Nothing can beat a road trip from Kashmir to Kanyakumari
Updated May 2020
India — A land of diversity, culture, and tradition; stretches from snow-clad mountains of Kashmir to the backwaters of Kerala. A land of colors, happiness, and taste. A land of dreams and hopes.
Planning a road trip in India might get a bit overwhelming as there is so much to see and do. There are a plethora of activities and every city/state is unique when it comes to culture, food, and architecture.
Our suggestion is to pick your destination wisely while planning your road trip in this beautiful country.
Here’s a quick overview –
- Skiing– Gulmarg in Kashmir, Shimla, Manali, Gangtok, Patnitop
- Jaw-dropping Landscape – Ladakh, Spiti, Northeastern states, Kashmir, Sikkim, Punjab, Uttrakhand, Kerala
- Architecture – Gujarat, Delhi, Hampi, Mahabalipuram ( Tamil Nadu), Rajasthan
- Tulip Festival – Srinagar, Kashmir in the month of April
- Hot air Balloon – Rajasthan, Agra, Lonavala & Goa
- Scuba diving, Snorkelling – Goa, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Mangalore, Pondicherry, Lakshadweep
- Sea Walking – Andaman Islands
- Island Hopping – Lakshadweep Islands, Andaman Islands
- Water sports like banana boat ride, Paragliding, Jet ski – Goa, Mangalore, Andaman, Dandeli, Gokarna
- White Water Rafting – Rishikesh, Gangtok
- Tea Gardens – Munnar, Ooty, Wayanad
- House Boat Stay – Kerala and Kashmir
- TreeHouse Stay – Wayanad, Kerala
The Journey: Start from Kashmir and end in Kanyakumari.
Distance to be covered: 5604 KM, 11 States
Destinations to be covered :
1) Kashmir
Nestled in the foothills of the wonderful Himalayan mountains, the scenic splendor of Srinagar in the state of Jammu and Kashmir has attracted people since time immemorial. The city has mesmerized the Mughals, the Sikhs and the British over the course of the history.
Enjoy a Shikhara ride, stroll in the Mughal gardens or sample Kashmiri cuisines before you start your epic road trip in India.
Things to do in Kashmir :
Visit Mughal gardens of Srinagar
Shop the world famous handicrafts of Kashmir
Ski at Gulmarg and enjoy a gondola ride.
Visit Tulip garden in Srinagar ( April/May)
Try Kashmiri cuisine
Visit Tajiwas Glacier in Sonmarg on your way to Kargil/ Leh.
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Where to Stay in Kashmir?
- You can check out this houseboat in Dal Lake.
- In Gulmarg we stayed at Khyber Himalayan Resort and Spa
2) Srinagar – Leh via Kargil (Distance: 440 km)
The road trip from Srinagar to Leh via Kargil is said to be one of the most thrilling and an experience of a lifetime. The heavy presence of the Indian Army can be felt as it is very close to the LOC (Line of Control).
Roads in some places are bad and narrow, so make sure you are equipped well. It is advisable to stay overnight at Kargil/ Drass before heading to Leh.
- Route: Srinagar – Sonamarg – Zoji La – Drass – Kargil – Khaltse – Lamayuru – Nimmu – Leh
- Route Opens: Early May to late October
Things to do :
Enjoy the majestic Himalayan mountains.
Visit Drass Memorial
Visit Gurudwara Patthar Sahib and monasteries like Hemis monastery, Thiksey Monastery on your way to Leh
Experience zero gravity at Magnetic hills.
Visit the famous Pangong Lake
Take in all the beauty and enjoy the silence.
Visit Nubra Valley
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Read all articles on Ladakh and Kashmir
3) Leh – Manali via Spiti (Distance: 453 km)
Drive from Leh to Manali via the stunning Spiti. The Spiti Valley is a desert mountain valley located high in the Himalayan mountains in the north-eastern part of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The name “Spiti” means “The Middle Land”, i.e. the land between Tibet and India.
The landscape in Spiti is amazing and not like anything that you will see anywhere else.
Things to do :
Explore Spiti
Visit Tso Moriri Lake
Visit Rohtang Pass on your way to Manali
4) Manali- Kullu (Distance 40 KM)
Situated in the Beas River Valley, Manali is a hill station nestled in the mountains of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh near the northern end of the Kullu Valley. It is located about 270 km (168 mi) north of the state capital, Shimla.
Manali is famous for winter activities, hiking trails, waterfalls, snowcapped mountains, and glacier-fed streams.
