Touring opens the door to Asia’s gems
TOURING around India, Nepal or Sri Lanka can be incredibly memorable, with so much that’s new and often jaw-dropping to see.
These are lands where you can’t help but feel wide awake in the moment — and full of wonder.
Sri Lanka has taken the top spot in Lonely Planet’s list of places to visit in 2019, thanks to its endless beaches, timeless ruins, welcoming people, oodles of elephants, fun trains, famous tea and flavourful food.
Nepal’s Himalayan views, golden temples, charming hill villages and jungle wildlife make it one of the world’s most captivating destinations.
And with its sumptuous mix of extraordinary architecture, religious sites, wildlife-rich national parks and landscapes as varied as its cultural traditions, wonderful India enlivens the senses and warms the soul.
For many, an escorted tour is the easiest way to see the Indian subcontinent, providing an expertly planned itinerary, plus a knowledgeable tour manager and local guides to keep everything running smoothly.
INDIA, NEPAL OR SRI LANKA?
MULTI-AWARD-winning Titan Travel offers some of the best touring options, providing great value itineraries.
INDIA’S Golden Triangle With Ranthambore (ten days from £1,499pp) is a Titan itinerary that combines city explorations with wildlife spotting.
Journeying in a loop from Delhi, it ticks off highlights including the Taj Mahal and the forts and pink-hued palaces of Jaipur. With three safari drives in Ranthambore National Park, guests go in search of elusive Bengal tigers, as well as looking out for leopards, sloth bears, monkeys and birdlife.
WILD India (12 days from £2,649pp) is a tour that uncovers hidden national parks and sanctuaries said to have inspired Kipling’s The Jungle Book.
Ten safari adventures across a trio of parks (Kanha, Pench and Tadoba) gives plenty of opportunity to spot tigers, monkeys, leopards, sloth bears and more.
Guests also enjoy a traditional cooking demonstration. Plus, it starts and finishes in Mumbai, a colourful, chaotic and quintessentially Indian city.
NEPAL offers an intoxicating mix of sights and sounds — gold-topped stupas, temples decorated with fluttering flags, vast lakes overlooked by the snowy peaks of the Himalayas.
On the Classic Nepal tour (11 days from £2,199pp), guests watch the Hindu Ceremony of Light, performed by sadhus along the banks of the sacred Bagmati River, and visit local villages and communities up in the hills, lunching in a family home.
There’s also a chance to spot rhinos, elephants, leopards, tigers and more than 500 species of bird in Chitwan National Park.
THE Best Of Sri Lanka tour (12 days from £2,099pp) reveals mountaintop forts, ancient capitals hidden in forest, colonial remains and national parks where elephants roam free.
Starting and finishing in the island’s capital, Colombo, guests journey to Buddhist temples and botanical gardens, stopping to sample some of the world’s best tea along the way.
A safari drive in Yala National Park is a great opportunity to spot Sri Lankan wildlife — keep a lookout for leopards, buffalo, elephants and crocodiles.