INDIA – by SmilaZ

India presents a wealth of far-flung and tantalizing opportunities for the seasoned and novice travelers alike. From beaches to monuments, wildlife to architecture, sports to spiritualism–there’s something for everyone who makes the journey to this wondrous land.

The sunny beaches range from Mumbai’s Girgaum Chowpatty beach, down to the famous Goa beaches, and up to the black and golden sand beaches of Kerala, which is also famous for its roaming backwaters, where you can hire a house-boat or a canoe and watch the world float by.
The spectacular monuments, temples and other incredible architecture, are everywhere, but in northern and central India the choices seem wonderfully endless.
For fans of Islamic architecture, Delhi is home to the Red Fort, the mosques and minarets of the Qutb Minář complex and Humayun’s Tomb. Nearby you can relish in more Mughal grandeur at Fatehpur Sikri and Agra, home of the incredible Taj Mahal, and then explore the captivating Mughal forts of Rajasthan, and Jaisalmer, the desert fortress.

Wildlife encounters, and your best chances of spotting a tiger, are in the national parks of Madbya
Pradesh, and Rajasthan. There are national reserves all over India, where you can spot wildlife as exotic as lions, one horn rhinos [do rhinos ever come with more than one horn?] and wild elephants, as well as bounteous birdlife. More domesticated, but still wild, are the camel treks going through the desert from Jaisalmer or Bikaner in Rajasthan.
There are 537 wildlife sanctuaries in India, and 49 tiger reserves governed by Project Tiger. Some wildlife sanctuaries are specifically named bird sanctuaries, before attaining National Park status.

Traveling with children can be both challenging and rewarding, but can be a delight in india as the people are very tolerant of children, and warm welcomes are frequent, so you can travel almost anywhere without restrictions. India can be every bit as exciting for children as it is for their
parents, and with careful preparation it can certainly challenge and inspire the young enquiring minds as well.
Some of the best regions for families traveling with children in India are, Goa with its palm-tree, sandy beaches and inexpensive exotic food, or Himachal Pradesh where there is horseriding, tandem paragliding, pony and yak rides going around the colonial-era hill stations, and much more, or Kerala with its canoe and houseboat adventures, surf beaches, Arabian sea sun-sets, snake boat races, wildlife-spotting and elephant festivals, and Uttar Pradesh which has the picture perfect Taj Mahal and the nearby abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri, will set the young imaginations ablaze.

Spiritual India, is another adventure for exploring, with the pilgrimage towns Ajmer and Pushkar in Rajasthan, the Sikh holy city of Amritsar in the Punja, and the ancient funeral ghats beside the River Ganges. Classes in meditation and yoga are nearly everywhere. The Buddhist centers are in the suburbs, Leh Ladakh and McLeod Ganj in Dhamsala, which is also home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile. But India’s spiritual side is to be encountered all over the country. There are more than 6 different religions in India, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism and other religions.

On the banks of the beautiful river, Tungabhadra, Virupaksha temple which dates back to the 7th century and is extensively famous for its gopuram, grand architecture and intricate carvings, a magnificent marvel of Vijayanagara Empire. The temple has undergone a lot of additions by various rulers that ruled the kingdom, to display their power. The central pillared hall, Ranga Mandapa, is the most ornate addition by Raja Krishnadevaraya. Virupaksha temple is a centre of marriages as well as the festivities of Virupaksha-Pampa. This South Indian Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Adrenalin seekers have playgrounds in the north, with access to pretty much any outdoor activity you can imagine. In Kullu Valley and in the heights of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarkhand, you can go from white-water rafting to skiing, and the classic hill station Shimla, or Manali further north, are great places to start.
The ideal trekking season is after the monsoon, in September/October. Epic hiking-trails go criss-crossing over the towering mountain peaks from Manali to Lehin Ladakh. Another top place for rafting and trekking is Rishikesh, which also has a pilgrimage trail to four sacred mountain temples. Even more treks are possible in the mountains of Sikkim.

For delicious cuisine, Mumbai, has been perfectly shaped by centuries of seasoning, influenced by the knowledge of the Koli fishermen, Hindu dynasties, Muslim sultans and the Portuguese and British colonist. Mumbai’s culinary scene is abundant with international flavors, of deliciously tasting food. And while Coloba is full of mainly cheaper food options, fine-dining is at Fort and
Churchgate, and the trend of this establishment continues up north. Posh Mahalaxmi and the western suburbs have the most international and expensive culinary experiences.

Indian street foods are well famous for being cheap and tasty, and every city has its own specialty of favorite snack. Delhi is one of the best places to have tasty street foods, with a variety of roadside food and stalls, with either Indian foods, or Chinese foods with Indian flavor. There is also an Indian version of burger in Mumbai, where the most loved and ultimate staple food item is Vada Pao, which is friend potato dumplings called vada, that are served in a bun.
The safety of street foods has become one of the major concerns of public health in india, the cleanliness and freshness are the concern to discourage people from eating street food.

Shopping in india is both wonderful and affordable, offering you exotic bazaars, markets, emporiums, street stalls and malls, all over the continent. Overflowing with dazzling arrays of handicrafts, jewelry, textiles, art, furnishings, spices and so much more.
Many insiders head straight to Jaipur for shopping, where traditional crafts and design are made in surprising and very stylish ways. Jaipur was always intended as the place for commerce to flourish, and is the place where the rich merchants and royals of the past had weavers, jewelers, leather-makers and furniture builders making custom goods, as they were passing through town, on their
way to the Mogul empire. Jaipur is especially good for jewelry shopping, as it used to be the world’s gemstone capital, and is therefore still the place where precious stones pass through the workshops every year, to be examined, cleaned and cut. And even though everything in India is regional, weather cuisine or language or style of dress, all of it changing from region to region, still, in the capital Delhi, where many of the international flights come and go, you can as well find almost everything that you see when traveling through the country.

Escorted tours are a brilliant idea to discovering India, one of the worlds most captivating countries. India is the unforgettable country of incredible sights and rich bright colors, spell-bounding charm, and the most interesting of chaos anywhere. To get the more completing experience of most any part of the country, excursions and guided tours are the easiest way to do so.

The scenic hill stations offer a perfect escape from the daily summer-heat, of temperatures averaging 40 degrees almost everyday in most parts of the country. Summer is the perfect time for nature lovers traveling in india, to head up to the hills where Hill Station Hotels and Lodgings await you with breathtaking views and mountain adventures.

India is rich on leisure, adventures and activities of all sorts. No matter how many times you travel to India, you will never have time to see it all–there is always more to discover in this vibrantly fascinating country.
Helpfully, domestic flights are inexpensive and plentiful, so you can easily get around between north and south, to get a taste of all India’s worlds. Flights to India luckily come at very affordable prices as well. For the best rates for all of your India travels and adventures, rely on HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

STATISTICS:

Travelers to India; 821,581 in 2013, 885,000 in 2014, and 913,000 in 2015.

Languages spoken; Hindi, English, Assamese, Bengali, and Gujarati, including approx. 17 other languages.

Seasons; summer, monsoon (rain-season) and winter (though winter in the south has 25 degrees celsius).

Currency; indian rupee (INR).