Jim Corbett National Park

Corbett, the first national park and tiger reserve in India, is located in the valley of the Ramganga River near the foothills of the Himalayas. Its proximity to Delhi and its wildlife make it a must visit destination for residents and guests tempted to go beyond the capital of India. While visiting Corbett you would be able to stay right within it at Dhikala and other forest rest house.
For birdwatchers, there are over 580 species to view; moreover you can also view reptiles such as turtles and gharial. All of which make Corbett one of the most complete wildlife experiences, besides being close enough to them without any hesitation.
Tourists are only allowed restricted entry by permit into about 100km of the tiger reserve area. You can enter them through Dhikala from the Dhangarhi gate, Bijrani from the Amdanda gate and Jhirna from the Dhela gate. Permission to enter the park are issued at the Tourist Reception Centre or the park’s entrance gate at Dhangarhi for Dhikala which is also the main center of activity in the park.
Visitors must move around in the park by car or jeep, accompanied by a licensed guide and most important walking is strictly prohibited and if found you will be arrested. There are few private resorts spread out and the forest department also provides few rest houses in the reserve area. Entry fee for Indians is Rs 30; foreigners Rs. 350, for elephant ride Indians Rs. 100, foreigners Rs 200 and a licensed guide Rs. 75 per trip.
You can also take a safari among the muddy tracks of Corbett lined with shoulder high grass on both the side or hire a vehicle from the forest Department or various tour organizers. You should carry a pair of binoculars, water and a heat gear. You might not be lucky enough to sight a tiger but you might certainly hear the roar of one or see the tiger’s pugmarks or his half eaten kill. Full jeep hire costs Rs700 from KMVN. Private jeeps are also available outside the park gates at Rs500-600 for the trip.
Clambering onto an elephant is the most promising way of tracking tigers. Plus you would also feel safe when you spot tiger while the elephant moves up closer to give you a better view. Also try the elephant safari at least once, preferably in the evening. Make your booking at the Forest Department well in advance as these rides are popular and get fully booked very soon. Fishing is not allowed inside the reserve.
Corbett also has many resorts in the area, which are full of vacationers on weekends for part of the year when the park is closed. So do book in advance.

Rajasthan, The Desert Fortress

Rajasthan

Rajasthan is a vibrant, exotic state where tradition and royal glory meet in a riot of colors against the vast backdrop of sand and desert. It has an unusual diversity in its entire forms- people, customs, culture, costumes, music, manners, dialects, cuisine and physiography. The land is endowed with invincible forts, magnificent palace havelis, rich culture and heritage, beauty and natural resources. It is a land rich in music, Dance, Art & Craft and Adventure, a land that never ceases to intrigue & enchant.

In the west, Rajasthan is relatively dry and infertile; this area includes some of the Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert. In the southwestern part of the state, the land is wetter, hilly, and more fertile. The climate varies throughout Rajasthan. On average winter temperatures range from 8° to 28° C (46° to 82° F) and summer temperatures range from 25° to 46° C (77° to 115° F).

The magic of Rajasthan is unequalled in the world for its heritage, culture, safaris, sand dunes and lush green forests with its wildlife. The Amber Fort, Jantar Mantar, Dilwara Temples, Chittorgarh Fort, Lake Palace Hotel, Jain temples, Lohagarh Fort, Keoladeo National Park, Hawa Mahal, Pichhola Lake, City Palace and Jaisalmer Havelis provide a plethora of entertainment and information to the inquisitive traveler.

Like its heritage, Rajasthan is culturally rich and has an extensive art and culture tradition, which reflects the Indian way life. The erstwhile rulers and patrons promoted the dance, music and art forms ardently and to this day, you will find colourfully clad men, women and children sing blissfully to the tunes of the ‘sarangi’ (musical instrument with strings). The music renders uncomplicated innocence and the songs depict day-to-day relationships and household chores. The Rajasthani folk dance is unparallel in form and technique. What is interesting is the interweaving of bravery, culture, tradition, romance, treachery, ethos, drama in these dances.

Rajasthan is also proud of its rich and varied folk culture espoused from villages. The fascinating & mesmerizing culture is a proliferation of the Rajput lifestyle followed since ages.

This ‘Pink City’ also offers some very exciting outdoor activities for the thirsty traveler. With a varied topography like desert, lakes and jungle, all encompassed in one shell, travelers can take a safari ride on horses, camels, elephants or even jeeps with the Aravalis - India's oldest mountain range in the backdrop, enjoy a starlit dinner next to the sloppy sand dunes or trail a tiger or just watch birds on wetland. Alternatively, wildlife enthusiasts can go to Ranthambore to spot tigers.

