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* [[Mumbai]] (Bombay)
* [[Kolkata]] (Calcutta)
* [[KarachiAgra]]* [[Lucknow]]
* [[Chennai]]
* [[Bangalore]]
[[Jo_hannaaah]] ''hitchhiked almost the entire length of India in the summer of 2018 and this is a short recap of her experiences: Hitchhiking in India is easy, although people do not understand what the heck you are up to. If you're white, they'll think you're very very rich and they won't understand what you are doing outside an air-conditioned taxi or bus or train. Almost all my rides brought me to a busstation rather than allowing me to stay on the highway. Apart from that , hitchhiking in India is amazing! People are curious and kind and inclined towards helping you. I have to add here that I am a blond, white female solo traveler, not extremely unappealing. If you're not, your experiences might slightly differ from mine. Remember; everything in India moves slow; busses, trains , but cars as well. You won't be covering the distances you're used to in other countries maybe. 250 km is a good distance for a day. Trucks offer great long-distance rides and high views, but they mover extremely slow. Sometimes the truck drivers got a bit sexual, but not on a dangerous level.. just slightly uncomfortable. The Roadhouses next to the highways offer the greatest food I had in India so far.
I started in Madurai and Hitched all the way up to new Delhi. In the south, people are generally more friendly and less money-driven than the people in the north (Rajasthan and Delhi). The hitchhiking itself became easier further up north, as the private cars slowly appeared. In the southern states (Tamil Nadu, Kerala , Karnataka) I hopped on every vehicle I flagged down, but the greater variety of available cars in the north (Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi) allowed me to be picky and to stop thumbing up so many trucks. If you are alone, motorcycles offer great rides, although some of them were slightly uncomfortable in a physical sense. The roads were surprisingly alright , apart from the occasional dead cow or dog! The highways are the best for hitchhikers, since you can just stand on the actual highway, and people just stop for you. It's very normal to park your car on the middle of the highway to chat you up or let you in (love it). In short: hitchhiking is easy and safe, although people don't understand it. It is slow, but remember that everything moves slow in India.. hitchhiking is probably one of the fastest options to reach your destination. Please make sure for yourself to be comfortable with what you are doing. It is simply not for everyone.''
Hitchhikernick - Visited for 5 weeks in sept-oct 2018. hitching via motorcycles were very easy in the cities. Hitching in busy areas like New Delhi and surrounding cities/towns just isnt worth the effort (took me 8 hrs to get from southern New Delhi to Agra with lots of walking between rides). Best thing to do is go general class on train as no ticket inspectors check this carriage (lowest class) as it is so packed with people, i did this 75% of my time in India. i visited all over and the best area for hitching was in kashmere, followed by the far south. i entered first time via plane (as evisa requirement) and re-entered overland from Nepal in Darjeeling region. beware of kid/opportunist pickpockets if you sleep on the train. this is definitely the most challenging country for a hitchhiking traveller as it isnt easy to find camping spots in a lot of areas, the roads infrastructure is very messy and there is so many people and rubbish/human waste everywhere. definitely one of the smelliest/dirtiest countries i have visited, though the Indian people seemed very clean themselves. food was very cheap and very tasty, lots of dal bhat and one driver took me to a restaurant where i had some delicious tandoori chicken 😋. when i did get lifts is was a mixture of truck drivers, private cars and motorbikes. one ride was on the back of a harley like royal enfield with a turban wearing driver doing 70mph, with no helmet or eye protection, weaving between traffic on the highway, definitely tested my mettle/foolishness. India is definitely an eye opener!!!
== Border crossings ==
Unfortunately, Indian eVisas don't currently allow entry into the country at land borders, even for permitted re-entries (only by air, or at certain seaports where you would presumably have to be arriving on a private vessel). This restriction may not apply if you have another kind of visa (for example, one you applied for in person at an embassy), or if you have a passport from India or certain other countries.
[[Bangladesh]]: Most borders are open.
[[Bhutan]]: The main border is Pheuntsholing, with a number of smaller ones to the westeast. In theory, all are open, however Bhutan's strict visa process requires a guided tour that costs 250 USD a day. There is word that border guards will sometimes let tourists explore the Pheuntsholing border town without a visa- some say this is no longer allowed except for Indians, though stories online suggest that may not be enforced (but also be careful of any situation where your passport would get stamped out of India in the process, since even many multiple-entry Indian visitor visas don't allow re-entry by land). In any case, all onward travel will require police and visa checks. A better option could be going to nearby Sikkim, a state of India, which is very similar in terms of culture and geography.
[[China]]: There are no land borders open to foreigners. Going through Nepal is also generally not an option, as Tibet is heavily controlled and not open to independent travel.