Best Road Trips in India
Sometimes the best trips are those where you experience the culture of a country, first-hand; on your own. In a country full of coastal getaways, mountains where you ride through clouds there are plenty of fancy new highways, small towns along the way, interior roads, landscapes which soothe the eye. A road-trip with friends is not only a great way to explore the country, but us also an outdoor, fun adventure to look forward to.
Some of the best road trips in India include:
1. Golden Triangle: This road trip includes covering the distance between the cities of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. One of the most popular routes that is taken by travellers, the Golden Triangle is packed with many scenic and beautiful historical sites. Known as the Golden Triangle because of the triangular shape that it takes on the map, connecting the three historic locations of Agra, New Delhi and Rajasthan a road trip in this northern region of India would cover Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.
2. Mountain Madness: A road trip covering a distance of over 4900 meters and covering four different mountain passes a road trip from Manali-Leh is surely worth one to remember. An exhilarating, rough yet scenic road-trip where you pass through the Rohtang pass, this roadtrip will take you to the world’s highest motorable roads. It will also take you through the Pir Panjal Rage, the Zanskar Range, the Himalayan Range and the Ladakh tours Range. This is an excellent road trip to take your SUV’s, bikes or Jeep Safaris.
3. Southern Masala: This road trip includes the cities of Southern India: Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Chidambaram, Thanjavur, Trichy and Madurai. Starting off in Chennai, one of the best routes is to take the Eastern Express Highway (ECR) which is a very scenic road hugging the coast. This road connects Chennai with Pondicherry and runs along the Bay of Bengal. It is also known as the Potpourri Highway. Cross through the Cholamandala Artist’s Village before reaching the World Heritage Site, the ruins of Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram). Drive through Pondicherry to get a taste of French elegance mixed with Tamil flavour. There are a number of heritage properties where one can stay at while stopping by here. From Pondicherry drive to Chidambaram where you can see a number of holy temples of South Asia. From here you can then drive into Madurai.
4. Royal Rajasthan: This is a road trip covering the distance from Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. Beginning from Jaipur, you can browse the bazaars of the city and then eat at the well-known Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar before heading to the holy town of Pushkar. You can visit a number of lakeside temples at Pushkar before you head towards the next destination, Udaipur. You can visit the shimmering and beautiful Lake Pinchola that is located here; which is surrounded by havelis, temples, the Aravallis and palaces. With many roads twisting around the Aravallis, you can then move towards Kumbhalgarh which is well-known for the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary and the remote fort. Move towards the blue city, Jodhpur and visit the Mehrangarh Fort as well as many scenic destinations along the way. Your last stop is at Jaisalmer where you can spend a night by the sand dunes (Khuri-40 km away).
