Travel Medicine · India · Destination
For most trips, yes. The CDC says malaria is present throughout India, including the cities of Mumbai and New Delhi, so it recommends malaria pills for most travelers. The main exception is the high Himalaya above 2,000 m (6,500 ft), such as Ladakh and Leh, where there is no malaria and altitude sickness becomes the concern instead. Doxycycline and Malarone both work for India, and we can prescribe either. CDC guidance checked June 19, 2026.
| Destination | Malaria pills? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi, Mumbai, Rajasthan, Goa, Kerala lowlands, Agra, and most of the country | Yes | CDC lists malaria throughout India, including the major cities. Doxycycline or Malarone are appropriate. |
| High Himalaya above 2,000 m: Ladakh, Leh, parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir | No | Too high for malaria. Altitude sickness is the real risk (Leh is around 11,500 ft). |
For India, the CDC lists atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone), doxycycline, mefloquine, and tafenoquine as options. Two of those, doxycycline and Malarone, we prescribe for a flat $45, sent to your own pharmacy. Doxycycline is the budget option but continues 4 weeks after you leave; Malarone costs more but stops 7 days after. See doxycycline vs Malarone to choose.
If your itinerary is the high Himalaya, Leh, Ladakh, or a high trek, malaria is not the issue but altitude is. Leh sits around 11,500 ft and many travelers fly straight up to it. Acetazolamide, started the day before you ascend, is the standard prevention, and we prescribe it. See our altitude sickness page.
I am Bidwell Cranage, a nurse practitioner and Member of the International Society of Travel Medicine. I got the typhoid vaccine before Thailand and Cambodia and would do exactly the same before India, where typhoid risk is high. For India I would line up two things before flying: the malaria pills if I am in the lowlands, and, if I were adding Ladakh, the altitude medicine. The shots I would get at a travel clinic.
We do not give vaccines. We refer you to a travel clinic for those and can still handle your malaria pills, altitude medicine, or a standby antibiotic online. See online travel medicine vs a travel clinic.
India is one of the highest-risk destinations for traveler's diarrhea. Many travelers carry a standby azithromycin course so a bad case does not cost them days of the trip. We can include it with your visit.
For one flat $45 visit, sent to your own pharmacy with no markup, we can cover the prescription side of an India trip: malaria pills (doxycycline or Malarone), altitude medicine if you are going to Ladakh or the high Himalaya, and a standby antibiotic for traveler's diarrhea. We refer you to a travel clinic for typhoid and hepatitis A shots, and for mefloquine or pregnancy.
For most trips, yes. The CDC says malaria is present throughout India, including the cities of Mumbai and New Delhi, so it recommends malaria pills for most travelers. The main exception is the high Himalaya above 2,000 meters (6,500 feet), such as Ladakh and Leh, where there is no malaria and altitude sickness becomes the concern instead. Doxycycline and Malarone are both appropriate options for India.
Yes, the CDC lists malaria transmission throughout India including the cities of New Delhi and Mumbai, so pills are recommended even for a city-only trip. Doxycycline and atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone) are both appropriate, and we can prescribe either.
No. The CDC notes no malaria transmission above 2,000 meters (6,500 feet), which includes Ladakh and Leh. Up there the real risk is altitude, since Leh sits around 11,500 feet, so plan for altitude sickness rather than malaria.
Not for travel directly from the United States; the CDC does not recommend yellow fever vaccine for India itself. It is only required if you are arriving from a country with yellow fever risk within the previous 6 days. Typhoid and hepatitis A vaccines are recommended for India, and those are shots, so we refer you to a travel clinic for them while still handling your malaria pills online.