India

Why Choose an Escorted Holiday to India?

India is unlike any other destination we operate. It is not one country in the way that France or Japan is one country; it is a subcontinent with the scale, variety and complexity of an entire world. The gap between the Rajasthan desert and the Kerala backwaters is not just geographical - the architecture, the food, the religion, the languages, the very temperature of daily life are all different. Navigating this independently requires significant experience and planning. With a Star Tours escort, you get the full depth of India without the exhaustion of making it all work yourself.

For our British-Indian passengers, an India tour is often one of the most meaningful journeys they will ever make - a chance to see parts of the subcontinent they have heard about all their lives, with the comfort of a structured itinerary and the company of fellow travellers who understand the significance of what they are seeing. Many passengers visit their own heritage regions - Gujarat, Punjab, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu - and our itineraries can often be tailored to incorporate these. Call our India team to discuss options.

We operate a dedicated India toll-free line: 1800 123 181 181, open 10am-7pm IST, for all India-related bookings and enquiries. Passengers can also join many of our India tours directly from Indian cities without flying to the UK first.

Indian-Friendly Features on Our India Tours

• Indian meals throughout - all meals on our India tours are Indian, reflecting the cuisine of the region you are travelling through
• Vegetarian, Jain and specialist dietary requirements accommodated throughout, including pure Jain options on request
• No beef or pork at any included meals, in keeping with the dietary requirements of the vast majority of our passengers
• Hindi-speaking tour managers on all India departures
• Join from India directly - passengers from across India can join our tours without travelling to the UK; contact 1800 123 181 181 for pick-up arrangements
• Regional expertise across all major Indian tourism circuits, with local guides at key heritage sites
• Specialist Gujarat and Rajasthan itineraries developed specifically for our British-Indian passenger community

Best Time to Visit India

October to February is the main touring season for most of India. Temperatures are manageable, rain is minimal, and the major sites - Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Varanasi, the Kerala backwaters - are all at their best. This is when the majority of our India departures run.

March and April are good for the far south (Kerala, Tamil Nadu) and increasingly challenging in the north as temperatures begin to climb. Holi in March is one of the world's great festival experiences and worth planning around.

May and June are hot across the north - temperatures above 40°C in Rajasthan and the Gangetic plains. Himachal Pradesh and the Himalayan foothills become the preferred destinations, with Manali, Shimla and Dharamshala all accessible.

July to September is the monsoon. The south and west coast (Kerala, Goa, Mumbai) receive heavy rain from June to September; the north (Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh) from July. Ladakh and Spiti Valley in the high Himalayas are actually at their best in this period, above the cloud line.

Popular Destinations Within India

Rajasthan - the jewel of Indian tourism. The Pink City of Jaipur with its Amber Fort and Hawa Mahal; the Blue City of Jodhpur with the mighty Mehrangarh Fort; the Lake City of Udaipur with its island palaces on Lake Pichola; and the Golden City of Jaisalmer rising from the Thar Desert. Few places in the world concentrate this much architectural grandeur and living heritage in a single state.

The Golden Triangle - the Delhi-Agra-Jaipur circuit is India's most visited touring route, encompassing the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Red Fort and Qutub Minar in Delhi, and the Amer Fort and City Palace in Jaipur. An excellent introduction to Mughal and Rajput history.

Kerala - the backwaters of Alleppey, the tea plantations of Munnar, the beaches of Kovalam, the spice gardens of the Western Ghats and the Kathakali cultural performances of the south. A completely different India from the north.

Varanasi - the holiest city in Hinduism, on the banks of the Ganges. The ghats at dawn, the Ganga Aarti ceremony at Dashashwamedh Ghat and the ancient alleyways of the old city. Intense, spiritual and unforgettable.

Himachal Pradesh and Dharamshala - the Himalayan foothills of northern India, home to McLeod Ganj (the residence of the Dalai Lama), Shimla (the former British summer capital), Manali and the mountain passes into Ladakh.

Ladakh - the high-altitude desert of the far north, a Buddhist kingdom of monasteries, mountain landscapes and the Indus Valley. Extraordinary for those who can manage the altitude and the journey.

Gujarat - the Gir Forest (home to the last Asiatic lions), the Rann of Kutch salt flats, the ancient Jain temple city of Palitana, the stepwells of Patan and Ahmedabad and the cultural heartland of many of our British-Indian passengers. Our Gujarat specialist itineraries are particularly popular.

Tamil Nadu and the Temple South - Madurai's Meenakshi Temple, Thanjavur's Brihadeeswara Temple, the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram and the French-colonial streets of Pondicherry. A circuit that rewards those who have seen the north and want to understand how different India's south really is.

Goa - the former Portuguese territory with its extraordinary legacy of Baroque churches, beach culture and seafood cuisine. The Old Goa UNESCO World Heritage churches are genuinely world-class.

Practical Information

• Currency: Indian Rupee (INR)
• Language: Hindi and English are official; 22 scheduled languages across the states. English is spoken across the tourism industry.
• Time zone: Indian Standard Time (GMT+5:30). No daylight saving.
• Electricity: Type C, D and M plugs (230V). Adaptors available at hotels; UK travellers should carry a universal adapter.
• Tipping: Included in your Star Tours holiday price; our tour managers handle all gratuities
• India bookings: Call our India line free on 1800 123 181 181 (10am-7pm IST) - our dedicated India team
• ABTA & ATOL: All our India holidays are fully protected