Must See India Blog

Tiger Population Rises In Assam

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:35:00 +0000

The announcement of the increased rates of the Bengal tiger counts in Assam made by the State Forest Minister Rockful Hussain has brought smiles to many wildlife lovers. The latest tiger census revealed the presence of 143 big cats in the state, which is good news for wildlife lovers.

The census reveals the increased of tigers in various wildlife sanctuaries, with the highest number of them being at Kaziranga National Park in Upper Assam, which is a world heritage site. Tigers are present in Manas tiger reserve and Nameri and Orang wildlife sanctuaries.

The biggest threat of disappearing of big cats has now been little lessened with the increasing population of tigers in Assam.

Enthusiasts to celebrate: India’s tiger population has grown. Check out this clip to celebrate.

Must See India wins Manthan Award

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:23:00 +0000

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Must See India has won the Manthan Awards in e-Travel & Tourism category.

Manthan Awards celebrate excellence in each of the fields across entire South Asia. It received over 450 nominations. We are honored to receive this award.

This award is a tribute to the awesome team that has put tons of effort in creating mustseeindia.com as the no. 1 Travel information portal in India. We thank all our users for their faith and contribution in the awards and accolades this season.

Nominated for Multiple Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:13:00 +0000

We are glad that Must See India has been nominated for multiple awards, including

Times Travel Honours

Top 50 startups by Nasscom

Best company in South Asia

Congratulations to all! It's an amazing feeling and entire Must See India team thank you all for your support.

Top travel sites in India

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 10:57:00 +0000

Tnooz, leading blog focusing on latest news and analysis in travel and tourism sector, has started publishing list of top travel sites in India and we are glad to be in top 3.

Thanks for all the love, looking forward to similar support in future.

And oh, we're hiring.

Innovations that rake in the dough: Must See India

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 07:18:00 +0000

Must See India is featured in Edex supplement of New Indian Express today (Oct 25, 2010). In the run up to the Pan IIT Conference in Noida this Friday, the New Indian Express has covered 8 IIT startups in the cover story, including mustseeindia.com, titled "Innovations that rake in the dough".

(In Photo: Vikas, Sanjay & Karan)

Here's the excerpt covering mustseeindia.com -

You can catch the story online at http://expressbuzz.com/education/innovations-that-rake-in-the-dough/217523.html

Ganesha, Gangtok, Ganges & more...

noreply@blogger.com (shwetha) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 05:41:00 +0000

Festivities filled the air this past week all across the South and Maharashtra, where Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated with full vigor and grandeur. And the blogging community was out and about capturing the mood of the devotees. Here's our first pick of the week "Ganapati Bappa Moriya"!

1. Festive mood: Ganesh Chaturthi

We picked Lakshmi's short and sweet right up,capturing the vivid colors and festive frenzy! In her words..

Frenzied drum beats as towering Ganeshas are paraded in autos ,crowds beating the rains and shopping for their puja paraphernalia,chaos wearing the cloak of a celebration - this is Ganesh Chaturthi,according to me the most frenzied festival.

Talking about her walk down Malleshwaram, which is the hub of all the action much like Jayanagar in the south of Bangalore, she watches as craftsmen give the final touches to the idols and people take their pick from the several sizes, designs and colors. She says

And this is just the beginning as the loud pandals, the processions and the immersions are yet to happen. Today however Bangaloreans forgot the slush and the rains and flooded the market, looking for their Gowri and Ganesha.I was in Malleswaram, where the action happens.

For her detailed write up, Click here

2. Terrakotta temples: Bishnupur

From gods to idol carvings of a different kind, Anuradha's travels talk about the Terrakotta temples of Bishnupur. An unexplored little town, she goes on to say

Bishnupur is home to many terracotta temples spread across the town, peeping out at every nook and corner and sometimes standing tall in vast plains, some by the numerous small lakes that punctuate the town and some amongst the town, a part of its daily life by way of play ground for children and meeting places for adults.

Her attention to details and quest for information, stands testimony to the intricate details mentioned in her write up, quiet like the intricacy of the carvings themselves. Like this one

Bishnupur was the capital of Malla kings of Mallabhum, or the warrior kings, which was an important dynasty that ruled Bengal for a long time with its beginnings in late 7th century that lasted till early 19th century. This is more than 1100 years and 55 generations. The intricate work on the walls depicting stories from Ramayan, Mahabharata and Puranas along with the depiction of daily life leaves you in total awe. The designs carved in these temples continue to inspire the Baluchari Sari weavers of the town, who even today pick up their designs from the walls of these temples.

