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India

India Tours & Holidays

India holiday packages take you beyond the well-trodden circuits, into landscapes and traditions most travellers never reach. Few countries reward genuine curiosity quite so generously.

  • Best timeJul
  • Time zoneUTC+5:30
  • CurrencyIndian Rupee (INR)
  • LanguageHindi (official)
Overview

An introduction to India

India tours operate on a scale that rewards patience. Mughal cities, Himalayan kingdoms and Silk Road trading routes coexist within a single border, each shaped by its own history, faith and language. Our India holidays focus on the far north — specifically the Ladakh region, where Buddhist culture has been quietly thriving for over a thousand years, and where the landscape shifts from high desert to fertile valley within a single day's drive.

Our small group India tours take you from Delhi into the heart of Ladakh, visiting ancient monasteries at Thiksey, Hemis and Alchi, crossing the Khardung La into the Nubra Valley, and reaching as far as Turtuk — a Balti village near the Pakistan border that only opened to outsiders relatively recently. Whether you're drawn to Buddhist heritage, dramatic mountain scenery or places most travellers simply never find, our India travel packages are built to give you the time and space to take it all in.

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India

Why visit

What makes India worth the journey

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A place apart

Ladakh is Unlike Anywhere Else in India

Most India tour packages focus on the Golden Triangle or Rajasthan. Ladakh sits in an entirely different world — a high-altitude Tibetan plateau shaped by Buddhism, the Silk Road and some of the most dramatic mountain scenery on the planet. If you've already seen the obvious India, this is where to go next.

01

Places Most Travellers Don't Reach

The villages of Turtuk and Themisgam, the monastery at Alchi, the dunes of the Nubra Valley — these are not on the standard India travel package circuit. Our itinerary is built around genuine discovery, not the most-photographed sites.

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02

Living Buddhist Culture

Ladakh's monasteries are not museums — they are active centres of Buddhist learning and practice. Visiting Hemis, Thiksey and Matho as part of a small group India holiday gives you access and context that a solo visit rarely provides.

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03

A Counterpoint to India's Crowds

Ladakh's remoteness is part of its appeal. The high altitude, the vast open valleys and the small scale of its towns make this one of the most genuinely peaceful India trips available — a very different experience from the subcontinent's busier circuits.

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Highlights

The highlights of India

Monasteries of the Indus Valley

Ladakh's most important Buddhist monasteries — Thiksey, Hemis, Matho and Sankar — are all visited on our India group tours, each perched above the valley floor with extraordinary views and centuries of unbroken monastic life.

Alchi's 12th-Century Artwork

One of Ladakh's most remarkable sites, the monastery at Alchi contains some of the oldest and finest Buddhist murals and sculpture in the entire Himalayan region — a quiet, extraordinary place that most visitors to India never reach.

Nubra Valley via Khardung La

The road over the Khardung La pass drops you into the Nubra Valley, where sand dunes meet Himalayan peaks and Bactrian camels still wander the old Silk Road routes near Hundar.

Turtuk — the Silk Road Village

Near the Pakistan border, Turtuk is one of India's most remote accessible villages, a Balti settlement that only opened to outside visitors relatively recently. It offers a window into a culture and way of life rarely seen on India trip itineraries.

Lamayuru's Cliffside Gompa

Ladakh's oldest monastery clings to an eroded clifftop above a lunar landscape — one of the most dramatically sited religious buildings anywhere in the Himalayas, and a highlight of any India holiday in the region.

Leh Old Town & Palace

Leh's whitewashed Old Town is dominated by its nine-storey palace, built in the same era as the Potala in Lhasa. Strolling the bazaar and surrounding lanes gives a genuine feel for Ladakh's layered history.

Themisgam's Apricot Valleys

The fertile valley of Themisgam, with its apricot orchards and ancient monasteries, provides a vivid contrast to the stark high-altitude desert that defines much of the Ladakh landscape.

Small Group Travel Throughout

All our India tours run with a maximum of 12 people, giving you a far more personal experience with your guide — and the flexibility to stop, explore and absorb rather than move at a crowd's pace.

India rewards travellers who slow down — the best stories are found off the tour-bus route.

From the field

When to go

Picking the right season for your trip

Our India tours depart in July, which is one of the best times to visit Ladakh. While the Indian monsoon affects much of the country during summer, Ladakh sits in the rain shadow of the Himalayas and remains largely dry and accessible throughout July. Days are warm and clear, mountain passes are open, and the high-altitude landscape is at its most vivid. Temperatures drop noticeably after dark at this elevation, so layers are recommended for evenings.

