Northern India & Himalayan Trails — Self-Launched

Land at IGI Terminal 3 and skip the taxi touts — pre-book an airport pickup through a women-run transfer service (Women With Wheels, ~£8–10) or use the official Delhi Metro Airport Express to New Delhi station (~£1.50). Check into a Paharganj or Karol Bagh guesthouse, sort an Indian SIM/eSIM and an e-Arrival Card if you haven't already, then ease in with a thali dinner.

🚌Delhi Metro Airport Express ~£1.50, or pre-booked women-run airport transfer ~£9

🛏Paharganj or Karol Bagh guesthouse, private room (~£12)

• →Airport transfer
• →Neighbourhood orientation walk
• →Welcome thali dinner

Morning with a youth-led City Walk Delhi tour (book direct with the project, ~£10–12) through the backstreets around Old Delhi, then visit Jama Masjid (free, camera fee ~£3) and the Red Fort (~£6). In the afternoon take an AC Chair Car train from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantt (~2h, £5–8) or a comfortable Volvo bus from Kashmere Gate (~£6). Overnight in Agra's Taj Ganj area.

🚌AC Chair Car Delhi–Agra ~£6; metro/auto to station ~£1

🛏Taj Ganj guesthouse, private room with rooftop Taj view (~£14)

• →City Walk Delhi youth-led tour
• →Jama Masjid & Old Delhi bazaars
• →Red Fort

Buy your Taj Mahal ticket online the day before (₹1,100 / ~£11 for foreigners) and be at the East Gate for opening — sunrise light with far fewer people. Walk 20 minutes to I'timad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj, ~£4) across the river, then Agra Fort (~£6) in the afternoon. Optional sunset view from Mehtab Bagh (~£3).

🚌Cycle rickshaws and autos all day ~£4

🛏Taj Ganj guesthouse (~£14)

• →Taj Mahal sunrise entry
• →I'timad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj)
• →Agra Fort
• →Mehtab Bagh sunset viewpoint

Hire a shared taxi or join a small-group day car (split 3–4 ways, ~£12 each) to Fatehpur Sikri (~£6 entry) and Chand Baori stepwell at Abhaneri (free/small fee). Continue to Dhula village near Dausa and stay in a rural community tourism homestay or tented camp (~£18 with dinner). Ask your host about a village walk at dusk.

🚌Shared car Agra–Fatehpur Sikri–Abhaneri–Dhula, split cost ~£12

🛏Dhula village community homestay/tented camp, dinner included (~£18)

• →Fatehpur Sikri UNESCO site
• →Chand Baori stepwell
• →Village walk with host family

Book a block-printing workshop with a local women's collective near Bagru/Sanganer (~£8–12, arrange via your homestay) and print your own scarf. Then take a local bus or shared jeep to Jaipur (~2h, ~£1.50). Check into a hostel or guesthouse in the old city, then wander Johari and Bapu Bazaars at golden hour.

🚌Local bus Dhula–Jaipur ~£1.50; autos ~£2

🛏Old City Jaipur hostel, dorm or private (~£13)

• →Women-led block printing workshop
• →Johari & Bapu Bazaar wander

Head out early by local bus or auto to Amber Fort (~£6 combined ticket), walking up rather than taking the jeep. Afternoon at City Palace (~£8) and a photo stop at Hawa Mahal (free from the street; ~£2 to enter). Optional: Jantar Mantar (~£2.50) or a cycle tour of the Pink City with a local guide (~£35, book via GetYourGuide).

🚌Local bus + autos ~£5

🛏Old City Jaipur hostel/guesthouse (~£13)

• →Amber Fort
• →City Palace
• →Hawa Mahal
• →Optional Jaipur cycle tour

Optional sunrise hot air balloon over Jaipur (~£120–160 direct with Sky Waltz — much cheaper than the tour add-on, but weather-dependent). Otherwise sleep in, then take an afternoon AC Chair Car train or double-decker bus back to Delhi (~£5–8, 5h). Evening free in Connaught Place or Hauz Khas.

