INDIA

As the world’s most populous country, India is never short of things to do, thanks to its varied landscapes and cultures. North brings the Indian Himalaya – home to snow-dusted hill stations such as Shimla, built by the British as hot-season refuges. It is also where travellers can follow the classic Golden Triangle route, linking India’s political and cultural hub, Delhi, with the royal city of Jaipur and Agra, home to the iconic Taj Mahal.

Or experience Varanasi, one of India’s holiest Hindu cities, with centuries-old temples and the Ganges, where pilgrims carry out rituals connected to death and moksha (liberation). Heading south, the pace slows: Kerala offers rice barges cruising the backwaters, honey-coloured beaches and Ayurveda-led wellness experiences.

Push at the frontiers, and there are more wonders. Assam with its tea gardens and one-horned rhinos. Madhya Pradesh with forests home to endangered Royal Bengal tigers and other wildlife that inspired Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Then there is the cuisine – one of India’s great cultural exports – best experienced at the country’s sizzling street-food stalls.