India is electrified with a fabulously diverse range of people, cultures, traditions and landscapes. It is the seventh largest country, yet with over a billion people, is second only to China in population and with its growing economy it’ll soon join the ranks as a superpower. It is an extremely diverse country, with vast differences in geography, climate, culture, language and ethnicity across its expanse, and prides itself on being the largest democracy on Earth.
India's culture and heritage are a rich amalgam of the past and the present. This vast country offers the visitor a view of fascinating religions and ethnography, a vast variety of languages with more than 438 living languages, and monuments that have been present for thousands of years. As it opens up to a globalised world, India still has a depth of history and intensity of culture that awes and fascinates the many who visit there - Wikitravel.
There’s no doubt that India can be challenging, even the seasoned intrepid traveller may have their nerves frayed. There’s the poverty, the bureaucracy, the crowds, the griminess and then there is the 'tuk tuk' drivers and their horns...but this is all part of the Indian experience. It’s best to accept it as it is (to retain your sanity), and take breaks from the chaos of the cities to visit the mountains, a relaxed coastal town or an Ashram. India can be amazing and annoying but one things for sure any self respecting intrepid traveller needs to visit at least once!
Sri Harmandir Sahib, informally referred to as the "Golden Temple", is not only a central religious place of the Sikhs, but also a symbol of human brotherhood and equality. It is... Read more >>
It would take an overnight train, from New Delhi, bound for Palitana and Alang (in the Pakistan bordering state of Gujarat) and I would be close to achieving another of my goals of... Read more >>
No trip to India is complete without visiting the world famous Agra. If you’ve arrived into New Delhi, Agra is conveniently only 200km to the south so depending on the train or drive... Read more >>
Cochin is a cosmopolitan city and important port town in the southern state of Kerala. Any trip to southern India should include a stop here as Cochin has an interesting mix of Indian... Read more >>
One of the great things about travelling is that two neighbouring countries can be so different, even within a country like India from North to South (India’s incredible South) the... Read more >>
A 45 minute drive by shared taxi from Amritsar (the most convenient way of getting to the border), is the Wagah border between India and Pakistan; site of the world famous border closing... Read more >>
It’s common to make your way from Jaipur to another popular far flung destination on the intrepid travellers trail – the desert fort village/town of Jaisalmer. However, it’s a 600km, 10 – 12... Read more >>
India is approximately 11 times the size of New Zealand (my home country) and as of 2008 has 270 times the population. If New Zealand had the population density of India; New Zealand... Read more >>
Once my time in Kerala’s west coast town of Kochi had come to an end, my French travel buddy and I boarded a local open-air bus from Kottayam enroute to the beautiful hill... Read more >>
After the big ‘come down’ from our Everest experience (more literally than mentally), we left Kathmandu the day our Nepal visa expired, hoping we would avoid complications... Read more >>
Varanasi is an historical city in the northern part of India, not far from Nepal that is located on the banks of the holy Ganga (Ganges) River. It is considered the spiritual capital of India... Read more >>
Something I have found very annoying and disheartening about India that young travellers, especially ever so slightly naive young Europeans, is Scammers. Sure these people may be... Read more >>