Rajasthan owes its culinary excellence to the Rajput rulers. During their rule, the preparation of food was a very complex matter and was raised to the levels of an art form. Rajasthani cooking was inclined to the war-like lifestyle of medieval Rajasthan and the availability of ingredients of the region. Food that could last for several days and could be eaten without heating was preferred, more out of necessity than choice. Thus the 'Khansamas' (the royal cooks) worked in the stately palaces and kept their most enigmatic recipes to themselves. Some recipes were passed on to their descendants and the rest were passed on as skills to the chefs of semi states and the branded hotel companies. Today, the royal kitchens of Rajasthan have attained international recognition with their lip smacking dishes like ‘dal bati chuirma’, ‘sangri ki subzi’ and ‘kaer ka achar’.

A resplendent tradition and culture with an even resplendent lifestyle, the colourful Rajasthan is a heaven for travelers offering diverse cuisines, music and soul endearing folklore.

Kerala, The Land of Trees

Kerala

Kerala is a green strip of land, in the South West corner of Indian peninsula. It has only 1.1 8 per cent of the total area of the country but houses 3.43% of the the country's population. Kerala is a land of rivers and backwaters.

There are a thousand things that you can do like embark on an enchanting journey on the speckled backwaters on a kettuvallom, a fully furnished traditional rice boat, venture in to the very heart of the paddy fields, on narrow dykes with water passage running through the muddy path, cross water bodies with extremely narrow bridges or watch the natives do so. You can even drift across cheerful and colourful banks in a country raft or tread a treadmill used for irrigation even today.

If you have an experimenting palette, you can feast here relishing the traditional panorama of vellayappam, Uppuma, iddli, puttu, masala dosa, appams, vegetable/meat stew, kappa and meen curry, hot red fish curry with steamed tapioca or boiled rice. If you are not the one dish at a time person, just can roll your sleeves and savour a multi course feast of rice, 15 vegetarian dishes, spicy pickles, crunchy banana chips, crispy pappadams, plantains and payasam- the dessert. Served on a plantain leaf, the meal is eaten with the fingers. Apart from all this, sip on coconut juice all throughout or relish the soft white flesh, natural and healthy. Indulge with a swig of toddy or fresh madbura kallu prepared from sweet toddy extracted from the coconut palm. Teem it with exotic karimeen pollichathu (baked fresh water fish) or spicy pickles. If you are a fish eater, visit the Malabar Coast and at Vasco da Gama Square in Fort Kochi and take your pick from the inviting display of juicy sear fish, sardines, prawns, red snappers etc. and ask the fishermen to fry it the local way for you for an unforgettable snack.

Having toured and eaten to your heart’s fill, you can now turn your focus on something lavish…Keralan sarees. With thousands of colours, pattern, fabric, embroidery to choose from, Kerala offers something to suit every pocket. This five metres of fine off-white cotton edged saree with golden zari that lends an extraordinary elegance to the person wearing it, is woven from traditional handloom. Run around with gajras or a string of jasmine flowers adorning your head along with the swish sash of the patt pavada. Kerala is the spice capital of India and you cannot leave the place with a bagful of these aromatic spices.
The more adventurous can visit Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Thekkady and go on a safari in an elephant. Try following the tiger trail and spotting one, apart from the numerous egrets, herons, Siberian stork, darters, teals and hundreds of other migratory birds found here.

If you are a luxurious traveler, you cannot return without pampering yourself to an authentic Kerala massage. The options range from rejuvenation therapies like Shirodhara, Navarakizhi and Pizhichil to medicated treatments like Panchakarma processes of Vamana, Virechana and Raktamoksham etc.

Kerala is a magical place that offers so much to see and do, and yet leave you yearning for more. The addictive charm of the place mixed with the hospitality of the people and the fast urbanization definitely makes Kerala one of the most sought after destinations of today.

Agra, The City of Love

Agra's climate is tropical and prone to extremes, reaching as high as 45ºC (113ºF) during the summer and as low as 4ºC (40ºF) in the winter. The city is dirty and polluted. There are crowds everywhere and the exhaust fumes threaten to choke you. The rainy season is between June and September and the city receives annual rainfall of 660 millimeters (26 inches). But one look at the Taj Mahal and you forget everything else. I stood in a queue for half an hour and was frisked before entering the complex but did not mind the waiting at all once I set my eyes at mausoleum. It’s is beyond beautiful and no pictures can do justice to its perfect symmetry. It towers above all, and the marble changes colour with the passage of the day. I roamed the lawns and the fountains and took pictures from what seemed thousands vantage points.

