Kerala Backwaters & Hills

Slow, green and about as restful as India gets.

You spend a full night on a private houseboat drifting through the Alleppey backwaters — meals cooked on board, no schedule to keep — then head up to Munnar for tea estates, a plantation walk and genuinely cold mornings.

Included: houseboat with all meals, hotels with breakfast, and a private car with driver throughout. Not included: flights, lunches and dinners on the land portion, and entry to the tea museum.

September to March is ideal. The monsoon months are beautiful and much cheaper, but expect rain most days.