Festival Holidays

Name: Festival Holidays
Brand: Exodus
Rating: 4.6 (562 reviews)

Join the celebration

Festival Holidays

Time it just right, and a festival can make the difference between a fantastic holiday and an utterly unforgettable one. Why not coincide your trip with a huge cultural event, giving yourself some added insight into local life and, of course, the chance to celebrate along with the locals?

Our festival tours are all designed to work around the momentous event, to give you a front-row seat for the festivities, without worrying about the timings yourself. In Mongolia, that means watching the horse racing at Naadam Festival; in Ladakh it’s the unforgettable high-altitude masked dances at the Tibetan Buddhist monasteries; and in Mexico it is the colour and excitement of the Day of the Dead. Join one of our festival trips and you could be in the whirlwind of colour that is India‘s Holi Festival.

Festival Adventure Holidays

15 Days from USD 2992

USD 2545

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Spend two weeks exploring the delights of this diverse island

Culture

9 Days from USD 2098

USD 1875

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

From the Taj Mahal to the Bengal tigers of Ranthambore, explore a land packed with culture and excitement

Culture

7 Days from USD 1042

USD 970

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

A gateway to India’s fascinating culture and spectacular Moghul architecture.

Culture

9 Days from USD 1950

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Discover India's Golden Triangle plus the incredible city of Varanasi

Culture

14 Days from USD 2173

USD 1950

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Find peace and paradise in India’s two southernmost states: Kerala and Tamil Nadu

Culture

15 Days from USD 2850

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Hop on the saddle to discover majestic monuments and picturesque palaces in India’s Land of Kings

Cycling

14 Days from USD 2775

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Experience the best of India's colourful desert state

Culture

13 Days from USD 1948

USD 1800

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Discover the domain of the maharajas: regal residences, the Taj Mahal and tigers

Culture

14 Days from USD 2220

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Discover the domain of the maharajas: regal residences, the Taj Mahal and tigers

Culture

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In focus: Holi Festival

“Holi celebrates the beginning of spring and it is possibly my favourite festival in India: a riot of colours, with people throwing dyed water at each other in the form of buckets, water guns and water balloons, and smearing colourful gulal (powder) on each other’s faces. All accompanied with dancing and music, and traditional Holi sweets and delicacies such as gujiya and bhang. It really does bring pure joy to everyone as the bursts of colours transform your face and clothes. Everyone gets involved and as a visitor, you’re a prime target! You’d have to literally stay indoors if you want to avoid it.”

Louise Ungless is an Exodus Expert

We visited in March 2025 and there were no reviews for this trip prior to our date of travel. We added on two nights before and also after the trip in Delhi to allow us to do an in depth private day tour of the city plus visit the national museum and modern art gallery. We also had a little bit of down time at the end of the trip and we opted to stay in the Taj Hotel which was fabulous.
There were only five people in our group and our guide was Ajay Gupta. We had a brand new minibus for travel and we had plenty of room to stretch out. The itinerary is pretty busy and you are never bored. At the time we visited there was absolutely no rain and the temperatures varied between high 20s to low 30s degrees C and these are the temperatures in the shade.
We really enjoyed visiting the various temples and mosques and the walking tour of old Delhi has to be a highlight. We hardly saw another tourist during this walk and our guide was lovely. The noise, colours and smells are exhilarating and we particularly enjoyed the tuk tuk and rickshaw rides. The three cities on this tour are all very different and each has its own charms. The food in India is wonderful and another highlight was the cooking lesson at the family home and then enjoying eating what you had made. The quality of the hotels used was very good and we particularly enjoyed the Neemrana Fort Hotel and the Tigress at Ranthambore.
I really wanted to rate this trip 4.5 stars, but the site will only let me use whole stars. My advice to Exodus is to consider adding on a third, optional game drive at Ranthambore as unfortunately we did not see any tigers as you are pre-allocated a zone for each game drive. Also we did not see the point of the train trip between Bharatpur to Agra as the trains are grubby and overcrowded and we waited around at the station for quite a while before the departure. We were also warned not to use the facilities on board.

Glenda Horne India’s Taj Mahal and Tigers – Premium Adventure

I honestly can’t recommend this trip enough. From start to finish, it was full of unforgettable moments and thoughtful touches. We travelled through Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur, and everything was so well organised – it was the perfect introduction to India. One of my favourite memories was being greeted with flower wreaths at a Jaipur flower market—it felt so personal and welcoming. The visit to the Taj Mahal was obviously a highlight, but there were so many other surprises too. Staying at Suroth Mahal, a 600 year old heritage hotel, was something special. After a short cooking demonstration, they even put on a traditional Indian wrestling match in the courtyard, which none of us were expecting! We also had an optional stop at Chand Baori stepwell—recognised it from the Batman film, The Dark Knight! It also wasn’t just bus journeys – we were on camel carts, cycle rickshaws, and it was in these moments you really got to see the chaotic but beautiful pace of life in India. The food was another major highlight for me. I went in expecting curry and naan, but it was so much more varied and regional than I thought. The evening cooking demonstration in Jaipur was a real treat too—we learned how to make things like masala chai, lentil pakoras and korwan aloo, and it gave me a whole new appreciation for the flavours and how fresh everything is. We even got to try some street food chai and sweet jalebi!

Kristen Whitla India's Golden Triangle

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You’re in safe hands

At Exodus, every single one of us is passionate about travel and adventure. Together, our staff and tour leaders have visited more than 171 countries, and we come from a range of backgrounds as diverse archaeology and mountain rescue. We have the hands-on experience to help when you need it, and from the moment you pick up the phone to the moment you land, we’re here to take the hassle out of your holiday. We’ll meet you at the airport, get you safely from place to place, and provide you with the right kit to tackle your chosen adventure.