🚌AC Chair Car Jaipur–Delhi ~£7

🛏Paharganj or Karol Bagh guesthouse (~£12)

• →Optional Jaipur hot air balloon
• →Connaught Place evening stroll

Book a morning IndiGo/Air India flight Delhi–Srinagar in advance (~£45–60, 1h20). Check your government's current Kashmir travel advice before booking this leg. Settle into a guesthouse in Rajbagh or the old city, then take an evening orientation wander through Lal Bazar with a local guide booked via a Srinagar operator (~£10).

🚌Domestic flight Delhi–Srinagar ~£50; airport taxi ~£5

🛏Rajbagh guesthouse, private room (~£14)

• →Lal Bazar orientation walk with local guide

Take a shared auto or taxi to the Mughal gardens — Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh and Chashme Shahi (~£2 combined entry) — then walk up Shankaracharya Hill for panoramic views over the lake and city (free). Afternoon on Dal Lake's Boulevard with chai and kahwa. Book tomorrow's shikara ride direct with a boatman on the ghats (~£8–10 for a 1.5h sunrise trip).

🚌Shared auto/taxi for the day ~£6

🛏Rajbagh guesthouse (~£14)

• →Nishat & Shalimar Bagh
• →Chashme Shahi garden
• →Shankaracharya Hill walk

Out before dawn on a shikara through the floating vegetable market — one of India's great quiet moments. Later, ask your guesthouse to arrange a night on a traditional houseboat with a local family (~£22–28 including dinner and breakfast; negotiate direct, or via a Srinagar homestay collective). Rest of the day free; optional Dachigam National Park safari for the hangul deer (~£20 with permit).

🚌Shikara transfers ~£3

🛏Traditional Dal Lake houseboat, dinner & breakfast included (~£25)

• →Sunrise shikara & floating market
• →Houseboat stay
• →Optional Dachigam National Park safari

Take a shared sumo/jeep from Srinagar to Pahalgam (~2.5h, ~£6 per seat) stopping at the Avantipura temple ruins and the Martand Sun Temple near Anantnag (free). Arrive early afternoon, check into a riverside guesthouse, then walk the bazaar and the Lidder riverbank.

🚌Shared jeep Srinagar–Pahalgam ~£6

🛏Pahalgam riverside guesthouse (~£15)

• →Avantipura temple ruins
• →Martand Sun Temple
• →Pahalgam bazaar & Lidder river walk

Morning guided day-hike in the Lidder Valley with a local trekking guide hired in Pahalgam (~£15–20 for a half day) — Aru or Betaab Valley trailheads are a short shared-jeep ride away. After lunch, travel east to Sonamarg (~3h shared jeep, ~£6) and settle into a small guesthouse. Evening in Sonamarg bazaar.

🚌Shared jeep Pahalgam–Sonamarg ~£6; local jeep to trailhead ~£2

🛏Sonamarg guesthouse (~£15)

• →Guided Lidder Valley half-day trek
• →Sonamarg bazaar

Take a shared jeep up to Zero Point for the Thajiwas glacier views (~£8 per seat, 1.5h each way). Then board a Kargil-bound shared jeep or bus over Zoji La pass (~4–5h, ~£8), stopping at the Drass War Memorial. Overnight in Kargil town.

🚌Shared jeep to Zero Point ~£8; shared jeep/bus Sonamarg–Kargil ~£8

🛏Kargil town guesthouse (~£13)

• →Zero Point & Thajiwas glacier views
• →Drass War Memorial

Shared jeep or HRTC bus Kargil–Leh (~5–6h, ~£8), stopping for the giant Maitreya at Mulbekh Monastery and the moonland ridges and gompa at Lamayuru (small entry fee). Arrive Leh in the afternoon, check into a guesthouse in Changspa and take it easy — acclimatisation matters at 3,500m. Evening stroll around Leh Market.