Live weather
India

Looking to travel outside the typical windows? Our India tailor-made team can advise on the best time for you.

From the journal

Stories from the region

Dispatches, field notes and practical advice from our specialists.

All stories
Voices from the road

What travellers say about us

Reviews from across our small-group programme. Independently rated 4.9 Excellent on AITO by 250+ travellers.

Jason was very helpful and the booking process was quick and easy. UD offers itineraries that many competitors do not. I thoroughly enjoyed both trips I've taken with them. While they may not suit everyone, I have happily recommended the Senegal tour to fellow travellers.
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Bernice Hird, UK

Helped by Jason van der Wath

Excellent customer service, reliable itineraries and ability to solve local issues when they arise
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Gustavo Musto, Uruguay

I like the small size of groups, the range of destinations and excellent itineraries. This is my third holiday with your company and I have found your itineraries really good.
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Traveller from the UK

Excellent company to book with. Complex tour mostly delivered as per itinerary with professional and pleasant local representatives.
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Adam Choonara, UK

Jason was outstanding, patiently answering my many questions about the Senegal trip, particularly regarding accessibility. He was professional, supportive, warm and friendly, giving me the confidence to book. I truly appreciate his exceptional service and support.
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Ramnit Bassi, UK

Helped by Jason van der Wath

Undiscovered Destinations is able to find wonderful support staff and will go to the far corners of the earth.
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Patricia Taylor, UK

This is my third trip with UD and all have been first rate.
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Judith Hoyle, UK

I am very satisfied with every trip that I have doe with you since you match my interests in culture and tribal peoples.
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Eric Ferkins, UK

Jason was incredibly helpful and efficient in getting us booked last minute on this trip when our trip with another company was cancelled with no notice.
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Sarah Keir, UK

Helped by Jason van der Wath

The Congo river was my third trip with UD (after Burkina Faso and Eritrea) and I have already recommended UD a number of times.
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Martin Giles, UK

Can’t find the right fit?

Every one of our India journeys can be rebuilt around your dates, pace and interests — or we’ll design something entirely new.

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Tailor-made journeys

Didn’t find your perfect India trip?

We’ll build one around you.

If you'd like to travel to India outside our scheduled group departure, or prefer a private India holiday designed around your own timeline and interests, we can build a tailor-made itinerary for you. Whether you want to focus purely on Ladakh — exploring Leh, the Nubra Valley and the monasteries of the Indus Valley at your own pace — or combine your trip with other parts of the country, we'll shape an India travel package that fits. All our tailor-made India trips include the same expert local guides and carefully chosen accommodation as our group tours. Contact us to start planning.

Your dates
Travel when it suits you
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Just you, family or friends
Your pace
Linger longer, skip the rest
Bespoke extras
Private guides, rare access

Typical reply within 3 working days · No obligation · Trusted by travellers since 2004

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How it works
  1. 1Tell us what you have in mind
  2. 2We build an itinerary + quote
  3. 3Refine until it feels right
Est. 2004
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Questions, answered

Planning a trip to India?

  • Our India tours start from £2,095 per person. That covers accommodation throughout, overland transport, a domestic flight as shown in the itinerary, an English-speaking tour leader, entrance fees for listed sites and most meals. International flights, travel insurance and your Indian visa are arranged separately. Full pricing and departure dates are on the individual tour page.

Before you go

Essential information

Shared across all tours that visit this destination. Read alongside your individual tour dossier for trip-specific details.

Foreign Office travel advice

We constantly monitor official travel advice, including the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) India Travel Advice, and will always advise clients of any warnings before departure. At the time of writing, there are no specific warnings against travel to the parts of India that we visit on our tours.

Please contact us if you have any specific concerns or would like to understand what measures are in place to ensure your trip remains safe and trouble-free.

For additional official guidance, travellers may also refer to:
- US Department of State — US State Dept India Travel Advisory
- Australian Government — Smartraveller India Advice
- Government of Canada — Canada Travel Advice for India

Please note this information applies primarily to British citizens — nationals of other countries should check the current position with their respective government travel authority.

Ready when you are

Start planning your India adventure

Join a small-group departure, or let our India specialists craft a private journey shaped around your dates and interests.

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