India

India: overflowing with history dating back five millennia, a melting pot of cultures and religions, dramatic contrasting landscapes from the Himalayan peaks to Indian Ocean coastline, intoxicating smells and sights and sounds dazzling the senses, clamouring crowded cities and spiritual retreats, and some of the most iconic monuments in the world – a trip to India is an unique travel experience which is more than just a holiday. Spot Gangetic dolphins on the Brahmaputra on an off-the-beaten-track river cruise, watch the mists swirl at dawn on the Ganges, listening to the priests’ chants echo across the waters. Take a memorable train ride on the Toy Train to Shimla, and go on the tiger trail in one of India’s National Parks. The classic Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur encompasses some of the best known sites: the eclectic hub and cacophony of Delhi, including its historic Red Fort Complex and the massive Jama Masjid mosque, the iconic testament to love, Taj Mahal, and the Fort in Agra, and Jaipur, the ‘Pink City’ which still evokes the old royal family that once ruled the region, and home of the lavish City Palace complex. But there are other great cities to be seen and experienced too: Amritsar and its golden temple, Kolkata, once the home of Mother Teresa, and the sprawling Mumbai on India’s West Coast, where the heart of the Bollywood film industry can be found and on which waterfront the iconic Gateway of India proudly stands, to name but a few.

FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE: Amy has experienced the famous Golden Triangle. Rachel has been three times, including the remote Brahmaputra up in Assam on a river cruise, but Bella is our India specialist, having visited many different destinations many different times, and escorting two groups to Kerala and Tamil-Nadu, and the Himalayan foothills.

India Holidays