2 frequent travellers take us through their favourite destinations in India

On a path less travelled, two creatives, a beauty entrepreneur and a yoga instructor, take in India’s diversity

One of the silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic has been that it’s taught us how to think closer to home for all our lifestyle needs, whether for work or otherwise. Travel too has been redefined by this new normal and has instilled a newfound sense of appreciation for journeying inwards rather than outwards. With things slowly crawling back to normal and state borders having opened up for tourism, here are two destinations in India—a forest trail in Meghalaya and the beaches of the Andaman Islands—as witnessed through the lens of two itinerant creatives.

Meghalaya

Karishma Manga Bedi

Of the 20 women who accompanied beauty entrepreneur Karishma Manga Bedi on a trip to Meghalaya last February, 18 were newcomers to this underrated travel spot. The founder of Gulnare Skincare took her cohort of girlfriends from the Young FICCI Ladies Organisation (YFLO) in Delhi, where she serves as chairperson, to a trip to the forests of Umiam Lake and Cherrapunji. “No one really travelled last year, so the idea was to build a unique experience in an unexplored space. Meghalaya was really that,” she shares.

The matriarchal Khasi tribe—one of the earliest clans to settle in the Indian subcontinent—and its culture were the highlights of their trip. Trekking through the Mawphlang Sacred Groves (which follows the philosophy of 'Take nothing in and bring nothing out’), led by a tribe leader, lunching with the village locals, watching the art of regional black pottery, as well as ballet and poetry in the Khasi dialect, formed the crux of their sojourn. “There was a sweet village boy, barely four, singing to us. It was all sorts of things that you do not land up enjoying in the city,” recalls the 37-year-old of her vacation that blended historical walking trails with exploring multilevel waterfalls and mysterious caves.

HOW TO GET THERE

Take a flight to Guwahati, followed by a two-hour drive to Umiam Lake.

STAY

Jiva Resort in Cherrapunji is a luxurious property with a valley view of Khasi hills and waterfalls.

CARRY 

Windcheater, extra pairs of socks, insect repellent.

BUY

Black Clay Pottery, an indigenous craft form of Sung Valley, at the local studio Dakti Craft.

BEST TIME TO GO

April to June.

PRO-TIP

At the Mawphlang Sacred Groves at Umiam Lake, ask a tribe member to assist you—you cannot walk in as a tourist. Learn about the rituals of the Khasi tribe and the history of the 500-year-old trees in this awe-inspiring forest.

Andaman Islands

Tanvi Mehra Mangalorkar

After months of Zoom classes, yoga instructor Tanvi Mehra Mangalorkar of Tangerine Arts Studio went on a digital detox to the secluded Andaman Islands. The 34-year-old spent Christmas and New Year’s 2020 with her family at Neil Island and Wandoor, a small, scenic village located an hour away from Port Blair.

Though this was Mehra Mangalorkar’s third visit to the Andamans, it’s the raw beauty and biodiversity that keeps drawing her back to the archipelago. What made this trip unique was the boutique home-stay Andaman Sanctuary, in Wandoor. Built by Viraj Hooda, the four-cottage space is the antithesis of confinement with its no-doors-and-windows policy. “Viraj is like a local hero. He’s a Delhi-born and bred guy who chose to settle in the Andamans. His home is so aesthetically done. Everything’s open...it’s like living in a jungle,” she shares. Apart from listening to Hooda’s stories and eating his freshly baked bread, she spent time diving and frolicking amidst fallen Mahua trees, whose barks are used as medicine, fruits as food and flowers as an intoxicant by the indigenous tribes.

HOW TO GET THERE

Take a flight to Port Blair followed by an hour-long ferry to Neil Island.

STAY

Andaman Sanctuary, a boutique homestay and nature lodge enveloped by the forest and located opposite a picturesque beach.

CARRY

A good book, snorkelling gear and a yoga mat.

VISIT

Perfact Cafe, a nondescript cafe in Neil Island serves as a one-stop-shop for all your breakfast needs, including dosas, Malabar parathas and eggs.

Pro-tip

At Neil Island, there’s a Sunrise Beach and a Sunset Beach. Visit them during the times opposite from what their names suggest to avoid the crowd and soak in uninterrupted views of the horizon.

EXPERIENCE

Scuba with DIVEIndia at Neil Island. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot one of the six dugongs (an endangered species that looks like a manatee) that marine biologists have tracked in the region.

BEST TIME TO GO

January to March.

This story originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of Vogue India