*The next year is packed with 14 long weekends, including two nine-day bonanzas*—one in Aug and the other in Oct. Get prepping, folks! Thu, 26 Jan: Republic Day Fri, 27 Jan: Take leave Sat, 28 Jan Sun, 29 Jan Consider: Gulmarg or Auli for skiing; Jawai to spot leopards Fri, 24 Feb: Mahashivratri Sat, 25 Feb Sun, 26 Feb Consider: Agra for Taj Mahotsav (18–27 Feb); Andaman Islands for diving; Goa for Carnival (25–28 Feb) Sat, 11 Mar Sun, 12 Mar Mon, 13 Mar: Holi Consider: Mathura for Holi; Coorg to catch the white coffee flowers in bloom; Jaipur before summer kicks in Sat, 25 Mar Sun, 26 Mar Mon, 27 Mar: Take leave Tue, 28 Mar: Gudi Padva Consider: Rishikesh for white-water rafting Sat, 1 Apr Sun, 2 Apr Mon, 3 Apr: Take leave Tue, 4 Apr: Ram Navami Consider: Srinagar for tulips Thu, 13 Apr: Vaisakhi Fri, 14 Apr: Dr Ambedkar Jayanti, Good Friday Sat, 15 Apr Sun, 16 Apr: Easter Consider: Amritsar for Baisakhi (14 Apr) Mahabaleshwarfor the Mapro Strawberry Festival (Easter weekend) Sat, 29 Apr Sun, 30 Apr Mon, 1 May: May Day Consider: Shillong, Mashobra or Landour to beat the heat; Tadoba or Ranthambore to spot the big cat; Tawang for adventure Sat, 24 Jun Sun, 25 Jun Mon, 26 Jun: Ramzan Eid Consider: Hyderabad or Lucknow for Ramzan Eid; Munnar for the monsoon; Dharamshala for camping/trekking Sat, 12 Aug Sun, 13 Aug Mon, 14 Aug: Janmashtami or take leave Tue, 15 Aug: Independence Day Wed, 16 Aug: Take leave Thu, 17 Aug: Parsi New Year Fri, 18 Aug: Take leave Sat, 19 Aug Sun, 20 Aug Consider: Ladakh for adventure; Uttarakhand for trekking and Valley of Flowers Fri, 25 Aug: Ganesh Chaturthi Sat, 26 Aug Sun, 27 Aug Consider: Pune for Ganesh Chaturthi; Coonoor for cheese-making at Acres Wild; Agumbe, Karnataka for a monsoon drive; Bali for a beach break Sat, 30 Sep Sun, 1 Oct Mon, 2 Oct: Gandhi Jayanti Consider: Bhutan for the Thimphu Tshechu festival (30 Sep–2 Oct); Bandhavgarh for wildlife season; Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh for the pleasant weather Sat, 14 Oct Sun, 15 Oct Mon, 16 Oct: Dhanteras or take leave Tue, 17 Oct: Naraka Chaturdashi or take leave Wed, 18 Oct: Diwali Thu, 19 Oct: Balipratipada Fri, 20 Oct: Bhaiduj Sat, 21 Oct Sun, 22 Oct Consider: Gangtok for clear views of the Kanchenjunga; Rajasthan for Diwali; Birand Billing for paragliding Fri, 1 Dec: Eid-e-Milad Sat, 2 Dec Sun, 3 Dec Consider: Nagaland for Hornbill Festival; Periyar for wildlife; Bharatpur or Odisha for spotting migratory birds Sat, 23 Dec Sun, 24 Dec Mon, 25 Dec: Christmas @ Manali for the snow; Puducherry or Alappuzha for a winter break