Would you like to travel differently in India? Here are a few off-the-beaten-track tours to do in India!
Would you like to travel to India in a different way? It’s possible! Yes, you can take a tour of India off the beaten track for an adventure full of twists and turns and, above all, away from the crowds of the big tourist sites. The Taj Mahal, Mumbai, Calcutta, Bangalore, Jaipur, Rajasthan: there are so many things to do in India, but they’re quickly becoming overcrowded. The world’s second most populous country, with a population of 1.29 billion, India is known the world over for its historical and cultural heritage, unique in South Asia. Off-the-beaten-track tours of India avoid the country’s most popular sites, such as Mumbai’s Gateway to India, Goa or the Taj Mahal.
If you’re looking for a different way to travel in India, and if you’re interested in adventure, we’ve put together a list of some ideas for tours in India where you’ll come across fewer tourists than elsewhere, while still visiting the must-sees of this immense country five times the size of France.
From Delhi to Jaipur: India’s must-sees
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Just aweek or 10 days? You can explore North India and travel off the beaten track, carrying your bag like a snail, through Punjab and Rajasthan via Himachal Pradesh, to see a spiritual, authentic and resolutely traditional India.
Delhi is the starting point for your tour of India! Head for the banks of the Yamuna River to Raj Ghat, the memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi.
Take the train to Chandigarh, a Punjabi capital founded by Le Corbusier. The McLeod Ganj district of Dharamsala awaits you: home to the Dalai Lama, it is nicknamed « Little Lhasa ». Dharamsala is the capital of the Tibetan government-in-exile. Visit the Gyoto monastery. Then on to Anandpur Sahib, considered a « holy city » by the Sikhs.
For a different kind of travel in India, head for Amritsar, where you can attend a pilgrim’s dinner in a Sikh temple, or witness the closing of the Indo-Pakistan border. A day should be devoted to a visit to Jodhpur, the ancient capital of Mârvar. Don’t miss a visit to Mehrangarh Fort, considered the finest in Rajasthan.
On the road between Jodhpur and Udaipur, stop off at Ranakpur to see the temples of this city, considered a stronghold of Jainism. Udaipur, to the south, reveals its charms.
The off-the-beaten-track India tour continues with Jaipur, the « Pink City ». Treat yourself to a Bollywood movie night, or explore the city by rickshaw.
In Agra, visit the Mother Teresa Foundation and the Mughal Red Fort » Lal Qilâ » before returning to France.
From North India to Rajasthan: wild India
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You’re not into historical monuments and you like to travel in a different way, for example by discovering the local wildlife? Rajasthan and North India are full of natural parks, home to a wide variety of species, such as the Bengal tiger.
Between Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, you can take a dozen safaris to observe animals in their natural environment, in complete freedom. Take a trip to Bandhavgarh National Park, an off-the-beaten-track park 200 kilometers north of Jabalpur. It is home to a large number of mammals and birds, as well as the largest number of tigers and leopards, living in the park’s 448 km² of grasslands and forests.
The Kanha and Pench parks are home to many predators, including wild jungle cats, leopards, jackals and dholes.
From Delhi to the Himalayas: spiritual India
Looking for a different way to travel, with a tour of authentic India? A tour in the footsteps of Siddhartha Gautama – who became the famous Buddha – from Delhi to Agra, from Balrampur to Varanasi, will immerse you in the spiritual history of India. Superb temples and palaces are to be seen, as are the landscapes of North India.
On this journey in the footsteps of the founder of the Buddhist religion, you’ll discover the life story of Siddharta Gautama, following the stages of his life: Mathura, Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Kushinagar, Varanasi (the country’s holiest city). You’ll discover the North Indian countryside, from the Himalayas to the Ganges plain, on an authentic journey off the beaten track.
The Ganges Valley: cultural India
This tour of India between Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh is designed for lovers of art, culture and history. The Ganges is the country’s world-famous holy river, between 2,500 and 3,000 kilometers long. This tour takes in the Taj Mahal, medieval Varanasi, Orchha temple, Jaipur, Agra and Khajuraho.
Kerala: sporting India
Want to warm up your calves and move around freely, in the fresh air, with no constraints? Treat yourself to a tour of South India, particularly Kerala.
Sightseeing and cycling offer a different way to travel than the usual sightseeing excursions, while at the same time getting some exercise.
Between the beaches of the south – Kovalam, Cochin – and the hills of the interior – where you can see the elephants of Vagamon Hill – a bicycle tour can also provide the opportunity to make contact with the inhabitants of the small towns and villages you visit. Between simplicity, ecology/sustainable tourism, freedom and sightseeing, a tour of South India by bike guarantees an itinerary off the beaten track in Kerala: Trivandrum, Veli Lagoon, Kollam, Kayamkulam backwaters, Vagamon Hill, Periyar National Park, Thekkady, Cochin.
Sikkim and West Bengal: the hidden face of India
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Planning a tour of India off the beaten track means going to popular, little-frequented places, or looking for alternative ways to travel, living like the locals or with local people. Sikkim, a small state perched in the Himalayas to the north-east of India, and West Bengal offer a much less well-known way of touring India than Rajasthan or Kerala.
On the program: the heights of India, the Himalayas, with unforgettable hikes and views. Stops may include Calcutta, Darjeeling, Pemayangtse, Gangtok, Kalimpong or Bagdogra.
Indian villages: traditional India
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What better way to travel than through linguistic and cultural immersion when visiting a foreign country? Homestay is a sustainable form of eco-tourism that benefits everyone. For example, you can stay with a farmer committed to organic farming – why not try wwoofing? -Or stay with the panchayat – the village council – to discover how community life is governed and regulated.
The idea is for the trip to have a purpose: an off-the-beaten-track tour that promises above all an unusual experience in India.
The Golden Triangle: India on a budget
Countless tourists come to India to see this major Indian itinerary: the Golden Triangle, linking Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.
This tour of India can be done in a week, with tourist monuments – the Mughal Red Fort, the Jama Masjid in Delhi, the Taj Mahal in Agra – and nature escapades: Keoladeo Ghana National Park in particular, considered one of the world’s most beautiful bird sanctuaries.
Gujarat: ancestral India
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To travel off the beaten track in India, head west to Gujarat, looking out towards the Arabian Sea. Nature and tradition still set the pace for local social life, where the population still lives by handicrafts and subsistence farming.
Discover ancestral lands on this off-the-beaten-track tour: Palitana Hill and its 850 Jain temples – a major pilgrimage site – and the old town of Ahmedabad, a cultural itinerary rarely visited by tourists.
Here’s a sample tour: Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Modhera, Patan, Dasada, Bhuj, Wankaner, Gondal, Sasangir, Diu, Bhavnagar, Palitana.
Rajasthan: gourmet India
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Why not include Indian cooking classes on your tour of India? Visiting Rajasthan – for example? Try a cooking class in Jaipur! Learn how to cook Indian dishes, watch cooks concoct Rajasthan’s leading vegetarian recipes… Rajasthani cuisine is renowned for its combination of spices and vegetables, with meats cooked tandoor-style (in the oven).
There’s plenty of time to learn about and taste the specialties of each Rajasthani city: gewhar in Jaipur, laddoos in Jodhpur, malpuas in Pushkar, rasgullas in Bikaner and dil jani in Udaipur. In any case, you won’t want to miss the famous « tandoori chicken »!