Looking for info on India
 

I have recently become very interested in India.
I am hoping to travel there next summer, so
I'm wondering what would be the best way to go about
it. Are tours better, or travelling on your own?
Any kind of advice on travelling in India would be
very helpful,since I know virtually nothing about it.
Thanks!

Dear Nathalie,
I am going to India in the end of the year (half organized by myself, half by a travel agency) if you want to know my experience, please keep my e-mail and call me in the begining of next year (as you expect to go next summer). All the best, João

My wife & I were in India in Winter 95 and we enjoyed it absolutely. We covered Himalayan Himachal - Kullu, Manali and Solang valleys, Dharamsala and the Rajasthan circuit - Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodphur, Jaipur, Agra & Delhi. We backed out Kashmir in the last minute because of tourist kidnapping but Kullu-Solang valley was as beautiful. There is a quaint Bhutanese monastery in Manali not mentioned in most guidebooks. We attended a 3-day Himalayan Festival at Dharamsala where the Dalai Lama was there to officiate the opening ceremony. There were songs & dances everyday by Tibetans, Ladhakis, Gadis, Nepalis and Kashmiris. It was really colourful ! One very memorable experience we had in Rajasthan was a 3-day camel ride across parts of the Great Thar desert organised by World Expeditions India. They arranged 9 people (1 guide, 2 camel boys, 2 cooks, 2 musicians and 2 cartmen) to accompany just the 2 of us through the journey ! The route is entirely vehicle-free and no-tourists at all. We loved the mud-straw desert villages against a backdrop of sandunes or pastures teeming with camels and sheeps. Of all the cities, we loved Jaisalmer most - its quaint narrow streets of intricately carved goldensand mansions. Must try the palace hotels in Rajasthan ! Some are surprisingly cheap. We went to view the Taj Mahal both at dusk and at dawn, & its mood is really different ! Have a nice trip (e-mail me if you want further info).

Dear Natalie:
I am an Indo-Canadian as well as a Travel Counsellor Program student. Please tell me more about your interests, the length of your trip, how flexible are you regarding the timing (summer only?) of the trip, how much budget-oriented you are, are you interested in history, culture, religion, etc. of a destination or vacationing for pleasure only, travelling with children/friends/spouse, how much adventure is desired, interested in beauty & fun part only or are tolerant and curious for even other than beauty & fun too, what is your own cultural and ethnic background, etc.
I would really like to help you prepare for the trip and then to hear from you when you come back.

hi natalie...

welcome to india....nice choice in the sense it is one country with a lot of variety...people, culture, terrain, climate, flora & fauna, language, food, religion...

ideally, if you have time and don't mind taking a little initiative (cause govt. offices and tourist infrastructure is not as efficient as in the west)...ravelling by yourself is the best option. It is cheaper, more flexible, invigourating...a lot of people speak english in india, so language is really not much of a problem. basically people are helpful too...

kerala, tamilnadu in the south....himachal pradesh, uttar pradesh, rajasthan in the north and west bengal in the east would be accessible and interesting.

ideally, summer si to be avoided...don't come between mid-june and early september...it is monsoon time...

get in touch for more info...i have been to a lot of places myself...would love to share info...

happy planning...