OK, so you’ve been to the major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bangalore, and you’ve seen the touristy sights in the north such as Jaipur, Agra, Varanasi, and Lucknow, but now you want to see more of India and uncover some of its hidden gems. Read on for some ideas, listed in no particular order.
Darjeeling is high in the mountains in the far north east of India. The closest major city is Kolkata. This is where you can find amazing local communities, ethnic music, and of course some of the finest chai in the country!
Jaisalmer is known as the Desert City, as it sits in the vast Thar Desert west of Rajasthan. Here you can find amazing old forts that protect desert towns. Dusty and clammy Jaisalmer is usually an off-the-beaten track destination for adventure tourists all year round.
Kumarakom is deep in tropical India, in the state of Kerala. Here you can enjoy a leisurely boat ride through the Keralan backwaters and indulge in some of the indigenous cuisine on offer. Nowadays, Kumarakom is becoming more and more of a tourist destination. The closest major city is Kochi.
Shimla, in north India, is perched right up high in the Himalayas and not too far from the border with Pakistan. It is one of the only places in the country where you can experience snow. There are some amazing luxury colonial retreats up here for those of you with the money to spend!
Jodhpur sits in the state of Rajasthan and is an extra stopover point for tourists travelling from Delhi on the so-called “Cultural Triangle”. It is known as the Blue City due to the strange choice of décor of the city. Jodhpur’s sister city, Jaipur, is known as the Pink City.
When did you go to Shimla? I also liked this place, even without snow 😉
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What? Shimla without snow? I thought it snowed there all year round? Or at least snow on the ground all year round?
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unfortunately, not all year round… it looks lovely covered by snow!
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Absolutely loved Jaisalmer! Spend a night in the desert, awesome experience!
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Yeah, it’s one of those once in a lifetime experiences that India is known for! 🙂 The landscape is incredible out there!
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Shimla is not the only place to experience snow in India – Manali, Leh-Ladakh and Kashmir are other examples
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i would love to visit Darjeeling one of these days. and just sit and drink darjeeling tea all day. one of my few tea favorites, among taiwanese oolong and south african rooibos.
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