seas meet.
Hills, water and beach Cochin, Munnar, Thekkady, Alleppey, Kumarakom, Mararikulam
Kerala done properly. The tea hills at Munnar, a boat on the lake at Periyar looking for elephant, the Alleppey houseboat, and then three nights doing nothing at all on the beach at Mararikulam.
The comfortable one Cochin, Thekkady, Kumarakom
Three bases, no packing and repacking, and the only tour on this page where the supplier names the hotels: Spice Village at Thekkady and Coconut Lagoon at Kumarakom. Yoga and a massage at each. It costs more per night and you can see where it goes.
Longest tour Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Tanjore, Trichy, Madurai, Thekkady, Kerala
The Tamil Nadu temple run — Kanchipuram, the shore temple at Mahabalipuram, French Pondicherry, Tanjore, Madurai — and then over the hills into Kerala for the last third. Sixteen days and the best value per night of anything here.
Punjab and pilgrimage Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh
Delhi, then the Shatabdi up to Amritsar for the Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh and the ceremony at the Wagah border. On to Chandigarh, with a day out to Anandpur Sahib.
Sightseeing then stillness Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Haridwar, Rishikesh
A week of the usual north India sights, then the train up to Haridwar for the evening aarti on the river and three days of yoga and meditation at Rishikesh. Front-loaded with temples, back-loaded with quiet.
Mountains Delhi, Leh, Alchi, Lamayuru, Khardung La
Fly from Delhi up onto the Tibetan plateau. Monasteries at Alchi and Lamayuru, and the road over Khardung La at 5,600 metres. A day is set aside on arrival purely to acclimatise, and you want it.
Least visited Kolkata, Darjeeling, Gangtok, Kalimpong
Kolkata, then up to Darjeeling for sunrise over Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill, on into Sikkim for the monasteries at Gangtok and Rumtek, and down to Kalimpong. Almost nobody from the UK does this one.
Three questions usually settle it.
Then the Golden Triangle, almost certainly — six days, three cities, and the Taj. If you have a fortnight, Rajasthan instead: it contains the Triangle and keeps going.
The north is forts, bazaars and long drives. Kerala is backwaters, tea hills and beaches, and you move about half as much. People who found the north tiring tend to love the south.
Under a week, the Golden Triangle or Kerala. Ten days, Classic North India or Magic of the Backwaters. A fortnight or more, Rajasthan or the full Tamil Nadu temple run.
You do not need to have picked a tour. Tell us when you can travel, how many of you there are and what sort of trip you are after, and we will come back with one price covering the tour and the flights.
Prices are the supplier’s published “from” figures for the land arrangements only, per person on a twin-share basis, and vary by date, hotel grade and party size. International flights are quoted separately. Patel Travel is ATOL 74904 and IATA accredited. Tours are operated by our ground partner in India; your confirmation will state who is responsible for your booking.
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