India

It is not one country. Plan one region, not the whole map

India is not a destination, it is a subcontinent, and the single biggest mistake first-time visitors make is trying to see too much of it. The distance from Delhi to Kerala is roughly London to Morocco, the languages change every few hundred kilometres, and the food in the south has almost nothing to do with the food in the north.

Pick one region and go deep. Rajasthan for forts, palaces and desert. Kerala for backwaters, coastline and a much gentler pace. The Himalayan north for mountains and Tibetan Buddhist culture. Tamil Nadu for temple architecture that dwarfs anything in the tourist circuit. Trying to combine three of these in two weeks means spending the holiday on trains.

It is also intense in a way that no amount of preparation entirely covers. The noise, the crowds, the constant sensory input and the persistent attention paid to foreign visitors are genuinely tiring. Build rest days in, accept that plans will change, and the country becomes one of the most rewarding places on earth rather than an endurance event.

Annual events and festivals

• Holi (Mar) — the festival of colour. Powder and water thrown by everyone at everyone. Wear clothes you will bin.
• Diwali (Oct-Nov) — the festival of lights, and the biggest holiday of the year. Lamps, sweets and a great deal of fireworks.
• Durga Puja, Kolkata (Sep-Oct) — elaborate temporary pavilions across the city. UNESCO listed and extraordinary.
• Pushkar Camel Fair (Nov) — 50,000 camels, horses and traders in the Rajasthani desert.
• Ganesh Chaturthi (Aug-Sep) — huge idols paraded and immersed in the sea, biggest in Mumbai.
• Kumbh Mela (every 3 years, rotating) — the largest gathering of humans on earth. Tens of millions bathe at a river confluence.
• Onam, Kerala (Aug-Sep) — ten days of feasting, flower carpets and snake boat races.
• Navratri and Garba, Gujarat (Sep-Oct) — nine nights of communal circle dancing.
• Eid al-Fitr (varies) — India has one of the largest Muslim populations in the world. Old Delhi is remarkable at Eid.
• Republic Day (26 Jan) — a vast military and cultural parade in Delhi.