If you are one of those, who travel for experience rather than luxury then revel in the stunning yet cheap backpacking trips in India. Backpacking India offers myriad opportunities to enjoy travel without burning a hole in your pocket.In the recent years, it has become apparent that the budget trips in India are favourite among the backpackers across the world. India is enumerating prominently as a low-cost holiday destination.
10 Best Backpacking Trips In India
Several cities in India offer countless options to make your trips better and cheaper which will quench your wanderlust while enticing you with its beauty even as you are travelling on a budget. Below are some cheap holiday destinations in India that should be on every backpacker’s bucket list.
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Dharamshala
Slumbering adjacently to the Dhauladhar mountain ranges, Dharamshala is a picturesque location that is also the epicentre of Tibetan refugees and His Holiness Dalai Lama. Dharamshala and nearby McLeod Ganj are counted amongst the best and affordable backpacking trips in India.
- Highlights: Enjoy it serenity amidst its snow-crowned mountains that also offers affordable and diverse cuisine, dense forests, cascading waterfalls, monasteries and affordable guided treks.
- Low-Cost Lodgings: Shree Guest House, Pink House, Seven Hill’s Guest House
- Landmarks: Dalai Lama Temple Complex, Namgyal Monastery, Kangra Fort and Museum, Dal Lake, Bhagsu Fall, etc.
- Best Time: September – June
- Travel Tip: Fly straight to Dharamshala airport from New Delhi at a bargain price, starting from INR 5222.
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Goa
This little paradise is the party capital as well as the ultimate backpacking destination in India. Goa is the smallest state of India that also forms the western coast which is adjacent to the Arabian Sea and is glorified as the ‘Vegas of India’.
- Highlights: If is full of surprises and contradictions as besides its party animal image, Goa offers relaxing vacation littered with sandy beaches, churches, forts and water sports.
- Low-Cost Lodgings: Affordable options nearby BagaCalangute beaches, Afonso Guest House in Panjim, William’s Beach Resort in Colva, Astoria in Bardez.
- Landmarks:Agonda Beach, Palolem Beach, DudhSagar Waterfalls, Fort Aguada, Church of St. Francis of Assisi, etc.
- Best Time: October – June.
- Travel Tip:Fly straight to Goa airport at an affordable price, starting from INR 1544 from Bangalore and INR 1688 from Mumbai.
Unless you plan to travel between mid-December to mid of January, when Goa is very costly, for the rest of the year, Goa is certainly among the best backpacking trips in India.
Waytoindia.com offers Mumbai Goa Tour Packages at very compelling rates.You may write to us for further details on this on info@waytoindia.com.
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Munnar
Situated in the South-Western state of Kerala, Munnar (three rivers) is affluent in its natural beauty which beguiles all backpackers group in India.
- Highlights: It offers serene environs coupled with majestic backwaters where you could relax and enjoy its sprawling high tea estates along with its rich flora and fauna.
- Low-Cost Lodgings:Munnar Inn, Rheinberg Homestay
- Landmarks:Attukal Waterfalls, Eravikulam National Park, Anamudi Peak, etc.
- Best Time: August – May
- Travel Tip:Fly directly to Munnar at a jaw breaking price of INR 1960 from Bangalore.
If you wish to experience the natural beauty of India, Munnr is surely one among the must do backpacking trips in India.
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Rajasthan
Despite being barren, Rajasthan is a must visit backpacker destination in India that should be experienced to feel the elegance of the desert and its rich cultural heritage and ethnicity of Rajasthan. Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Pushkar, etc., are cheap backpacking destinations in Rajasthan.
- Highlights: It offers a slice of how the royals subsist along with its majestic forts, royal palaces and traditional folklores.
- Landmarks: City Palace Jaipur, HawaMahal, Jaisalmer Fort, Ranthambore National Park, etc.
- Best Time: October – March
- Travel Tip: Fly straight to Jaipur from New Delhi at a bargain price starting from INR 1189.
If you wish to ecpetience the rich cultural heritage of India, Rajasthan should certainly be on your list of backpacking trips in India.
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Sikkim
Discover inner peace while backpacking across Sikkim and enjoy its serene blend of tranquillity and peace. This North-eastern state has its own unmapped beauty and culture of its own.
- Highlights: It offers a dramatic landscape decked with alpine meadows, glaciers, monasteries and unchartered delights for trekkers.
