Foothills of the Himalaya

Discover northern India, where many religions and cultures flourish among energetic cities and emerald hill stations

Where the plains meet the Himalaya, India is at its most vivid and complex, manifested in a profusion of religions and landscapes. Join an expert local tour leader to experience it for yourself: ashrams, monasteries, churches and gurdwaras, Amritsar’s famous Golden Temple, Tibetan culture and the Dalai Lama’s hometown of Dharamsala. Just as fascinating is watching daily life play out, meeting the friendly local people and, of course, eating the world-renowned cuisine.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that improve life for the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Find out more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here, and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• The use of a local guide means our groups are well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels and restaurants, the emphasis on eating locally produced food, and by supporting other local enterprises.
• The hotels we stay in are dedicated to hiring local staff, this benefits the surrounding community by providing employment opportunities and income alternatives where they may be otherwise hard to come by.
• Our local partners share a commitment to projects that benefit their communities.
• This tour encourages guests to visit local communities, cafes and restaurants and use markets to purchase traditional crafts.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels.
• By travelling in a small group, led by a local guide, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We visit national heritage sites and the entrance fees included generates income, which is used for the upkeep and development of these important monuments and nature parks.
• Our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices with regard to working animals and wildlife viewing. Our animal welfare policy can be found here.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively eliminate or reduce waste, for example eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles and instead providing refills for reusable bottles.
• Where possible on this trip, paper bags are used as an alternative to single-use plastics.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.
• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• In some restaurants there is the option to have plant-based meals.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish behind in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, we’d ask you to consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring your own reusable water bottle on this trip; filtered water will be provided where tap water is not drinkable.

Cultural respect:

• Best to ask before photographing people, ceremonies or sacred sites.
• It’s polite to use only your right hand when eating something without cutlery and when handing money and small objects to someone else.
• Before entering a holy place, remove your shoes and give them to the shoe minder. When you collect your shoes again give the minder a few rupees. You’re permitted to wear socks in most places of worship.
• Religious etiquette advises against touching the heads of local people or directing the soles of your feet at a person, shrine or an image of a deity. You should not touch a carving of a deity.
• When visiting religious sites, dress and behave respectfully, don’t wear shorts and sleeveless tops – this applies to both men and women. Head cover for women and sometimes men is required in some places of worship.
• Generally, it is best to dress modestly throughout your time in India as a sign of respect.
• Making the effort to fit in is invariably appreciated so being aware of these aspects of cultural respect will assist you during your travels in India.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is rated Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings, visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us.

Itinerary: This trip provides an excellent introduction to northern India, with a great range of experiences and sights. It is not overly demanding, but it is a busy and active itinerary with lots to see. It takes place in the Himalayan foothills, visiting hilly towns and villages, so a reasonable level of stamina and mobility is needed.

Travel: We attempt to keep journey times to a minimum, but you must be prepared for some long drives. The roads are generally pretty good, but conditions vary. Local traffic and/or road damage after the wet season can sometimes slow us down. We mainly travel on comparatively quiet roads (which can be narrow and windy) for at least half the journey. If you suffer from travel sickness, you may find Day 7 (drive from Shimla to Palampur) and Day 10 (Palampur to Amritsar) particularly straining due to the time spent on winding hillside roads.

Monuments: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is responsible for the conservation of many monuments in India. Very occasionally, this may mean that work is taking place at sites visited on this trip. As the ASI schedule is never published, it is not possible to forewarn you when work is taking place.

Vaccinations and Health

India

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, hepatitis A, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, rabies and tuberculosis. The risk of malaria is slight, but you may wish to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice.

You will also require a yellow fever vaccination certificate if arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Proof of a polio vaccination may also be required by some travellers. Please confirm all requirements and recommendations with your doctor or travel clinic.

Additionally, dengue, a viral disease spread by mosquitoes, is a known risk in India. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so we strongly recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Some of our India trips spend time at altitude. In regions over approximately 6,560ft (2,000m), there is little risk of mosquito-borne diseases. For trips above 9,840ft (3,000m), there is a risk of being affected by acute mountain sickness. Our itineraries are designed to enable everyone to acclimatise to these altitudes, but you should be aware that it is still possible for you to be affected. Please see the Trip Notes for further information.

Visa

India

To avoid possible problems at immigration, make sure your passport is valid for a minimum of 180 days at the time of entry into India.

Travellers from the UK, US, CA and EU normally need a visa to enter India. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.
Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/india
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/india
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/india/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/India.html

Travellers eligible for an e-visa, which includes those from the UK, US, CA and EU, can apply at www.indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html.

For more information on applying for your Indian Visa, including details required for your start hotel and local reference contacts, please click on this link: Indian Visa Information

Food & Drink

All breakfasts, three lunches and five dinners included.

Budget at least 1,350 Indian rupees (US$16) per day for lunch and dinner. You can eat out very cheaply in India, but if you go to the more expensive restaurants, you will spend more than the suggested amount. In a lot of towns, there is a choice of restaurants and a selection between Indian and Western foods; however, this is not always the case. If you are vegetarian, India is probably one of the best destinations to travel to. Tea and soft drinks are very cheap. A large bottle of beer is approximately 420 rupees (US$5). Mineral water is widely available.

Weather

October to April is the ideal time to visit northern India. On the plains, days are warm to hot (18C-30C/65F-86F) and nights cool or mild (7C-15C/45F-59F), the lower temperatures experienced in the Indian winter (December through to February). Humidity is very low with little rain.

In the hills, the daytime temperatures are warm (15C-25C/59F-77F) with cool to cold nights (0C-15C/32F-59F).

Although the departures are timed to coincide when the weather is normally good, the weather is never wholly predictable in any mountainous area; therefore, you should be equipped to deal with any differences beyond the conditions described above.