Watch the sun come up over the Taj Mahal in Agra, walk the ramparts of Amber Fort and browse the block-print bazaars of Jaipur, and take a private boat out on Lake Pichola in Udaipur at sunset. Old Delhi’s spice lanes and Mughal monuments deserve a full day with a good guide, and a cooking class in a Jaipur home is one of the best ways to understand the cuisine. Beyond the cities, jeep safaris in central India’s tiger reserves and a boat ride through the backwaters of Kerala show two very different sides of the country.

October through March is the most comfortable window for most of the country, with daytime highs in Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur in the 60s and 70s°F, though December and January mornings can be foggy and cold. Tiger reserves in central India are open from roughly mid-October through June, and sightings tend to improve from March through May as animals gather at waterholes, even though afternoon temperatures can pass 100°F. Kerala is at its best from November through February, before the monsoon arrives in June.

It can be, especially in Delhi and Mumbai, where crowds, traffic, and noise come with the territory. Private guides and drivers take most of that pressure off, since you are met on arrival in each city and nothing in the day depends on negotiating a taxi or finding an entrance on your own. Pacing helps too. A night or two in a garden haveli or safari lodge after Delhi lets the trip settle before the next city.

Stick to bottled or filtered water and let your guide choose the market stalls and local restaurants worth stopping at, so sampling local cuisine becomes a trusted, planned part of the day rather than a gamble.  In general, stick to cooked foods, avoid salads and unpeeled fruits, avoid ice, and trust your expert local guide to advise you. As for spice, a dish described as medium in India can taste very hot to a North American palate, so ask for it mild at first.

Cover your shoulders and knees at temples and mosques and remove your shoes at the door, so slip-on shoes and socks are worth packing. Ask before photographing people, particularly in villages and at religious sites.

Nepal and Bhutan can be paired with India, as both are a direct flight from Delhi. Travelers pair Rajasthan or the Golden Triangle with a Kathmandu stay and Himalayan trekking, or follow India with the monasteries and high valleys of Bhutan. However, because India is so enormous and packs so much variety, it’s worth exploring as much as your time allows.