The new year means a lot of different things to different people. For a lot of us, it’s about redeeming those days of guilt that we lived by skipping the gym for weeks altogether, and promising to give up drinking and taking up healthier lifestyles for as long as we can manage. For an avid traveller, it’s a year full of holidays and long weekends that are golden tickets to visiting places they haven’t been before.
The year 2018, in particular, has been plenty generous with its vacation opportunities, and has a whopping total of 15 long weekends that are waiting for you to grab on to the opportunity and book your tickets immediately! Knowing fully well how difficult a task it can be to plan these weekends well in advance, we bring you a comprehensive guide on where to travel for each of the long weekends of 2018!
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1. Basant Panchami
Dates: Jan 20 to Jan 22
Where to go: Darjeeling, West Bengal
Must visit: The Darjeeling Himalayan toy train ride, the Japanese Peace Pagoda, the gorgeous sunrise at Tiger Hills, Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park.
Where to stay: Golden Orchid – The Lodge for Rs 700 per night
2. Republic Day
Dates: Jan 26 to Jan 28
Where to go: Diu
Must visit: Naida Caves, Nagoa Beach, Diu Fort, St, Paul Church, Sunset Point, Gangeshwar Temple, Ghogla Beach
Where to stay: Hotel Cidade De Diu for Rs 1,959 per night
3. Mahashivratri
Dates: Feb 10 to Feb 13
Where to go: Thekkady, Kerala
Must visit: Periyar National Park, Thekkady Lake, Periyar Tiger Trail, Mangaladevi Temple, Chellarkovil, Border Hiking and Nature Walk by the Thekkady Forest Department
Where to stay: Coffee Inn for Rs 1,670 per night
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4. Holi
Dates: Mar 1 to Mar 4
Where to go: Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra
Must visit: Chinaman’s Falls, Arthur’s Seat, Elephant’s Point, Panchgani, Venna Lake, Wilson Point, Mahabaleshwar Temple, Pratapgad Fort
Where to stay: The Mountain Pearl Resort for Rs 1,800 per night
5. Mahavir Jayanti/Good Friday/Easter
Dates: Mar 29 to Apr 1
Where to go: Srinagar, Kashmir
Must visit: Mughal Gardens, Dal Lake, Char Chinar, Shalimar Bagh, Wular Lake, Shankaracharya Temple, Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden
Where to stay: Goona Palace Group of Houseboats for Rs 1,700 per night
6. Buddha Purnima
Dates: Apr 28 to May 1
Where to go: Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
Must visit: Rashtrapati Niwas, The Army Heritage Museum, Christ Church, Kalka-Shimla Railway, Kufri Fun World
Where to stay: Hotel Golf Links for Rs 2,250 per night
7. Eid-Ul-Fitr
Dates: Jun 15 to Jun 17
Where to go: Gangtok, Sikkim
Must visit: Rumtek Monastery, Nathu La Pass, Tsomgo Lake, Ban Jhakri Falls, Namgyal Institute of Tibetology
Where to stay: Hotel ChuLyan for Rs 1,500 per night
8. Independence Day/Parsi New Year
Dates: Aug 15 to Aug 19
Where to go: Lonavala, Maharashtra
Must visit: Lohagad Fort, Bushi Dam, Tiger’s Leap, Lonavala Lake, Rajmachi Fort, Aamby Valley, Amrutanjan Point
Where to stay: Hotel Omkar Residency for Rs 1,600 per night
9. Eid-Ul-Adha/Onam/Raksha Bandhan
Dates: Aug 22 to Aug 26
Where to go: Coorg, Karnataka
Must visit: Tea and coffee plantations, Bhagamandala Temple, Thadiyandamol, Nagarhole National Park
Where to stay: GuestHouser Homestay for Rs 2,576 per night
10. Janmashtami
Dates: Sep 1 to Sep 3
Where to go: Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh
Must visit: Talley Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Tarin Fish Farm, Kile Pakho, Meghna Cave Temple, Pine Grove,
Where to stay: Siiro Resort for Rs 1,344 per night
11. Ganesh Chaturthi
Dates: Sep 13 to Sep 16
Where to go: Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu
Must visit: Green Valley View, Kodai Lake, Bear Shola Falls, Pillar Rocks, Coakers Walk, Devil’s Kitchen, Thalaiyar Falls.
Where to stay: Kurinji House for Rs 1,450 per night
12. Gandhi Jayanti
Dates: Sep 29 to Oct 2
Where to go: Jaipur, Rajasthan
Must visit: Sisodiya Rani Bagh, Ram Niwas Garden, City Palace, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, Amer Fort, Man Sagar Lake
Where to stay: Pandya Niwas for Rs 1,200 per night
13. Ram Navami/Dussehra
Dates: Oct 18 to Oct 21
Where to go: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Must visit: Dasaswamedh Ghat, Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Ramnagar Museum, Kedar Ghat, Archaeological Museum, Statue of Standing Buddha
Where to stay: Kanha Paying Guest House for Rs 800 per night
14. Dhanteras/Diwali/Govardhan Puja/Bhai Dooj
Dates: Nov 3 to Nov 11
Where to go: Pondicherry
Must visit: Pondicherry Rock Beach, Botanical Gardens, Sita Cultural Centre Cycle Tour, Pondicherry Promenade, Chunnambar Boat House, Auroville Ashram, Basilica Of The Sacred Heart Of Jesus, Baker Street Cafe, Rendezvous, Paradise Beach
Where to stay: The French Villa for Rs 2,500 per night
15. Christmas
Dates: Dec 22 to Dec 25
Where to go: Kutch, Gujarat
Must visit: Rann of Kutch, Mandvi Beach, Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, Aaina Mahal, Dholavira, Kandla Port, Kutch Museum
Where to stay: Infinity Rann of Kutch; rates available on request
Here’s wishing you and your wanderlust an incredibly adventurous new year!
Images: Shutterstock