Every detail so well put down, to read the complete write up Click here.

3. Sikkim: The land of Bhaichung Bhutia

From idols we move on to a state with a different kind of idolizing, a land very much a part of our borders but feels like a land unknown. A well weaved in experience penned down by Charukesi is my next read. Her words, her way

In the time I spend in Sikkim, India truly feels far away – and it is not just about what the people say. Like everywhere else in the country, kids are out on the streets but it is not cricket they are playing. It is football that rules here, the way it rules the streets of perhaps only Goa. It is Baichung Bhutia who smiles from posters and hoardings all over the market, kicking a careless ball and seeking votes for the reality dance competition he was once part of; from Soccer King to Dancing King, they proclaim.

As she travels across the state thinking about how different people here are from the rest of the country, she throws light on facts from election stats to the royal family rule in the state.Moving on she cant help but admire the beauty and landscape around her. She describes them...

The next evening, I am strolling on MG Road, the cobble-stoned promenade in Gangtok where locals and visitors, young and old alike meet, shop and drink. I am here to shop for souvenirs – local tea and cherry brandy mainly – to take back to ‘India’ with me. Kanchenjunga, the venerable protector deity is an invisible presence in the far distance, revealing itself only in the post-monsoon winter months.

A blend of experiences her own and the locals, shopping and luring landscapes; she wraps up with details for all those planning to take the high road to Sikkim soon. For the detailed write up Click here.

4. Mana: The "Last Village of India "

I wrap up this weeks top picks high up in the hills, 3 km away from the popular pilgrimage point - Badrinath, is the little hill town of Mana; believed to be the last village of India before the Tibet border. Aravind keeps it short, with pictures lining the blog, he describes this little hamlet

The village is also closely related to several Mahabharata events. It is at this place where Pandavas crossed over to heaven. While Yudishitira reached heaven alive, others died on their way. And there are Temples constructed at places where they fell down.

Mentions about Bhimpul, he says

An important place is “Bhimpul”, a natural rock bridge where Saraswati River gushes through a narrow gorge. It is said that Bhima put this rock on the River to Help Draupadi to cross the River!!

And one of the most interesting ones to catch my attention was this

Next to Bhimpul is a shop which claims as the “Last shop of India”!!

For the detailed writeup Click Here

Another week, with another set of interesting, unique and unexplored places has come to an end. While i get started on my next journey, get your hands on the map and start planning!

Photo: Lakshmi, Anuradha Goyal, Charukesi, Aravind GJ

Palaces, boats, temples & more: Travelers take their pick!

noreply@blogger.com (shwetha) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:17:00 +0000

As i scout around different blogs i see a pattern,some hitting the popular spots and others visiting the the unknown amidst the known! These are the ones that catch my attention.

1. Mandu - Jahaz Mahal

My first stop was at Celina's visit to Mandu. Her journey through the Jahaz Mahal- The Ship Palace, her opening lines set the rhythm for the entire write up and i must see it is poetic and picturesque in my mind. Her imagination of a typical Mughal setting

It is a starlit sky. The dancers, musicians, the other artists and entertainers are dressed i n their finest best. Lanterns are lit and decorated all over the palace grounds. Music fills up the open halls of the Jahaz Mahal.

As she takes a walk along the beautiful gardens of the Royal Enclave of Mandu, in which the Jahaz Mahal is housed, she notices the origin of its name, she says

I see the Palace perched on a narrow strip of land flanked on either side by the lakes, Munj Talao and the Kapur Talao giving it the appearance of a ship anchored in water.

Extracts of Noor Jahan's words, splendid pictures taken from different spots in the palace and description of the intricate architecture form a perfectly seasoned article!For the detailed write up click here.

2. Alleppey - Snake Boat Race

As i continue browsing, mentally i'm already planning a trip to this wonderful palace i just read about and my attention is drawn by sleek snake boats with precision paddles all aligned and racing ahead!

An experience expressed as it unfolded Charukesi writes about her experience at the Alleppey Snake Boat Race held recently.A photography workshop and then off to capture the race behind her lens, her words weave a picture in your head, like this one

Most of the times, we had no clue about what was going on – was it the pre-heats or the heats? Did this team not pass us just now? Where are the women rowers in their pretty blue blouses and sparkling white saris?

