What to see:

Basic orientation:

North - Himalayan mountains and valleys. Kulu and Manali, Kashmir and Darjeeling. Residence of the Dalai Lama and Shimla, famous hot-weather capital. Northern plane -Delhi, Taj Mahal, sacred bathing ghats of Varanasi on the Ganges, Kama Sutra's Khajuraho temple, and the plains of Ladakh

North East - the foothills of the Himalayas and Bangladesh

Centre - the Deccan and Western Ghats, Mumbai, sunny beaches of Goa and the cooler Hill stations such as Ootacamund (Ooty)?

West - the plains of Punjab, Rajput palaces and forts of Rajasthan, great Thar Desert and the strange marshlands of the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat South - lush vegetation, searing heat of Madras, backwater trips, jungle reserves, Hindu temples and laid back beaches

Just a few highlights:

Agra - It would be hard to justify going to India and missing Agra, home of the magnificentTaj Mahal. Built by Mughal Emporor Shah Jahan after the loss of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, it has understandably become a world-famous symbol of love.

Five hours or a short flight from Delhi it's not difficult to reach. A small word of warning though: beware the touts who are incredibly tenacious. We ended up stealing out of a back-entrance of the Taj Mahal at dusk, heavily disguised to avoid a tout who had become aggressive when we refused to buy a marble souvenir!

Khajuraho - One of the most famous temples in all India, built during the Chandela period from 950-1050 AD, it's an awesome collection of temples, heavily sculpted and depicting life over a 1000 years ago. But it's more famous for its' mind-boggling array of erotic poses and the cooked-up connection with the Karma Sutra.

Kulu Valley - 12 hours from Agra in the north of India, it's not the easiest places to reach but even if you can't afford to fly it's still well-worth the trouble Kulu Valley This used to be a quiet place to enjoy nature, spot the honeymooners and watch the hangers on from the hippy era. It's still lovely but a bit busier since Kashmir closed.

Basically it's a valley fringed by the Himalayas, bursting with mountain rivers and forests and dotted with enchanting villages to visit. Kulu or Manali are good places to base yourself. If you get a chance, wander up to Vashist. We did and enjoyed a wonderful hot sulphur bath before emerging into the snow where we sat in a tea stall and sipped hot chai - Lovely!

You can fly into Kulu but will still have to bus a bit. If, like us, you're on a budget, then your only option is often the state-run buses which are dodgy to say the least. Kit yourself out with some shawls to keep you warm and (if you're a woman) prepare not to take a pee for several hours!

Dharamsala - Private audiences with the Dalai Lama are rare but if you ring his office in Mcleod Ganj months in advance you could be lucky. If not, call to find out the date of the next public audience. A friend of ours was lucky enough to meet him and called it the highlight of his trip. He stayed on to teach the Buddhist monks English and ended up playing in their cricket team! There's an airport 15kn away or you can take an 11 hour bus from Manali.

Rajasthan - land of Rajputs This was a magical place for me. On the face of it, Jaipur and Jodphur are just busy, over-crowded, over-polluted cities but they have to be seen. Behind the fumes is a wonderland of medieval alleys, magnificent palaces and some of the most stunning forts in India, such as the Amber Fort - you can even ride up to it on an elephant. Jaipur, the 'pink'city (although most of it is more a grubby salmon-brown) holds the lovely Palace of the Winds, strangely peaceful except for the peacocks. I stood there for hours, picturing the ladies of the Zanena, peering from behind their lattice windows to the courtly proceedings below. Outside is the desert and its fascinating life, villages which you can visit and the camel fares, the most famous being Pushkar. If you have the time and energy, keep going past Jodphur and head onto Jaisalmer. It's a total contrast - most of the town is housed within the walls of the fort - we wandered for hours in the golden streets, stepping back in time. Should camels be your thing, you can take a camel safari into the desert and sleep beneath the stars as we did. Next issue, we'll tell you more about that...

When to go:

Best time to go: November to March (just in time to escape our Winter) If you're going to the Himalayas go April to September unless you plan on walking round in an arctic sleeping bag.

Climate: Now that's a hard one - it depends on where you're going! It can be freezing cold in the north when it's hot enough to bake potatoes in the south. As a rule of thumb, the hot season hits the northern plains in February so we'd say get out of there by April. Just to breathe brings a sweat on.

By May the monsoon is on its' way and believe it or not, for a while it feels worse. At this time, don't touch the south - you'll fry! Luckily about this time the north is warming up nicely. The snow in Ladakh should have melted by June.

The roads will be open and the trekking season starts. If you don't fancy that, the hill stations such as Ooty and Kodaikanal will be pleasant. The wet season is monsoon season. We're not talking British drizzle. We're talking gods emptying buckets of water. At first the monsoon doesn't bring relief. It brings intense humidity.

Later it brings greenery and in some place beautiful waterfalls. But don't forget, India does have rather a lot of open sewers which flood nicely in the rainy season. The Cool season starts around October. It's green and lush but and the temperature's perfect.

It's a good time to be in the Himalayas, up until late January when cold and the lack of central heating can take the edge of your fun unless you plan on a bit of skiing in the Kulu valley. Even in Delhi, nights get a little crisp. It's also a great time to be in the South, up until about February.