India Tours

• Delhi, the Capital of India, has numerous historic monuments, markets, and is a major gateway to rest of Northern India.
• Bengaluru also known as the garden city, has been transformed into Silicon Valley with major software companies and an aviation/rail hub for South Central India.
• Chennai is the main port in Southern India - the cradle of Carnatic Music, Bharatanatyam and Indian Tamil Film Industry, and home of the famous Marina beach, Automobile Capital of India and a fast emerging IT hub.
• Jaipur, the Pink City, is a major exhibit of the Hindu Rajput culture of medieval Northern India.
• Kochi, the Queen of Arabian Sea, is the gateway to sandy beaches and backwaters.
• Kolkata is the hub to Eastern/North Eastern India and home to numerous colonial relics, eclectic culture, street food, Indian Bengali film industry, Oscar winners and Nobel Laureates, has earned the sobriquets of City of Joy, and the Cultural Capital of India.
• Mumbai, known as the financial capital of India, houses most of the Indian/multinational corporations, and not forgetting home to Bollywood.
• Shimla, the former summer capital of British India located in the Himalayan foothills with a large legacy of Victorian architecture.
• Varanasi is considered the most sacred Hindu city and one of the oldest continually inhabited cities of the world.

The currency in India is the Indian rupee (sign: ?; code: INR). The rupee is subdivided into 100 paise (singular: paisa). 5 rupees 75 paise would normally be written as ?5.75.

There are many ATMs in most towns, but we suggest carrying cash as a backup. A useful technique is to keep small notes (?10-50) in your wallet or in a pocket, and to keep larger notes separate. Then, it will not be obvious how much money you have.

Indian food has a well-deserved reputation for being hot, owing to the Indian penchant for the liberal use of a variety of spices, and potent fresh green chilies or red chilies powder - however the degree of spiciness does vary throughout the country.

It is, of course, impossible to do full justice to the range and diversity of Indian food - not only does every region of India have a distinctive cuisine, but you will also find that within a region its communities have different styles of cooking and often have their own signature. The adventurous traveler is to try various by lanes of the city and look for food in unlikely places like temples in search of culinary nirvana.

Indian food has a well-deserved reputation for being hot, owing to the Indian penchant for the liberal use of a variety of spices, and potent fresh green chilies or red chilies powder - however the degree of spiciness does vary throughout the country.

It is, of course, impossible to do full justice to the range and diversity of Indian food - not only does every region of India have a distinctive cuisine, but you will also find that within a region its communities have different styles of cooking and often have their own signature. The adventurous traveler is to try various by lanes of the city and look for food in unlikely places like temples in search of culinary nirvana.

Planning a trip in India depends not only on the length of your stay but also what all you would like to do and see. However, you can leave all the planning to us if you book your India trip with us - have a look at what tours we have to offer here.

While meal prices in India can vary, the average cost of food in India is around RS468 per day.

If you’re plan on dining out then it’s good to note that an average meal in India should cost around RS187 per person – breakfast prices are usually cheaper than lunch or dinner.

While many countries have one national language, India has a different language for each of its 29 states.

India still harbours a place for English. English is widely spoken – so much so, that there is a whole new word that describes the way English words creep into the local vernacular: Hinglish.

Yes, the CDC and WHO recommend the following vaccinations for India: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, cholera, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, meningitis, polio, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis), chickenpox, shingles, pneumonia and influenza.

How much your trip to India costs is determined by how long you’re planning on staying and what you plan on doing and seeing. At Encounters Travel we offer a wide range of tours that caters to every type of traveller – tours range from $1135 per person. Have a look at our India tours here.

The Taj Mahal - bigger and more majestic in person. This world wonder was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and took over twenty-two years to complete.

• Varanasi - the oldest city in the world and home to Hindu religious rituals, some harking back to the Vedic age, 5,000 years ago. Don't miss the evening Ganga Aarti.
  
• Sundarbans - home to the famous Royal Bengal tigers and estuarine crocodiles.
  
• Sangla Valley - considered one of the most beautiful valleys of the world lies in the upper regions of Himachal Pradesh.
  
• Leh - one of the highest inhabited cities of the world offering unbelievable landscapes.
  
• Srinagar - the capital of the State of Jammu and Kashmir is a beautiful city in the midst of the Himalayas.
  
• Gangtok - the Capital city of Sikkim is a bewitching hill-station located amidst the multiple-hued mountains.
  
• Holi - the Spring Festival of India, Holi - is a festival of colors. Celebrated in March or April, to welcome the spring and win the blessings of Gods for good harvests and fertility of the land.
  
• Diwali - the festival of lights, celebrated on a nation-wide scale on Amavasya - the 15th day of the dark fortnight of the Hindu month of Ashwin every year. It symbolizes that age-old culture of India which teaches to vanquish ignorance that subdues humanity and to drive away darkness.
  
• Pushkar Mela - Every November, the township of Pushkar in Rajasthan comes alive with a riot of colors and a frenzied burst of activity during the Pushkar Fair.

Ideally, try and visit only one region in a time frame of two weeks. You can do a good mix of highlight places and some less popular places in North India, or the same for South India. You could also look at an 8-9 day North India tour and end with 4-5 days on the beach.

The best time to visit India is between October and March when the monsoon rains have stopped and the country starts to warm up.

The climate does vary considerably by region though this is the peak travel season in Rajasthan and Kerala due to the agreeable weather conditions.

India is commonly known as one of the least expensive destinations for travellers. For those of you on the tightest of budgets, you could survive here in India with a daily spending limit of $15 per day.