Things to do :
Visit Hadimba Devi Mandir
Chase Waterfalls
Adventure activities like River Crossing, Rafting and Paragliding are also quite popular in Manali
Trek to Hampta Pass
Bath at hot water spring at Manikaran Gurudwara, Kullu.
5) Kullu – Amritsar (Distance 358.8 km)
Historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as Ambarsar. It is the spiritual center for the Sikh religion and the administrative headquarters of the Amritsar district in the state of Punjab.
Things to do :
Visit Golden Temple
Visit Wagah Border to witness the evening parade
Visit the famous Jallianwala Bagh
Try Sarson de saag and Makhe di roti with a glass full of Lassi
Explore the beautiful countryside of Punjab.
6) Amritsar – Chandigarh (Distance – 238 Km)
Chandigarh is known as one of the best-planned city in India and is an ideal place to stop for a night before heading to the capital of India.
Things to do :
Visit the famous rock garden
Visit Rose garden, Sakuna Lake
Enjoy the nightlife
READ NEXT: Things to Do in Chandigarh
7) Chandigarh – Delhi (Distance – 288 Km)
Delhi boasts of lip-smacking street food, architecture, and history. Not just it is the capital of India but it was also the capital of different dynasties that ruled India over the centuries. It is steeped in history and the culinary scene is hard to give a miss.
Things to do :
Street Shopping at Sarojini Nagar and Connaught Place
Enjoy the night Life at Hauz Khas Village
Explore the city monuments like Qutab Minar, Humayun’s Tomb, India Gate, and much more.
Do not miss the culinary scene.
Explore the crammed markets of Old Delhi
8) Delhi – Agra (Distance -216 Km)
Agra is world-famous for the Taj Mahal but there is a lot more to see and do apart from the famed Taj Mahal.
Things to do :
Visit the famous monument of love – Taj Mahal
Go for a boat ride
Visit Fatehpur Sikri
Shop at Kinari Bazaar
Visit Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
Try Agre ka Petta
9) Agra – Jaipur (Distance – 238 Km)
Jaipur- aka the famed pink city boasts of dramatic forts, beautiful temples, fairs, and festivals. The city will give you a beautiful introduction to the vibrant Rajasthan. If you are a non-vegetarian you are in for a treat.
Things to do :
Enjoy the Rajasthani Thali
Visit numerous palaces/ forts
Shop till you drop.
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10) Jaipur – Ahmedabad: (Distance – 670 Km)
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It is the largest city and the former capital of the Indian state of Gujarat. Ahmedabad is famous for architecture, woven fabrics, and delicious food.
Things to do :
Visit Sabarmati waterfront
Visit Akshardham Temple, Iskon Temple
Savour a Gujarati Thali
Visit Calico Museum of Textiles.
11) Ahmedabad – Nashik : (Distance – 475 Km)
Nashik is known for its famous vineyards.
Things to do :
Visit the famous vineyard – Sula wines and spend a day at the resort
Enjoy a wine tasting session
Visit the famous Trimbakeshwar Temple.
12) Nashik – Mumbai (Distance: 171 km)
Mumbai conjures up images of tall skyscrapers, wide sprawling slums, throbbing nightlife, and monsoon.
Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) is referred to be a “City of Dreams“, people come from different places with starry eyes in the hope of making it big.
The finance capital or you can say the commercial capital, fashion hub and of course, home to Bollywood — Mumbai is certainly the busiest and the populated city in India with almost 17 million inhabitants.
Things to do :
Places to visit include Gateway of India, Nariman Point, Elephanta cave
Visit Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
Bombay Heritage Walks are quite popular ( bombayheritagewalks.com)
Take a ferry ride to Alibaug
13) Mumbai – Goa : (Distance – 604 Km)
Goa is the most popular tourist destination in India. Very popular among foreigners as well as the domestic crowd. Famous for its nightlife, beaches, food, quirky cafes, pubs, and cheap alcohol.
Things to do :
Laze on the beach
Indulge in various adventure activities like snorkeling, diving, paragliding to name a few.
Gorge on some amazing seafood
Enjoy nightlife at the famous pubs
14) Goa – Gokarna (Distance – 145 Km)
Gokarna is less crowded than Goa. It is freaking beautiful. We highly recommend to stop and explore the secluded beaches of Gokarna.
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Things to do :
Water Sports
Paragliding
Banana Boat Ride
Escape to secluded beaches
15) Gokarna – Bangalore (Distance – 487 Km)
Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India’s third most populous city. Also known as the “Garden City “. It is the IT Hub of India. There is not much to see or things to do in Bangalore but there are loads to places to see in and around Bangalore.
