Wah Tea Estate

West Bengal Hills

　　One of the Kangra Valley's oldest tea estates, Wah has been continuously cultivating since 1857. Half-hour visits let you walk through tea and herb gardens, tour the drying, rolling, heating and grading operations (only active April to October) and taste the green and black teas. Call ahead. 　　The attractive site...

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

West Bengal Hills

　　If your only reason for visiting a tiger reserve in India is to see a tiger, look no further. A couple of days at Bandhavgarh should net you a tiger sighting. India's 2014 tiger census counted 68 tigers here, the great majority of them in the 453-sq-km Bandhavgarh National Park,...

Jagannath Mandir

West Bengal Hills

　　This mighty temple is home to Jagannath (Lord of the Universe), an incarnation of Vishnu. Built in its present form in 1198, the temple – closed to non-Hindus – is surrounded by two walls, its 58m-high flag-draped sikhara (spire) topped by Vishnu's wheel. Non-Hindus can get a rooftop view and...

Kuldhara Village

West Bengal Hills

　　This abandoned village is 19km west of Jaisalmer, 6km south of the Sam road. It was abandoned by its Paliwal Brahmin inhabitants – just like the area’s 83 other Paliwal Brahmin villages – about 200 years ago. They were heavily taxed, their property was looted and the daughter of one...

Panna Tiger Reserve

West Bengal Hills

　　Tigers are making a comeback after being reintroduced in 2009 to Panna Tiger Reserve from other Madhya Pradesh reserves; there are now thought to be more than 35 tigers here. There's a fair chance of seeing leopards, sloth bears or tigers while on safari, but what this park really excels...

Thiksey Gompa

West Bengal Hills

　　Glorious Thiksey Gompa is one of Ladakh’s biggest and most recognisable monasteries, photogenically cascading down a raised rocky promontory. At its heart, the main dukhang (prayer hall) oozes atmosphere, and a Maitreya temple contains a giant future Buddha who wears an exquisitely ornate crown. More obviously ancient is the gonkhang...

Hemis Gompa

West Bengal Hills

　　This expansive, 17th-century monastery is the spiritual centre of Ladakh’s Drukpa Buddhists; it was the fifth Gyaling Drukpa who founded Hemis after travelling here from Tibet. There are two prayer halls; the main one has an unusual seating layout, fine old pillars and a huge festival thangka hanging from the...

Stok Gompa

West Bengal Hills

　　Around 2km south of the palace, Stok's small monastery has some crumbling old stupas, but the dominant feature, 200m above, is its huge 21m-tall gilded Buddha, which was inaugurated by the Dala Lama in 2016 and commands views of the entire valley. ...

Corbett Tiger Reserve

West Bengal Hills

　　This famous reserve was established in 1936 as India’s first national park. Originally called Hailey National Park, then Ramganga National Park, it was renamed in 1957 after legendary tiger-hunter Jim Corbett (1875–1955), who put Kumaon on the map with his book The Man-Eaters of Kumaon. ...

Kanha Tiger Reserve

West Bengal Hills

　　Madhya Pradesh is the king of the jungle when it comes to tiger parks, and Kanha is its most famous. The forests are vast, and while your chances of seeing a tiger are probably slimmer than at nearby Bandhavgarh, this is still one of India's best parks for sightings. The...

Pench Tiger Reserve

West Bengal Hills

　　Pench is made up mostly of teak-tree forest rather than sal, and so has a different flavour from nearby Kanha or Bandhavgarh. It also sees fewer tourists (and has fewer tigers) so, as you’re driving around the park, you’ll often feel like you have the whole forest to yourself. 　　The...

Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple

West Bengal Hills

　　The temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram ('City of the Chola who Conquered the Ganges'), 35km north of Kumbakonam, is dedicated to Shiva. It was built by Rajendra I in the 11th century when he moved the Chola capital here from Thanjavur, and has many similarities to Thanjavur's earlier Brihadeeshwara Temple. Its...

Hemis National Park

West Bengal Hills

　　Hemis National Park covers the roadless villages of Rumbak and Yurutse, the whole Markha Valley, and the passes and access trails to Stok trekking point and to Shang Sumdo, where very modest park fees are collected. In winter, wildlife-watchers are expected to pay a ₹1500 one-off fee when looking for...

