India

India, Home of Cricket

Delhi is not only a dazzling destination in its own right, but also the starting point for India’s Golden Triangle. Take the triangle tour and you’ll be transported from the Georgian splendour and sizzling street food of Delhi to the romance of Agra’s Taj Mahal and pink palaces of Jaipur. In between you’ll experience the desert heat and varied landscape of Rajasthan. This trio of attractions and the journeys in between sum up India perfectly.

Visit Delhi

Delhi has a long and fascinating history, but in recent years has transformed itself into a global city. The colonnades and imperious facades of the British Raj are now dwarfed by office blocks. The modern metro, built for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, whisks you from spice market to stock market. In the middle lie temples and tea vendors, monuments and museums against the restless beat of humanity and horn-blaring traffic.

The Golden Triangle

Boasting romance, architecture and stunning landscape, India’s most popular tour has all corners covered. The Taj Mahal is a must-see miracle of Moghul architecture dedicated to a lost love, while the pink palaces of Jaipur will leave you with rose-tinted views of evocative India. Each leg of the triangular tour takes about half a day to travel so leave yourself enough time to savour an unforgettable experience.

Have a Chaat with a Local

The people of Delhi are a friendly bunch and enjoy nothing more than a chinwag over a bowl of something spicy. Delhi’s most famous street food is cooked up in the Chandni Chowk, a bustling warren of lanes close to the Red Fort and old Railway Station. Here you’ll find delicious cuisine from across the sub-continent, packaged up in a variety of edible packages alongside the ever-present chaat.

The Kingdom of Dreams

This modern entertainment complex teems with Indian enthusiasm and a variety of shows and exhibitions celebrating Indian culture and art. English-language headphones are a must if you want to understand all the Hindi jokes! If you’re inspired by the Bollywood routines, why not head along to the Delhi Dance Academy where they’ll teach you all the moves.

Jama Masjid

With imposing minarets and a courtyard which can accommodate thousands, the Jama Masjid is a thing of wonder. Built by Shah Jahan, who also commissioned the Taj Mahal, it is India’s largest mosque. Ascend the narrow, twisting stairs to the top of the towers, and you’ll be rewarded with magnificent views of Old Delhi.

Tiger Spotting

Yes, we know tigers actually have stripes! If you have designs on seeing them in the wild, then check out the tours available in the Ranthambore National Park. This wildlife reserve is relatively close to Jaipur and teems with native species living against a backdrop of jungle, deciduous forest and banyan trees.

India

The climate in India varies from a tropical monsoon climate in the south to a temperate climate in the north. If you are thinking of visiting Delhi, then best to visit the capital in October, November, February and March. That’s when the nights are cool and the days are filled with a little sunshine. May, June and July are very hot with temperatures over 45 degrees (113 Fahrenheit). It is a dry heat and is sometimes accompanied by dusty desert winds. Most of the rain falls between July and September, but they are not the tropical rains you’ll experience in India’s coastal cities.

The best travel time for India is very varied. The rainy season arrives around Kerala around the end of May. With regular and prolonged rain showers, alternating with heat and sunshine, which creates extreme humidity, it can be quite intense. So the best travel time in the south of India is during the cool, dry season, between November and March. November is the most beautiful month in terms of nature. Everything is still green because the rainy season just passed.

The North of India can best be visited in October and November or starting mid-February till May. From December to January it can still get very cold up the mountains.