India Road Trip Planning: Routes, Permits, and What to Expect
India rewards road-tripping more than almost any other country — but the mechanics are different from the West. This guide walks through the best routes, whether to self-drive or hire a driver, permit needs, and realistic daily distances given road conditions.
Self-drive vs. hired driver
For first-time visitors, hiring a driver is almost always the better call. The cost difference is small (₹2,500–4,000/day for a car+driver vs. ₹1,500–2,500/day for a rental), but the stress difference is enormous. Indian roads have informal rules, aggressive overtaking, and cows. Let someone who understands the system drive.
Top road-trip routes
Four classics, ranked by popularity and scenery:
- ●Leh-Ladakh circuit: Manali to Leh via Sarchu, then Leh to Srinagar via Kargil. 7–10 days. Permit required for inner-line areas; best June–September.
- ●Rajasthan loop: Jaipur → Jodhpur → Udaipur → Jaisalmer → Pushkar → back to Jaipur. 10–14 days. Desert scenery, palaces, camel safaris.
- ●Konkan coast: Mumbai → Goa via coastal highway (NH-66). 4–5 days. Beaches, cashew feni, Portuguese heritage.
- ●Spiti Valley: Shimla → Kinnaur → Spiti → Manali. 10–12 days. High-altitude Himalayan desert, monasteries. June–October only.
Permits and paperwork
Some regions require Inner Line Permits (ILPs) or Protected Area Permits (PAPs). Required for:
- ●Ladakh inner lines (Nubra, Pangong, Tso Moriri) — online application
- ●Spiti Valley restricted areas — ILP for foreigners at Reckong Peo
- ●Arunachal Pradesh — PAP required for all foreigners
- ●Andaman Islands — stamped on arrival
Realistic daily distances
Indian roads mean slow averages. Plan:
- ●Highways (NH with 4-lane): 60–80 km/h average
- ●State highways (2-lane): 40–50 km/h average
- ●Hill roads (Himalayas, Western Ghats): 25–35 km/h average
- ●200km in hills = 6–8 hours with stops. Don't plan more than 300km/day in the mountains.
What to book ahead
For popular routes in peak season (Rajasthan in winter, Ladakh in summer), book hotels 4–8 weeks ahead. Fuel is available everywhere on major routes but thin on remote stretches — top up at every opportunity in Ladakh/Spiti.
Stops worth designing around
Off-the-beaten-path stops that alone justify a detour:
- ●Bundi (Rajasthan) — step-wells and a fort without crowds
- ●Gokarna (Karnataka) — quieter beach alternative to Goa
- ●Hampi (Karnataka) — ruined Vijayanagara empire, best at sunrise
- ●Tawang (Arunachal) — monastery town at 10,000ft, PAP required
AIEzzy handles the car + hotel logistics
Tell AIEzzy your start and end cities, trip length, and preferred route style. We find the right car+driver services, hotels at each overnight stop, and activities along the way — with total transparency on distances and drive times.