Airavatesvara Temple

West Bengal Hills

　　Three kilometres west of Kumbakonam, this late-Chola Shiva temple was constructed by Raja Raja II (1146–73). The steps of Rajagambhira Hall are carved with vivid elephants and horses pulling chariots. This pavilion's 108 pillars, each unique, have marvellously detailed carvings, including dancers, acrobats and the five-in-one beast yali (elephant's head,...

Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary

West Bengal Hills

　　The entrance to Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary is easily accessible from Molem and, with an area of 240 sq km, this is the largest of Goa’s four protected wildlife areas; it also encompasses the 107-sq-km Molem National Park. In theory, tickets are available at the Forest Interpretation Centre, 2km before...

Nagarhole National Park

West Bengal Hills

　　West of the Kabini River is the 643-sq-km wildlife sanctuary of Nagarhole National Park (pronounced nag-ar-hole-eh). The lush forests here are home to tigers, leopards, elephants, gaurs, muntjacs (barking deer), wild dogs, bonnet macaques and common langurs, and 270 species of bird. The park can remain closed for long stretches...

Dudhsagar Falls

West Bengal Hills

　　Situated in the far southeastern corner of the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, Goa’s most impressive waterfall splashes down just west of the border with Karnataka state. At 603m this is the second highest in India, after Jog Falls. The falls are best visited as soon after monsoon as possible (October...

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

West Bengal Hills

　　In the foothills of the Nilgiris, this newly enlarged 765-sq-km wildlife reserve is like a classical Indian landscape painting given life, with chital deer, wild boar, gaur (Indian bison), peacocks, langurs, jackals, Malabar giant squirrels and wild elephants concealed between thin, spindly trees and light-slotted leaves. Also here are over...

Bandipur National Park

West Bengal Hills

　　This park covers 880 sq km and was once the Mysore maharajas’ private wildlife reserve. It's noted for herds of gaurs (Indian bison), chitals (spotted deer), sambars, panthers, sloth bears and langurs, as well as tigers and elephants. Despite its rich wildlife, however, Bandipur isn’t the best place for animal...

Sundarbans Tiger Reserve

West Bengal Hills

　　The 2585-sq-km Sundarbans Tiger Reserve has 100-plus Royal Bengal tigers lurking in its impenetrable mangrove forests and sometimes swimming its delta channels. Other residents of the forest include Gangetic dolphins, water monitors, 5m-long saltwater crocodiles and luminiscent kingfishers. Entry and guide fees, payable at the reserve's Sajnekhali Ecotourism Centre, depend...

Kaziranga National Park

West Bengal Hills

　　The park’s 2400 one-horned rhinos represent about two-thirds of the world’s total population (in 1904, there were only 200). Kaziranga offers popular 4WD safaris that allow you to get close to the rhinos and other large mammals; you may want to avoid the elephant-back safaris on animal welfare concerns. Safaris...

Chandni Chowk

West Bengal Hills

　　Old Delhi’s main drag is lined by Jain, Hindu and Sikh temples, plus a church, with the Fatehpuri Masjid at one end. Tree-lined and elegant in Mughal times, the thoroughfare is now mind-bendingly chaotic, with tiny little ancient bazaars tentacling off it. In the Mughal era, Chandni Chowk centred on...

Brihadeeshwara Temple

West Bengal Hills

　　Come here twice: in the morning, when the honey-hued granite begins to assert its dominance over the white dawn sunshine, and in the evening, when the rocks capture a hot palette of reds, oranges, yellows and pinks on the crowning glory of Chola temple architecture. The World Heritage–listed Brihadeeshwara Temple...

Sun Temple

West Bengal Hills

　　Conceived as the cosmic chariot of the sun god Surya, this massive, breathtakingly splendid temple was constructed in the mid-13th century, probably by Odishan king Narashimhadev I to celebrate his military victory over the Muslims. Around the base, seven rearing horses (representing the days of the week) move the stone...

Amber Fort

West Bengal Hills

　　This magnificent fort comprises an extensive palace complex, built from pale yellow and pink sandstone, and white marble, and is divided into four main sections, each with its own courtyard. It is possible to visit the fortress on elephant-back, but animal welfare groups have criticised the keeping of elephants at...