The Most Popular Road Trips Around India
Road trips are the best way to take a break from a hectic life. India is the most beautiful country for people who are fond of traveling, especially road trips. You will feel the chill air, visit a lot of green scenery, waterfalls and enjoy the road travel. Here, I give the top 10 road trips which will help to know this country from all directions.
1. East Coast Road (ECR – 2000 km):
Route:
Chennai → Mahabalipuram → Puducherry → Chidambaram → Velankanni → Rameshwaram → Dhanushkodi → Thoothukudi → Manapad → Kanyakumari → Chennai
Best Season: November to February
Number of days: 10 to 15 days
The ECR road trip is a two-lane highway in Tamil Nadu. This trip offers scenic views all along the way from Chennai to Kanyakumari. The road covers all the major tourist attractions of South India.
2. West Coast (2500 km):
Route:
Agonda → Karwar → Gokarna → Udupi → Coorg → Wayanad → Alleppey → Kovalam → Kodaikanal → Ooty → Mysore → Chikmagalur → Agonda
Best Season: November to February
Number of days: 10 to 15 days
The West Coast road trip is blessed with nature’s allure with a canopy of trees, waterfalls, caves, and forts. You have to spend for a few weeks to admire the serene beaches of Gokarna and Kovalam, breathtaking ghats at Wayanad, heavenly food at Coorg, backwaters of Alleppey, glorious stories of Mysore and the famous hill stations Kodaikanal and Ooty.
3. Leh – Srinagar (425 km):
Route:
Leh → Lamayuru → Mulbekh → Kargil → Drass → Sonamarg → Srinagar
Best Season: November to February
Number of days: 10 to 15 days
Leh to Srinagar is always available in the bucket list of each and every road trip lover. When traveling, it is worth making the journey. You have time to visit several attractions on the way and it is advised to have thorough knowledge of AMS (Altitude Mountain Sickness) and prefer to travel by SUV.
4. Siliguri to Bhutan (1000 km):
Route:
Siliguri → Phuentsholing → Paro → Thimpu → Bhutan → Siliguri
Best Season: October to April
Number of days: 7 to 10 days
The most affordable Bhutan road trip has made it the first choice for many visitors. A road trip to Bhutan is truly a vibrant and mesmerizing country to visit, the nature, cultural diversity and heritage attract visitors from all over the world. The most common way to enter Bhutan from Delhi is by road.
There are three borders between Bhutan and India:
- Jaigaon – Phuentsholing border,
- Bongaigaon – Gelephu border
- Darangamela – Samdrup Jongkhar border.
Jaigaon – Phuentsholing border is the most preferred way to enter Bhutan by road from India.
5. Western Ghats (1000 Km):
Route:
Mumbai → Lonavala(Della) → Satara → Ratnagiri → Chiplun → Mahabaleshwar → Tamhini → Kolad → Khopoli → Mumbai
Best Season: June to November
Number of days: 7 to 10 days
To experience this magic of the Western Ghats of India. It has many hidden gems that make for a perfect vacation. All parts of these hill stations are accessible via road trip. The mountain chain that has forests older than the Himalayan range.
6. Delhi to Royal Rajasthan (2400 km):
Route:
Delhi →Jaipur → Pushkar → Ajmer → Jodhpur → Jaisalmer → Mount Abu → Udaipur → Ranthambore → Delhi
Best Season: November to February
Number of days: 10 to 12 days
A road trip from Delhi to Rajasthan makes for a long but a very interesting experience. The best way to experience this destination is to make the journey memorable. Jaipur to Jaisalmer is one of the most beautiful road trips in India.
7. Delhi to Himalayas (1400 km):
Route:
Delhi → Rishikesh → Dehradun → Mussoorie → Chakrata → Auli → Kinnaur → Spiti → Kufri → Shimla → Solan → Delhi
Best Season: March to September
Number of days: 7 to 10 days
An adventure is starting from New Delhi, this is a great way to see the Himalayan Mountains. Hill towns along the way are very beautiful and disconnected from the outer world.
8. Delhi to Valley of Flowers (1200 km):
Route:
Delhi → Lansdowne → Chopta → Valley Of Flowers → Kausani → Almora → Ranikhet → Nainital → Delhi
Best Season: March to September
Number of days: 7 to 10 days
You break-free from your busy schedule and have some crazy thrilling experience from Delhi to Valley of Flowers, this is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Enjoy this beautiful road journey with beautiful landscapes and mountains during the journey.
9. Sikkim – Old Silk Route (800 km):
Route:
Siliguri → Darjeeling → Pelling → Ravangla → Gangtok → Lachung → Nathula → Zuluk → Kalimpong → Siliguri
Best Season: May to November
Number of days: 10 to 15 days
Sikkim is a cocktail of the northeast mixed with other Indian cultures. My personal favorite is the silk route which was used for trading from China to western and middle eastern countries. It is one of the most scenic routes on the Himalayas with a lot of hairpin bends.
10. Guwahati to Shillong (2000 km):
Route:
Guwahati → Tawang → Kaziranga → Majuli → Kohima → Haflong → Dawki → Cherrapunji → Shillong → Guwahati
Best Season: March to October
Number of days: 10 to 15 days
The many different types of places makes Guwahati the main center in the northeast. The roadways are pretty good. There are many places around Guwahati where you travel with your group of friends for a memorable road trip. Once in your lifetime, you need to come here by road and enjoy the lush greenery and spectacular views.
