Tourism in India (cont'd)
When you think of India, it is likely that you consider the traditional beaches, palaces and possibly wildlife. There is much much more....
Below are a few examples. More information can be found with a simple search of the web (see above)
Festivals
India has many festivals. We cover a few key ones on our Festivals, Religion and Secularism page but there are others as well as Republic Day. Timing a visit to take in a festival, most notably Dussehra, Diwali or Holi is to be recommended. Kumbh Mela requires a little more planning and time.
Spiritual
There are some key places to visit outside of the special dates such as Haridwar during the Kumbh.
- Gangotri - The glacier that is the source of the Ganga. It is receding yearly due to global warming. Hindu pilgrims walk there in numbers to touch the galcier and bathe in the waters.
- Rishikesh - On the trail to Gangotri. A big centre for Yoga on an residential or day basis
- Mysore - South India's answer to Rishkesh. See also Tamil Nadu. Take in a vegetarian cookery course at the same time!
- Amritsar - The Golden Temple. You may have seen Michael Palin but you can't beat trying it out.
- Ladakh/Zanskar - Many Buddhist temples are open for people to meditate
and learn. Leh is the staring point and temples or Stupa's are close, can be trekked to or reached by road.
Adventure Activities
Whilst India doesn't head most peoples list of sporting nations, the choice for the tourist grows each year. We can't emphsise how important the right insurance is for these activities.
- Rafting - Across the north of India moving up the Ganga as the year progresses an flow diminishes. Also in parts of the south.
- Climbing - Growing in popularity. We are only familiar with the Manali area. Always go with guides at first. Some areas are restricted.
- Trekking - Possible across hils, desert, game reserves, coast. Read the
guides and take advice and/or guides as suits the terrain & climate.
- Handgliding/Parascending - Again growing in popularity. Check for the age of equipment. Do some research and ensure the instructor know the area very well. Updrafts & air patterns need to be understood to maximise saftey.
- Skiing - There is some good skiing across the Himalayan areas. It doesn't rival much of the world's key resorts but lifts and pistes are there.
- Camel Safari/Pony Trekking - Rajasthan offers various treks across the
desert areas. Jaisailmir has been mentioned but there are others. Pony and even Yak treking takes place in eth Himalayan regions. The Hills in Kerala and Karnartake offer suitable routes.
- Fishing - We have fished in several areas as part of motorcycle treks in Himachal Pradesh. The rivers on the plains are not clean so you take your chances. There are hill resorts on the rivers of Kerala and Karnartaka that offer on river accomodation and fishing. Sea fishing is possible at most resorts. Pricing varies as does the craft. Avoid anyone who is overloading the boat.
Architecture/Culture
As we have mentioned earlier areas such as Agra have more to offer than the Taj. 
Museums in India are generally awful and are shown up by most school displays. The architecture and heritage can look tatty. The centre of Gwalior, for example, must have been quite a sight in its heyday but the conversion of the 19th century buildings into metal shuttered markets guarantees they will not be restored. The Tuglukabad Fort on the southern Fringe of Delhi is huge but the authorities have achived little 
in 60 years of independance in stopping the site being used as grazing grounds, a source of stone and parts of it a giant toilet. There are pleasant surprises. The ruins in the desert and the eroticaly carved temple were unexpected. The main fort in Jodhpur was worth the visit, and the slightly pricey lunch, to be far from the madding crowds. The Red Fort in Delhi can be a nightmare of tour guides but there are marble alcoves that are cool on the hottest days and hawkers are banned from the interior of the huge site.
"Musical Express July 2007" - A World Heritage Project backed, Anglo-Indan Not-for-Profit, theatre company seeks additional support in India. Not paid for link. Tigersfeet support cultural exchange initiatives. Not for profit and charitable concerns should contact us for links on this site.
There is a fairly strong theatre and literature tradition in India. As English is the language of business and he educated, much is in English although there are also plenty of Hindi and local language presentations.
Dance and music are popular. There are course in traditional dance, musical recitals and lessons for sitar and other instruments.
There are 'What's On' type publications in many cities and local web searches and hotel handouts at the top end of the market will have information if the local tourist office is closed or less than bothered.
We would appreciate any comments or examples from anyone who attended rather than wishes to promote any activities in this section. info@tigersfeet.com