Bespoke travel agency in India

India cannot be summed up in a single season. The country is so vast that the question of "when to travel to India" largely depends on the region you choose. From October to March, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are particularly well-suited for travel: dry days, golden light, cool evenings in the Thar desert. Ladakh only opens from June to September, when the Himalayan passes become passable again. The monsoon, from July to September, transforms the Western Ghats and Kerala into landscapes saturated with green, but complicates certain itineraries. For Varanasi, Khajuraho or Madhya Pradesh, winter remains the most comfortable window, away from the heat of April and May.

The budget for a trip to India depends mainly on the pace and comfort level you choose. On the ground, life remains affordable: a meal in a good local restaurant costs just a few euros, a rickshaw ride barely more. The difference lies elsewhere — in your choice of accommodation, ranging from family-run guesthouses to restored havelis in Rajasthan or palaces converted into hotels. Budget on average between €100 and €180 per day and per person for a comfortable itinerary including a private driver, characterful accommodations and English-speaking guides at major sites. Domestic flights, useful for reaching Ladakh or South India, add a cost item to plan from the start of your trip design.

Traveling in India requires planning. Distances are deceiving, roads slow you down, festivals shift crowds from one city to another. This is precisely where an English-speaking local agency makes all the difference. Active India has been on the ground since 2010, approved by the Indian Ministry of Tourism and recognized for its expertise in creating tailor-made itineraries, from Rajasthan to Ladakh, from Varanasi to Kerala's backwaters. Our team — Ravi, Ravinder, Kripa, Tashi and our certified English-speaking guides — knows the hoteliers, artisans, boat captains, and families who welcome travelers. Every itinerary is adjusted to your pace. And through the Nomadays collective, your booking remains secure in France while being managed directly from India.

A first trip to India often revolves around the Golden Triangle: Delhi, Agra and its Taj Mahal at sunrise, then the Pink City of Jaipur, extended by the fortresses of Jodhpur, the lakes of Udaipur and the desert around Jaisalmer. Those who return venture toward other facets of India. The South offers a completely different pace: Dravidian temples of Tamil Nadu, tea plantations of Kerala, nights on a houseboat in the backwaters. In the North, Ladakh unfolds its perched monasteries, its Indus and Nubra valleys. And then there is Varanasi, its ghats at dawn, the funeral pyres, the Ganges — an experience that leaves a lasting mark on anyone who spends a few days there.