About India

1: Track India’s ‘Big Five’

India is home to a wide array of wildlife, but it is the country’s cats that garner most of the attention. It’s home to five big cats – Bengal tigers, Asiatic lions, snow leopards, clouded leopards and Indian leopards – and the chances of spotting them are reasonably high if you head to the right places.

The best national parks for seeing tigers are Bandhavgarh, Ranthambore, Kanha, Pench, Satpura and Corbett.  Though there are good populations of tigers in the Sunderbans, they can be difficult to see.

Leopards are widely spread across India, you’ll find them as far south as Kerala and as north as Rajasthan.

2:Explore The Temples

With its multitude of religions and deities, it comes as no surprise that India is a land of temples. Throughout the ages, they have been the canvas for ideas, architecture, sculpture and arts. Dominating landscapes or carved into mountains and caves, they are buzzing, vibrant centers of active devotion.

Blush at the erotic carvings of the Khajuraho temple in Madhya Pradesh. Sample food prepared under the scrutiny of Goddess Mahalakshmi in the Lord Jagannath temple in Orissa. Marvel at the technicolor animals, gods and demons that adorn the Meenakshi Sundareshwar Temple in Tamil Nadu. And explore the Golden Temple in Amritsar – a shining beacon of religious tolerance and spiritual freedom.

3: Trek In The Himalayas

The Indian Himalaya conjures up images of ancient pilgrimages and sacred sites – but it’s far more than that. The western ranges, from Kashmir to Nanda Devi, boast an incredible variety of communities and viewpoints. In the east, paradise-like Sikkim has giant butterflies and orchid forests while Arunachal Pradesh is the last of the Himalayan wild frontiers.

The Markha Valley and Hemis Festival trek is perhaps the most popular in the Indian Himalaya, offering stunning mountain scenery, the largest monastery in Ladakh and the chance to see snow leopards. The monastery circuit in Sikkim reveals a land of dramatic scenery, delightful monasteries and hundreds of butterflies, birds and rare plants.

Beyond Darjeeling’s magnificently manicured tea estates lies a trek through the forests of pine, conifer and rhododendrons, which leads to a ridge that forms a natural border with Nepal and into Singalila National Park.

4: Seek Out An Earthly Paradise

Approximately 400km of tropical coastline separating Mumbai and Goa is among the least-visited parts of the subcontinent. Tourist hotels are virtually non-existent and roads are narrow and meandering, though there is a train (the Konkan Railway) that will take you to quiet outposts. The palm-fringed shore forms a near-continuous string of beaches – many of them entirely deserted and overlooked by 17th- and 18th-century citadels.

Closer to South-East Asia than the subcontinent, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a true alternative to India. The Nicobars are off-limits; only a handful of islands in the whole archipelago are open to the few tourists that do make it out there.

5: Ride The Rails

The rail system in India, is more than just a way to get around, it’s an experience in its own right. Each carriage is a microcosm of India – noisy, chaotic, welcoming and vibrant. You’ll live a lifetime in one day. Book yourself a train class according to your budget – and experience travel at the clattering pace of an ancient train.

Each rail journey is as varied as the country itself. The desert crossing from Jodphur to Jaisalmer will take you past forts and old cities, while the ‘Toy Train’ from Kolkata to Darjeeling zig-zags its way into the mountains past tea plantations and offers spectacular views of the Himalayas. The Cardamom Route from Madurai to Bodinayakkanur will take you to the southern foothills of the Western Ghats past plantations of cotton, mango, pepper, coffee, and tea.

6: Find Inner Peace

India is a bit of a spiritual supermarket, with all kinds of religions, beliefs and customs. You can dip your toes into the holy waters, quite literally, watching daily ceremonies on the ghats in Varanasi or by the still waters in front of the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Or you can throw yourself into the swirling madness of Kumbha Mela, a mass of ritual bathing, naked sadhus, flashing lights and spiritual cleansing, held every three years at a designated sacred river.

Or go a little deeper by staying in one of India’s Hindu Ashrams, faith-based guest houses where even the food is included with spiritual instruction. Pondicherry – and nearby Auroville – is something of a spiritual center, as is Rishikesh, north-east of Delhi at the foot of the Himalaya. Sitting at the spot where the holy River Ganges finishes its approximately 272km race to escape the Himalaya, Rishikesh is packed with temples, colorful characters and ashrams.

7: Celebrate The World’s Most Colorful Festivals

With its pantheon of Gods and religions, there is no shortage of festivals in India. Each region has its own celebrations too – in Kerala, for example, they observe harvest with Onam, a 10 day festival of feasting. There are kite flying & camel festivals and an event that celebrates hornbills in Nagaland. There is no better way to immerse yourself in the country’s colorful traditions.

Diwali is the biggest festival, held every year between October and November. Known as the ‘festival of lights’, as over one million clay lamps called diyyas light up the streets, houses and temples around India.

8: Sleep Under The Stars In The Rajasthan Desert

A camel safari into the Rajasthan desert is an unmissable experience. You’ll be rocked gently as your camel takes you across the Thar desert to Jaisalmer, camping out at night in tents beneath the canopy of stars and calling upon small desert villages where curious children show you their earthen huts with pride.

Time your visit to coincide with the Pushkar camel fair, an annual event where traders from the region gather, showing Rajasthan at its colorful, chaotic and camel-trading best.

9: Watch The World Go By From A Houseboat In Kerala

The converted rice-boats that ply the backwaters of Kerala offer the ultimate way to experience rural India at its most peacefully replete. Fertile soils and plentiful fish stocks mean it’s one of the country’s most abundant regions. Kick back and enjoy the idyllic sights of shady palms, paddy fields and quiet little rural churches and temples. This is India at its rural best.

Take time to look around Kerala’s colorful city, Kochi. Kochi (or Cochin as most of the locals prefer to call it) is a series of peninsulas, islands and promontories caught between the lakes and rivers of its inland waterways and the Arabian Sea. Each district has a distinct personality, from the old colonial trading post of Fort Cochin and concrete city towers of commercial Ernakulam to the sandy beaches of Vypeen Island. Lace up your walking boots and jump on the ferry for a flavor of Kerala’s biggest city.