As the Mahabharata says, “What is here may be elsewhere, but what is not here is nowhere”. There is more to this country than Taj Mahal, Himalayas or the sacred river Ganga. INDIA is an opportunity to explore the realms of one’s spiritual being, of reaching out to the unknown, to discover the deeper truth that is life. There is no other country on earth that can exude such a remarkable variety of cultures and landscape! Only in India!
So if you have never visited India, where should you go on your first trip?
Most visitors to India will arrive via Delhi or Mumbai, in between is Rajasthan, a must-see, a great place to start your experience of India. In November include Pushkar Fair in your Rajasthan tour itinerary. There are many great fortresses all over Rajasthan, but very few can compare with Mehrangarh Fort – do include Jaisalmer in your trip to Rajasthan. Do not miss the famous rock-hewn caves of Ajanta Caves and the Ellora Shrines. There are too many places in Rajasthan – Aman Bagh, Deogarh, Devigarh, Dungarpur, Jojawar, Khimsar, Nimaj, Rohetgarh, Samode – to see them all you will have to come to India more than once.
If you wish to experienced wildlife, and especially to see the legendary India tiger, tailor in Ranthambore National Park. Other parks not to miss that will never disappoint are Bharatpur, Bandavgarh and Kanha National Parks.
Your introduction to India can come complete with visit to Varanasi, the Hindu holy city on the banks of the Ganges. The auspicious sites to all Buddhists, Sarnath and Bodh Gaya, are near and very much worth combining with your trip to Varanasi. But to come to this part of India better yet include also the temples of Khajuraho and the palaces of Gwalior in your Varanasi itinerary of ancient cultures and temples.
So much for a first trip to India. India is vast and if you come once, you will come again – India will truly grow on you!
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