Incredible India: Seven epic road trips from Delhi

April is unique in north India. Snow in the upper reaches of the Himalayas has melted, the plains have not yet been roasted by the summer sun, and there is no rainfall to stop you even if you want to explore the country on a motorcycle. What might stop you is hesitancy or the office occupying your mind. Fret not, all these places are connected not only via good roads, but also via information superhighways. We have also shared a comfortable timeline to visit these places, the challenges involved, and what to expect. What we’ve not shared is hotels or local maps (you can Google that). Travel, text and photos by Vikram Chaudhary:

1. Mother of all road trips

Delhi to Leh (two weeks; 2,000-km round trip)

Preferable vehicle: Motorcycle

Even though the Atal tunnel (under Rohtang pass near Manali) has shaved off many hours on the Delhi to Leh road trip, it still takes about three days of relaxed riding/driving. Challenges are washed out bridges and extremely high altitude on the way (Tanglang-la, before Leh, is a dizzying 5,328 metres above sea level). From Leh, must-visit places are Pangong Tso, Khardung-la and Umling-la (highest motorable road in the world).

2. Toughest road trip in India

Delhi to Spiti (two weeks; 1,500-km round trip)

Preferable vehicle: Motorcycle

Spiti, a region in Himachal Pradesh with capital Kaza, is all about “world’s highest” places. These include Komic (world’s highest village connected by a motorable road, at 4,587 metres above sea level), Hikkim (world’s highest post office, at 4,440 metres), Kaza (world’s highest petrol retail outlet, at 3,740 metres). Challenge is a section on the Spiti to Manali road — 70 km of riding on rocks, which easily takes 7-8 hours.

Also read: Bullet Train Project: Travel time between Mumbai-Ahmedabad to be reduced dramatically! Key details here

3. Good alternative to Wagah border

Delhi to Fazilka (long weekend; 850-km round trip)

Preferable vehicle: Car or SUV

The famous India-Pakistan border at Attari-Wagah (near Amritsar) gets very crowded, and you may not be able to easily see the “beating retreat ceremony”. The Sadqi-Sulemanki border near Fazilka in Punjab holds the same retreat ceremony as at Wagah, has few people in attendance, and you sit close to the drill being held by the BSF of India and the Rangers of Pakistan. The only challenge is finding a decent hotel to stay.

4. Before the pilgrims arrive

Delhi to Gangotri (one week; 1,100-km round trip)

Preferable vehicle: Motorcycle

The smooth NH34 in Uttarakhand takes you to a place called Harsil. It’s a sleepy town near Gangotri, but possibly the most scenic in Uttarakhand — it’s surrounded by three snow-clad peaks: Bandarpunch (where Lord Hanuman extinguished his burning tail), Swargarohini (stairway to heaven followed by the Pandavas) and Kalanag (looks like a black cobra). The Gangotri Temple will open on April 22, so it’s relatively empty nowadays.

5. After the tourists have gone

Delhi to Jaisalmer (one week; 1,700-km round trip)

Preferable vehicle: Car or SUV

March-onwards Jaisalmer starts to get hot, and in April almost devoid of tourists. Mornings are cool and daytime can be spent in the comfort of your car or numerous cafes. Because there are few tourists, hotels get dirt cheap and you could be treated like royals. A must-visit place is the Desert National Park, famous for the Great Indian Bustard (India’s ostrich). The only challenge can be the heat during some times of the day.

6. Not a road trip, but a food trip

Delhi to Lucknow (long weekend; 1,200-km round trip)

Preferable vehicle: Car or SUV

Thanks to the Yamuna Expressway and the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, this road trip can be done in as less as six hours. The city is famous for Awadhi cuisine (including Dum cooking, i.e. cooking over slow fire, which gives unique aroma to food. Lucknow is not only famous for non-vegetarian food such as kebab, biryani, nihari or korma, but also for its chaats, street food, kulfi, paan and sweets.

7. You can almost touch the Himalayas

Delhi to Munsiyari (one week; 1,300-km round trip)

Also read: Here’s how a luxury retreat in the tranquil foothills of the Himalayas helped me rejuvenate

Preferable vehicle: SUV or motorcycle

No matter which city in the plains you are travelling from, Munsiyari is the farthest town in Uttarakhand. From Delhi, it is 650 km away, and can be reached only after two days of driving/riding. Hotels in places such as Kausani, Binsar and Mukteshwar usually advertise that these are the best places to get 180-degree views of snow-clad Himalayas; in Munsiyari, you can almost ‘touch’ the same Himalayas from your hotel window.