October is the one month where almost every kind of Indian destination is at its best simultaneously. The monsoon has cleared but the landscapes it left behind are still green. The Himalayan passes are still open, for now, before the winter closures begin. The heat across most of the country has broken. Rajasthan's peak season is just beginning. The beaches are drying out from the monsoon and the water is clearing. It is, without much competition, the most forgiving month to

Famous Old Manali Cafe Lane Manali is the town most of our Himalayan road trips either start from or end at. Groups heading to Spiti via the Manali entry begin here. Groups finishing Zanskar or the Spiti circuit arrive back here, usually tired, usually craving something that is not dal and rice from a highway dhaba. Either way, Manali's cafe scene, concentrated mostly along the Manalsu River in Old Manali, is where a lot of trips actually begin or end emotionally, even if the