India

Visit our specialty themed tours for more exciting ideas on exploring India.

Mark Twain called India
“the show of shows”.

Twenty-two states with different dialects, foods and dress make India a treat for the eyes and a feast for the senses. Colorful and vibrant, India is a five thousand year old culture which takes great pride in its mystical mountains, healing spices and many spiritual festivals.


Take a trip down the Ganges River, visit the movie settings in Rajasthan for the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, trek the Northern Himalayas through the Valley of Flowers, disvover Kipling’s India in the Kanha National Parkand Tagore’s India in Eastern Bengal and north of Calcutta. Stay at an ayurvedic spa on the Arabian Sea or pilgrimage in Bodhgaya or Rishikesh. Whether you visit cities or rural villages, discover Hindu temples, Buddhist monasteries, Jain complexes or mosques and forts, India is a place you will hold dearly in your heart for eternity.


Courtesy of Insider Journeys

Sample Itineraries:

Darjeeling & Sikkim Photo Safari

Departures September, October, March & April The eastern most regions of India, Darjeeling and Sikkim are a photographer’s delight! Snow clad peaks of the Himalaya, Tea plantations rolling down foothills and a rich cultural blend of religions and beliefs. a destination escort guides you on an adventure of scenery, history, and tradition. Shoot these breathtaking […]

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North East Tribal Tour (16 days)

Departure October – April Eastern India remains one of the less frequently visited regions in the world. Its remote tribes and diverse scenery make it India’s last frontier. Now is your chance to discover the Ziro, Apatani, Hong, Tagin, Nishi and Hillimiri tribes. Begin your journey is Assam before heading to the hill station of […]

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Magical Lahaul & Spiti

Departures: July, August & September The unknown world of Lahaul and Spiti-Tibetan monasteries, yaks grazing and barren, mountain passes. Plus to add to the adventure both districts are very different. Lahaul has glaciers and Spiti a high desert. A restricted region of Himachal Pradesh has kept both districts intact environmentally and culturally. Trails and lakes […]

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Beats in India w/Bob Holman

Departure January, upon request for groups 10 more Join Bob Holman on the road in India to discover the Beat poets’ path to satori, free poetry and life’s brim-fullest meaning. After meeting up at Columbia University in New York, many Beats migrated to San Francisco, finding a kind of group consciousness. From there, Allen Ginsberg […]

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Luxury Golden Triangle

Departures mid-September – May Live like a King and a Queen while experiencing the trip of a lifetime! India’s Golden Triangle enthralls you with its amazing cultural sites as you travel in luxury. Diversity makes this trip unique because this area is home to a variety of cultures and religions. On this tour, we will […]

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Best Exotic Marigold Tour

In the movie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, seven English seniors experience changes in their lives which result in their coincidental departure to be the first guests at the wonderful new Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a hotel “for the elderly and beautiful” located in Jaipur. On this tour you visit the cities and buildings used […]

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Textiles of Gujarat with Workshop(19 days)

(Departure October – March) Grab this chance at learning embroidery the Gujarati way! Learn how the colorful handicrafts and textiles of Kutch express their rich cultural heritage. Join the Kala Raksha workshop for hands on experience. Visit artisans to see them living their art. Discover precious art in local textile museums and explore local villages. […]

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India with Paul Saltzman – A Fusion of Color, Music & Soul (17 days)

Departure September 15 – October 1, 2023 “Long ago, I realized that if I could only visit one country during the rest of my life it would be—India. It is many, many cultures—an amazing fusion of modern and ancient, of adventures and discoveries. I’ve been there more than 50 times, and each time is a […]

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Takthok Festival (14 days)

Departure July Kashmir is open once again to the world! This is the only tour you will find which combines visits to the Golden temple, Dharamshala, Dal Lake and Little Tibet. The four doors to get into the Harmandir Sahib or Golden Temple symbolize the openness of the Sikhs towards all people and religions and […]

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Hornbill Festival Nagaland

Celebrated from 1st till 7th of December every year in the village of Kisama, Hornbill Festival is an annual cultural extravaganza celebrated by the tribal people in the state of Nagaland. The festival is named after the hornbill, a respected bird that shows up in the folklore of most of the state’s tribes. Its goal […]

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Textiles of North India (10 days)

India, Jaipur, Rajasthan fabrics

Departure: Upon request Discover the vibrant and diverse world of costumes and traditions of North India learning about its textiles and symbolic designs. Now’s your chance to learn about their origin which can be traced as far back as the Indus valley civilization. Visit a craft museum and discover textile art from each state. See […]