If you have time at hand, you can include Lepakshi, Chunchi waterfall, Mysore, Shivnasamadura Waterfall, Coorg & Ooty to your itinerary.
Things to do in Bangalore :
Visit the Lal Bagh Garden or Cubbon Park
Visit Bangalore palace & Tipu’s palace
( READ NEXT : Weekend gateways from Bangalore )
16) Bangalore – Wayanad (Distance – 261 Km)
Wayanad is one of the exquisite hill stations of Kerala. Exotic spot with aesthetic locales. The vast expanse of tea estates and the fresh air welcomes you as you drive the winding roads. The road trip is dotted with numerous waterfalls.
It is easy to fall in love with this gorgeous hill station.
Things to do :
Chase waterfalls
Learn the art of tea making
Walk through the sprawling tea gardens
Visit the national parks
( READ NEXT: Things To Do in Wayanad )
17) Wayanad- Alleppey (Distance – 317 Km)
Known as the “Venice of the east” — Allepey is a place where life moves in slow motion. Hop on a houseboat and enjoy the serenity of the beautiful backwater and enjoy your “ME” time.
Things to do :
Hang out with locals
Stay on a houseboat
Backwater Fishing
Soak in the beauty of the greenery all around.
( READ NEXT : Houseboat Stay )
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18) Alleppey – Kovalam (Distance – 161 Km)
Kovalam is a beach town by the Arabian Sea in Thiruvananthapuram city, Kerala, India, located around 16 km from the city. Kovalam is an internationally renowned beach with three adjacent crescent beaches.
Things to do :
Enjoy the beautiful beaches of Kovalam
Go for long walks
Stay at an Ayurvedic spa retreat.
19) Kovalam – Kanyakumari (Distance – 90 Km)
Nothing better than winding up your epic road trip at the southernmost tip of mainland India. Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, is famed for picture-perfect sunrises and sunsets.
Things to do :
Enjoy the beautiful sunset at Vivekananda Memorial.
Enjoy a south Indian meal
Witness the confluence of Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean
A road trip in India gives you the best of everything and satisfies your hunger for adventure sports, water sports, cultural scene, trekking, beautiful landscape; from the snow-clad Himalayas to secluded beaches of Kovalam, from tasting different cuisines to meeting different people speaking different languages.
HOW TO APPLY FOR A TOURIST VISA
Before planning your trip to India, make sure you check whether you need to apply for a Tourist visa or not. If you need an Indian Visa, check the website for e-visa. You need to fill out an online application form. Once you fill in all the details and submit, you will get all the visa related instruction via email. As soon as the process is complete and payment is done, you will receive the visa within 24-72 hours. You can check the FAQ page for all your queries before applying.
NOTE
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So When you are gearing up for this road trip..And Remember about my Kashmiri Shawl… 😉
Good Luck for the contest.. 🙂
Thank you this is dream road trip for me ,let see when it comes to real 🙂 …..And kashmiri shawl pakka 🙂 🙂
my dream too, mine was just covering NH 44, but it’s more fun, if you are planning this trip after five years, then I could join you too…
All the best for your trip. Hope you are able to complete the NH44 trip.
Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your
blog and wished to say that I have truly enjoyed browsing your
blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again very soon!
Thank you so much for stopping by and glad that you liked my post 🙂
Oh girl what an imagination!
BTW are these photos clicked by you?
I would also love to do it on a mobike…. and also by Himsagar express… i mean on 2 occassions separately :-))
Good luck…!!!
Thanks a lot for liking my post 🙂 🙂 Imagination does not have boundaries 😉 though i might have missed a lot of thing in the itinerary but have listed few of them which I don’t wanna miss at any cost 🙂 🙂
Pics are from google and few of them like the ones of Kashmir ,Kanyakumari ,Wayanad are being taken by me.Though I have pic for most of the places listed here but no soft copy as I have visited most of the places 12-15 years back 🙁
Oh my goodness, that sounds so inviting! Such a diverse and adventurous itinerary. How long do you expect it would take, at a minimum? (Obviously the maximum is as long as you like!)
Two months max if you intend to visit all the places 🙂
Great one! reminds me of the roadtrip we took some 4 years back! Although it was from Gujarat to Meghalaya…
Oh cool …gujarat to meghalaya sounds interesting 🙂 🙂
It was…Although the drive through Chattisgarh and Jharkhand was nerve-racking..right in the Naxal heartland… 🙂
Great list of road trips. Do like a few of them and I would attempt them in my next phase of India Road Trips.
