WAYFARER
Slow trains, high hills: India's mountain railways, for two
- Tawang in Losar season, by road and by permit
- Hampi: a ruined capital among the boulders
- Japan's snow festivals and the etiquette of the hot spring
- Venice, Rio and Quebec: three carnivals, three very different ideas of winter
Journeys for Two
February's theme is journeys for two, and we have taken it in the widest sense. It can mean a couple, or two friends, or a parent and a grown-up child. What matters is that someone is beside you to say, look at that.
We have gathered stories where a shared pace is part of the pleasure: three narrow-gauge railways that were built to climb hills one patient curve at a time, a gondolier's oar, a loco pilot's long career. None of these stories is ours; each comes from published reporting, and we say so on the page, with the names and dates.
We have also been careful with dates. Carnival calendars, snow festivals and the Tibetan New Year are fixed to the moon or to local decisions, and we show which dates are firm and which are provisional. Please treat everything as a starting point, and confirm with the organisers before you book.
If you are planning a trip with someone this year, choose one place and stay long enough to forget the schedule. We would love to hear how it goes.
— Gitanjali Gautam, Editor-in-Chief
This month's theme. February is the month for travelling at the speed of conversation: a narrow-gauge train that takes five hours to climb a hill, a Himalayan monastery in the week of the Tibetan New Year, a masked street in Venice, a samba parade in Rio. This issue is about journeys that suit two people, and those who like company on the road.
Contents
Cover storyThe Great Escape
Northeast India · Arunachal PradeshNortheast India: Beyond the Familiar
India · KarnatakaIndia: Beyond the Usual
Asia · JapanAsia: A Continent of Experiences
Around the WorldAround the World
- Venice at Carnival: a mask, a canal and a planThe 2026 Carnival runs from 31 January to 17 February. How to see it without drowning in the crowd.RESEARCHED
- Rio Carnival: how to see the parade and stay safeSamba schools, street blocos and a Sambadrome that holds tens of thousands. Plan early and buy tickets only from official channels.RESEARCHED
- Quebec Winter Carnival: a snowman, an ice palace and a very cold weekCanada's oldest winter festival is held in Quebec City in the first half of February.RESEARCHED
Real stories from the roadPeople & Places
- From hunters to nest protectors: the hornbills of PakkeIn Arunachal Pradesh, members of the Nyishi community who once hunted hornbills now guard their nests.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
- Thirty-six years at the controls: Surekha YadavDescribed in Indian reporting as Asia's first woman loco pilot, she ended a long railway career in September 2025.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
- The oar and the licence: Venice's first woman gondolierAfter centuries of an almost all-male guild, Giorgia Boscolo passed the exam and joined the gondoliers' register in 2010.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
- The soldiers who build the snow giantsEvery February, Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force helps carve the largest sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
Reader and contributor briefsBe part of Wayfarer
Food, heritage and natureTaste, Heritage & Nature
- The Taste of Travel: Venetian cicchetti and carnival sweetsSmall plates, a glass of wine and fried dough: eating in Venice at Carnival time.RESEARCHED
- Heritage Without Borders: Tawang MonasteryA seventeenth-century monastery on a Himalayan ridge, still home to a living community of monks.RESEARCHED
- The Natural Calendar: FebruaryWhat to look for, where, and how sure we are.RESEARCHED
- Responsible travel: the hot spring, done wellA short guide to onsen etiquette for first-time visitors in Japan.PRACTICAL · EVERGREEN
Practical toolkitTravel Smart
CommunityReaders' Pages
- The Traveller's Lexicon: cafunéA Brazilian Portuguese word for a very particular gesture.LEXICON
- Travel Quiz: FebruaryFive questions. Answers appear in next month's issue.QUIZ
- Your turn: the best meal you shared on the roadReader engagement idea for the next issue.READER INVITATION
- The Traveller's BookshelfThree books to read beside someone.RECOMMENDED READING
Festivals & events radar
Dates below come from our festival guide and are approximate. Always confirm with the official organiser before you book; lunar-calendar and annually announced events are provisional until confirmed.
