West Bengal

A 5-10 day loop out of Siliguri through North Bengal's hill towns — Mirik, Darjeeling, and the often-overlooked Kalimpong — with an optional Sandakphu trek extension.

Duration

5-10 days (5 covers the core three towns, 7 for a slower pace, 9-10 with Sandakphu)

Best time

October to February, for clear mountain views and manageable temperatures.

Budget

Roughly ₹2,500-3,500 (roughly $25-35/€25-30) per day, covering stay, food, and local transport.

Getting around

Rent a scooty or motorbike in Siliguri and ride the loop yourself, or hire a car for the same route — the roads between towns are scenic but winding, and having your own wheels (two or four) makes stopping at viewpoints painless either way.

A 3-week loop through Northeast India's living root bridges, Loktak Lake's floating islands, and Mizoram's hill villages — genuinely off the beaten path, with real permit requirements most agencies don't cover well.

Duration

3 weeks for the full loop, given the number of day trips and the transit time between states.

Best time

October to April, avoiding the monsoon (roughly June-September) — Meghalaya in particular gets extreme rainfall in that window, and it affects road conditions throughout the route.

Budget

Hotels ran around ₹2,500/night (roughly $25/€25), with meals roughly ₹250-350 (roughly $3-4/€2-3) per person. Local transport is the one place this route gets expensive — cabs are pricier here than in most of India, largely due to limited local supply.

Getting around

Rent a scooty locally rather than relying on cabs for everything — this worked well in Shillong (covering all of Meghalaya's day trips) and in Imphal (for the Loktak day trip). In Aizawl, local taxis covered both day trips instead.