Arunachal Pradesh, a state in India’s far east, is one of the least explored regions of India. There are only 11 marked tourist trails in Arunachal Pradesh, places where tourists are allowed to venture. Everyone, including Indians from other parts of the country, must have entry permits to travel here. But

Early on a summer morning, I woke up from my bed in Sauraha, a village on the edge of the Chitwan National Park. Eight of us, all slightly petrified, all majorly excited, were headed out on a walking safari experience in the core jungle area of Chitwan. We walked past a sleeping Tharu

Only a few more steps, I could do that. I’d already climbed what felt like 100,000, I could manage another dozen or so. Huffing and puffing along with a flock of other early-bird trekkers, we reached our destination on the Nayapul to Ghandruk Trek, Poon Hill. I had just enough time

The Sham Valley is one of the shortest treks in the Ladakh region of India. You’ll often hear it said that this is one of the ‘easier’ treks in this part of the world, but just how easy is it? While there may be more technically difficult trails throughout Northern

A red-faced woman came breathlessly around the corner and was obviously stunned at the sight of me. “How did you get up here? In heels?” Fair enough, we were at nearly 4,000 metres above sea level in the Himalayas after all. Whereas she had taken the energetic and admirable way

Standing in the lobby of our hotel in Gangtok, we wondered whether it was really safe to go north. Should we really go ahead with our plan and try to visit Lachung and Yumthang? Just two days earlier, north Sikkim had received such heavy snowfall that routes were impassable. The

The grass was warmed by the gentle sun; the pasture was open before us. Some wild horses stopped for a few seconds to check us out. I guess we didn’t seem to present any danger to them as they continued their relaxed feast. Some wild yaks crossed the river a little

For travellers looking for an alternative to the tourist highway of Ghandruk to Ghorepani, take the less well-trodden path up to Isahru and Dobato to reach Muldai Viewpoint. My friends and I headed up on the first day of the season, and while we were prepared for some snow, a

I have a tendency to make travel plans on my own, not because I don’t want the company of others—I do! But in my experience, it’s difficult to find friends who can take time off work, who have similar traveling styles and budgets, and who won’t drive me insane (and

“Should we go back?” I asked myself, as the pelting rain and thunderous rivers created an unrelenting cacophony in my mind. I stopped to flick two thumb-sized leeches off the rubber grips of my trekking poles in an attempt to avoid another feeding frenzy—a horrific sight I hadn’t gotten over since