Indien

Följ med till en myllrande megastad med kaféer, skuggiga trottoarer och egensinnig matkultur. Den forna imperiehuvudstaden är känd för sin fattigdom men kallas också The city of joy – njutningarnas stad.

The historic settlement of Mysuru (which changed its name from Mysore in 2014) is one of South India's most enchanting cities, famed for its glittering royal heritage and magnificent monuments and buildings. Its World Heritage–listed palace brings most travelers here, but Mysuru is also rich in tradition, with a deeply atmospheric bazaar district replete with spice stores and incense stalls. Ashtanga yoga is another drawcard and there are several acclaimed schools that attract visitors from across the globe.

Loket frustar otåligt. Så tar det sats och börjar skjuta sina rangliga trävagnar uppför de gröna sluttningarna i Blå bergen. Så värst fort går det inte. Men vad gör det? Det här är en sådan där tågresa som man inte vill ska ta slut.

Lahaul is braced for massive changes. For years, reaching this spectacular if desolate region has involved crossing the seasonal, infamously treacherous Rohtang Pass. However, by 2020 the new Rohtang Tunnel is expected to have opened, making access a breeze from Manali. In its wake, you can expect a rush of new tourism.

Once dubbed the ‘Temple City’, Bhubaneswar is a worthwhile pit stop for a day or two. This will allow you to take in the old city’s holy centre, which surrounds the ceremonial tank called Bindu Sagar. Thousands of medieval stone temples once stood here; around 50 currently remain. Temples aside, there are a couple of worthwhile museums, an ancient cave complex and the most varied dining scene in Odisha, along with a smattering of decent hotels.

Few places in India are at once so traveler friendly and enchanting as mountain-framed Leh. Dotted with stupas and whitewashed houses, the Old Town is dominated by a dagger of steep rocky ridge topped by an imposing Tibetan-style palace and fort. Beneath, the bustling bazaar area is draped in a thick veneer of tour agencies, souvenir shops and tandoori-pizza restaurants, but a web of lanes quickly fans out into a green suburban patchwork of irrigated barley fields. Here, gushing streams and narrow footpaths link traditionally styled Ladakhi garden homes that double as charming, inexpensive guesthouses. Leh’s a place that’s all too easy to fall in love with – but take things very easy on arrival as the altitude requires a few days' acclimatization before you can safely start enjoying the area's gamut of adventure activities.

Länge har de avlägsna öarna som tillhör Indien varit utom räckhåll för turister. Nu blir det ändring på det, efter ett beslut från landets inrikesminister.

Kachchh, India’s wild west, is a geographic phenomenon. The flat, tortoise-shaped land, edged by the Gulf of Kachchh and Great and Little Ranns, is a seasonal island. During the dry season, the Ranns are vast expanses of dried mud and blinding-white salt. Come the monsoon, they’re flooded first by seawater, then by fresh river water. The salt in the soil makes the low-lying marsh area almost completely barren. Only on scattered ‘islands’ above the salt level is there coarse grass, which provides fodder for the region’s wildlife.

Världens högsta staty står nu klar. Statue of Unity i norra Indien är 182 meter hög, eller 240 meter, beroende på hur man räknar. Det är ungefär som att stapla två frihetsgudinnor på varandra och addera Brasiliens kända kristusstaty på toppen.

Bharatpur is famous for its wonderful Unesco-listed Keoladeo National Park, a wetland and significant bird sanctuary. If here for the park, the city also has a few historic vestiges and a good museum worth visiting too. Bharatpur hosts the boisterous and colourful Brij Festival just prior to Holi celebrations.