Travel Stories
Hotel Review: andBeyond Bhutan
This is the first Asian outlet from andBeyond and, while more Asian properties are in the works, Punakha River Lodge has set a high benchmark.
Birding Costa Rica | Condenast Traveler US |
An adventure trip in Costa Rica with white-water rafting, searching for the Resplendent Quetzal bird, and traveling through the cloud forest.
Mint Lounge India on Costa Rica
You have to know me to realize this, but something I did last month was pretty crazy. I mean, looking back, it was wonderful. But when I actually did it-- I mean, talk about insanity.
For Luxury Lifestyle Magazine on San Francisco
Someone precious to me lives in San Francisco. Imagine my surprise when I saw how many cultural offerings were available in this Sanctuary City
Hotel Review: The Senda Costa Rica
It was raining when we drove into The Senda Monteverde, but then again, Monteverde is a stunning cloud forest, so rain is part of the package.
For Mint Lounge on the Taj Wayanad
I go on a trip to Wayanad with my mother to find out if we can snag the fragrant musk turmeric or Kasthuri manjal.
Australian Restaurants: for Khaleej Times Dubai
Some time ago, I took a trip to New South Wales, Australia. Here are six Sydney restaurants that I tried and loved.
For Mint Lounge India on Australia
A piece I wrote based on a visit to the Tweed Coast of Australia. I wonder why I hadn't heard of this place before. It is an hour north of Sydney, in New South Wales.
For Sommelier India on Burgundy
Burgundy or Bourgogne as the French prefer to call it is three things: a name, an idea, and a geography. If you are a wine geek, this is where you want to go.
Latest Articles
New York Times: Essay award
Sometime in 1998, the New York Times announced an essay competition in its pages. I submitted an essay which won the award and launched my food-writing career
New York Times | Internet Wake
AUNT SHEILA was dead. Although my family does not hold wakes by religious tradition (we are Hindu), my grandfather had picked up the practice from his British boss in India and instituted it in our family.
New York Times | Male Chefs on TV
As a woman, I know that making others feel good must be programmed in our genes, and Ms. Moulton acknowledges that. ''I'd say self-deprecation is a female trait,'' she said.
Hindustan Times | Yugadi or New Year
“The first thing we do on Yugadi is bring the new panchangam home and read it,” says Sree Gururaja. The Bangalorean talks about the customs that she continues to uphold.
Hindustan Times | The Mandya equation
Why are Kannadigas in particular and South Indians in general obsessed with jaggery? Is it because sugarcane is widely available in the region? Is it that South Indians like the dry and crumbly flavour of jaggery?
Hindustan Times | Bangalore’s lingua franca
Why is Bangalore in love with Italian food? Why do we choose this cuisine above all else, to eat in restaurants, serve at home and make for our kids? We no longer think of it as exotic.
Nine features I wrote for Condenast Traveler (US edition) a while back
Interviews with His Holiness The Dalai Lama
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Shoba Narayan is an award-winning Indian author, journalist, and freelance travel writer based in India. She specialises in luxury travel, immersive journeys, and Indian culture with a focus on food, wine, culture, cities, and identity. With over two decades of experience, she has contributed travel features to Condé Nast Traveler (US edition), Travel & Leisure, DestinAsian, Mint Lounge, The National (Abu Dhabi), Taj Magazine, and Hindustan Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph UK, The Guardian UK, and Robb Report among others. Her awards include the James Beard food-writing award and a Pulitzer Travel Fellowship. Her travel writing spans India, Southeast Asia, Japan, China, the Maldives, Bhutan, Costa Rica, and beyond — always with a focus on the sensory, the cultural, and the deeply human. Based in Bangalore, India, Shoba is a leading voice on South Asian travel, reviewing luxury hotels in India and abroad, and writing immersive features on traditional Indian crafts, and contemporary Indian culture. As a freelance travel writer and memoirist, she writes evocative, deeply researched features on everything from birding in Costa Rica to spiritual tourism in Bhutan.
For editors: Shoba Narayan is an Indian travel writer and food writer, who contributes to assignments on travel, food, culture, and Indian cities. She has reported from across the world and writes narrative-driven features with a strong sense of place.
Key Expertise: India travel writer, freelance travel writer India, South Asia travel journalist, luxury travel India writer, food and travel writer India, Indian food writer, Bangalore travel writer, South India travel writing, cultural travel writer, narrative travel journalist, travel features India, heritage travel India, slow travel India, sustainability travel writer, hotel and destination features India, travel essays South Asia.