Hi guys. I am trying to develop a preliminary itinerary well ahead of our vacation. I've already researched a couple of locations for sightseeing but I'd to add some more to the list. What's on your must-see/must-do list? If you've already been to India, what would you recommend I add to my list? Thanks!!
Hello Annette... Hope everything is fine...can you please mention the dates/months so i can better suggest you the places as some places can be very-very hot during some particular months and some places can be very cold.But i better will suggest you to do the following,it depends how many days have you got in hand?. Delhi,Mandawa,Bikaner,Jaisalmer,Jodhpur,Udaipur,Pushkar,Jaipur,Agra,Varanasi and Back to Delhi,still if you have sometime than do Bombay (Mumbai) and Goa (beaches). Please don't hesitate to contact me for for any information,enquiry or any matter,subject,basic information etc.
The route that M.Nayak has outlined is a great route. I agree, though - it depends on when you're going, and also on what the couple of locations that you've already identified are. Are you wanting to go to the north, the south, or somewhere else? What sort of holiday are you looking for - do you like mountains, beaches, temples, cities, deserts, water? And how long will you have? I'm so excited for you, though - whatever you end up doing, a trip to India will be wonderful.
Well I was very fortunate because I got to see the one really big thing that was on my list and that was the Ganges River. I had always had that picture in my mind since I was a little kid and always dreamed of going there, and have read some really good literature that incorporates the river a lot, so it just made sense for me. It was amazing too, so I certainly recommend that.
Aside from the local folklore, I am also interested in learning about the different spices used in India. I've seen a movie called "Mistress of Spices" and learned that spices there are not just for cooking. Shopping for ethnic clothing is also in my list, seeing festivals if there are any at the time of my travel and definitely sampling the local cuisine.
In India? Definitely to see and at least get a close look at the wildlife. Elephants, tigers, lions even. I would love to actually see these majestic creatures that I have only seen in the books and on television. I'd love to watch them in their natural habitat, interacting with other animals, and maybe even hunting their prey. I have always been an animal lover, and to see these wild creatures up close in their environment would absolutely be a dream come true for me. Hopefully, I get to do it soon.
Personally I like doing a lot of hands on stuff, so one of the biggest things I want to do is a cooking class -- learning how to make authentic Indian cuisine really interests me, and I love learning about a country and their culture through their food! I am also big on outdoorsy stuff, and I've heard great things about Kaziranga national park and Jim Corbett national park. I would really like to see either one of those, or both if time permits. And of course, the Taj Mahal - it probably sounds a bit cliche since its most likely on every tourists list - but it just looks so majestic!
Of everything India, my must-go to place will have to be Taj Mahal. It's one of those places that got imprinted in my brain when my high school teacher kept talking about India. Also, I was watching an American TV series that caught my interest. The show featured a scene during a festival. I believe it was a Color Festival or Holi. I didn't hear of this festival before until I saw it on TV. I thought it was interesting. I'm no party person, but the festival just looked fun with people dancing and having a grand time.
Hi! It would be nice if we can know when you're going to suggest places fit for the weather and temperature. And it would also be nice to give us some details on your interests and likes. However, there are must-see places in India in my opinion, here they are: Islands of Lakshadweep. It is located in the Union Territory of India. Aside from the spectacular views of the beaches, water sports are pretty popular here. But for me, just basking in the water is the way to enjoy this island. Waterfalls in Shillong. Located in Mawsynram, this offers an amazing view of the waterfalls. It rains almost all year round here and it's considered the wettest place on Earth. Backwaters of Kerala. It is a one-of-a-kind experience to tour the backwaters in their very own house boats. You get to see birds and aquatic animals. But most of all, just seeing the beauty of the five lakes intertwined, it's majestic. Valleys of Srinagar. You can see changing colours of nature, from flowers, to trees, to other kinds of plants... If you're a nature lover, it's definitely a must-see destination. Trekking Leh Ladakh. This is undeniably one of the most popular destinations in India. I think being able to camp there especially at night, it's unforgettable, seeing the stars and being able to be with locals and tourists alike. I hope this helps!
Explore the caver's paradise in Meghalaya. If you like caving and spelunking, this is definitely something that you should consider doing. Meghalaya's cave systems are among the longest and deepest in South Asia. Exploring the depths of the caves can take several hours. It's an experience that welcomes both beginners and advanced spelunkers.
Varanasi is meant to have the Ganga rivers and meant to be holy to the people and people live near it even and put the ashes of the dead in it when they pass away, tourists go there to relax and also wash in the holy water to enjoy it and it is said to wipe the sins away and can be a nice place to visit. Kurukshetra is another place located in Haryana district where the epic battle occurred Mahabharata war and is a holy place and even has a university there now and consumption of meat is not allowed in this area so need to be aware of that and you can visit the crocodile farm and other places in the area while visiting this place. Mumbai is a good place as it is a big city and where the film industry is and also you may be able to have a tour of the place and even see actors if you are lucky so try and enjoy the place if going to Mumbai in your travels.
There's so much to see and do in India that it's hard to even know where to start. I am personally very interested in gardens and temples, and for temples, ruins are of just as much interest as working/living temples. But there are so many of both! The Waterfalls in Shillong and Backwaters of Kerala sound really neat too! Thank you for sharing that information.
I would actually love to visit "The Ganges in Varanasi", it looks really beautiful out there, plus millions of people rely on it. I hate that it's so polluted because obviously having millions of people use that as their main water source is not good. I think that it would be an amazing site, and definitely makes my to do list.
I will make sure that I visit one of the 49 tiger reserves. We don't have a tiger reserve in my country and that's why I will have it on my list. I also like eating traditional foods. I will also like to visit and eat in hotels that cook traditional Indian foods.
I had the same idea for my next trip and I had a list of things I would like to do in India and all the places I would love to visit. Now thanks to all these very helpful suggestions I have amended my list (well, actually it's more like a brand new list now) and it looks way more interesting than it did before. Thanks guys for all the great suggestions.
One thing that seems to be generally missing from many of the suggestions here are hill stations. Hill stations are places in the hills in India that the British in India would go to during the summers. Because of that they preserve a part of the British history in India with many colonial buildings and culture. This aspect of Indian culture, the part created by interaction with British culture, is one that is often overlooked by foreigners. I'd recommend at least one hill station visit in a trip to India. Ooty, Shimla, Kodaikanal are all popular options.
