India

India is a sumptuous celebration of life. It is colourful and chaotic, a land that slips from the frozen peaks of the Himalayas in the north to the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean in the south, from the arid deserts of the west, to the unexplored wilderness of the east. India’s landscape is as varied as its cultural traditions: countless religious and philosophical belief systems co-exist in this land that is as modern as it is ancient and every year, thousands of travellers come here for immersive experiences. Numerous languages are spoken here, numerous festivals celebrated with vigour, and numerous varieties of regional cuisines relished.

Life in India is dynamic and unpredictable and the crush of humanity– an indefatigable 1.2 billion call this country home– accompanies you everywhere. Indians are friendly and curious, a resilient population fuelling the world’s fastest growing economy, and they will welcome you to their country and encourage you to participate in their cultural and gastronomic traditions.

A journey through India is thrilling yet humbling, an adrenalin-fulled adventure of epic proportions. Love it or loath it, this country will leave an indelible mark on your soul.

“Waking up in India is like waking up to life itself.“
Reymond Page

India Travel Guide

Important Information
When to Visit India
How to Travel in India
What to Wear in India
What to Eat in India
India Travel Guide: Browse Posts By States & Union Territories

Important Information

VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIA

Citizens of most countries require a visa except citizens of Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives (90 days) unless arriving from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, or Pakistan. Check your visa requirements for India.

VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIA

You should be up to date on routine vaccinations, including booster shots for tetanus.

RECOMMENDED: The CDC recommends getting travel vaccines and medicines for hepatitis A and typhoid.

SELECTIVELY ADVISED: Depending on where you’ll be travelling and for how long, you might need to get vaccines for cholera, hepatitis B, malaria, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, and yellow fever.

CERTIFICATE REQUIRED: Required for yellow fever. Check the CDC website for details.

For more information, see https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/india.

When to Visit India

India is at its glorious best in autumn, winter, and spring i.e., from late September to March.

Avoid the summer unless you are travelling to the far north: Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and to the mountains of the northeast: Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

You can also time your visit during the colourful festivals that India is famous for. For example, Durga Puja (September – October) in West Bengal, Onam in Kerala, or Holi in March. Note that festivals in India change dates with lunar calendars.

How to Travel in India

The answer is the great Indian railways! A web of railway tracks connects every inch of the country, and where they do not go, you have a plethora of choices: buses, tuk-tuks, metro-rail, and taxis (also ferries and trams in Kolkata!). Public transport in India is fabulous and cheap– it is heavily subsidised– and you can travel across the country without having to drive or rent a car. Long-distance sleeper trains usually have air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned cars; seats have to be reserved in advance. Timetables are available online and you can book tickets from the IRCTC website. Inter-city sleeper buses are increasingly becoming popular, especially in south India. Night buses are also very popular on the Delhi to Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Kashmir routes. If you are short on time, low-cost flights run mostly by Indigo, SpiceJet, and Air Asia, connect most major cities in the country.

What to Wear in India

My rule of thumb when it comes to picking the types of clothes I will wear when travelling is to look at what the locals are wearing. & this is my advice when it comes to what to wear in India. In urban India, dress as you please but travel to the hinterland, and you will find that women dress more conservatively. Follow their lead: Buy a salwar kurta or wear a long-sleeved top over jeans/trousers and you are good to go. Maxi dresses go well and so do ankle-length skirts. In places of worship, you may have to cover your head and arms, so keep a scarf handy. Bikinis are usually frowned upon, so ask your hotel if it is okay to wear one on the beach. Mariellen Ward has a very detailed post on What to Wear when Travelling in India. As a Canadian living and working in India for many years, she provides great tips for Western travellers to India.

What to Eat in India

No India travel guide is complete without a mention of food! Indian cuisine is as diverse as its landscape and its people. Indian food outside the country is mostly limited to North-Indian style curries and this is not even a small fraction of the wide variety of food that is prepared and eaten across the country. From tongue-searing preparations like the Laal Maas of Rajasthan and the Goan Vindaloo to the mild Kadhi of Gujarat and the unique flavours of the Bengali Shukto, there is something for everyone. Those with a sweet tooth shouldn’t worry either: India’s wide range of sweets from gulab jamun to kheer, from sondesh to halwa is popular across the country and abroad.

India is known worldwide for its vegetarian food which is particularly popular in the north and west, especially in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Milk and milk products are widely eaten; so, if you are vegan, be sure to check if the food contains ghee. Seafood is widely consumed in coastal India; the coastal states all specialize in delicious, spicy fish curries that are often flavoured with coconut and tamarind. Travel east to the state of West Bengal and you will find yourself indulging in fresh-water fish and slow-cooked goat meat. Vegetarian food is widely consumed too, and you can try a variety of local leafy greens and vegetables such as jackfruit and banana flower. Further east, in the seven northeastern states, vegetarian food can sometimes be difficult to find; pork is the meat of choice here and spices are scarcely used. You will find that the food here has Tibetan and Southeast Asian influences and is very different from the usual Indian fare that is marketed in restaurants around the globe.

When in India, order a thali! When you order thali, you’ll get a neatly, arranged plate (also called a thali) containing multiple bowls loaded with food. A thali can easily contain 10 to 15 dishes, including rice and bread, curries and fries, pickles and chutneys, yoghurt and sweets, and more. I will admit that a thali may look intimidating at first but it’s a balanced meal and offers you an opportunity to try the best of the regional cuisine.

Street food draws gluttons to India every year. And rightly so! On the streets of India, in every village, town, and city, on railway stations and in the market, you will find street food vendors selling a wide variety of preparations such as panipuri, jhaal muri, pakora, idli-vada, chhole kulche, kulfi, and numerous types of chaat. Special preparations are sold at these roadside stalls during festivals; for example, in Hyderabad, pathar-ka-gosht is popular during Ramzan, while in old Delhi, you can try something called Daulat ka Chaat in winter. Food walks are becoming increasingly popular in Indian cities and we highly recommend joining one on your tour!