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Ladakh: Land of Lamas

(The Ultimate Traveling Camp Expience in partnership with Cox & Kings)Departure: Upon request Like a dream captured in a snow globe, remote Ladakh is a wildly beautiful high desert valley set between the Kunlun Mountains and the Himalayas. On this journey you meet Ladakhi craftsmen and visit the medieval temples and Buddhist monasteries or gompas, […]

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Tribal Gujarat w/Rann Utsav

Departure December Annually The Rann Utsav is called “heaven on earth” because the full moon casts its light over the desert creating a white milky color over all the desert landscape enhancing a “heavenly feeling”. Add visits to the numerous indigenous tribes throughout Gujarat and you have a tribal adventure. See cultural dance, hear folk […]

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Discover Nubra Valley (9 days)

Departure Mid-June, July & August Ladakh is like nowhere else you have ever seen–a high altitude desert cut off from the world for many months of the year, keeping its people and wildlife removed from the modern age. Ladakh is home to the confluence of the Indus and the Zanskar, which carry stories from an […]

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Cycle India

This tour is for a group of 6-10 persons Design your own group with cycling companions as you bike through India’s rural villages. Enjoy the culture as you share the road with with goats, camels and sacred cows. This biking tour begins in Delhi. It includes must see places such as Ranakpur, the Taj Mahal […]

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India Pilgrimage (14 days)

India is the birth place of four of the world’s major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Throughout its history, religion has been an important part of the India’s culture. Religious diversity and religious tolerance are both established in the country by law and custom. This tour embraces the path of Buddha and other religious […]

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Pilgrimage for Compassion North India (16 days)

(Departure June & July) This tour is your chance to join Indian tradition, pilgrimage, and learn about its ancient culture and deities which have formed the India that we know today. Explore the sacred Varanasi. Visit Buddhist sites such as Sarnath, Bodhgaya and Rajgir. Continue to the north to Garhwal. Trek the Himalayas to Kedarnath […]

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Majestic Kerala (8 days)

(Departures May 1 – September 30) The Arabian Sea and the Malabar Coast of India have conjured up magical tales since early days of civilization. So you can see why a journey to Kerala, the state in which this area lies, is on many traveler’s “not to be missed” list. Discover Cochin’s diverse culture of […]

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Siddhartha’s Sojourn

Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism, was raised as a prince for the first part of his life.  He began his spiritual journey after his disobedient act to his father of wandering outside the palace gates where he saw for the first time birth, old age, sickness and even death.  These four stages of life became the […]

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Treasures of Nepal & India w/Kaziranga

Treasures come in many different forms. Regarding travel, this may refer to a language, an art or trade or may even mean the people’s tribe itself which has been preserved. Palaces and temples, beautifully hand carved houses and buildings which are restored instead of ignored even rationalized for destruction to build and newer ones. Ecotourism […]

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Himalayan Three Jewels – Darjeeling, Kalimpong & Sikkim

Journey to India’s Eastern Himalayan foothills and explore where some of the world’s finest tea is grown. In Darjeeling see tea plantations rolling down Himalayan foothills and visit a tea factory to learn how the tea leaves are processed. Visit Chakpori and learn about Tibetan medicine. Explore the surrounding area on the Toy Train. Journey […]

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Gandhi’s India (22 days)

Revered in India as the “Father of the Nation,” Mohandas K. Gandhi is a worldwide icon of non-violent political resistance. Gandhi was born in India, studied law in England, and then spent 20 years defending the rights of immigrants in South Africa. He returned to India in 1914,  becoming the leader of the Indian National […]

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Twain’s India (10 days)

Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist who travelled the world and developed a deep affection for India.  He preferred travelling India by train.  “In other countries a long wait at the train station is a dull thing and tedious, but one has no right to have that […]

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Kipling’s India (11 days)

Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling is perhaps best well known for his tale of the Jungle Book, Kim and Gunga Din.   Kipling was born in Bombay in 1865. His family, as did many wealthier families, spent summers in the hill station of Shimla to avoid the heat of the plains. He later went to England and the United […]

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Spicy India (18 days)

Indian spices

Flavors, sweet and pungent, as diverse as India itself. The country’s cuisine differs greatly according to region. The North uses its spices whole while the South blends their spices in a paste with cooked onions and other ingredients.  The North relies on wheat and other grains while the South depends on rice.  A daily trip […]

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Tagore’s India (21 days)

Rabindranath Tagore

(Departure November – April) Rabindranath Tagore was born to one of the leading families of Kolkata regarded as a key influence during the Bengal Renaissance.  Rabindranath Tagore, the youngest son born in 1861, was the first Asian to win a Nobel Prize and was the most famous in the family. Rabindranath is best remembered in […]