The race after a while looked pretty much the same i guess, so Charukesi decided to capture the mood of the people around and got some great shots of the people around. With some great shots of the race in full swing and the spectators mood captured she signs off on her weekend, and so do we as we move on to our next traveler of the week! For the detailed write up click here.

3. Kuppalli Hi lls

From blogs mostly about individual travels, this ones about the more common office team outing. Reading this blog takes me back to my office outing and as Ajey points out rightly, the best part of the team you work in can be common interests shared, just like mine in my first job!

Excited to discover the Kuppalli Hills, these youngsters head out and this is what he says

The trek was very nice with light drizzles. Once at the summit, we relaxed watching the awesome view. Clouds covered the view below, but with one blow of wind the clouds, like a curtain in a drama, uncovered and then covered back the view.

A straightforward blog about experiences described just like we would speak in everyday life, its indeed easygoing, like in this piece

After relaxing there for a while, we returned back to the Bus, had lunch at theerthhalli and then drove back to the lodge. Rest of the evening, we relaxed chatting and laughing..

With trekking, relaxing and getting some good shots of the hills they ended their weekend trip and headed back to their mundane office cubicles, and i browsed through further before i bumped upon my last read of the day!For the detailed write up click here.

4. Uttarkashi - Tehri Dam

So, i wrap up this weeks post with a rather interesting read about a dam up north, written sometime back but i still thought it was worth mentioning. This mamoth Tehri dam along the Bhagirathi river sure had Aravind amazed and so was i looking at the shots on his blog. Some facts, some history like this one that i particularly enjoyed

The very mention of Tehri dam brings one person in my mind, Sundar Lal Bahuguna. His satyagrahas, hunger strikes and the struggles for more than two decades went in vain when the Government succeeded in building massive dam at Tehri across Bhagirathi River.

Sprinkled with some great pictures, facts and a dose of history this Dam like the others mentioned in this piece straight go into my 'Must See 'In'dia" list!For the detailed write up click here .

Photo Courtesy Mention: Celina J S, Charukesi, Ajey, Aravind GJ,

Discovering the hidden gems of Maharashtra

noreply@blogger.com (shwetha) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:24:00 +0000

Following where the travel community is headed each season, its nice to see that people are

discovering the unknown amidst the known. So, we at MustSeeIndia are bringing to you a consolidated post on travel blogs from across India,

and we start with this piece talking about what's unexplored and hidden in the state of Maharashtra.

Such is the city of dreams, that it has something for everyone who visits from the history enthusiast, creative artists and nature lovers alike. One such blogger writing at Travel Magic found this little tree lined lane tucked away in the bustling city of Mumbai.

A blog which gives readers an insight into the life and of Mahatma and the little nuances of Mani Bhavan which he describes as " Mani Bhavan, once the residence of the Father of the Nation, is now a source of inspiration for freedom and peace loving men and women all over the world".The blog also has references to all the significant turn of events which took place in during the freedom movement like this one "Gandhiji was arrested in his tent on the terrace of Mani Bhavan in the wee hours of the morning of 4th January, 1932". The gripping details described by the author indeed calls for a visit to look back on the Gandhi's life and work.

Moving away from the hustle and bustle of Mumbai city he travels seventy kilometers outside the city to visit the ruins of the Vasai

Fort.This rather intriguing post takes the reader to a little known hamlet, which was once the main naval base and ship-building centre of the Portugese. The ruins captured behind his lens, he talks about lesser known facts like "About twenty years back farm fresh vegetables would be brought to Mumbai by ‘Vasaiwallah’ every morning". He signs off by saying " The fort now has become a picnic spot for families and groups wanting to spend a day together. There are no eateries around so one has to carry ones own supplies of food and drink."

For more interesting facts you can visit http://magictravels.blogspot.com/2010/07/vasai-fort.html

All in all we hope that this would give travelers and bloggers alike visibility and the enthusiasm to go out there explore!

Photo Courtesy: Magictravels

Must See India for mobile

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:33:00 +0000

We are glad to announce the mobile version of mustseeindia.com. About 3% of our traffic comes from mobiles and it's high time we give our mobile users their due. You can find it at http://m.mustseeindia.com.

Users browsing the site via phone will automatically be redirected to the mobile version. You can always visit the desktop version using the "Full site" link at the bottom.

We've kept the mobile version very simple. More things will be added as we go along.

Many thanks to our intern Rishabh Tripathi for launching another solid feature. Give it a try, and send in your comments and feedback to feedback@mustseeindia.com.

