Solo Travel Favourites

These are the places we would send someone travelling alone in India for the first time: towns with hostels and cafés where meeting other travellers is easy, transport that does not require a private car, and a visible presence of other solo visitors. Rishikesh and McLeod Ganj are the gentlest starting points, Hampi and Leh reward slower stays, and Varanasi is the most intense of the group. Standard precautions apply everywhere — arrive in daylight and keep someone informed of your plans.