Travel style
Wellness and yoga
Rishikesh mornings and hot spring afternoons
Yoga in Rishikesh, meditation courses in McLeodganj, hot springs at Manikaran, Gasa and Yumthang, and slow stays in forest retreats from Binsar to Bhutan.
Photo: Fredi Bach from Switzerland · CC BY 2.0 · CommonsRishikesh calls itself the yoga capital of the world and hosts the International Yoga Festival each March. Courses run from one morning class to month-long teacher trainings.
Wellness in the mountains is also simpler: hot springs, forest walks, early nights and food without much oil.
Trips
Wellness and yoga trips
Photo: Fulvio Spada from Torino, Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Signature
Signature Kashmir: palace, meadow and river
Private car with driver and a private guide
Photo: Navneet Sharma · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Signature
Shimla and the Kullu valley in luxury
Private car with driver
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Signature
Kedarnath by helicopter, Badrinath and Ananda
Private car with driver and helicopter shuttle
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Signature
Taj Rishikesh and Mussoorie in comfort
Private car with driver
Photo: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Signature
Dwarika's, Bandipur and Tiger Mountain
Private car with driver; domestic flight Pokhara–Kathmandu
Photo: Mayukh Ghose · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Signature
Taj Chia Kutir, Windamere and Glenburn
Private SUV with driver
Photo: Christopher J. Fynn · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Signature
Bhutan by Amankora lodges, 8 nights
Private car with driver
Photo: Christopher J. Fynn · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Signature
Six Senses and COMO Uma Paro, 7 nights
Private car with driver
6 places
Where to go
Photo: Fredi Bach from Switzerland · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Bir and Billing
Paragliding over tea gardens and Tibetan monasteries in Kangra
Photo: Rignam Wangkhang · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
McLeodganj (Dharamshala)
Tibetan temples and the Dhauladhar wall above Dharamshala
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Rishikesh
Where the Ganga leaves the hills and the yatra begins
Photo: Travelling Slacker · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Almora and Kasar Devi
The Chand kings' capital, bal mithai and the pine ridge of Kasar Devi
Photo: Abhijit Kar Gupta from Kolkata, India · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Kausani
Gandhi's ridge, a poet's birthplace and a 300 km wall of peaks
Photo: Christopher J. Fynn · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Gasa
Hot springs and a cliff-top dzong at the edge of the high north
Experiences
Days that fit the style
Photo: Fredi Bach from Switzerland · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Tandem paragliding from Billing to Bir
Drive up to the Billing take-off at about 2,400 m, run a few steps with your pilot and fly for 15–30 minutes over pine …
Photo: Gannu03 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Monastery walk in Bir's Tibetan colony
A gentle walk through Bir's Tibetan colony at Chowgan, visiting monasteries, prayer wheels and stupas, then out through…
Photo: Rakeshkdogra · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Kangra tea gardens and Baijnath temple
Walk through Bir's small tea estates, buy Kangra green or black tea, then drive 15 km to the stone Baijnath temple, bui…
Photo: (in search for a new country of residence) · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Tsuglagkhang temple and the monk debate
Walk the morning kora around the Dalai Lama's temple with Tibetan pilgrims, visit the main prayer hall and the Tibet Mu…
Photo: Ashish Gupta from Noida, India · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Day hike to Triund ridge
Climb about 900 m from Galu temple above Dharamkot to the open ridge of Triund at roughly 2,850 m, with the Dhauladhar …
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Tibetan crafts at Norbulingka
Visit the Norbulingka Institute near Sidhpur, where Tibetan artists train in thangka painting, woodcarving, statue-maki…
Photo: Bhuvi Uniyal · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Evening Ganga aarti at Triveni Ghat
Every evening at sunset, priests at Triveni Ghat swing brass lamps over the Ganga while bells and chants fill the river…
Photo: Guy P Atkinson · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Beatles Ashram walk in Rajaji forest
Walk through the overgrown academy where the Beatles studied meditation in 1968. Stone meditation domes, a graffiti-cov…
Where to sleep
Stays in these places
Photo: Fredi Bach from Switzerland · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Budget
Zostel Bir
A Zostel hostel in Bir, close to the paragliding landing fields and the Tibetan colony, with dorms, private rooms …
Photo: Wonderlane · CC BY 4.0 · Commons
Mid
Chonor House
A small Tibetan-style hotel on Temple Road in McLeodganj, built and run by the Norbulingka Institute, with rooms d…
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Budget
Zostel Rishikesh (Tapovan)
A backpacker hostel in Tapovan, between Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula, with dorms, private rooms, a rooftop cafe an…
Photo: Roliwrites · CC0 · Commons
Mid
Aloha on the Ganges
A riverside hotel on the Badrinath road in Tapovan, near Lakshman Jhula, with rooms and apartments facing the Gang…
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/peem/ · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Luxury
Ananda in the Himalayas
India's first destination spa, opened in 2000 on the 100-acre estate of the Tehri royal palace at Narendra Nagar, …
Photo: Sutharsan Shekhar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Luxury
Taj Rishikesh Resort & Spa
A Taj resort on 13 acres above the Ganga at Singthali, about 30 km upstream of Rishikesh, with rooms and villas fa…