My India Bucket List

India has been on my mind for a long time. I was first meant to go there in 2016 but then everything changed and I ended up in the US, in a new relationship instead.

My trip may have been put on hold but it wasn’t forgotten. I have been trying to make a trip to India work ever since and I think that 2019 is going to be the year that I finally make it to this exotic and complicated land.

Now that my first trip to India is on the horizon, I have been starting to think about what I want my India Bucket List to look like. India is such a large country and I know I won’t even get close to seeing everything I want to see on my first visit, but by putting together a bucket list, I am hoping to narrow down the areas I am most interested in, and to create an itinerary from there.

Here’s what I have so far on my India Bucket List:

Leh

I love a good mountain town and I have heard very good things about the laid back mountain town of Leh, in the Indian Himalayas. In Leh I would love to partake in many of the adventure activities that the area is famous for, particularly hiking, as well as visiting some of the local villages to see what life is like in this high altitude desert.

Kerala

There are so many reasons why the state of Kerala in India’s South West interests me. The miles and miles of beaches, the backwaters that are perfect for house-boating, the tea plantations, the cuisine – my favorite in India, and even mountain hiking. Kerala sounds like an excellent all round destination for India first-timers.

Hyderabad

Hyderabad may not seem like an obvious choice for an India Bucket List but I have heard from a few people now how historically interesting and beautiful the Old Town of Hyderabad is, and I love visiting places off the beaten path.

The city was founded at the end of the 16th century and is full of ancient treasures, including the largest one-man collection of antiques in the world, with some pieces dating back to the 1st Century. 

I am also interested in spending some time in the Middle East and I saw that there are reasonably priced Dammam to Hyderabad flights. For a real adventure why not visit Saudi Arabia first?!

The Golden Triangle

Of course the Golden Triangle has to be on any list for a first trip to India. My Dad said that one of his favorite travel moments ever was watching the sunset at the Taj Mahal so I definitely want to do that, as well as visiting the bustling metropolis of Delhi and the beautiful pink city of Jaipur in Rajasthan.

Varanasi

No trip to India would be complete without experiencing Varanasi – one of the world’s oldest inhabited cities and a very important spiritual centre for Hindus. The sacred waters here bring Hindus from all over India, and Varanasi looks like a magical place that will be both shocking and enlightening at the same time. It is the place I am most looking forward to seeing.

So that’s what I am looking at so far for my first trip to India – are there any other must see spots in India that you think I should add to my India bucket list?