Tourism in India
In discussing India, it is important to reiterate that it is a very large country. It would be unreasonable to expect to see all of the USA or Australia in a month, never mind a forthnights annual holiday.
On our Travel in India page we cover road rail and air travel. Air travel will allow for split visits over any part of the country but for the more usual itinerary it should be stressed that travel will take longer than in Europe or North America. Trains are slower, traffic is slower (than all but the US interstate with a 55mph limit) and it is not usual to get much above 90kmh (54mph). In the hilly areas this is even less likely.
There are plenty of package holidays now available offering beach holidays (Goa, Cochin/Kerala) stays/visits in forts and palaces (Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur), hill stations (Simla, Mussourie) and tiger reservations (Sariska, Ranthambhore).
Whatever your preference, we recommend that you:
- Research the areas you want to see
- Look past the obvious choices
- Don't take the first offer
Seems obvious? Well consider that in conversation with tourists on the Shatabdi to Agra, less than 1 in 3 saw more than the Taj mahal and then got taken to a gem stone or trinket producer. The Taj is fascinating but I preferred Fathepur Sikri which is more accessible and gives a real view of how a Maharaja lived (silk curtained passage to the top of the palace so that no-one could see which wife(s) or concubine(s) were in attendance). There is more to see even on a day trip.
For Hill stations, Shimla, whilst attractive is rather filthy and very crowded. Mussourie is similar as it is the first station up from Dehra Dun on the plains. Karnatal, Nanetal & Kasauli to name a few are accessible and far smaller. The Kullu valley is accessible by air and allows access to Manali and Keylong if you venture over Rohtang Pass. Leh, in Ladakh, is also accessed easily by air (but check the return flight booking!) and offers trekking above 14,000ft.
If you have the money then you can have the high luxury without question. BUT - some top hotels only quote in hard currency and charge more for foreigners. Others will accept Rupees and, whilst not quite 5 star luxury, offer very comfortable accomodation. In large cities the larger hotels make sense but in regionaltowns there are often forts and palaces open to guests near by. The same goes for local tours. Jaisailmir in Rajasthan is a old walled city that has had a rail link since the mid 1990's. It is possible to get a camel safari for anything from Rs 2,000/- to Rs 25,000/- and more. In the latter you ride each day to a camp set up as in the days of the Raj. Canvas tents, tables & chairs, waiters and plenty of water. In the former you get rationed on wtare, which is a little salty (so take as much as you can sensibly carry) and eat what the camel drivers eat. However, sleeping out on the dunes on a pile of quilts is a stunning way to see the Milky Way. Also for a 1,000 or so rupees one of our drivers bought slaughtered and barbecued a goat.
It is important to decide how much luxury you want, or perhaps, how much you can do without. Even if you have a healthy budget, a Lonely Planet
guide or similar does give more detaill than a Travel Agents brochure and is worth the investment.
Before moving on to more specific places and acivities, a warning:
India is modernising and behaviour in parts of Goa and Vashisht (near Manali) may be very different from elsewhere. Parts of Goa was famous for beach parties, drugs etc. Some of this has moved elsewhere. Manali is working hard to dispell the hippie/marajuana image. If that's yor scene - ask other tourists who look like they have experience. Don't like to judge a book by it's cover but you know what I'm talking about. Finally, on a rafting trip above Rishkesh I came down river out of the raft and beached about 2km north of Rishikesh climbed on to the sand to wait for the raft to catch up. Two young, blonde Europeans were bathing topless. The beach was secluded but a about 8 people were sitting nearby and staring, others were coming down the path and a group was forming on the road about 400m away. I have bathed in a waterfall (in shorts). I hadn't seen anyone for 40 minutes but a whole family plus 3 or 4 others were sitting a few metres from my clothes. We chatted while I dressed. Usually these situations are friendly but these girls were taking a big risk - both of causing offence and attracting trouble.