South Asia

What connects India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives?

Geographically, South Asia breaks down into three very different areas: the vast Indian mainland with deserts, jungles and coastlines; the mountain states of Nepal and Bhutan in the Himalayas; and the tropical island worlds of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. This three-way split massively shapes travel pace: India can be covered by train, domestic flight and car at almost any speed, Nepal and Bhutan demand considerably more time per kilometre because of mountain roads, and the Maldives are concentrated on a single resort or a handful of islands.

Economically and touristically the five destinations are far apart: India offers by far the broadest infrastructure and the largest range of options, the Maldives specialize in luxury resort tourism, and Bhutan deliberately regulates entry strictly to avoid mass tourism. Nepal and Sri Lanka sit in between in price terms — Nepal strongly geared to trekking, Sri Lanka to round trips between the Cultural Triangle, hill country and coast.

Religiously, Hinduism dominates India and Nepal, while Sri Lanka and Bhutan are mostly Buddhist — in different traditions: Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism in Bhutan. With a population that is almost entirely Muslim, the Maldives form the region's religious special case.

How do the five countries of South Asia differ at a glance?

For entry, Bhutan is the clear special case: independent travel without an operator is not possible, and on top of the one-off visa fee of USD 40 comes a Sustainable Development Fee of USD 100 per night. The other four countries can be visited for holidays without a classic embassy visa — India via an e-visa applied for online in advance, Nepal and the Maldives directly on arrival, Sri Lanka via a free electronic travel authorization.

Sources: Bureau of Immigration, India · Nepal Tourism Board · Department of Immigration and Emigration, Sri Lanka · Department of Tourism, Bhutan · Maldives Immigration

When is the best time to visit South Asia?

In northern India (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur), October to March, with mild daytime temperatures, is the best time to visit, while May and June before the monsoon become barely bearable with over 40 °C. Southern India and Mumbai, by contrast, are most pleasant from December to February, with noticeably higher humidity than the drier north.

Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai and Kochi through the year

Average daily highs and lows, and monthly rainfall. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station SAFDARJUNG (3 km, 215 m). Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station JAIPUR (10 km, 385 m). Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ INTL (2 km, 11 m). Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station COCHIN (2 km, 2 m). Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020.

Nepal has two clear travel windows, October/November and March/April, with clear views of the eight-thousanders, while June to September brings monsoon rain and mountain fog. Bhutan follows a similar pattern, with March to May and September to November as the best time, coinciding with the great Tshechu monastery festivals.

Kathmandu, Thimphu, Colombo and Malé through the year

Average daily highs and lows, and monthly rainfall. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station TRIBHUVAN INTL (4 km, 1338 m), auf 1400 m umgerechnet. Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station PARO (22 km, 2235 m), auf 2320 m umgerechnet. Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station COLOMBO (3 km, 7 m). Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station MALE INTL / VELANA INTL (3 km, 2 m). Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020.

Sri Lanka, thanks to two opposing monsoon systems, is partly visitable year-round: December to March suits the west coast, the south, the Cultural Triangle and hill country, April to September the east coast around Trincomalee and Arugam Bay. The Maldives have the drier northeast monsoon season from December to April with more hours of sunshine, while May to November, with the southwest monsoon, brings more frequent short, heavy showers.

Sources: Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Switzerland · Nepal Tourism Board

What distinguishes each of the five countries of South Asia?

India: subcontinent with 45 World Heritage sites

India links, on a classic trip, the Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra with the Taj Mahal, and Jaipur with Kerala's backwaters in the south or the beaches of Goa. Depending on category, the e-visa is valid from 30 days to five years and can be applied for entirely online; the passport must be valid for at least six months on entry.

Nepal: trekking at the foot of the eight-thousanders

Nepal is strongly geared toward trekking tourism, with Kathmandu and Pokhara as starting points for routes into the Annapurna and Everest regions; Kathmandu sits at around 1,400 m, Mount Everest reaches 8,848.86 m. The visa on arrival costs, depending on duration, between USD 30 and 125 for 15 to 90 days; there are no direct flights to Europe, and Kathmandu is usually reached via Doha, Istanbul or Delhi.

Sri Lanka: Cultural Triangle, tea plantations and coast

Sri Lanka can be combined over short distances between the Buddhist Cultural Triangle around Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, the hill country around Kandy and Ella, and the beaches of the south and west coasts. Since 25 May 2026, the ETA has been free of charge for nationals of 40 countries, including Switzerland, Germany and Austria, and covers 30 days with double entry.

Bhutan: strictly regulated, strong conservation

Bhutan does not allow independent tourism: every trip runs through a licensed operator or the official booking portal, plus the Sustainable Development Fee of USD 100 per night, with which the country deliberately favours quality over mass tourism. The only international airport is Paro, one of the world's most scenically spectacular and technically demanding airports.

