You need to pack your bags and catch a flight to New Delhi pronto.

1. Because standing atop a Himalayan peak will be the most sublime experience you’ll ever have

2. And because the Himalayas also house some absolutely stunning hill stations and hamlets.

Auli

Kullu-Manali

Leh

3. Because where else can you find an entire valley covered in flowers?

The Valley of Flowers, Uttarakhand

4. Because you get to ride a motorcycle on the world’s highest motorable road

5. And tread along the shores of a lake 16,300 feet above sea level

The Suraj Tal lake in Himachal Pradesh

6. Because you can sleep in a houseboat on the world’s most beautiful lake

The Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir

The Dal Lake, Kashmir

7. Because the beautiful chaos of Delhi’s Chandni Chowk is truly mesmerizing

8. And the mix of the old and the new makes for some incredible sights

9. Because the Mughals left behind tons of astonishingly pretty buildings

The Imambara Mosque, Lucknow

Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra

Humayun’s Tumb, New Delhi

10. And so did the British…

The Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi

Gateway of India, Mumbai

Victoria Memorial, Kolkata

11. And the Indians before them…

The Hampi Temple Complex

Lingaraja Temple

Brihadeshwara Temple

12. Because Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world

It’s a chaotic mess, but a beautiful one at that.

13. Because no one does curries as good as the Indians

14. Because there is no sight more beautiful than India in the monsoons

Munnar, Kerala

15. Because “Color Runs” have nothing on Holi

16. Because India is heaven for vegetarians

17. Because you can still eat a meal for two for less than $5

18. And stay in a hotel for $10/day

19. Because there’s no better way to de-stress than laze around on a houseboat in Kerala’s beautiful backwaters

20. Or get a Ayurvedic massage in Kerala’s villages

21. Because Mumbai is a tiny stretch of land that somehow finds space for 14 million people

Which is totally awesome and exhilarating, by the way.

22. Because you get to ride these fun little tuk-tuks everywhere

23. Because nothing beats the experience of seeing a tiger in the wild…

…especially when you’re riding an elephant

24. Because where else will you find cows sharing space with cars?

25. Or elephants on the highway?

26. Because you’ll never truly understand the meaning of “extravagance” until you’ve attended an Indian wedding.

27. Or figure out what true fanboyism is about until you’ve watched a Bollywood Salman Khan movie in an Indian theater

28. Because where else can you find an entire temple complex devoted to the erotic arts?

The Khajuraho Temple Complex, Madhya Pradesh

29. Or a mausoleum devoted to love?

30. Because the South Indian dosa is the most ridiculously delicious thing you can have for breakfast

31. Because India has some mind-boggingly awesome forts

Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Gwalior Fort, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh

Chittorgarh Fort, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan

32. And some delightfully colorful temples

Meenakshi Temple, Madurai, Chennai

33. Because Indian sweets are tastier than any frosted cronut chocolate cupcake pudding you can concoct

Jalebi

Gulab Jamun

Gajar ka Halwa (Carrot pudding)

On that note, let’s make cronut chocolate cupcake pudding a real thing

34. Because one of the great joys in life is drinking sweet, milky tea at a roadside stall for $0.10/cup

35. Because traveling through the country becomes a surreal experience around Diwali each year

Lights, lights everywhere.

36. Because you get to discover the hidden little gem that is India’s North-East

Nohkalikai Falls, Meghalaya

37. Because India’s state of Rajasthan is like moustache porn for men

LosStateMinor.com

38. Because you don’t know what “spicy” really is until you’ve dug into a bowl of Andhra mutton curry

What reasons do you have for heading out to India this year?