Holiday in Northern India

The diverse profile of the land is striking. The ever-changing landscapes, history, culture, and cool weather all team up to create an attractive composition. The striking features, colorful masses, quaint hamlets, and ancient monuments thriving in absolute harmony with the urbanity blowing out of its seams beckon one and all.     

To the extreme north are the Himalayas. The World's tallest and newborn mountain range creates a spectacular panorama that mesmerizes to the core. The land encapsulates in the womb a region often called the foothills. It scales differing heights overlapping one above the other giving rise to a delightful tapestry of terrains.  

The fascinating Leh and Laddakh home of Buddhist monasteries, large swathes of the cold desert with rare wilderness are magnificent stretches that are no less than heaven on Earth. The Vale of Kashmir with its legendary beauty is one of the most enchanting paradises. Mountains, valleys, pristine rivers, and colorful gardens ensconce an agglomeration of courteous and friendly people with a simple lifestyle.         

Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand offer to escape from the drudgery of daily life in the cities. These are the Northern Indian States with hill resorts which are among the most popular with the local tourists. However, a large number of inbound tourists visit these places for bird watching and wildlife safaris. 

Shimla and Nainital are the best summer retreats that are popular for sightseeing and recreation. Shimla Hills is situated at the height of 2000 plus MSL and the city has become the capital of Himachal Pradesh in India.

Along with the State, there are many places for birding since the altitude migrants increase the numbers throughout. The high-altitude sub-alpine forests nurture a unique ecosystem that is home to rare forms of animals. Some of the species found here the musk deer, snow leopard, yak, blue sheep, tahr, Himalayan black bear, wolf, red panda, bharal, serow, brown bear, Himalayan civet, and leopard. 

Some of the popular wildlife destinations are the Great Himachal National Park and Pine Valley besides many sanctuaries suitable for safaris.  

Uttarakhand is home to many interesting destinations most popular being Corbett Tiger Reserve and Nainital Township in the Kumaon  Foothills. There are many retreats like Almora, Mussorie, Dehradun, Nainital DIstrict, and Binsar. From Binsar it possible to get a view of the Himalayan Range and enjoy wildlife as the sanctuary surrounds the destination. These places constitute excellent summer retreats while one can also visit National Parks for wildlife safaris. 

The animals seen are the goral, musk deer, hog deer, sambar, spotted deer, leopard, tiger, bears, and so on. Apart from Corbett or wild places are Nanda Devi, Valley of Flowers, and Rajaji National Park.      

The focus is on the Capital City which has magnetic attraction due to its buzzing lifestyle, rich culture, and amazing monuments. These are the delightful aspects of New Delhi, besides it acts as a conduit to many places of tourism in Northern India.  

Some of the worth visiting places are the Lotus Temple, Red Fort, Swami Narayan Temple, Qutub Minar, Chandni Chowk,  Cannaught Place, Jama Masjid & Lodhi Gardens. The city abounds in restaurants, malls, theaters, and many other places of interest.  

This bustling hub of humanity provides access to India through the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Flights connect to major cities in the country.  Most of the Embassies and Consulates are situated here.

Uttar Pradesh and Uttranchal State are popular for pilgrimage at many places. These are places much traveled by the Hindu pious to conduct religious rites and rituals and to attain peace and salvation.

The Ganges is the fulcrum of attraction in Uttar Pradesh and pilgrims and tourists alike visit the river banks at Varanasi and Allahabad. These are the two places that are must-visit for Hindus in the present birth.   Varanasi attracts a very large number of foreign travelers who arrive here on a spiritual quest, understanding Hinduism and its rites and rituals    

Mathura the birthplace of Lord Krishna is another popular destination. The city is full of visitors whence Lord's birth is celebrated during Janam Ashtami.  

From Mathura one proceeds to Agra for sightseeing. It is at a distance of 200 plus km and can be accessed by rail and road. The city is immensely popular because of monuments like the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, and Fatehpur Sikri. All the places can be visited in one day hence the tourists chalk out their itinerary from here.

Uttarakhand hosts many destinations popular for religious tourism especially Char Dham Yatra.  These places are Haridwar, Kedarnath, Badrinath, and Rishikesh which are included in the Yatra package. 

The places described above can be visited independently or one can be a part of a group. For solo travel, one needs to book all facilities in advance and be assured.   

The landing place is New Delhi from where one can visit Agra as per the itinerary. The tour design should be such that you move to one chosen destination after another. Hotel reservations taxi and local mode of transportation is essentially made much in advance. From here one can visit Jaipur the Pink City and the Capital of Rajasthan. By this journey, one can complete the Golden Triangle Tour in North & West India. 

For a wildlife safari at Ranthambore, one needs advance booking at the entry point. This can be done online as well as by contact. For bird watching a naturalist's guide should be brought into the picture using the hotel contacts. 

All travel accessories including medicine should be with you all the time. ATMs or banking facilities may not be available in remote places so keep the resources all along. Bargaining will help bring the cost down but this will only happen during the off-season.     

One can also be a part of a North India package tour if you are prepared for group travel. These are managed by many tour operators in India. This is a very comfortable way since one need not bother about booking and other arrangements. The added advantage is that of the group leader who usually accompanies throughout the itinerary.  

Make sure the taxi driver is accustomed to driving in the higher reaches. The roads can be full of climbs and contours...