🚌Shared jeep/bus Kargil–Leh ~£8

🛏Changspa guesthouse, Leh (~£15)

• →Mulbekh Monastery
• →Lamayuru Gompa & moonland drive
• →Leh Market evening

Keep it gentle: Leh Palace (~£2), the Central Asian Museum (~£2), and a slow climb to Shanti Stupa for sunset (free). Book a local heritage walking guide for tomorrow through your guesthouse (~£10), and sort your Inner Line Permit for Pangong and Nubra online (indianvisaonline-adjacent ILP portal, ~£3–5) — or let a Leh travel agent do it for ~£5.

🚌Walking + local taxis ~£3

🛏Changspa guesthouse, Leh (~£15)

• →Leh Palace & Central Asian Museum
• →Shanti Stupa sunset
• →Inner Line Permit paperwork

Two-hour guided heritage walk through Leh's old town — traditional Ladakhi homes, hidden temples and alleys — with a local guide (~£10). Afternoon free for rooftop cafés and a Ladakhi thukpa. Optional evening astronomy session with a local stargazing outfit (~£15).

🚌Walking

🛏Changspa guesthouse, Leh (~£15)

• →Leh Old City heritage walk
• →Optional astronomy experience

Shared jeep or a booked seat on a local Ladakh taxi Leh–Diskit/Hunder over Khardung La (~5h, ~£22 per seat). Visit Diskit Monastery and its Maitreya statue, then the Hunder dunes for a short double-humped camel ride (~£6). Stay in a Nubra family homestay with home-cooked dinner (~£20 including meals).

🚌Shared jeep over Khardung La ~£22

🛏Nubra Valley family homestay, dinner & breakfast included (~£20)

• →Khardung La pass
• →Diskit Monastery
• →Hunder dunes camel ride
• →Ladakhi cultural evening with host family

Early visit to Samstanling Monastery at Sumur for morning prayers with the monks, then head back over the pass to Leh (~5h, ~£22). Rest, rehydrate and do laundry in Changspa.

🚌Shared jeep Nubra–Leh ~£22

🛏Changspa guesthouse, Leh (~£15)

• →Samstanling Monastery morning prayers

Book a shared Pangong jeep seat (~£25, 5–6h via Chang La) or, cheaper and more comfortable, take a shared bus to Spangmik. Stay in a lakeside homestay with a local family (~£18 including dinner and breakfast) — basic but unforgettable. Sunset over the colour-shifting water.

🚌Shared jeep Leh–Pangong ~£25

🛏Pangong lakeside homestay, dinner & breakfast included (~£18)

• →Chang La pass
• →Pangong Lake sunset

Roll out of bed for sunrise yoga on the shore (free — just you and the lake). Visit the Rezang La Memorial and stop to meet Pashmina herders around Chushul/Man on the drive back. Return to Leh in the late afternoon (~£25 shared jeep).

🚌Shared jeep Pangong–Leh ~£25

🛏Changspa guesthouse, Leh (~£15)

• →Sunrise yoga by Pangong Lake
• →Rezang La Memorial
• →Pashmina herder visit

Keep this as a weather and road buffer — Ladakh flights and passes cancel regularly. If all is well, opt for a day trip to Alchi Monastery and Likir village (shared taxi ~£15) or a cooking class with a Ladakhi family (~£15). Farewell dinner of momos and apricot juice.

🚌Local taxi if day-tripping ~£15

🛏Changspa guesthouse, Leh (~£15)

• →Optional Alchi & Likir day trip
• →Optional Ladakhi cooking class
• →Leh Market souvenir shopping

Book a morning Leh–Delhi flight (~£55–70, and note flights only run reliably in the morning due to winds). Transfer to Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport. If you're connecting to an international departure the same day, leave a generous gap — Leh flights are frequently delayed.

🚌Leh–Delhi flight ~£60; airport taxi ~£4

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• →Departure