The Indian Subcontinent

The subcontinent's greatest single destination — and the one that takes the longest to know.

From the Mughal monuments of the north to Kerala's backwaters in the south, from central India's tiger reserves to the sacred cities of the Ganges plain — India is a destination that rewards return visits as much as first ones.

• UNESCO sites36
• Tiger reserves50+
• Coastline7,500 km
• Peak seasonOct – Mar
• Visa requirede-Visa available

• The Taj Mahal and Rajasthan palaces
• Private tiger safaris — Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Ranthambore
• Kerala Ayurveda and backwater houseboats
• Varanasi — India at its most ancient
• North East India — the undiscovered frontier

Eight of the world's ten tallest peaks, ancient temples in the Kathmandu valley, and one of the finest wildlife parks in Asia.

Nepal is more varied than most visitors expect — the trekking routes are famous, but the medieval cities of the Kathmandu valley, the rhino safaris of Chitwan, and the lake city of Pokhara are equally compelling.

• UNESCO sites7
• Highest pointEverest 8,849m
• Tallest peaks8 of world's top 10
• Peak seasonOct–Nov · Mar–Apr
• Visa requiredOn arrival / online

• Everest Base Camp trek — Khumbu region
• Kathmandu valley — three medieval kingdoms
• Chitwan — one-horned rhino and tiger safaris
• Pokhara and the Annapurna range
• Boudhanath and Pashupatinath

The only carbon-negative country on earth — and one that measures progress in happiness, not GDP.

Bhutan limits tourist numbers deliberately. The result is a country where the dzongs are genuinely ancient, the monasteries are working religious centres, and the landscape has not been altered for visitors.

• Forest cover72%
• Protected territory51% of land
• Highest peakGangkhar Puensum 7,570m
• Peak seasonMar–May · Sep–Nov
• SDF fee$100 / person / night

• Taktsang — Tiger's Nest monastery, Paro
• Punakha Dzong at the river confluence
• Phobjikha valley — black-necked crane wintering
• Bumthang — 7th-century temples in the hills
• Spring rhododendron season

A compact island with 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the highest leopard density in Asia, and two entirely different coastlines.

Sri Lanka fits more variety into 65,000 square kilometres than almost anywhere else — ancient capitals, a tea-covered highland, two UNESCO-listed natural reserves, Ayurveda on the south coast, and a blue whale corridor off Mirissa.

• UNESCO sites8
• Coastline1,340 km
• Recorded history2,500 years
• Peak seasonDec–Mar (south)
• Visa requiredETA available online

• Sigiriya 5th-century rock fortress
• Galle Fort and the south coast
• Yala highest wild leopard density in Asia
• The Kandy to Ella train through tea country
• Blue whale watching off Mirissa (Dec–Apr)