If someone asks me to describe India, I would pick up a few adjectives that can sum up the real meaning of the country. Diversified, colossal, rich culture (that varies after every few km), spiritual, overwhelming, and crazy, these are some of the words that beautifully defines India and what you’re going to witness once there. Traveling to India might seem a bit daunting to some but if you plan to pay a visit to the country, you’ll definitely gain an incredible experience. Since the country is so massive and every city, state, and even the district has something different and unique for, a trip to India can be a tough task. But if you’re already clear with your choices, there’s nothing you can’t do on your trip to India. Thus, I am going to help you out with everything to make your trip to India safe and sound.
Best Time to Visit India
If you’re planning to be on a trip to India, your first concern should be when to come to India or which is the best season to be a guest of India. Well, actually there’s no specific best season to visit India, but yes, some specific places to visit during their respective best seasons. Since India has a very distinctive pattern of weather and concept of the season, you can’t really decide that this time would be the perfect one to explore the country. Well, October to March is generally considered the peak season to visit India but that doesn’t mean you can’t be there during off-seasons. It’s just that you need to think of a different place.
How long you can stay?
Well, if you’re from India itself then you simply need to check out the best places to visit in India, when to visit, or best places to stay etc. But for the tourists who are coming from all around to visit the county should get a tourist visa of at least 6-months. It’s not that you cannot stay longer but no type of visa allows you to stay here for more than 180 days. Thus, you need to go back to your country and then visit India again.
Talking about the number of days you should spend to explore the county in the best way possible. You should take out at least 10-12 weeks, if possible. India has to proffer you with a lot, from the Himalayas to the deserts, busy cities, beaches, jungles, and many more. To be honest, it would take anyone more than a year to travel through all these amazing places, but unfortunately, you have to make some tough choices.
Don’t fret, if you have a few couples of months, shortlist your preferences and what attracts you the most. Make it those places for sure and explore them in the best way possible.
What to pack when traveling to India?
Oh lord, all these stuff are important for me, what should I take and what should I leave? This is one of the constant things that run in the mind while packing. Let me tell you that packing for India is no headache, even if you forget something, you can have here in the country. Still, there are a few things you really need to get to make your trip to India much easier. So, to make it very basic and easy for you here’s what you should pack for your trip to India. First, figure out what regions you’re going to explore in India, is it desert, city, mountain, beach, forests, or ghats.
Now, you can pack your valuables accordingly, for example, if you’re going on a trek, take a nice backpack, comfortable shoes, and proper clothing. You can take loose fitting clothes and a good pair of slippers if visiting the beach is your plan. Don’t forget to keep your essentials that include your travel insurance, visa, and a new SIM as soon as you reach there.
Things to do in India
India is actually the country painted with different colors of diversity and rich culture, and this is for sure that you can’t see everything in a single trip. Thus, here comes the tough part where you need to jot down your choices. Take some time and ponder upon what you like the most, which places can give your eternal happiness, and most importantly how much time do you have? After you write down thing, planning for the can become much easier. To help you out, I have scribbled down the possible itineraries you can choose from.
The Classics: If you’re short on time and want to explore the best of the places in India, try the popular ‘Golden Triangle’ that covers the country’s top three destinations i.e. Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. This is one of the routes that can be covered easily in a week if you have no issues traveling every 2-3 days. Get started with Delhi, have tempting food at Purani Dilli (Chandni Chowk), visit Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb. Then you can move to Agra and appreciate one of the 7 Wonders of World, Taj Mahal along with Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. After this, you can move towards Jaipur and let your soul get lost in the beautiful Pink City and the fort of Amber. Don’t miss to go shopping because these places provide you with the best quality things at a quite affordable price. P.S: Learn a few bargaining skills already.
Holy Sites: If religious sites or temples is what that attracts you the most. If you love to hear about the mythological stories behind different temples, India is one place that allows you to explore a number of temples. Go anywhere and you’ll definitely find some very famous temples out there.
When in India, do visit the Golden Temple at Amritsar, or witness the amazing carved edifices of Khajuraho, Konark’s Sun Temple is another beautiful temple you need to have a look at, or maybe amazing Jain Temples in Rajasthan and Gujarat built with milk-white marble. If you’re heading towards the South, one thing is definitely sure that the temples there will leave you spellbound, some of the best one are basara temple, chilkur balaji etc . Make you way to Madurai, Hampi, Tiruvannamalai, and Tiruchirapalli. Besides this, your should even visit Mumbai’s Ajanta and Ellora caves, and Elephanta Island.
Mughal Magic: If there’s anyone who loves admiring the Islamic architecture make sure you add Delhi in your list, which is home to many forts, mosques, and other historical places. If you have enough time left, you can make Agra your next destination and witness the best Mughal glory at Fatehpur Sikri and the symbol of love, Taj Mahal. One can even move to Jaisalmer and enjoy the Arabian Nights desert fortress.
Wildlife: India is home to numerous National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries where you see the best wildlife. Head towards the national parks of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and spot the fearless tigers. Other sanctuaries in India include Little Rann and Sasan Gir of Gujarat, Wayand in Kerala, and amazing birdlife at Bharatpur, Rajasthan. India puts many wildlife conversation efforts to conserve its species. There’s one other option that is not exactly wildlife but definitely something very exciting i.e. camel treks through the deserts of Bikaner in Rajasthan or Jaisalmer.
Mountainous Life: The Northern part of India is definitely the ideal place for those who want an adrenaline rush and wish to indulge in some kind of adventurous activities. You can start with Shimla, one of the best and classic hill stations in India. If you want to be a part of trekking, skiing, and white-water rafting, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh can be a perfect choice. Manali is yet another great option for trekking and keep in mind that months after monsoon i.e. September/ October are considered the best months to go on a trek. If you’re visiting somewhere between mid-June to mid-September, you can make your way to Leh in Ladakh that offers you with some breathtaking hiking trails. Rishikesh is also one of the places that can be considered for rafting and trekking, which is also home to sacred mountain temples.
Beaches and Waterways: Do you want to witness India’s most wonderful beaches? Book your tickets for the southern part. You can even make your way to Mumbai and have some exotic food at the Chowpatties. If Goa is the place you want to explore, make sure add some of the beaches like Palolem, Vagator, Arambol, Baga in your list. You can even explore some black sand beaches in Kerala namely Kovalam and Varkala. The place is even known for its famous backwaters where you can hire a houseboat and gain an amazing experience. Srinagar in Kashmir is yet another place that is also called as ‘Heaven on Earth’ where you can quite a similar experience in Dal Lake.
Spiritual India: When in India try not to miss the see the spiritual side of the country. Move to the pilgrimage towns of India like Varanasi, Ajmer, and Pushkar in Rajasthan, or maybe Amritsar in Punjab. You can move to Delhi suburbs or the ashrams of Rishikesh if yoga and meditation classes are what you’re looking for. Also, if you wish to come across the Buddhist culture, make your way to Tibetian-Buddhist centers in Leh-Ladakh or McLeod Ganj.
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