The Journal
Travel guides and notes on travelling better in India, from people who go every weekend. Permits, cities, safety, money, and the friends you make on the way.
16 stories · page 1 of 2
FeaturedTravel Guide · October 26, 2026 · 13 min readBandaje Falls Trek 2026: Route, Rules, Cost from Bangalore
The Bandaje Falls trek from Bangalore in 2026: the Rani Jhari route, the 12 km day, how the Aranya Vihaara permit and guide rules work now, a 2-day plan, and what it costs per head hosted or with your own car.
Read the guide →Travel Guide · 11 min readValparai Trip from Bangalore 2026: Bus Plan, Cost per HeadHow to do a Valparai trip from Bangalore in one weekend by overnight bus: the Friday-to-Monday timetable, the 2025 e-pass and checkpost rules, what four friends pay per head, and when a hosted trip is the better deal.
Travel Guide · 11 min readKheerganga Trek in Winter 2026: Day-Trek Rule, Snow and GearCan you do the Kheerganga trek in November or December 2026? What snow to expect, how the 10 am and 2 pm day-trek rule works with winter daylight, when to start, where to sleep and what to carry.
Travel Guide · 11 min readKasol Group Trip 2026: Join One or Plan It with FriendsTwo ways to do a Kasol group trip from Delhi: join a hosted departure or plan it with friends. Costs per head, the bus route, a 3-day plan, the Kheerganga day-trek rule and a fair way to split every rupee.
Travel Guide · 10 min readKarnataka Trek Online Booking 2026: Permits and RulesHow to book a Karnataka forest trek on Aranya Vihaara in 2026, which treks the portal lists right now, the guide and ID rules, the July 2026 refund policy, and how a group of friends should book.City Guide · 13 min readTravel Buddies in Pune 2026: Find a Sahyadri Trek CrewWhere people in Pune actually find trek partners, how to check a group before a 4 am pickup, which fort to climb first, the 2026 rules at Sinhagad and Lonavala, and how to split a trek weekend.
City Guide · 12 min readTravel Buddies in Hyderabad 2026: Clubs, Weekends, SafetyWhere people in Hyderabad actually find travel buddies in 2026, how to check a trek club before you pay, which weekends from Bhongir to Gandikota suit a new group, and what the fuel split looks like per head.
City Guide · 16 min readTravel Buddies in Mumbai: Treks, Trains and Goa (2026)Where Mumbaikars actually find people to travel with, which first trips suit a new group (Karjat and Kasara by local, the Konkan coast, Goa by overnight train), how to vet a trek group, the 2026 monsoon lessons and how to split costs.
City Guide · 14 min readTravel Buddies in Delhi: Find a Crew for the Hills in 2026Where people in Delhi find travel buddies, which overnight-bus trips to Kasol, Jibhi, Shangarh and Bir suit a group of strangers, the boarding-night routine, the trek rules to check and how to vet someone first.
City Guide · 13 min readTravel Buddies in Bangalore: Find Your Weekend Crew (2026)Where people in Bangalore actually find travel buddies, how to test a new group on a sunrise trek first, which weekend trips suit a fresh crew, what the 2026 trek permit rules mean for groups, and what a weekend costs per head.
Follow the Journal by RSS. Every guide is also available as Markdown: add .md to its address.