Agra also has beautiful forts, palaces and mosques. The Agra Red Fort is a sprawling structure and the Jama Masjid awe inspiring. The abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri is an architectural marvel. It was built by Akbar from scratch who wanted to make it his capital. But the city was abandoned within a year due to scarcity of water. Nevertheless, it is beautiful, built with red sand stone. It has huge courtyards, arches, palaces and domes. 37 km from Agra, it combines Islamic and Hindu styles of architecture, reflective of Akbar’s ideology. Fatehpur Sikri means the City of Victory. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Agra also had exciting shopping options. I am enamoured with handicrafts and Agra seemed to be the perfect choice for me. Shops were stacked with marble and soft stone inlay work, leather ware, brassware, carpets, jewellery and zari and zardozi forms of embroidery. Agra is also well known for its sweets 'Petha' and 'Gazak' and saltish snack 'Dalmoth.

Hotels in Agra offer a wide variety of cuisines which will tingle your taste buds and make you Hungry. Specialty Restaurants in the Hotels offer evening entertainment besides mouth watering delicacies which were perfected over centuries and passed on to the generations uptilll now.
Agra is famous for the Taj Mahotsav. During this time, visitors to the city will be graced by cultural performances and get an insight into the arts and crafts of the region. Traditional music, poetic recitals, classical dances and rides on bedecked camels and elephants are other highlights. Other major religious festivals including Eid and the Kailash Fair, honouring Lord Shiva, are also celebrated here.

Agra epitomises the high point of Mughal architectural achievement with its heritage and cultural splendor and in this respect even overshadows Delhi which was the capital of various kings and emperors for over a thousand years.

Goa, The Tourist Paradise

Ibiza of India, Goa is the hottest destination for bohemian rivers and the raging sea. Goa offers a seductive atmosphere with a plethora of things to do, at the same time, relax. Swim in the open sea, lounge in the sensuous sun or get high on life. It is the place to be.

Geographically, Goa is a small state in the west coast of India. Surrounded on the coastal side by the Arabian Sea, Goa’s immediate land neighbours are Mumbai and Gujarat. Covering an area of 3702 square kilometers, Goa was liberated from the Portuguese rule in 1961 and went on to become a state in May 1987. Goa is divided into north and south zones with Panjim as the capital.

Goa is the ultimate holiday destination not only for Indians but for foreigners as well because of the cost effective options available in plenty. Popular amongst people from all age groups, you see couple, families and young groups alike thronging here in dozens. And rightly so. Goa is the best place to party, relax, sunbathe, shop and drink!

The golden beaches, the silky sand and the dusky sunset, what more do you need to make your vacation memorable? This with a nice massage on the beach, a nice chill cocktail and a book beside you…spells heaven on earth. Water persons can busy themselves with para sailing, motor boats, banana boating etc.

Off the sea too, there are a good many things to do and see. Goa is the outcome of a rich and cultural heritage because of the Portuguese and Dutch influence. So there are a lot of churches, temples and remains of a thriving culture reminiscent in the architecture. The churches in Old Goa and Panjim have a charm of its own, both for religious significance and beauty. The famous Basilica of Bom Jesus is located 10 km east Panaji is considered as one of the best examples of Baroque architecture in India. An opulent structure, the Basilica incorporates white marble and has beautifully gilded altars decorated with frescoes and inlay work. Other famous churches are the mausoleum of St. Xavier, Se' Cathedral, the Church and Convent of St. Francis of Assisi, Church of Lady of Rosary; Church of St. Augustine are among some other famous Churches and Convents of Goa.
Some of the temples of Goa include Sri Mangesh Temple, Shri Ananta Temple and Shanta Durga temple etc.

If not water surfing or temple/church hopping, indulge in the most sinful activity here…eat. Goa offers the most amazing culinary delights varying from delicious sea food like squid, lobster, prawns and kingfish. Also try the lip smacking desserts and fresh fruit juices available in almost all the shacks. For those high on liquor, Goan wine besides the regular alcohol is a great option.

Goa is flooded with flea markets assorted with clothes, bags, shoes, lamp shades, bags and jewelery from across the globe. Sea shells and beautiful rosaries, crosses and port wine form excellent souvenirs.

Away from the materialistic delights, Goa is secular in the truest sense that religions across all origins live harmonious together. Churches with temples and mosques stand in complete harmony with each other, an example that everyone should follow.

This emerald territory tucked between the sea and land is indeed a very precious jewel of the great land of India.