The closing of the Wagah-Attari between Pakistan and the Punjab puts a good-natured face on the often-strained India/Pakistan relations.

Soldiers on either side of the border strut, goosestep and kick their way to national superiority in a nightly routine of funny walks that would put John Cleese to shame.

The crowds can be extreme – even by Indian standards - with fully grown men pushing grannies to the ground to get a better view of the action, so use your 'foreign tourist' status to gain entry to the VIP section of the bleachers. No pushing required.

Though you may end up with blisters in the most unimaginable places, a camel trek through the deserts of Rajasthan provides an unbeatable perspective on desert life. The bleak landscape is surprisingly full of life and remote villages overflow with hospitality.

If it’s tigers you’re after, Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh is the place for you. No park can guarantee a tiger-spotting but you’d be terribly unlucky to miss out if you invest a few days at Bandhavgarh.

While it’s not the biggest or most popular reserve, Bandhavgarh claims the highest tiger density with somewhere between 48 and 52 tigers in the park.

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for leopards, deer and an assortment of rare birds, too.