PDF Destination Guides

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:14:00 +0000

One of the most requested features by Must See India users is the ability to carry the destination information on trip. While there are printable version of various pages, it is cumbersome to print each of the pages separately.

Well, our intern Rishabh Tripathi, third year BE student, is solving exactly this problem. He is working on a customizable eBook for each of the destinations. You can print it directly or download as pdf.

You can catch a glimpse of his ongoing work at http://www.mustseeindia.com/guide.

At Must See India, we are very particular about the people we hire. Rishabh is a prime example of that. Rishabh joined us just 3 weeks back with Java/J2EE background. He learned Ruby on Rails from scratch and delivered this feature ultra fast. We are proud that he ramped up quickly and developed this feature all by himself.

Just wanted to remind that we are still hiring interns. If you haven't applied yet, send in your resume to careers@mustseeindia.com. We are waiting!

Please feel free to provide him any feedback on this brand new feature. We're very excited to have this feature and are sure it'll be helpful to millions of our users.

Travel made simple: Economic Times

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:19:00 +0000

Must See India was featured in High Flier section of Economic Times yesterday (Nov 10, 2009). The story Travel Made Simple documents the journey of 3 entrepreneurs and articulates how www.mustseeindia.com is making life simple for travelers.

Some quotes from the article:

When people are planning their holidays, they want to plan it properly, knowing as much before they hit the road .... This hunger for information is good news for start-ups as they have a growing set of people who want to avail their services.

We try not to reinvent the wheel... We take the best offering out of the market and integrate it ... to provide a seamless offering, which helps travelers to get the maximum value of the time they spend in planning. This is what differentiates us.

(Click to enlarge)

To read the entire article, hop onto http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/et-high-flier/Travel-entrepreneurs-cashing-in-on-tourism-growth/articleshow/5213942.cms

Website for lost & found items at Indian airports

noreply@blogger.com (Karan Nahata) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:35:00 +0000

Have you ever lost any item on an Indian airport ?

If yes, here is a website for lost & found items at airports in India

http://www.cisf.gov.in/airports.htm

It is very easy to forget your laptop/phone or other hand baggage at the security check. You can find such lost items here. A good effort by Ministry of Home Affairs for air travelers in India.

Note - The site works well in all browsers except Firefox. Firefox users will have replace any '\' (backslash) in the link URLs with '/'(forward slash).

Keeping an eye on Swine Flu (H1N1)

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:23:00 +0000

Since Swine Flue (H1N1) has been spreading fast in India, we thought it was important to keep our visitors informed of its status in India. We're maintaining a Swine Flu status page through which you can track travel advisory for India.

Let us keep ourselves informed and not spread the panic. It is curable. Government needs our help to get it under control. Let us play our part and kill this menace.

Photo: http://newshopper.sulekha.com/topic/slideshow/swine-flu/874793.htm

Madhya Pradesh Tourism ads

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:30:00 +0000

It's good to see state governments in India promoting tourism. After launching the Bioscope ad 3 years back, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department have come up with the Eyes ad.

Interestingly, the first ad invited tourists to come and ‘see’ Madhya Pradesh, while the second ad narrates the tourist’s tale after he has visited the place. The creative idea for the new ad was, quite literally, taken from the word ‘sightseeing’.

Check out the cool ads:

1. Bioscope

2. Eyes

Source: afaqs

Incredible India commercial

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:17:00 +0000

The latest Incredible India commercial. Awesome!

Source: Amnigos

Must See India interviewed by yourstory.in

noreply@blogger.com (Sanjay Goel) — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:56:00 +0000

“Travel should be about fun; not logistics and unending planning. We want to put back the fun in travel and hence envision to create a platform where travelers can come together, share their experiences, help each other” enthuses Karan adding that their future plans include new features to help realize their target of a million visitors per month by the end of 2010.

Check out must see india team interview by yourstory.in

Must See India on KillerStartups

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 04:36:00 +0000

KillerStartups has reviewed Must See India.

Roger posted a question for us -

Is the site open to user contributions - IE, guides, reviews and the like?

As I mentioned in the comment, user engagement is one of our core focus. We have user reviews on most of the pages. We are adding new features to get user opinions in even more helpful way. We'll be rolling the updates in current month. Stay tuned!

Seven Wonders of Karnataka

noreply@blogger.com (Sanjay Goel) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:15:00 +0000

NDTV has just unveiled 7 wonders of Karnataka based on the user polls. Here's the list:

7. Halebidu
6. Belur
5. Srirangapatnam
4. Caves of Badami
3. Gol Gumbaz
2. Hampi
1. Shravanabelagola

The list of nominees is here, and here's the video about each of these places:

Great to see promotion of Karnataka Tourism and discovery of all these great places by media.
Keep Travelling!

