CHOOSING TOURIST DESTINATIONS
Ah….come summer or winter time and it’s vacation time for all of us. Travel is so much fun, see new places, cities, people, walk up trails on hill stations, light camp fires, see the wonders of nature, white water rafting, climb high mountains, sail, fish, windsurf, scuba dive, watch migratory birds, walk the beaches, soak in the sand, else do nothing! The list is endless.
Indian folks are travelling much too often now than a decade ago.
There are two basic type of tourists that determines tourist destinations:
The pro-active tourists.
Passive tourists.
Where do you fit in?
Proactive tourists are those who say Scuba Dive, are Mountaineers, want to do white water rafting, sky dive, love fishing, love sailing and windsurfing, love to ski in the snow, go out to shoot wild life, forts, mountains and so on. Generally these people are very proficient in using cameras else passionate about their hobbies and have a thirst for adventure.
Passive tourists are those who just like to see wonderful tourist destinations and chill out with family and friends, de stress and generally have a great time.
Then there are the young bag packers who live on say Rs 200/- a day and rough it out. Their vacations spread over 4 to 6 months. Most are young foreigners but of late I do see a lot of Indian bag packers, riding mobikes long distances and learning so much.
Eco tourism is now big time in India and a great learning experience for kids.. As is Adventure Sports tourism which is slowly catching up. Here people travel great distances to indulge in their passions. There are some specialised tour operators catering to these niche tourists. Join them!
My hobbies makes me a pro-active tourist. I do things alone or with like-minded friends, but with the family I enjoy being a passive tourist.
There is some real good tour operators these days. Check out travelgini.com. The usual commercial tour operators do a rush job.
I prefer using my own car to travel over long distances, with adequate breaks. I did 5000 kms spread over 25 days driving North in one trip alone.. There are big advantages travelling this way. These days you can hire great SUV’s like the Qualis should you not wish to drive yourself. For specific to destination tourists Air/Rail travel is fine. India has some great 4-lane highways and many more are being built thanks to Atal Bihari Vajpayee initiative.
WHERE TO GO AND WHY?
This question must be answered. Especially the why. There are plenty of travel sites on the net to decide where to go and why. . Factor in the kids. What do they want to see and learn? Hill stations are great places to go to for city based folks in the summer. Forests and Game reserves are fun places for the whole family, especially kids. The Himalayas are awesome too. The Southern destinations like Kerela have become big time too.
Avoid modern man made tourist destinations.
WHEN TO GO?
Winters, Dec to Feb are great times to visit up North India. Travel off-season to avail discounts in hotels. In season travel, that is summer time, is best avoided because of the great human rush especially at popular destinations. Costs shoot up during summer times.
SOME OFF BEAT PLACES TO VISIT:
Off Mumbai: Kashid beach resort near Alibaag, Murud, Janjira. Snow white sandy beaches.
Bangaram Island at Lakshadweep for Scuba Diving and snorkeling. Very pricey though.
Forts: Raigad, Pratapgad, Sinhagad.
Jolly Boy island near Port Blair. Glass bottom boats to see fabulous marine life and coral reefs.
Dabeli for wild life and crocodiles.
Ranikhet for trekking through forested areas and sighting Panthers.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS
KERELA: Tehkdi, Munnar and the backwaters of Alleppy. Great wild life, super waterfalls and rivers, wonderful tea gardens, fascinating back waters. Best time November to January.
The dense jungles of Madhumalai down south.
BENGAL: Calcutta and Darjeeling in Bengal.
HIMACHAL: Simla, Kasauli, Dalhousie , Kullu-Manali. Do not miss the snow falls here.
KASHMIR in the summers. Don’t worry about terrorists. They are all dead or will be before you arrive. Top value for money and time. Kashmir is a paradise on earth.
RAJASTHAN: Top State for tourism. Jaipur for Chowkadhani, forts and palaces. The sands of Jaisalmer. The lakes and palaces at Udaipur.
UP: Jim Corbette Park for wild life is tops.
Bhutan. Nepal, or Sikkim. Choose any one.
Andaman Islands for great beaches and coral islands. Travel one way by a passenger ship first class. Avoid Lakshadweep unless you are a Scuba Diver.
Bharatpur for amazing bird life in the winters, Fathepur Sikri, Agra, all co located.
Goa is fun too. Vast beaches, great seafood. Good facilities for water sports. Plenty to see inland too.
Hire good authorized tourist guides.
TRAVEL PREPARTIONS:
Study web sites like Traveljini.com. All State Govts. have put useful information on their web sites.
Pack proper hardy clothing. Carefully choose the correct footwear.
Carry your medication pack. Buy a Swiss Knife and a good camera.
Buy a tourist road map and general information books of places you wish to visit.
Work out a budget, overspend, and return home broke. Avoid a shopping list.
Travel light.
My Target Destinations where I have never been:
The North East and Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Shillong.
Kaziranga wild life sanctuary to see the Rhinos.
Train to Pakistan, Samjhauta Express.> In the years to come it may become easy to cross over to Pakistan and check out this country. Here I can link up with mouthshutdom.com, Munib.
India is a big country, offering a wide variety in terms of terrain, forestry, beaches, places of historical interest, mountains, snow, hills and breath taking sights.
Have a nice holiday.