Do we drive our own car, or do you provide one?

Either works. Most travellers drive their own car and we plan around it; if you'd rather not, we arrange a serviced, insured vehicle suited to the route — a hatchback for the coast, a 4×4 for the Himalayas.

How many people join each departure?

Small-group departures run to a maximum of six vehicles so dhaba stops stay easy and nobody drives in a dust cloud. Every route is also available as a private trip on your own dates.

What exactly is included?

A scouted route book with offline maps, all stays on a twin-share basis, permits and paperwork, a support line, and on remote routes a lead vehicle with a mechanic. Fuel, tolls, and most meals stay in your hands — that's part of the fun.

What happens if a car breaks down?

On supported routes the crew's mechanic deals with it on the spot and the backup vehicle keeps you moving. On self-drive routes we maintain a list of trusted garages along the way and talk you through it on the phone.

How far ahead should we book?

Six to eight weeks is comfortable for most routes. The Manali–Leh drive needs about three months of lead time — its season is short and acclimatisation nights limit group sizes.

Portrait of an elder traveller met on the road, from the Route On Wheels archive

Hand-crafted driving journeys

Curated road-trip experiences across India

We scout the routes, book the stays, and handle the paperwork. You take the wheel. Four journeys, from the Konkan coast to the passes of Ladakh — each one built to be driven slowly.

Explore the routes Plan my trip

Departures board

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The routes

Four journeys, scouted twice a year

All experiences

Stylised illustration of the Konkan coast: a road winding past palm trees and red laterite cliffs beside a teal sea

Goa

590

NH 66 · 5 days

Konkan Coastal Highway

Five days of sea forts, red cliffs, and Malvani thalis.

A road threading a high Himalayan valley between snow-covered peaks

Leh

479

NH 3 · 7 days

Manali–Leh Himalayan Pass

Seven days above the treeline on India's greatest mountain road.

A motorcyclist on an empty desert highway under a wide sky

Jaipur

1100

NH 62 · 8 days

Rajasthan Desert Circuit

Eight days of forts, stepwells, and dune camps on a Thar desert loop.

A carved stone temple tower rising above the temple walls

Madurai

560

NH 32 · 6 days

South India Heritage Trail

Six days of Chola temples and filter coffee through the Tamil heartland.

Motorcyclists riding a mountain road in convoy

Why we drive

The long way is the whole point

How it works

From first email to first ignition

01
Pick a route
Choose one of the four journeys, or tell us the region you've been daydreaming about and we'll say honestly whether we know it well enough to send you there.
02
We shape it around you
Dates, pace, car, food, and how much company you want. Within a week you get a day-by-day plan, real distances, and a route book we've driven ourselves.
03
Drive it with backup
You're on the road; we're on the phone. Stays confirmed, permits sorted, and on the remote routes a support crew a few minutes behind you.

From the road

What the windscreen frames

Photographs from past Route On Wheels journeys — the faces, food, and roadside moments the itineraries can't plan for.

A woman in traditional tribal jewellery, photographed on a Route On Wheels journey

A monastery stacked on a hillside high above the valley floor

A plate of laddus at a roadside sweet stall

A houseboat moored on a still mountain lake

A hilltop fort overlooking the old town at dusk

Morning market bustle in a town along the route

A heavily loaded autorickshaw on its way to market

Field notes

Small lessons from many kilometres

Walkers on a rocky trail beneath snowbound peaks

Above the treeline

Half our Himalayan itineraries include a day on foot. Roads get you to the high valleys; the last few kilometres to a glacier snout or a pass viewpoint are better earned slowly.

A temple complex glowing in the last light

Temple towns after dark

Aim to arrive by late afternoon. The tour buses leave, the lamps come on, and the evening ceremony is when a monument goes back to being a living place.

A sadhu with rudraksha garlands at a roadside gathering

Festival country

India's calendar is a route-planning tool. A drive timed to a temple procession or a desert fair turns a transit day into the day everyone talks about at dinner.

The journal

Fresh notes from the road

All entries

A Filter Coffee Trail Through the Kaveri Delta

28 August 2026

Frequently asked questions

Do we drive our own car, or do you provide one?: Either works. Most travellers drive their own car and we plan around it; if you'd rather not, we arrange a serviced, insured vehicle suited to the route — a hatchback for the coast, a 4×4 for the Himalayas.
How many people join each departure?: Small-group departures run to a maximum of six vehicles so dhaba stops stay easy and nobody drives in a dust cloud. Every route is also available as a private trip on your own dates.
What exactly is included?: A scouted route book with offline maps, all stays on a twin-share basis, permits and paperwork, a support line, and on remote routes a lead vehicle with a mechanic. Fuel, tolls, and most meals stay in your hands — that's part of the fun.
What happens if a car breaks down?: On supported routes the crew's mechanic deals with it on the spot and the backup vehicle keeps you moving. On self-drive routes we maintain a list of trusted garages along the way and talk you through it on the phone.
How far ahead should we book?: Six to eight weeks is comfortable for most routes. The Manali–Leh drive needs about three months of lead time — its season is short and acclimatisation nights limit group sizes.