Wow! That's fast

noreply@blogger.com (Sanjay Goel) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:30:00 +0000

The biggest challenge we see in today's world web applications is to show lots of information while keeping the site high speed and handle the load as the traffic increases. With the amount of traffic, information and features ever increasing on mustseeindia.com, we do have our share of performance issues.

Not for long. We are proud to say that our users would now notice significant speed improvements when browsing mustseeindia. We are also proud to say that we have had zero downtime in the whole month of December last year, which has been the biggest month for us in terms of traffic.

One last thing. Although mustseeindia works perfectly fine on all major browsers, we recommend firefox. Because we believe it is the best and safest browser available today.

Bookings are live now!

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:36:00 +0000

In our quest to become one stop solution for travel in India, we are pleased to announce hotel, bus and flight bookings at Must See India. With this, you can
- Book hotels online in even the smallest of destinations at very reasonable prices.
- Book buses online in even remote places in India.
- Book flights across India on all airlines.

We would like to thank our partners - Inasra, RedBus and MakeMyTrip.

Printable Driving Directions

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 16:01:00 +0000

We have it, finally!

Lots of people asked for printable version of driving directions. For one reason or the other, it just kept slipping in our priority list. You can now print map and detailed driving directions using the "Print Driving Directions" link on right hand side above the map.

Checkout printable directions from Bangalore to Ooty.

Top Holiday Destinations of 2008 (as per Google)

noreply@blogger.com (Sanjay Goel) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Google has just released the top searched holiday destinations of India as part of its 2008 Year-End Google Zeitgeist. Goa tops the list, followed by Kerala and Kashmir. Other destinations on the list are Shimla and Manali.

We at MSI are heartened to see these destinations making the top list. In our own list of top 10 destinations, all these destinations rank pretty high. Goa leads our list in the best beaches in India as well as is part of the top honeymoon destinations list; Kashmir, Shimla and Manali are part of best hill stations in India; and Kerala has always been our top honeymoon destination.

Here's the complete list:

Goa - MSI best beaches and best honeymoon destination.
Kerala - MSI best honeymoon destination.
Kashmir - MSI best hill station in India
Dubai
Singapore
Australia
London
Shimla - MSI best hill station in India
Switzerland
Manali - MSI best hill station in India

New Year Destinations

noreply@blogger.com (Sanjay Goel) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:53:00 +0000

New Year Day and the period around this important day are the time to welcome the freshness in life with the rose covered New Year Dawns and pocketful of funs, celebrating with dear and near. December culminating with New Year bash is the most exciting and inviting for travel in India. Typically the whole of Indian region are very comfortable with cool and pleasant climate all through December and New Year week. The hill stations and beaches in India offer unique opportunities and experiences for the travelers looking for hassle free, body relaxing and mind blowing comforts. The north Indian destinations and north east places are snow clad during this period. The west and central regions offer chilly cool climate by the New Year day. The Southern regions are unbelievably pleasant with very moderate and cool climates. The religious destinations in India, especially the south Indian religious places thrive with many festivities and Ayyappa pilgrimage rituals. December and New Year period are the ideal period for those who look for cooler and chilly climates. This is perfect for people looking for snow skiing and like to see lakes and landscapes covered with snow and ice formations.

The period around the New Year Day are the best for the romantic tours and also pretty ideal for honeymoon vacations. The coolest period of the year accompanied with dust free and unpolluted environments. The people looking for secluded stays with fantastic private moments prefer to have visits in Indian Destinations during the months of December and January.

North

Come to Jammu to enjoy the feast for eyes with unimaginable beauty of snow. There are many attractions in Jammu to view and enjoy during the winters. Himachal Pradesh has been in the top list of beautiful tourist designations. The chilly climate and the snow bound landscapes add the attraction of the places. Visit Manali to experience the nature’s beauty and gifts. Mcleodganj offer you the best scenic attractions in the world during the winters. The New Year celebrations in Manali and Mcleodganj are renowned with its majestic views and pretty nice climates.

Visit the Golden Triangle Delhi, Agra and Jaipur during the New Year Period. Bid farewell to the year 2008 and welcome the fortune filled 2009 with a bash of celebrations in these places. In Delhi, the night clubs, the Parks, the cinema halls and the discotheques are lively during the nights of New Year Eve and New Year Day.