Northeast India & India
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Losar (Tibetan New Year) | Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim | 18 February 2026 (Year of the Fire Horse) official | Monastery ceremonies, family visits and feasts in Himalayan Buddhist communities.. |
| Goa Carnival | Panaji, Margao, Vasco and Mapusa, Goa | 13–17 February 2026; main Panaji parade 14 February official | Parades and street celebrations led by King Momo, a Goan tradition.. |
| Khajuraho Dance Festival (52nd edition) | Western Group of Temples, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh | 20–26 February 2026 official | Classical dance performed against a World Heritage temple backdrop.. |
| Holi (Holika Dahan and Rangwali Holi) | Mathura–Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, and across India | Holika Dahan 3 March; Holi 4 March 2026 official | The festival of colours, with Braj celebrations beginning days earlier.. |
| Chapchar Kut | Aizawl, Mizoram | Week-long from 9 March 2026; main day reported as 13 March (holiday listings vary) verify | Mizoram's spring festival of dance and music.. |
| Rongali (Bohag) Bihu | Assam | Begins 14 April 2026 (Goru Bihu); Assamese New Year 15 April official | Assam's spring new-year festival, celebrated with Bihu dance and song.. |
Asia
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sapporo Snow Festival (76th edition) | Odori Park, Sapporo, Japan | 4–11 February 2026 official | Large-scale snow and ice sculptures along Sapporo's central park.. |
| Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) | Vietnam | 17 February 2026; official holiday 14–22 February official | Vietnam's most important holiday, with flower markets and family reunions.. |
| Songkran (Thai New Year) | Thailand | 13–15 April 2026 (some cities extend) official | Thailand's water festival, UNESCO-recognised, with temple rituals and street celebrations.. |
Europe
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnevale di Venezia | Venice, Italy | 31 January–17 February 2026 (theme: Olympus) official | Masks, costume and water shows, themed to the Winter Olympics year.. |
| Keukenhof | Lisse, Netherlands | 19 March–10 May 2026 official | One of the world's largest spring flower gardens.. |
Africa & the Americas
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Carnival | Sambadrome, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Core dates 13–17 February 2026; some sources extend to 18 February verify | Samba school parades and street parties.. |
| Quebec Winter Carnival | Quebec City, Canada | About 6–15 February 2026 (confirm with organiser) verify | Snow sculptures, parades and winter games.. |
| National Cherry Blossom Festival | Washington, D.C., USA | 20 March–12 April 2026; peak bloom is weather-dependent verify | A three-week festival around the Tidal Basin's cherry trees.. |
Oceania & international
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras | Sydney, Australia | Festival 13 February–1 March; parade Saturday 28 February 2026 official | A three-week festival ending with a night parade on Oxford Street.. |
Format example
Dated developments up to 1 February 2026, with source links. Each is labelled announced or implemented. Re-confirm before relying on any of them.
- IMPLEMENTED: India's first Vande Bharat sleeper train was flagged off on 17 January 2026 on the Kamakhya (Guwahati) to Howrah route, with commercial services beginning 22 and 23 January. Source: Business Standard and The Week, January 2026. https://www.theweek.in/news/biz-tech/2026/01/17/first-ever-vande-bharat-sleeper-flagged-off-from-kamakhya-to-howrah.html
- ANNOUNCED: Venice published a calendar of access-fee days for day visitors in 2026, expanding the scheme to more days between spring and summer. Source: The Local Italy, 9 December 2025. https://www.thelocal.it/20251209/calendar-when-will-you-need-to-pay-a-fee-to-visit-venice-in-2026
- PROPOSED: Japan's ruling parties wrote a rise in the international tourist (departure) tax from 1,000 yen to 3,000 yen into the FY2026 tax reform outline in December 2025. Source: Travel Voice (Japan), December 2025. https://www.travelvoice.jp/english/the-japanese-ruling-parties-specify-a-rise-in-departure-tax-to-3-000-yen-in-the-tax-reform-outline-for-fy2026
- ANNOUNCED: Mizoram officials said on 20 January 2026 that the week-long Chapchar Kut festival will begin on 9 March. Source: India Today NE, 20 January 2026. https://www.indiatodayne.in/mizoram/story/mizorams-chapchar-kut-festival-to-begin-on-march-9-1334108-2026-01-20
- IMPLEMENTED (phased): The EU's Entry/Exit System has been rolling out at external borders since 12 October 2025. Source: European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen/smart-borders/entry-exit-system_en
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