We would love to hear your experience too 🙂
I liked it, this my dream trip too… but in my plan it is rount trip while coming back through th other side of india . Anyway it is wonderful….
Oh the other side is as beautiful as this one … do include the 7 sisters also … i think i should write a post on the other side of my road trip experience too 😀
Please do.
I have only word for this JEALOUS…:)
🙂 🙂 🙂
I loved how you summed up the whole country on a single page and done it so well ..quick question though , is this a trip you were a part of or something you plan to do ?
Thank you so very much …..I have done this many road trip for 10-15 days span in bits and parts except Rajasthan and Gujarat but want to revisit all this places to see how much it has been changed in last 10-15 years 🙂 🙂
This is the Nice blog and Kashmir Trip at very cheap and affordable price.
Kashmir honeymoon Packages
Thank you so much for stopping by 🙂
Thank you for giving information about Kashmir road trip Kashmir to kanyakumari,,,,
Golden triangle holiday tour
Glad you liked my post 🙂
@ Wonderful! This is a nice blog. I like this and I am also trying to create blog.
### Attractive Tourist Place Baldha Garden
### Chronological Mosque Tara Masjid
### Amazing Fort Lalbagh Kella
Thanks a lot Nasrin 🙂 do share your blog link too
Fabulous travel ,a joyous post with it’s fantastic photos.Thank you for visiting my blog.Looking forward to your new travelings.Jal
Thank you so much for stopping by and liking my post 🙂 🙂
Sir
we plan a trip from Kerala to Hamachal and Kashmir on our Bolero camper by March 2015.Shall we get any workshops on the way in case if there is any mechanical complaints on the way…?
Hi Jobin, dont worry you will get workshop that is not a issue but when you are in valley make sure you ask locals about the next possible workshop & gas station as the numbers are less up in the mountains … Happy travelling 🙂
What a trip! Now you must try an epic west to east trip!
I plan to go as per this plan in next moth so.plz give some idea and tips. Say some apox amount to this road ride tips
Hi Srimirigun,
Thats sounds awesome .. btw will you be driving or renting a car ? So if you are driving than fuel , stay, food , sightseeing are the expenses and it varies from place to place. I would highly suggest don’t blindly follow GPS .. keep asking locals for routes and suggestion
Cheers and happy traveling !!!
Hey,
This is a great read. We are planning to do this in 2016. What’s the best time to travel this road?
Hi, I am deeply impressed. I am planning it on bicycle in coming March-2016. Thanks for sharing such great information.
manali to leh route is very dangerous ,particularly after rohtang pass. there is no road at all. at places there are nullahs flowing water at zero temperature. no petrol pumps, no mechanic,no staying place, moreover at high altitude, people will vomit and suffer from various disease. motorbikes with heavy load , cannot run smoothly at high altitude.
Thanks for sharing this, hope people will take note of this while planning the road trip. It’s not just Manali to Leh but there are many other places which need improvement.
A good read indeed!! am planning a road trip but will change the rout slightly with my brother!!! The twist here is will be travrlling by Tata Nano and not by any SUV…..Am.looking for sponsorership!!! Can you please help me with that or can you please provide me info how to get the spon sororship
Thank you in advance
Wish you all the best for your trip.
I Want To Travel All India By Road…
By Visiting Every State…
Starting From Pune Which Is My Hometown.
Hey there guys,
I’m Planning a trip from Chennai to Himalayas via Road, by Car.
Can anyone please let me know
a)the minimum no of days(ofcourse, to get my punks avail some time off from office and College 🙂 ),
b)the Fuel cost ,assuming it would be a Petrol Car we would be on .
c)Hotel stay and prices and the number of stops required.
Since this would be the first adventurous trip that we’re excited to start on, require your Ideas and suggestions guys.
