LEH-MANALI ROAD:

There are only two kinds of travelers in India. Those who have taken the long and winding road from manali to leh. And those who are going to. Although this strategic road is constantly repaired, there are always sections where it is broken or sometimes blocked by a landslide.so an SUV is really your best option. For 473 long kilometers, the road clings, slips, slides, punches and wriggles its way through some spectacular terrain. It crosses four high passes, fords river and clings precariously to tumbling mountain surfaces. You can zip through it in two days but to enjoy it, take at least a week. stops include keylong, jispa and sarchu. In sarchu, stay at rashpian adventure camp are antrek camp. Full story on www.outlookraveller.com

 

BRAHMAPUTRA CRUISE:

To call the Brahmaputra temperamental is an understatement. It changes course on a whim, carries massive amounts of silt and is full of sandbanks, whirlpools and treacherous currents, which makes a cruise on the river even more interesting. The Assam Bengal navigation company offers all-fills 4-, 7- and 10-night cruises on its luxurious riverboats, the MV chairadew and the MV sukapha. The boats consist of a mere 12 air-Condi- tioned ensuite cabins each, so there is anair of exclusivity. The Brahmaputra is not the only attraction though. Depending on the package, guests can visit the monastic communities on Majuli Island, gawp at rhinos in kaziranga and explore the old ahom capital of sibsagar. The cruises operate from October to April.

JHELUM RIVER SAFARI:

The Jhelum cuts a path through the Kashmir valley, making its way from verinag, 80km from Srinagar to baramulla. A shikara ride on the river, starting at the dal lake and ending at Wular Lake, will take you though Srinagar with its bridges and mosques, along villages where craftsmen and women produce exquisite pashmina shawls and silk carpets and past the pastures of mughdamir that stretch along the river for miles. You can watch boats piled high with produce, eat freshly caught fish, accompany shikaris hunting for birds and sleep out in the open. It is a journey to appreciate the simpler life. Yaseen tuman of mascot travels can put together a nice 5N/6D trip for you.

 

HINDUSTAN - TIBET ROAD:

Just the names are enough to make some highway qualify as classics. The Hindustan-Tibet road is one such. The NH22 I an engineering marvel- parts of it are chiseled out of sheer rock. Shimla is an ideal t place to start. From shimla you will make your way through the meadows of mashobra, the apple orchards of kothgarh, across wangtu bridge, past rekong peo an kalpa, through high-altitude spiti and finally to kaza, the administrative headquarters of spiti. The intrepid can go beyond kaza, the administrative headquarters of spiti.The intrepid can go beyond kaza, by vehicle till sugar point and then by foot to kaurik and Lepcha, the last Indian picket on the LAC with china. Route: shimla narkanda-rampur-karchham-jungi-poh-sumdo-tabo-kaza.

GANGA BY BOAT:

A journey on India's holiest river, through India's heartland..that is what a journey on the Ganga means. during the 180km boat ride from Allahabad to varanasi, along towns associated with Hindu leg- ends, there is nothing much to do except observe life as it unfolds on the banks and on the river. Watch aquatic dirds and the gamboling gangetic dolphins, sleep on a deserted island in the middle of the river and explore the towns or forts on land if you feel inclind. Season: November to march. The trip duration, if done at a gentle pace, is about nine days. Shikhar travels can customize a trip for you. Check with them for tariffs.

 

NILGIRI MOUNTAIN RAILWAY:

The nilgiri 'toy train ride is not about getting to ooty.the journey is the trip. Starting at mettupalayam, the train makes the steep 46km climb in five hours. Each bend in the track brings vistas worthy of any postcard. You can count the tea-leaf pickers, listen to the rain rushing by and howl through the 16 tunnels with the rest of the passenger. The train leaves mettupalayam every day at 7.10am. Rs 142 for a first class ticket.

MUMBAI-GOA DRIVE:

The Mumbai to goa drive enjoys clot status. Leave panvel at day break, make yours way through nagothane and indapur, drive through the ghat section of poladpur, relish the sight of green hills as you cross chiplun,zip alongside mango groves in ratnagiri, savour the lush beauty of sindhurg, and after sawantwadi start humming a tune, for you are just a hop, skip and jump from Goa. Approximate driving time excluding stops: 11.5hr. Just follow NH17.Distance:579km.

 

GRAND TRUNK ROAD:

The 'grand in the grand trunk road is quite fitting stretching east to west from kolkata to wagah, the GTR takes you through west Bengal, Jharkhand, bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and through beautiful landscapes and history almost literally flanks the road in the form of tombs, forts and miners, it also passes through the badlands of jharkhand and bihar. Besides, the road traverses some pretty densely populated regions. So travel with a sense of adventure but with a foot on the brake pedal.

KONKAN RAILWAY:

The konkan is one of the most scenic rail routes in India. The 760km stretch between roha near Mumbai and mangalore in Karnataka passes through such jaw-droopingly picturesque place that you will be reaching for your camera every few minutes. The railway is also an engineering marvel and the tracks pass over 1,800 bridges and 88 tunnels. Route panvel-ratnagiri-madgaon-udupi-kannur-kozhikode- Ernakulam-trivandrum.

 

KALAKA-SHIMLA TRAIN:

The 106-year old kalka-shimla railway is among he prettiest train journeys in India. The train its ascent almost immediately after kalka. At the leisurely speed of 25kmph, it meanders in to forested hills, potters through 102 tunnels, glides across 887 bridges, past pretty villages and quaint station. There are several trains on the route, with tariffs ranging from rest 33 to 340. The shivalik palace transports six people to shimla for 4,790, including two nights stay in the railway retiring rooms at shimla station.

GOLDEN CHARIOT:

A cosy house with 18-inch stone walls, pinewood floors, ENORMOUS TIMBERS HOLIDING UP A WOODEN ROOF, FIREPLACES, food and tea within calling distance and shelves of books.oh, and all this surrounded by the lush hills of kumaon -that is what bob's place is like. Bob's place in nathukuan is 340km/9hr from Delhi. Tariff: from rs 3,500 for two with all meals included.

 

HIMSAGAR EXPRESS:

Every Monday night, the himsagar express sets from Jammu tawi on an epic journey. It cuts across 10 states, covers 3,715km and calls at 69 stations before reaching kanyakumari on thursdey night. it may not be an especially comfortable journey and few will find it romantic but surely it's the thought that counts- this glorious wedding of snow and sea. In these recessionary times, we like to think of it as Bharat darshan on the cheap.