Educational Tour Ideas for School Students in India, by Subject

History

• Agra and Fatehpur Sikri — Mughal architecture, Akbar's capital and the Taj Mahal.
• Gwalior and Orchha — Rajput and Bundela forts, palaces and chhatris; easy to combine. See Gwalior trips.
• Khajuraho — temple architecture and sculpture (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
• Varanasi and Sarnath — one of the world's oldest living cities, and where the Buddha gave his first sermon.
• Patna, Nalanda and Rajgir — the ancient university and early Indian history.
• Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh and Udaipur — Mewar's forts and stories.

Geography and geology

• Bhedaghat, Jabalpur — the Narmada cutting through marble cliffs, and Dhuandhar falls. See Bhedaghat trips.
• Great Rann of Kutch — a seasonal salt desert, best in winter.
• Jaisalmer and the Thar — sand dunes, desert life and water conservation. See Jaisalmer.
• The Himalayan foothills — Dehradun, Mussoorie and Rishikesh for rivers, valleys and mountain weather.

Science and space

• Science cities and centres — e.g. Gujarat Science City (Ahmedabad), Science City (Kolkata) and Pushpa Gujral Science City (Kapurthala) have hands-on galleries suited to school groups.
• Jantar Mantar, Jaipur — astronomical instruments from the 18th century (a UNESCO site).
• Planetariums in many large cities — easy half-day additions to a city trip.

Environment and wildlife

• Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur — a famous bird sanctuary, best in winter.
• Sultanpur and Okhla bird sanctuaries — easy day trips from Delhi NCR.
• Jim Corbett, Kanha, Pench and Ranthambore — tiger reserves with jungle safaris (older students; check the park's rules for children).
• Rishikesh and the Ganga — river ecology, with rafting for older students.

Culture, crafts and local life

• Jaipur — block printing in Sanganer and Bagru, and the old city's bazaars.
• Varanasi — the ghats, music and weaving.
• Shantiniketan — Tagore's university town and its art.
• Pushkar — the lake, ghats and (in season) the camel fair.

How to pick