With media permeating every corner and aspect of our physical and cultural worlds, it’s difficult to truly experience something “undiscovered”. But the thrill of it is something all experienced travelers seek. The ease of global travel has diluted a lot of the stark differences, authentic culture, and even terrain of once unique travel destinations. Visiting any major city or favored travel destination you can see there is a familiarity to them and the magic it once had is muted.
Undiscovered destinations have more to offer than catered tourist amenities, commerce, and infrastructure to support tourists: they offer an authentic look into another world. That’s really why we travel, right?
Fortunately, there are places left of the planet that are have remained unique windows into other cultures, histories, ecosystems, etc. India is home to some of the most incredible, undiscovered travel destinations.
As local, small tour curators, we know it best. Our focus at Unventured is facilitating travel in a way that is culturally, economically, and environmentally sustainable travel to undiscovered destinations throughout India, Bhutan, and Norway. Here are our best picks for undiscovered travel destinations in India:
Sikkim, India:
This was Unventured’s first curated destination tour. Our founder did a solo trip exploring local places on bike and decided to needed to be shared with the world. The region is difficult to truly understand without some expert knowledge. Sikkim is the region in the Himalayas between Bhutan, Tibet, and Napal. It’s rich in a unique blend of culture, nature, and religious influence that is interesting and mysterious to many travelers. The regions rolling green mountainous hills are filled with ancient monasteries and plantations that hold the true heart of Himalayan culture and way of life. We have worked hard to make local connections within the communities to share with the visitors who are adventurous enough to get up there. Unventured’s Eastern Himalaya biking tour
Goa, India:
Goa is a perfect blend of really unexpected cultures that creates an amazing region rarely explored by outsiders. Goa was a Portuguese province up until 1961 and Portuguese culture is quite present. Goa is a coastal region that brings together tropical weather and forests with stunning white sand beaches unexpected in India. It is rarely a part of the tourist circuits so it’s somewhere where you can really experience local culture authentically as an outsider with the right guides. Unventured’s eight day Goa bike tour gets you right in with local culture and traveling to the most beautiful locations Goa has to offer.
Western Ghats, India:
The Karnataka region borders the Arabian sea on the east of India. Most notable for adventure travelers, the Karnataka region is home to the Western Ghats. The Western Ghats are one of two biodiversity hotspots in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Western Ghats region was once home to some of the most powerful dynasties in ancient times. Naturewise, the Western Ghats are a beautiful green mountain range with a rainy climate characterized by the monsoon season that the region thrives on. Unventured’s Chasing the Monsoon eight-day tour takes you through this region on bike during the monsoon season, staying at local plantations and homestays along the way and exploring ancient sites and monasteries.
Hampi:
Hampi is an UNESCO World Heritage located in Karnataka, India. It’s a complex of monuments that was once the center of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century. It was a center of world trade for the ancient world. It’s truly a world history site, holding secrets of the past for many cultures and civilizations. The ruins of this once metropolis span 4,000 acres. There are over 1,600 monuments built from the granite of the surrounding hills that travelers can explore up close and personal. This site is important to Hinduism as well. There are many shrines to Hindu gods that are very well preserved just as they were thousands of years ago. It’s like walking through the ancient world yourself!
There are few places in the world that are as undiscovered and amazing as India. It’s worth exploring the right way in your lifetime for an unforgettable experience. Check out our next tour.
