Eleven programmes is one too many to choose between on instinct. This page has one job: to narrow your choice down to one or two in about five minutes. No marketing — just numbers, dates and an honest "this one is not for everyone".
Prices are per person for the part delivered on the ground, based on two people sharing a room. International flights, visa, insurance and entry tickets are extra — on every programme.
| Trip | Days | From | When | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rishikesh: Source of Yoga | 16 | 700 EUR | all year | yoga practice, one place, gentle pace |
| Pearls of North India | 12 | 900 EUR (3★) 1,150 EUR (4★) | early December 2026* | first visit, the classics: Taj Mahal and Varanasi |
| Kashmir: the Golden Valley | 12 | 1,060 EUR | June / September | summer, mild climate, houseboat on the lake |
| Kashmir and Ladakh | 17 | 1,400 EUR | July / September | high mountains, needs good health and fitness |
| Colourful India | 15 | 1,550 EUR | February / March 2027 | Rajasthan, tigers, Varanasi |
| Golden Cities of Rajasthan | 16 | 1,825 EUR | February / March 2027 | Thar Desert, forts, a night under canvas |
| Nepal and India | 20 (or 8 / 12) | 2,250 EUR | September / October | two countries at once, Himalayas and Golden Triangle |
| India in a Nutshell | 3 | on request | alongside a Goa stay | a short circuit: Jaipur, Agra, Delhi |
| Hampi from Goa | 3 | on request | alongside a Goa stay | the ruins of Vijayanagara, far fewer visitors |
| Delhi and Agra from Goa | 2–3 | on request | alongside a Goa stay | the Taj Mahal in brief, when time is short |
| Goa in one day | 1 | 60 EUR | all year | local day trips, guide and hotel pick-up included |
* The December departure is still to be confirmed — the group is forming now. Every programme can also be run privately, for a couple or your own group; the quote is then prepared separately.
Still undecided? Tell us how much time you have, when you can travel and what you are after. We will say honestly which route fits — including when the answer is "none, not in that month".
Ask about a tripChoose Pearls of North India. Twelve days on the classic route: Delhi, Jaipur, Agra with the Taj Mahal, Orchha, Khajuraho and Varanasi on the Ganges. The two longest legs are flown rather than driven, so the pace is calmer than on a pure road trip. Prices start at 900 EUR in 3-star hotels or 1,150 EUR in 4-star — the programme, the tour leader and the transport are identical in both, only the standard of the hotels differs.
What we do not recommend for a first visit: combining north and south, Ladakh (altitude), and any route longer than two weeks. What you actually see on this route is covered in the Golden Triangle: what to see.
From April to June the Indian plains regularly pass 40°C, which is no weather for exploring forts. That is when you go to the mountains. Kashmir: the Golden Valley is twelve days in a European-summer climate: Srinagar with its houseboats on Dal Lake, the Mughal gardens, Gulmarg and Pahalgam, with Amritsar and the Golden Temple on the way. Departures in June and September, from 1,060 EUR.
Honestly about Kashmir: it is a disputed region with a visible military presence, and in April 2025 there was an attack on tourists there. We travel only on established tourist routes, with a local partner, and after checking current government travel advice. We write about safety in India more broadly in a separate guide.
Kashmir and Ladakh, seventeen days, from 1,400 EUR. Over the Zoji La pass to Leh, Pangong Lake, the Nubra Valley. The highest points of the route exceed 5,000 m, and Leh itself sits at 3,500 m.
This is the one programme where we say it plainly: not for everyone. With heart, lung or blood-pressure conditions you need a doctor's opinion, and as a first trip to India it is the wrong choice. The road over Zoji La is only open from May to November.
Colourful India, fifteen days, 1,550 EUR, February or March 2027. Rajasthan, Pushkar, two safaris in Ranthambore National Park, Agra and Varanasi. Two game drives rather than one is not indulgence — nobody can guarantee a tiger, and each additional safari genuinely improves the odds. Even without one you will see sambar deer, antelope, crocodiles and hundreds of birds.
Golden Cities of Rajasthan, sixteen days, 1,825 EUR. The painted havelis of Mandawa, Bikaner, Jaisalmer with a night on the dunes of the Thar Desert, blue Jodhpur, sacred Pushkar, Jaipur, the Taj Mahal and Varanasi at the end. It has more driving than any other programme — four to six hours between cities — so you need to enjoy the road.
People fly to Goa to rest, and a full circuit of India makes no sense alongside that. We have three short programmes, quoted individually:
Plus day trips around Goa from 60 EUR, with a guide and hotel pick-up included.
Rishikesh: Journey to the Source of Yoga — sixteen days in one place in the Himalayan foothills, from 700 EUR, available all year. Daily practice, meditation, evening ceremonies on the Ganges. The least expensive and calmest programme we run, and the only one where you do not repack every other day.
That is routine here, not an exception. For women travelling without company we have a separate page. You can pay the single-room supplement, or let us match you with a room-mate from the group — plenty of people travel alone and are happy to share. Current single supplements:
The same list everywhere: international flights, visa, insurance, entry tickets to the sites you visit, lunches and dinners outside the programme, drinks, tips and personal spending. Entry tickets across a full route come to roughly 80–120 EUR per person. Trips starting between 20 December and 5 January carry a seasonal supplement of 200 EUR.
Included are: hotels with breakfast in twin rooms, private air-conditioned transport with a driver, the domestic flights listed in the programme, licensed local guides and an English-speaking tour leader with the group throughout. The full cost breakdown is in what a trip to India costs.
Pearls of North India — twelve days on the classic route through Delhi, Jaipur, Agra with the Taj Mahal and Varanasi, at an unhurried pace, with two flights replacing the longest drives. From 900 EUR in 3-star hotels or 1,150 EUR in 4-star.
The sixteen-day yoga stay in Rishikesh, from 700 EUR per person. Among the touring programmes, Pearls of North India is the most affordable at 900 EUR. Prices exclude international flights, visa, insurance and entry tickets.
Kashmir and Ladakh. Srinagar is 25–30°C in summer and the mountains are cooler, while Rajasthan and Delhi pass 40°C. Departures: Kashmir in June and September, Kashmir with Ladakh in July and September.
Yes. There are three short circuits quoted individually: India in a Nutshell (3 days: Jaipur, Agra, Delhi), Delhi and Agra (2–3 days) and Hampi (3 days). Day trips around Goa are also available from 60 EUR with a guide and hotel pick-up.
It depends on the programme: 200 EUR on Pearls of North India in the 3-star version, 250 EUR in Kashmir, 500 EUR on Kashmir and Ladakh, 600 EUR on Colourful India, 650 EUR on Nepal and India, 890 EUR on Golden Cities of Rajasthan. You can also ask to be matched with a room-mate from the group.
Yes, each programme has its own window in the year — Rajasthan in February and March, Kashmir in summer, Nepal in September and October. Every route can also be run privately, for a couple or your own group, with a separate quote and dates arranged around you.
Tell us how much time you have and when you can travel — we will match the route, and say honestly if none of them fits your dates.