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Discover the Bhutias (12 days)

A little girl and her reflection, Darap village, near Pelling, Sikkim

The Bhutias are the landowners and the aristicrats of Sikkim. Their ancestors migrated from Bhutan through Tibet.  Their culture is very much like Tibetan in that they practice Tibetan Buddhism, momos and noodles  are a large part of their daily diet and the women wear the long dress called Bhaku similar to the Tibetan chuba.  Men […]

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Festival of Elephants (12 days)

India, Rajasthan, Elephant wall painting

North India during ‘festival’ takes on special meaning. Bursts of color, song, drums, trumpets, dance, elephants in regal garb, banners, fireworks, processions mark the season. Festivals of India portray a rich cultural heritage of the country and this tour is an example of these festivities at its finest. The Elephant Festival, held annually in Jaipur, […]

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Discover India’s Book Fairs (8 days)

Old books

Book Fairs held in Calcutta and Delhi each year are an unique experience for a lover of books. Calcutta’s annual book fair showcases the best of not just Indian publishers, but also booksellers, writers and bibliophiles from all corners of the globe. Visitors to the fair make their way in and out of the colorful stalls, […]

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Royal India (7 days)

Travel like a Maharaja or Maharini when you board the Maharaja Express for a royal journey throughout India. The Maharaja Express replicates the same grandeur of from India’s pastand is India’s equivalent to the Orient Express of Europe. With passenger capacity of only 88, the Maharaja Express offers an unforgettable ride with a kaleidoscopic view […]

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Trekking Zanskar (15 days)

Himalayan river along Padum Trek, Ladakh, India.

(Departures July & August) A trek through Zanskar is an exhilarating adventure.  Trek through lush barley fields, along roaring rivers and over hanging bridges.  Visit century old monasteries.  See the shepherds grazing their yaks and horses.  Meet monks and local villagers who travel on foot for days with their donkeys for supplies. Panoramic views from […]

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Ananda in the Himalayas: Healing Retreat

The Ananda Spa in the Himalayas is the perfect healing getaway.  Once the residence of the Maharaja Tehri-Garhwal, the Ananda Spa is a world class resort dedicated to today’s traveller who is looking for innovative ways to restore and rejuvenate his energies.  Ayurveda, Yoga and Vedanta are combined with contemporary international therapies  provide the grounding […]

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Korzok Gustor (13 days)

(Departure June/July) Korzok Gustor is an adventure to Korzok, a small village bordering on Tibet and one of India’s highest permanent villages. During the summers, Changpas (nomads) camp at various places in their robos or small tents and look after their flock of sheep that produce the famous pashmina, one of the costliest varieties of […]

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Beats in India

France had its bohemians and America had its Beats. The original Beat Generation, or Beat writers, were a core group of close friends who met in a neighborhood near Columbia University in the mid 1940’s. A San Francisco migration extended their group consciousness. In 1962 Allen Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky, two main figures in the […]

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Literary Festivals India

(Held December/January annually) India’s literature festivals host some of the finest local and international writers and performers today and are considered important to the country not only to preserve this cultural heritage but to offer opportunities to young writers who aspire to be heard. You begin in Kolkata, exploring sites which have greatly influenced writers […]

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Pilgrimage to Sikkim

Nestled in India’s northeast corner in the foothills of the great Himalayas bordering Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan are the small jewels of Darjeeling and Sikkim. Buddhist monasteries, Hindu temples, some of the world’s finest tea and the origin of many legends and religious beliefs make this part of the region mystical and magical and not […]

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Himalaya Spirit (12 days)

(Departures April & May) The mystical Himalayas have seduced travelers for many years. Free your spirit of adventure and explore this unique region. Explore Delhi and its spectacular sites and head to the cooler climes of the mountains and Shimla, enjoying a heritage walk. Visit Manali, with its forests, streams and colorful markets. Experience charming […]

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Valley of Flowers (16 days)

(Departures July & August) This cultural tour of India starts in Delhi and Amritsar, before trekking to one of the most beautiful valleys of the mighty Himalayas, the Valley of Flowers, which is one of India’s geographical regions where diverse civilizations and cultures flourish. The Valley of Flowers is a high-altitude Himalayan valley that has […]

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Didn’t find what you’re looking for?

Not all of our tours are listed. Call us to discuss your travel plans 415-331-3791 We’re like you — curious when we hear about a culture or a place and crave to see it for ourselves. That’s what we do. We satisfy your curiosity through genuine cultural and environmental interactions. We arrange private and small […]

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