Maldives: coral atolls as a resort world

The Maldives consist of around 1,200 coral islands, of which about 200 are inhabited and around 170 developed as single-island resorts; practically all international access runs through Velana Airport near Malé. The tourist visa on arrival is free for all nationalities and valid for 30 days, but requires a Traveller Declaration submitted in advance via the IMUGA portal.

Sources: Bureau of Immigration, India · UNESCO World Heritage Centre · Nepal Tourism Board · Department of Immigration and Emigration, Sri Lanka · Department of Tourism, Bhutan · Maldives Immigration

Which routes link several countries of South Asia?

India–Nepal: the classic Himalayan combination

Delhi and Kathmandu are linked by direct flight in around ninety minutes; a typical route extends the Golden Triangle of Delhi–Agra–Jaipur with Kathmandu and Pokhara or a short trek in the Annapurna foothills. India and Nepal also share an open land border, though travellers rarely use it for holiday routes because of the long drive times.

Bhutan: access via Kathmandu or India

Paro is served nonstop from, among others, Kathmandu, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangkok; the Nepal–Bhutan combination, with the flight over the Himalayas offering views of Everest, is considered one of the most spectacular short-haul routes in Asia. The only land route for international visitors runs via Phuentsholing in southern Bhutan from India.

Sri Lanka–Maldives: an island combination

Colombo and Malé are connected by direct flight in around an hour, which is why many travellers extend a cultural trip through Sri Lanka with a beach stay in the Maldives. The historic route across the Palk Strait between Rameswaram in India and Talaimannar in Sri Lanka plays no role for travellers; in practice, India and Sri Lanka are connected by air.

Within India: Golden Triangle plus the south

Travellers with more time extend the Golden Triangle with a domestic flight to Kerala or Goa in the south; the Delhi–Agra journey takes around 100 minutes on the Gatimaan Express high-speed train, and connecting flights from Delhi to Kochi or Kerala take around three hours.

Sources: Wikipedia · Daily FT

How do you fly to South Asia and between the five countries?

From Europe there are nonstop connections mainly to Delhi, Mumbai, Colombo and Malé; Kathmandu and Paro are reached practically always with a connection, often via Delhi, the Gulf or Bangkok. Within the region, short-haul flights handle a large share of connections, since overland routes through the mountains of Nepal and Bhutan are time-consuming.

Sources: Wikipedia

What applies for entry and health in South Asia?

Health-wise, dengue fever is the main concern in India, Sri Lanka and the lower-lying parts of Nepal, along with a low malaria risk in rural areas of India; in the Maldives the risk is low because of the resort system, but dengue occurs there too. In Nepal and Bhutan, the risk of altitude sickness adds in from around 2,500 to 3,000 m, which is why slow acclimatization is important on trekking tours.

Sources: Bureau of Immigration, India · Nepal Tourism Board · Department of Immigration and Emigration, Sri Lanka · Department of Tourism, Bhutan · Maldives Immigration

What does a trip through South Asia cost?

In Bhutan, the ngultrum's peg to the Indian rupee stays close: Indian banknotes up to 100 rupees are accepted directly in many places, but larger Indian notes are not accepted everywhere. In the Maldives, payments for accommodation, boat transfers and excursions run almost exclusively in US dollars, while the local rufiyaa barely appears in resort guests' daily life.

Sources: India Someday

Which religions and cultures shape South Asia?

India is the region's most religiously diverse country: around four in five Indians are Hindu, alongside large Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain communities in the country; the Taj Mahal in Agra, the best-known building, itself dates from the Islamic-influenced Mughal era. Nepal is similarly Hindu-shaped, with a strong Buddhist minority especially visible in the Kathmandu Valley and the higher mountain regions.

Sri Lanka is majority Theravada Buddhist, with a Hindu Tamil minority in the north and east, and Christian and Muslim communities along the coast; the Cultural Triangle around Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa ranks among the oldest Buddhist sites in Asia. Bhutan practises Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism as the state religion, visible in the fortress-like monastery complexes (dzongs), which serve in every province as both administrative seat and religious centre.

The Maldives are almost entirely Muslim, with Islam as the state religion and correspondingly strict rules outside the self-contained resort islands; alcohol is generally prohibited on the inhabited local islands and remains reserved for the resorts. Linguistically, English is widely used in tourism across all five countries, while Hindi, Nepali, Sinhala/Tamil, Dzongkha and Dhivehi remain the respective national languages.

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre · UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Worth combining

• India
• Nepal
• Sri Lanka
• Bhutan
• Maldives