India tours for senior travellers

Will I manage?

It is the question we hear most, and the answer is always the same: if you can comfortably walk four or five kilometres over a day with breaks, and climb two flights of stairs without a lift, you will manage.

A trip to India is physically less demanding than a week of sightseeing in Rome. In Rome you walk all day; here you ride an air-conditioned minibus from monument to monument, with tea and rest stops in between.

And the most important part: any item on the programme can be skipped. You stay in the minibus with the driver or at the hotel, and the group comes back for you. Nobody is hurried along.

What we adjust for older travellers

• Two nights in each city instead of one — a full day on the ground and an evening without repacking.
• Flights instead of the longest drives. On Pearls of North India the two longest legs are flown.
• Hotels with lifts and air conditioning, 4-star standard, with mixed breakfasts — European alongside Indian.
• A lower berth on the overnight train where the programme includes one. Just say so when booking.
• Diets — diabetic, gluten-free, vegetarian — passed to restaurants before the group arrives.
• A single room, or a room-mate matched from within the group if you travel alone.

Which programmes we recommend

• Pearls of North India (12 days, from 900 EUR) — first choice over 65. The calmest pace, two flights, the classic route with the Taj Mahal and Varanasi.
• Kashmir: the Golden Valley (12 days, 1,060 EUR) — a mild summer climate, 25–30°C instead of forty. A houseboat, gardens, mountains without climbing.
• Rishikesh (16 days, from 700 EUR) — one place, a gentle practice, no repacking every other day.
• India in a Nutshell (3 days) — a short circuit alongside a stay in Goa, when two weeks is too much.

What we do not recommend: Kashmir and Ladakh. Leh sits at 3,500 m and the highest points of the route exceed 5,000 m. With heart, lung or blood-pressure conditions it requires a doctor's opinion, and it is not a good first trip to India.

Health, medication and insurance

Insurance covering pre-existing conditions is the most commonly overlooked part of the preparation. A standard policy excludes flare-ups of conditions you are already being treated for; the extension costs little and is worth it. Medical cover: at least 30,000 EUR, preferably 50,000.

Bring medication for the whole trip plus a week in reserve, in original packaging, in your hand luggage. Add a list of the active ingredients — it helps with doctors and at airport security.

Private healthcare in India's large cities is good and quickly available, but paid up front — hence the insurance. The tour leader knows the clinics along the route and goes with you. Details: vaccinations and a travel medical kit.

The most common problem for older travellers is not the stomach but dehydration — in the dry air of Rajasthan it is easy to forget. Keep a bottle of water to hand.

Frequently asked questions