West

Goa is the best New Year destination in India. The New Year Eve celebrations in Goa beaches are mesmerizing with breath taking celebrations. The churches in Goa vibrate with midnight prayers and the celebrations coinciding with Christmas. The New Year is welcomed with colorful fireworks and grandeur illumination all over the city and beaches. The New Year cuisines prepared specially during the period are most delicious and special tourist attractions. Adorned with eye catching decorations the beaches invite you to spend the whole night without closing the eye lids for a moment. Air of festive moods prevails everywhere in Goa during the New Year Eve and New Year Day.

Gujarat destinations are considered as the most vibrant New Year Destinations. Ahmedabad is the entry point to many exotic tourist destination sin Central India. The excellent museums and the cottages modeled in the Gujarat architectural styles are really wonderful.

Central

Khajuraho offers an ideal New Year destination for those interested in Wild life and the architectural locations. The climate is superb with unpolluted atmosphere during December. The pleasing lush green landscapes and the breath taking architectural marvels are very attractive in this place.

Orchha is one of the most attractive winter destinations. The comfortable climatic conditions, the eye pleasing attractions, the adventurous activities and the fun filled travels are in the grandeur offers of Orchha for the distinguished travelers.

South

South Indian destinations are the ideal locations with very pleasant climate during the December month. Temperatures are in the range of about 15 deg to 30 deg in this region. Nights are bit cold and the days are comfortably warm. The hill stations in the south, Ooty and Kodaikanal are mesmerizing with New Year celebrations and the dinners arranged in the hotels in and around the cities. The hill stations are highly imposing with multi colored lights, dances and music performances. The week long New Year celebrations in these hill stations are in fact just great. Invite the New Year amidst the fire works all over with reverberating band music in these scenic hill resorts.

Dandeli near Bangalore, Devabagh beach in Karnataka, Kovalam beach in Kerala and the tourist attractive Kumarakom in Kerala are all astonishing in the New Year. Enjoy the New Year Sunrise in the most comfortable and soothe providing house boats in Kochi and Kumarakom. The tourists can enjoy the lavish and grandeur New Year Eve celebrations in the serene beach sides in Kovalam, Varkala and Devbagh.

To have honeymoon privacy, spend the cool and calm nights in the secluded resorts in Lakshdweep and also in Andaman – Nicobar Islands. Enjoy the marvelous New Year Rise from the soft sands of the beaches in Andamans.

North East

Come to Guwahati and Shillong to have a lifetime experience of chilly snow covered New Year celebrations. The tourist resorts in these admirable destinations provide all kinds of mind blowing New Year celebrations and enjoyments for the enthusiasts.

Beaches in Orissa are always been in the travel map of tourists looking for excellent New Year Vacations. The serene beaches in Bhubaneswar lit colors for the days and night during the New Year Eve. The scenic beaches are adorning the most attractive decors in this period.

India has been the prime destination for the New Year celebrations. New Year Eve parties in these places take the visitors to the ultimate enjoyments of food, drinks, dances, jazz and music. Indian hospitalities, spicy food and beverages are very inviting for all kinds of tourists.

(Photo Courtesy: Suman Chatterjee, yearsofsleeping)

Best Places for November

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:59:00 +0000

November is considered as one of the best month for a nice vacation tour all through India, from north to south and east to west. Monsoon has already been withdrawn from most parts of the country. The regions affected by slight showers of the last phase of monsoon add to the natural beauty of lush green breath-taking scenic locations.

North and east regions of India prepare for the chilly winters and snow bound climates in November. This month offers the cool and tranquil environment for the enthusiastic travelers to northern and eastern regions of India. West and central regions are thriving with many fairs and festivals in November. November finds the maximum priority in the tourist schedule in these regions. Southern peninsula regions are attractive and best with panoramic views and pleasant climate. November is the month for all kinds of tourist activities, especially for bird watching and enjoying the Mother Nature's Gift of panoramic views. One can see many species of migratory birds in the wildlife sanctuaries across India.

South
Kumarakom looks marvelous in the November. Located in the isles of imposing Vembanad Lake, it offers mind blowing experiences to the tourists. House boats can take the tourists among the unbelievably beautiful mangrove forests, lusting paddy fields and eye catching coconut groves. One can enjoy the travel through the enchanting backwaters and waterways. Kumarakam bird sanctuary is the habitat of variety of bird species and one can spot praise worthy migratory birds in this place.