- Landmarks:Gangtok, Pelling, Lachung, Rumtek monastery, etc.
- Best Time: March – June, September – December
- Travel Tip: Fly straight to Gangtok (Bagdogra Airport) from Kolkata at an affordable price starting from INR 2150.
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Hampi
Residing in the northern state of Karnataka, Hampi is counted amongst the best backpacking trips in India that satisfy those who wish to experience India’s culture in its truest form.
- Highlights: It is a dream destination for all the history addict backpackers with its majestic archaeological sites, divine temples and elephant stables.
- Low-Cost Lodgings:Sri Rama Guest House, Hema Guest House, Kiran Guest House
- Landmarks:VijayaVittala Temple, Virupaksha Temple, Elephant Stables, Royal enclosure archaeological sites, etc.
- Best Time: November – February
- Travel Tip: Fly to the nearest airport from Hampi (260 km.)i.e Belgaum Airport at the affordable fare starting from INR 3119 from Bangalore.
As Rajasthan offers a heritage splendour in North India, the heritage of South India can be best experienced at Hampi.If you are looking out for this, add Hampi as a destination to your list of backpacking trips in India.
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Darjeeling
With its chilly weather and mesmerising hilly locations, Darjeeling is a must visit backpacker destinations in West Bengal as it wins hearts of all the visitors who wish to seek serenity.
- Highlights:It is renowned for its delectable cuisine, picturesque tea plantations, waterfalls, lush forests and a mesmerising train ride from Siliguri.
- Low-Cost Lodgings:Merry Resort, North Star Hotel, Hotel Daffodil
- Landmarks:Tiger Hill, Tibetan Buddhist Monastery, Happy Valley Tea Gardens, etc.
- Best Time: April – June
- Travel Tip:Fly straight to Gangtok (Bagdogra Airport) from Kolkata at an affordable price starting from INR 2150.
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Meghalaya
Experience the best backpacking trips in India and rediscover the unexposed beauty of the North-Eastern State – Meghalaya. The state capital, Shillong is crowned as ‘Scotland of the East’ and invites visitors to soak in its tranquillity.
- Highlights:It offers lush valleys, cascading waterfall, exotic caves and a chance to take a motorcycle ride amid its wettest settlements.
- Low-Cost Lodgings:Broadway Hotel, Ashutosh Inn
- Landmarks:Shillong, Cherrapunjee, Krem Dam Caves, etc.
- Best Time: September – May
- Travel Tip: Reach Shillong via Kolkata at a reasonable fare starting from INR 2417.
Meghalaya should be on the list of Backpacking India for those who wish to experience the still virgin natural beauty of India’s North East.
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Rishikesh
Besides being the gateway for the popular Char DhamYatra, this Uttrakhand city, Rishikesh is also the adventure capital of India.
- Highlights:It is famous among the backpacker’s group in India for its spiritual enlightenment as well as adrenalin addict activities such as River rafting, cliff jumping, rappelling, waterfall trekking, bungee jumping, etc.
- Low-Cost Lodgings:RishikeshSadan, The Hermitage, Ganesha Inn, Green View
- Landmarks:TriveniGhat, NeelkanthMahadev Temple, GeetaBhawan, etc.
- Best Time: October – February
- Travel Tip: Fly to the nearest airport fromRishikesh (35 km.) i.e. Dehradun Airport at the bargain fare of INR 1402.
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Pondicherry
Bordered by Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry is the largest union territory of India and is crowned as the ‘French Riviera of the East’. The heady combination of Pondicherry is renowned as acheap holiday destination in India.
- Highlights:Pondicherry has it all, as it is surrounded by the soupéon of French infrastructure, pristine beaches, sapid cuisine, finest wines and tranquil Ashrams.
- Low-Cost Lodgings:Auroville Ashram, R.M. Guest House, Sri Krishnas Guest House
- Landmarks:Shri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry Museum, Old Light House, French War Museum, etc.
- Best Time: October – February
- Travel Tip: Pondicherry can accommodate thelanding of small aircraft from Hyderabad and Bangalore only, although it is well connected via roads and trains.
India is a backpacker’s paradise with it’s numerous hidden and unexposed beauties that entreat travellers to visit these incredible destinations. To make your budget backpacking destinations in India more enjoyable, don’t forget to check out WaytoIndia’s backpackers’ guide for India .
