Four to seven nights. Two or three on a Kumaon ridge with walks rather than sightseeing, two in the Corbett forest for the elephants and the birds rather than a tiger guarantee, and one at Rishikesh or Haridwar if the river matters to you.

The accommodation is the appeal: old estate bungalows and a few small lodges run by people who live there, with walking guides who know the paths. There is no palace-hotel equivalent here and no reason to want one.

Best in March to June, when the rhododendron is out and the peaks are clear, and again from late September to November after the monsoon washes the air. Corbett closes for the rains.