Insiders Guide to Northeast India

Dazzling Delhi to Himalayan Hills to Jimmy’s Jungle

If you're hankering for something a little different, a little special for your next holiday, this jaunt through Northeast India might be just the ticket.

There are three key components:

1. Get your bustle on in Delhi with guided tours of impressive forts, shopping hotspots and the like; bed down at our trusty 4-star gem, the Claridges Hotel.

2. Escape northeastwards to the Himalayan foothills to luxuriate at the Mary Budden Estate, an eco-luxe homestay deep within the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary (pack your hiking boots - the landscape beckons).

3. End with an exceptionally fun elephant-back safari in the jungles of Corbett National Park to search for leopards, tigers and crocodiles.

So, Binsar. Never heard of it? Let us enlighten you. This stunning wildlife sanctuary is tucked high up near the border with Nepal and Tibet, a land of wooded hills and secret valleys with peaks as high as 8,000m piercing the horizon. The pace of life is slow, the tiny rural villages are exceedingly charming and the people are full of smiles and "Namaste". And it's home to one of our favourite homestay cottages: the Mary Budden Estate. A time capsule of charm and elegance, it was set up in honour of Mary Budden, who along with her father, Captain Ramsay, ran charitable missions here in the 1850s.

Take breakfast on the terrace with a steaming cup of milky chai and gaze across a panoramic sunrise stretching over 300km of Himalayan peaks including Kedarnath, Shivling, Trisul and the almighty Nanda Devi. By day, trek through this absurdly lovely landscape through forests of rhododendron, pine trees and wildflowers - crisp blue skies above and a peaceful soundtrack of birdsong (over 200 bird species dwell here) and the jangling of distant cow bells. Come evening, congregate for a knees up with your host around a bonfire and a mug of Indian rum.

Next, up the adventure in the fabled jungles and grasslands of Corbett National Park (named after Jim Corbett, a famous tiger-hunter turned conservationist), a 5-hour drive away. Spend two nights at the Corbett River View Lodge, a tented camp 50 minutes within the confines of the park. Venture out on elephant-back and jeep safaris to spot Bengal Tigers and snuggle down in your cottage-style thatched roof tent with clear views over the croc and bird-rich Ramganga River. The perfect wet and wild finale to your holiday!

This travel inspiration was brought to you by Lightfoot Travel p.6438 4091, e. info@lightfoottravel.com, a Singapore-based luxury tour operator offering expert travel advice & inspiration, tailor-made itineraries & full booking services.

Insiders Guide to No   |   15 Aug 2011 at 06:51 PM

0