Kodaikanal and Ooty are two eye pleasing and enchanting hill stations in the southern region of India. These places are the embodiment of natural beauty and pleasant cool climate. The rejuvenating effects, the body receives during the stay in these hilly resorts are amazing. These places are thriving in November with colorful flowers and flower shows. These are ideal locations to have a pleasant stay for days to keep away the tiresome life of the past days of the year.

Visit in November the Andaman and Nicobar islands. This is a perfect romantic location for those interested in spending private moments away from the city crowds. Andaman and Nicobar islands offer marvelous tourist attractions and amazing water sports activities. This is a wonderful honeymoon destination for the young couples to spend the lighter and happy moments in the life.

The festivities of Hampi festival during the first week of November are eye catching and the great quest for enjoying the culture and celebrations of dance and music can be perfectly satisfied in Hampi during November.

East
Gangtok invites the people to its lap with all its mesmerizing beauties. Adventurous and attractive places in and around Gangtok provide you a refreshing treat. November is considered as good for trekking in snow clad hilly terrains in Gangtok.

Darjeeling hill region is also one of the most popular destinations in November. Perched on the lush green and inviting foothills of Himalayas, Darjeeling is ideal for people looking for a tranquil and exquisite stay. Darjeeling carnival adds attraction to the marvelous beauty of the landscape with spectacular festivities and fairs. Enjoy the toy trains in this legendary hill station to have a wonderful experience for the life time.

Come to the cultural capital city of India, Kolkata during this month for memorable experiences of colors and festivities. The film fraternities throng to the city during November to enjoy the classical and perfectly directed enjoyable films from all over the world. Kolkata film festival is acclaimed as one of the major film festivals in the World.

Central
Gwalior, the royal city of Madhya Pradesh, is inviting in November. An instant feel of the culture, history, amazing landscape and the hospitality of the people is perfectly obtained in Gwalior. Gwalior festival, a tribute to great Musician Tansen, is a great attraction in November. Tourists can fill their mind with the soft flow of classical music in this month.

November is the best period to visit two world known picnic spots namely Bandhavgarh National Park and Bandhavgarh Fort. The Vindhyachal hilly regions and Satpura ranges offer the beautiful panoramic views and are very attractive to enthusiastic travelers seeking natural majestic environments.

North
Capital city of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, looks proud with charm and colorful adornments during clear days of November. Lucknow festival, celebrating Lucknow's dynamic and living culture, is a crowd puller. Excitement of this ten day mega festivities with colourful procession, sarangi and sitar recitals, kathak dances, traditional art forms and ghazals makes the illuminated nights in to days for the people. Festive atmosphere is vibrant with traditional village games, kite flying and cock fighting.

Varanasi, the holy city, is the perfect option for religious visits during November. Ganga Mahotsav celebrated in November with festivities and religious rituals is a major attractive event in Varanasi. Cool atmosphere and clear sky provide the tourists all supports to carry out the out door activities and temple visits during this season. Take a holy dip in Ganges and get yourself sanctified.

Visit the picturesque Chakrata in November to have an exciting vacation in an eye catching hill resort. This is the best season before the cold winter periods to spend mesmerizing moments at the majestic green lawns and hilly terrains. The sloppy regions of Chakrata are renowned for trekking and skiing. Enjoy here the grandeur natural beauty in November with trekking expeditions.

West
Aurangabad with pleasant climate and calm, cool environments offers best views of Mughal monuments in November. Ellora caves offer the views of ancient Indian sculptures embedded with valuable Indian history and culture. Ellora festival in November provides the visitors invaluable pleasures and mind filling knowledge bases of Indian architecture and culture. Do not forget to purchase world famous woven Himroo shawls from Aurangabad during the visit.

Karjat is amazing in November offering perfect sights of Ulhas valley, Bahiri points, Kondana caves and the foothills of enchanting hill station Matheran. November is considered as the best period to spend in renowned health resorts in Karjat.

With many colorful celebrations all around and with naturally pleasing environments, November hosts the peak tourist season in India. This is considered to be the best time without the hassles of rains, snows and chilly weather. Outdoor tourist activities are in the peak during this month.

(Photo Courtesy: John, Saket Jain)

Best Places for October

noreply@blogger.com (Vikas Rana) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 16:43:00 +0000

In India, October is marvelous with highly attractive festivals like Navarathri, Deepavali and Id-ul-fitr. Most of the Indian tourist destinations can be visited during this month. One can see all kinds of tourist activities during this period. The post monsoon season beginning with October make the natural ambiance cool and pleasant. This is the period when the foliage looks marvelous with fresh tender green leaves. The landscapes adorns with the lush green grass lawns and bushy plants.