Yours Admiringly,
Amanullah Khan
“Its not how far we go , but how high we reach! “
hey…its amazing…i m also planing a trip from leh to mangalore next month on my motorcycle..i wanted to know about the safety while travellling with a girl…the issues you know, thieves, police, and other local issues on the way…how safe is it…how about if we get stuck somewhere..
thanking you
dr. vinayak
hi …..was planning for a similar roadtrip by car….stumbled upon your blog.would highly appreciate your inputs in this regard regarding the time of travel ,breaks,car care etc.basically inputs regarding having all ends covered.this is my route map planned.
https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Bejai,+Mangaluru,+Karnataka/Jaipur,+Rajasthan/Agra,+Uttar+Pradesh/Gwalior,+Madhya+Pradesh/Lucknow,+Uttar+Pradesh/Varanasi,+Uttar+Pradesh/Bhubaneswar,+Odisha/Chennai,+Tamil+Nadu/Kanyakumari,+Tamil+Nadu/Mangalore,+Karnataka/@24.7871641,83.8736192,8z/data=!4m32!4m31!1m2!1m1!1s0x3ba35a6b9e3a51f1:0xa806a28ba66f5251!1m2!1m1!1s0x396c4adf4c57e281:0xce1c63a0cf22e09!1m2!1m1!1s0x39740d857c2f41d9:0x784aef38a9523b42!1m2!1m1!1s0x3976c5d1792291fb:0xff4fb56d65bc3adf!1m2!1m1!1s0x399bfd991f32b16b:0x93ccba8909978be7!1m2!1m1!1s0x398e2db76febcf4d:0x68131710853ff0b5!1m2!1m1!1s0x3a1909d2d5170aa5:0xfc580e2b68b33fa8!1m2!1m1!1s0x3a5265ea4f7d3361:0x6e61a70b6863d433!1m2!1m1!1s0x3b04ed3d2a087861:0x1e790e896aeffaa0!1m2!1m1!1s0x3ba35a4c37bf488f:0x827bbc7a74fcfe64!3e0
hey.your words are truly inspiring.i would like to travel like this .pls comment about average expense for this ride.and
the books that i should read or ideas that i must remember..thanks in advance
Very beautiful content and attractive images of some destinations in india. I really enjoyed while reading your blog. Such an interesting and very attrctive for those who planned to visit some of all these places especially kanyakumari. Thank you for sharing…
Can you say an approximate budjet for this trip…???
We are planning a 20 day road trip by fortuner car starting chennai. We are clueless where to head to. We have Seen most OF Tamil nadu. Should we head towards Kerala/coorg/munnar. How to plan itenary.Best pit stops, route etc. Will really appreciate your kind guidance
I was glad to read your road trip
I am 62 I and my wife are planing for a road trip from Kanyakumari to kashmir in Jan 2018
can you guide us for route and other things ready with you.
Nice , detail information. Thank you.
I am planning all India tour for 365 days with purpose of spreading a message for students.
Can you pls . provide few tips .
Thank you so much. All the best for your trip.
India is indeed incredible and this road trip definitely seems like an awesome idea! What time of the year should I visit to witness the evening parade at the Wagah Border?
The ceremony at Wagah happens every evening throughout the year.
Hello swati and sam,
I have seen this post last yr. Since then I m planning this trip. Just wanted to share that stage is all set this yr and I m leaving for this epic road trip adventure in June 2018.
I will be covering all the destinations mentioned in this post.
Can you please advise a bit on places to stay and approx distance of places from main city.
I will be traveling on bike though starting from Jammu covering leh Manali and will be ending trip in Rameshwarm.
Again thanks for sharing such a great information..
wow… that’s amazing…. would love to see your pictures. All the very best and have fun 🙂
Stay depends on the budget so it’s really hard to suggest.
I have done it in june.2018. thanks to you .
i live in kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of india . how can i plan a road trip to all over india . I knew only english and tamil can i manage an road trip. which car or suv suites best for an long travel.
Wow! its nice information share on this blog. I read your blog and i get the by road India trip information. I found this much useful information, as to what i exactly searching for India trip by road. Thanks a lot this beauty Enjoying article with me. I appreciate very much.
road trip in india is the greatest feeling ever……thats why female bikers are enjoy their ride.. however, roads in north india is not upto mark..but south indian road are always great….
A great post and an informative travel guide
What is the trip cost?? Please provide the trip details of 2019 calendar year
Hi Swati and Sam,
I was really inspired by your blog post and done the compelte K2K journey this ye in June. Itenary was same as shared by you in blog. Few places I missed but covered all others on my bike. It was around 10000 km solo bike ride. Thanks for being an inspiration..
hi….its really good, thank you for the plan its wonderful. but you only covered kashmir to kanyakumari on west side what about east side
Your article is very illuminating and has very beautiful and has detailed information about all the places you visited. I really enjoyed reading your blog. Very detailed info about the places to visit, the cuisines, the scenarios. Thank you for posting this article.
I have read this blog and it is really very amazing. Thank you for sharing this blog.
very beautiful article and very decriptive article.
I’m hannan i want to this trip can you tell me the details abt this trip n also the budget