Discover India 'with the locals'

Anyone who is considering booking flights to India may find the experiences of one couple useful when planning their itinerary.

Saurav Jha and Devapriya Roy have both left their jobs and are travelling around their home country, following recommendations by people on social networking site Facebook, Asian Lite reported. The couple told news provider IANS that they wanted to "see India as it is".

"We decided to move the way the locals do in an area - talk with them, hear their stories and become part of them," Jha explained.

Named the Heat and Dust project, the pair will write a book about their experiences once their trip ends, which is scheduled for publication in June next year. So far, they have visited destinations such as Mumbai, Bhopal, Kerala and Pune. Their journey is set to finish at the end of July.

People who have booked flights to India may be interested in one region's latest tourism campaign. The mountain area of Himachal Pradesh has come up with a scheme to promote "traditional cultures of hill villages" in an attempt to develop them as important tourism destinations.

Best Time to Travel in India

The best time to travel in India depends upon the location of the place you want to visit and the type of experience you are looking forward to. Though, flights to India are available throughout the year, most places are best visited during the winter months of October to February. This is the time when Mother Nature envelops the scenic hill regions in a carpet of snow.

Goa and other beach destinations should also be visited during winters when the sun, sand and sea are pleasantly warm. This hot favourite destination further shoots in popularity on New Year’s Eve, when an overwhelmingly festive aura lures tourists in hordes. South India, with its captivating sights and serene backwaters is best visited during December and January, when the retreating monsoon refreshingly cools up the belt. Similar is the story with Mumbai and other spots of Maharashtra. Winters are also the right time for exploring famed Northern Indian destinations like Delhi and Rajasthan.

Escape to the hills during the intense summer months of April to September. In fact, some of the hill destinations become totally snowed up and inaccessible during winters. Uttarakhand’s Valley of Flowers becomes a riot of colours. Summers are also ideal for trekking the Himalayas. The arduous climb to the famous Kedarnath shrine of Uttarakhand offers a great tame trekking experience. Innumerable hill stations like Ooty, Darjeeling, Nainital, Gangtok and Shimla spoil tourists and locals for choice during summers when the sun god is at his unholy worst.

During festivals, the country bursts into a colourful milieu. Venerable Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali, Pushkar Mela (the cattle fair of Rajasthan), Lohri (a festival of the flamboyant Punjabi community) Christmas, the New Year, and the Republic Day to name a few, are celebrated with zeal.

A word of caution before you embark on your journey. ‘Pan India flights are so high in numbers that you will be boggled with an infinite choice of holiday packages’ and cheap flights to India destinations. So, get, set and go…

India – A Globetrotter’s Delight

So, you have decided to tour India. Bravo! This country will spoil you for choice with its myriad exotic locales. Hill enthusiasts can pick from South India’s picturesque Ooty and numerous other spectacular spots to Northern India’s tremendously beautiful destinations like Manali, Srinagar, Gulmarg, Mussourie – the list goes on. In skiing, Gulmarg is among the top five global skiing destinations. Don’t miss the riot of colours at the ‘Valley of Flowers’ or the adrenalin soaring white water rafting at Rishikesh, which bewitched all – from Sir Edmund Hillary to Brad Pitt.

Recreate colonial times at the little known quaint town of McCluskey Ganj. This erstwhile nation of snake charmers also satiates the spiritualist. Mythology, complete with fakirs and sadhus comes alive at the banks of the Ganges in Rishikesh and Benaras among other myriad cultural hot spots. See the images of Kamasutra carved in the stone sculptures of Khajuraho. From the ‘Char Dham Yatra’ of the Himalayas to the Durgah at Ajmer and scores of mosques, temples and churches – it is easy to lose yourself in a religious frenzy.

Beach enthusiasts would do well to visit the former Portuguese settlement of Goa. The sun kissed beaches are perfect for water sports or sheer lazing around. Superb cuisine tantalises the gourmet.

Heard of Jim Corbett, the famous British hunter who became a terror for man eating tigers and leopards in India during colonial times? Explore his hunting grounds on a jungle safari to the Corbett National Park. The Sunderbans Delta with its man eating Royal Bengal Tigers and the Kanha National Park are further jungle destinations among many others.

India stuns with its plethora of sights, smells, tastes and heart touching people. In this land of contradictions, you might actually see a bullock cart and a Jaguar vying for space in a narrow street.

India Travel Menu

The exotic land of India with deep jungles, meandering rivers, looming mountains, time forgotten villages, haunting historical buildings, colonial architecture, countless vernaculars and excellent cuisines offers a bewildering array of exciting vacationing activities. If you are addicted to skiing and other winter sports, visit Gulmarg during December to April and at a fraction of the cost that one would incur at the Swiss Alps. Gulmarg also boasts world’s highest golf course. If beaches are your idea of fun, head to laidback Goa with its delightful Portuguese ambience or scenic Kerala. Definitely not to be missed is the world famous adrenaline pumping white water rafting on the raging currents of the Ganges at Rishikesh. This activity has seduced quite a few celebrities – Sir Edmund Hillary and Brad Pitt to name just two. With most airlines operating flights to India from Heathrow, visiting this destination is a breeze.

Step back into time at the Mathoor village of Karnataka. Here Sanskrit (supposed to be the world’s oldest language) is the language of choice. One can revisit shades of quaint colonial life at the sleepy hamlet of Jharkhand’s McCluskieganj. Watch Kamasutra coming alive in stone sculptures at Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. The famous golden triangle tour of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur is a wonderful lesson in history. Here, one gets the opportunity to behold the architectural wonders of the awe inspiring Red Fort and the magnificent Taj Mahal. Jaipur, known as the Pink City, is jam packed with havelis, forts, and other grand remnants of India’s rich royal past.

Hill lovers may have a tough time selecting a hill destination as there are so many of them. Every hill station outdoes the other – be it Kashmir, known as the Switzerland of India, or Darjeeling with its dazzling view of KanchanJunga, supposedly the world’s second highest mountain peak. Another rare treat is the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand, a riot of colourful flowers and butterflies during the summer months of June to September.

India, with scores of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, is also a boon for wildlife enthusiasts. Just some of the most famous ones are The Corbett National Park, the Sunderbans Delta with its notorious man eating tigers, the Kaziranga Rhino Sanctuary, the Kanha National Park, and the Gir Forests, home to the Asiatic Lion, which is on the verge of extinction.

With innumerable temples and pilgrimages, India also acts as panacea to the soul who seeks solace in Eastern mysticism. Every Indian city will leave you with fond memories, be it the ‘City of Joy’ (Kolkata) or ‘City of Pearls’ (Hyderabad). In fact, India may well be your best bet if you want quality but cheap holidays.