Practical information
What you actually need to know before you come
Visas, seasons, temples, food, money and the questions people are slightly embarrassed to ask. Written by the office that answers them every day.
Getting a visa
Most nationalities can use the e-Visa
Over 170 nationalities can apply for an Indian tourist e-Visa online rather than visiting a consulate. Apply at the government portal, indianvisaonline.gov.in, and nowhere else. Sites that charge a large fee to "help" you are middlemen, not the government.
Apply early, but not too early
The application opens up to 120 days before you travel. Processing is officially quick but allow eight to ten working days in practice, and longer around Indian public holidays. Your passport must have at least six months left on it and two blank pages.
You also need an e-Arrival Card
Since April 2026 every foreign visitor must file a digital arrival declaration within 72 hours before flying. Paper cards on the aeroplane no longer exist. It is separate from the visa and both are needed. We remind every one of our travellers about this a week before departure.
An e-Visa cannot be extended
It cannot be extended or converted into another kind of visa once you are in India, so plan your dates with a little room. If you intend to stay beyond 180 days you are into a different sort of visa and different rules.
Some areas need an extra permit
Parts of Ladakh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and the Andamans sit inside Protected or Restricted Area boundaries and need a permit beyond the visa. If your trip includes any of them we arrange the permit as part of the booking.
When to come
October to March suits most of India
This is the main season, and for good reason: dry, clear and comfortable across the north, Rajasthan, the temple towns and most of the south. December and January get genuinely cold at night in Delhi and Rajasthan, so bring a jacket.
April to June for the Himalaya
When the plains become unbearable, the mountains open. Ladakh is only properly reachable from roughly May to September, and Kashmir, Shimla and Manali are at their best then too.
June to September is the monsoon
Not the write-off visitors assume. Kerala is at its greenest and its Ayurvedic season, the Western Ghats are spectacular, and prices and crowds both fall. Rajasthan and Ladakh are the ones to avoid.
The pilgrimage seasons are fixed by the mountains
Char Dham runs roughly late April to early November, Amarnath for a few weeks in July and August, Kailash Manasarovar across the summer. These dates are set by snow and by the temple authorities, not by us.
Getting around and getting on
India is much larger than it looks
Delhi to Kerala is further than London to Istanbul. We use internal flights for the long hops and cars for everything else, and we build the days so you are not spending your holiday on a road.
Money
The rupee is a closed currency, so change money after you arrive rather than before. Cards work in hotels, restaurants and shops in every city. Carry some cash for temples, markets, tips and anywhere rural. ATMs are everywhere and reliable.
Phone and internet
An Indian SIM needs paperwork and takes a day or two. An eSIM bought before you fly is far simpler and works the moment you land. Hotel wifi is generally good.
Electricity
230 volts, and sockets take the round-pin types C, D and M. A universal adaptor covers it. Most hotels have a few points that take anything.
Temples, food and staying well
What to wear at a temple
Shoulders and knees covered, for men as well as women. Shoes come off outside, and often socks too. Leather belts and bags are not allowed in some temples. A scarf or shawl in your bag solves most of it.
Not every temple admits everyone
A few of the most important Hindu temples admit only Hindus, and some inner sanctums are restricted further. We tell you which ones before you go, so nobody is turned away at the door in front of a queue.
Photography
Ask first, always, both at temples and of people. Many temples ban cameras and phones entirely inside, and some monuments charge separately for a camera.
Food and water
Drink bottled or filtered water and use it to brush your teeth for the first few days. Eat where it is busy, which is the same rule as anywhere. Tell us about any allergy or dietary need at the enquiry stage, not on the day. Vegetarian and Jain food is easy everywhere in India; strict vegan is manageable but worth planning.
Health
No vaccination is compulsory for most arrivals, but speak to your own doctor a couple of months ahead. If your trip includes Ladakh, altitude is a real consideration and we build an acclimatisation day into the route.
Travelling as a woman, and travelling alone
What we actually do about it
The same driver for the whole trip rather than a new one each day, hotels we have used before and know, arrival transfers whatever the hour, and a coordinator who knows where you are each night. It is not a special package, it is how every trip is run.
Dress and attention
Modest dress attracts less attention, particularly away from the cities and beaches. Staring is common and is usually curiosity rather than threat, but it can be wearing. Your guide and driver are there to smooth this.
Say so at the enquiry stage
If you are travelling alone, or with elderly parents, or with small children, tell us in the first email. It changes the hotels we pick, the pace we build and the length of each drive.
One honest caution. Visa and entry rules are set by the Government of India and they change. Everything above was correct when this page was written, but confirm anything that matters against indianvisaonline.gov.in and your nearest Indian mission before you book flights. If you travel with us we check it for you as part of the booking.
Still not sure about something?
Ask us. We answer questions from people who have not booked anything and may never book anything, because that is how somebody decides whether to come to India at all.
We reply to every enquiry, in English, usually within one working day. There is no charge for a plan and no obligation to book it.
R.V. Tours Assistant