Regions or cities in India safe for female tourists?

This is not from the perspective of a solo female traveler - but from the perspective of a couple traveling to India a few years ago. We are independent travelers. We have never taken a tour prior or since to going to India. When planning our trip to India, we were highly encouraged by our Indian friends not to do this on our own. We ended up hiring a company for the 2 of us that arranged a guide and driver.

India is unlike any other place we have traveled. The sheer volume of people in the cities can be overwhelming. As anglo-Americans, we were at times nearly mobbed by touts and others if we ventured from our guide. There is a lot of sectarian division in India. We passed through a few unfriendly neighborhoods and villages that made us feel uncomfortable. We were grateful to have a guide. Arranging travel from point to point can be challenging and time consuming from what we witnessed. I truly don't think we would have walked away from India with a positive opinion had we tried to do it on our own. We felt we had to overlook much to see the bigger picture.

We have traveled pretty extensively. I describe India as an experience - not a vacation. We loved India and hated India all in the same day....... repeatedly. Would we go back? Absolutely, yes.....with a guide. The hospitality, history, and culture are amazing. Not to mention the food and general experiences. We went the homestay and small hotel route in our travels. The homestays were definitely a highlight. The price was very reasonable considering the level of service. On a humorous note, we were repeatedly asked to stop and have our picture with locals and Indian tourists. We didn't exactly look glamorous compared to the Indian women in their beautiful saris.

Can solo travel be done? I suppose so with a lot of time, patience, and caution.

When planning our trip to India, we were highly encouraged by our Indian friends not to do this on our own.

I had that same reaction from my Indian friends. One was especially explicit and said that India is too big and too complex for anyone to be able to enjoy it on their own; at least on a first trip. He highly encouraged me to find a tour that would visit the areas I was interested in.

Thank you so much, Nurses. This is very helpful information. Do you mind sharing the company's name that arranged the guide and accommodations? I think I might end up going with an organized tour after all, but your experience sounds nice, too.

Little Meatball.....sent you a PM.

My adult sons went to India when they were in college, on a trip planned by a classmate of the older one. The trip included 4 other people and a multi-day guided trek in Ladakh. Their classmate broke his arm 2 days before the trip so did not go. The others went and completed the Ladakh trek (which they loved) and then all but my sons came home. They made their way around Kerala and to Goa, and then returned home. They enjoyed their experiences in Kerala and the beach in Goa ( tandoori lobster was a highlight), but they had to hire someone, usually a teenage boy, to accompany them wherever they went, to fend off the supplicants and beggars.

Their advice to me was “Mom, you wouldn’t like it. If you want to see India, take a tour”.

I have a dear friend who spends time in Kerala at a gurukula each winter; she has been doing this for 50 years and is part of the community there, so she knows how to travel in India. She says the same thing—-if I want to see India, either take a tour, or go with her. At this point in my life, with my dietary issues and my interest in mountains and hiking, I don’t think I will make it.

But I have looked a tours, and found one with HF Holidays (a British cooperative, not a standard commercial tour company) that looks interesting, so I will post the brochure for you. It is an active tour, with lots of walking combined with cultural experiences and sightseeing; all, coincidentally, in Kerala. Note that the stated price includes flights from the UK, but you can have that cost removed and book your own flight if you prefer.

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/holidays-and-tours/kerala?format=pdf&vid=3896

Of course all the usual tour companies, Odysseys Unlimited, O.A.T., and others will offer tours of India as well, and they might be more comprehensive in terms of geography. Although the Odysseys Unlimited “Mystical India” tour includes only the north, and even then there are long travel days in the coach, and a flight to Varanasi. It is a huge country.

Here is a forum thread discussing this particular tour:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/odysseys-unlimited-winter-tour-called-mystical-india

Thank you, Lola. This is very very informative.

You have some great answers already, but I will provide my own take.

We have traveled extensively (83 foreign countries), including all the continents except Antartica.
As a general rule when we visit third world countries (India is one), we take tours. Personal safety and security is far better with a private tour than when on your own. Also, some cities have huge areas that are very dangerous to visit, especially at night.

We did a cruise from Singapore to Dubai in 2015 that stopped in four ports in SW India (Cochin, New Mangalore, Goa and Mumbai).
We took private tours from local companies in each port. We were warned by our guides not to wander into areas that we were unfamiliar with. Also, we were warned about pickpockets and not just eating in any restaurants or street food.

For example, we had seen the movie Slumdog Millionaire that was set in Mumbai. So we were familiar with some issues in that city. Over half the people in the city live in terrible slums that have poor sanitation, etc. We passed close by some of those areas, but not into those areas on our tour. In India as in many third world countries, hawkers will drive you crazy trying to sell you stuff that you don't want. They can become very aggressive. On a private tour, the tour guide takes care of this issue. On our tours there were a couple of security guard that aided that guide in that respect. India was a fascinating country, but it is very, very crowded and doing it on your own is just not wise.

I went solo on a Gate 1 Discovery tour of southern India and it was a terrific tour. We had an especially good guide, a reasonably sized group (21), nice hotels, good meals. We were able to visit some off-the-beaten track places as well. There was some unguided time built into the tour and I was comfortable doing some wandering on my own, but I wouldn’t have wanted to do the entire trip independently.

India can certainly be overwhelming, depending on the traveler’s experience in third world countries. But it is a fascinating, amazing, colorful place and I loved my time there! As a matter of fact, I will be returning for another tour (this one with Road Scholar) that will take me to the north and parts of the south that were not included in my first trip.

@geovagriffith

1. Stopping at 4 ports on a cruise is not even remotely in same ballpark as touring India.

2. "Having seen slumdog millionaire, we had idea about issues" - that comment made our day :))

2 cents for everyone: (for whatever they are worth)

A. Honestly, going to India without doing in depth study of cultural aspects (not religious, cultural) and understanding it is so helpful. IMHO, it is waste of time and money to go to India. Done properly, it is the best traveling experience you are going to have (history, architecture, religions, diversity, vivid colors, overwhelming sensory experience and given opportunity, spiritual awakening).

B. So many Western companies run escorted tours to India which is very convenient way to do some sight seeing (very much like going to Taco Bell to experience Mexican culture!!)

C Labor is very cheap in India. (Knowledgeable guide and car driver are very affordable,)
4 star hotels are significantly cheaper than 5 star providing 90 pct of the comforts

So, Strongly recommend private custom tours (fully planned and assisted) over taking GA/OAT/Gate1 type tours.

But if you don't do homework, what is the point of going to India anyways?

To answer the OP's original question -
If you use local guides (pre-arranged by a central planner) for most logistics and even with some solo time locally as advised by local guide, you will be MUCH safer in India than most American cities.