Palace rooms, tiger country and Himalayan foothills, planned so it never feels chaotic
India is the destination where a good advisor makes the largest difference: the same itinerary, planned well or planned badly, produces two completely different trips. We plan India for travellers who want extraordinary architecture, serious wildlife, and hotels that are among the best in the world — with the timing, the routing and the rooms decided before you leave, and someone reachable while you are away.
A typical Third Door itinerary here leans on Rajasthan's palace hotels in Udaipur and Jaipur, tiger tracking in Ranthambore or Bandhavgarh with a private naturalist, Kerala backwaters and Malabar coast cooking. We book direct with the properties we know, hold the details that matter — the room with the view, the table that is hard to get, the driver who knows the road — and keep the plan flexible enough to change once you are in it.
November – February
The main season across Rajasthan, the Golden Triangle and the south. Delhi can be foggy in late December.
March – May
Very hot on the plains but the best tiger sightings of the year; the Himalayan foothills are ideal.
June – September
Kerala and the Western Ghats are green and dramatic; Rajasthan is hot and wet.
October
Post-monsoon, green and clear, before the season's prices rise.
Udaipur, Jaipur and Jodhpur — palaces, forts and the country's most photogenic architecture.
Backwaters, tea hills and a distinct cuisine; calmer than the north.
Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Pench — the strongest tiger parks in the country.
Rishikesh, Dharamsala and Sikkim; mountain air and genuine quiet.
Udaipur
A marble palace on the lake, reached only by boat.
Alwar, Rajasthan
A walled oasis in the Aravalli hills, two hours from Jaipur.
Mumbai
The country's most storied hotel, facing the Gateway of India.
Land, unwind, and get your bearings with a private guide who sets the context rather than reading a script. Udaipur, Jaipur and Jodhpur — palaces, forts and the country's most photogenic architecture.
Backwaters, tea hills and a distinct cuisine; calmer than the north. This is where most of the trip's character lives, so we give it the most room.
Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Pench — the strongest tiger parks in the country. A deliberate shift in rhythm before you travel home.
Private transfers, late checkout where we can arrange it, and a single point of contact from the day you land to the day you leave.
Delhi
Tandoori cooking that has not needed to change in fifty years.
Mumbai
Regional Indian ingredients, reworked; the most interesting room in the city.
Bengaluru
Coastal southwestern cooking, done seriously.
November to February, and March to April for wildlife is the window we recommend most often. The main season across Rajasthan, the Golden Triangle and the south. Delhi can be foggy in late December. We will steer you by what you actually want from the trip rather than by peak season alone.
12–16 nights, two or three regions. Shorter is possible and we plan it regularly, but the pace changes: fewer bases, less driving, one region done properly instead of three done quickly.
Broad. The top palace hotels compete globally on price; the value in between is remarkable. Once we understand your dates, party and the standard of stay you have in mind, we come back with a costed proposal rather than a range.
E-visas are available to most nationalities and take a few days. We use private cars and drivers rather than self-drive, and internal flights for anything over five hours. We flag entry requirements early, arrange ground transport and private transfers, and keep the day-to-day logistics off your plate.
Pet travel here needs more lead time and, in some cases, a different destination. We will tell you honestly what is workable and what is not, and suggest alternatives if the regulations make it unfair on the animal.
Tell us your dates, party and the feeling you want. We will come back with a first proposal built around this destination.