All over India, the celebrations of Diwali festival begin with Dhanteras, marking the first day of Diwali Festival extending to five days. North Indian cities are highly attractive during this festival. This is a festival devoted to Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. The business communities in Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana and other parts of the country celebrate it with much enthusiasm.

North
Jodhpur in Rajasthan is a marvelous tourist destination with many eye catching attractions in and around. Jodhpur is inviting in October with the attractive Marwar Festival, an annual event showcasing the art and culture. This is a huge regional festival devoted to dance and music. Maand festival is a part of this cultural fest and is scheduled for October 13 -14.

Kota is the embodiment of beauty and this attraction gets multiplied during the Dussehra festival period. The Dussehra festival in Kota is very famous with its grandeur celebrations, pomp and show.

Chandigarh reverberates during October with majestic Pinjore Heritage Festival. This will be held at the famous Yadvindra Gardens and is aimed at recalling the heritage of beautiful Mughal Gardens.

Jaisalmer is very pleasant after the hot summers during October and offers a best time for outings. Leh and Ladakh are very beautiful in October and is the last season to enjoy the beautiful flowering gardens before the chilly snow bound winters. Delhi is also thrilling with Deepavali celebrations and national festival of Gandhi Jayanthi in October.

South
Mysore Dussehra is the pinnacle of celebrations in the south India. Beautiful gardens, imposing palaces and scenic natural attractions make Mysore a special destination during October. Munnar, the famous hill station in Kerala, offers the pleasant atmosphere with imposing scenic views of eye pleasing locations. October offers a cool climate and is the flowering season. Lusting greeneries of Tea plantations are very attractive.

October is also the ideal period for tourist activities in Kodaikanal. This is the right time to visit this nature’s gifted place before the ambiance becomes chilly. Tirupati adorns all marvelous attractions to the tourists in October with the Rayalaseema festivals and the religious celebrations of Brahmotsavam.

East
The tourists like to keep the mind filled with the grandeur festivities of Navaratri shall make a visit to Kolkata and Darjeeling. The Durga Pooja festivities are mind blowing and eye pleasing in these places.

Pleasant warm climate in Bodh Gaya offers a best period in October for the religious and nature loving tourists. Maha Kala Cakra puja and the Buddhist festival add the beauty of the place. Simlipal is very much attractive in October with fresh air and enchanting waterfalls. The imposing meadows, breathtaking landscapes and forests add the beauty of the place. The grandeur beauty of the surrounding dense woody forests offers eye pleasing views for the enthusiastic visitors.

North-East
Gangtok is the prime tourist destination in north east during October. The people who love cooler climates can pay a visit to Gangtok during this period. Gangtok is attractive with light showers and thousands of tourists visit the city during this period.

Guwahati is beautiful with simmering showers in October. The famous Kathi Bihu celebrations are very attractive for the tourists to Guwahati.

Central
Kanha thrives in October with attractive panoramic views after monsoons. The foliages blossoms during this period and the Wildlife Park in Kanha is open for visitors in October.

October offers a cooler and pleasant climate in Mandu offering grandeur styled romantic sight seeing. This is a perfect period for honeymoon trips. Ujjain is like a beautiful bride with charming features in October. It offers a pleasant but warm climate.

West
The adventurous tourists may visit Khandala for challenging activities like rappelling and mountaineering. The atmosphere is warm and the undulated mountain regions flourish with lush green vegetation after plenty of rains. Goa is always a paradise for tourists. Beaches in Goa are ready with all inviting features during October. Many church festivals celebrated with gaiety add the attraction in the cities of Goa.

Silvery sands, ancient monuments and vast expanse of beautiful palm trees add the beauty of Daman during October. The beaches in Daman reverberate with plenty of tourists and many festivities during this period.

Saputara attracts many tourists to its breathtaking attractions of marvelous waterfalls and Pushpak Ropeways. Saputara is the perfect location to enjoy the mind blowing sunrise and sunset. This place is imposing in October offering spectacular scenes for nature lovers. This is the ideal time to have boating in the Saputara Lake.

October is the ideal time for all kinds of tourists to visit attractive destinations in India. This season is preferred by many tourists as the tourists inflow start growing from October and is the perfect time to visit the beautiful places without the crowd.