Travel to India. Independent travel to India

Hello friends!

It's winter outside, and right now the snow is falling in flakes. First winter at -10 in the last 3.5 years. It’s a little unusual, but it’s an opportunity to pull yourself together and do things that you didn’t have time for on the road. With this article I decided to unpack my Indian experience a little and talk about what it takes to travel independently in India without shock therapy.

writing about India with such pictures is just right

I have a total of more than a year behind me, spent within this wonderful country. Here's a small one. Read it, there are a lot of cross-references to interesting materials :)

India is a country of victorious chaos. Written and unwritten rules here work on completely different planes, and more often than not they don’t work at all. Everything here is controlled by the Gods and the omnipresent mad Heart. There is a lot in common with the Russian mentality. The same belief in one’s own exclusivity, ingenuity and the ubiquity of chance.

Chaos and dirt are the main features of any Indian corner. But it's so cozy

Here it is very easy to “erase your personal history” and become “Nobody” (with a capital letter and in the full sense of the word). Get lost, dissolve and be reborn. Among the ancient shitty streets, cows and crazy ascetics with eyes red from hashish.

As my good friend once said: people go to India and Nepal to heal souls.

Where to start preparing for your trip?

By accepting the fact that most likely all your planning will go to hell. In India, the very concept of time is very vague. And if planes fly according to a completely usual schedule, then trains may be late for a day (I am not exaggerating!!!).

Delay of 4-5 hours railways India is considered normal. Therefore, always have some time to spare.

In a typical Indian sleeper

Travel planning

Despite the quite expected destruction of all the plans made, it is necessary to prepare for the trip. It’s worth starting with at least tickets and visas). And let reviews of travel in this wonderful country say otherwise)

Visa

It is possible to obtain long-term tourist visas for India, valid for up to 5 years (formally the law has been adopted, but I have not yet seen any real precedents). Most often you can get a visa for 3 or 6 months. If you ask hard, they can give you a double. The cost is about 100 dollars.

The main thing is that in the occupation column, do not indicate “photographer” or “journalist”. They don’t like them there :) For there is no point in trampling the holy land with your vision with a heap of dirt, shit and crippled beggars.

In addition, Russians, Ukrainians and Kazakhs can now obtain an electronic visa, valid for 1 year with a period of non-exit in the country = 90 days. Cost from 80 to 100 bucks.

It is prohibited to work on a tourist visa, so if you suddenly want to get a job, this can be fraught with problems.

Tickets

I recommend purchasing tickets, especially for trains and buses, in advance. 1-1.5 months before the trip. And if you can at least get tickets for buses even at the last moment, then for trains it very often happens that there are no tickets.

I have good friends who are involved in developing routes and buying tickets for Indian trains and buses. I recommend. They have more than 10 years of experience traveling around India and their approach to business is very professional. They will select tickets, connections and the optimal route.

Housing

Despite the huge number of accommodations in popular booking systems, you can get seriously burned. In India, the concept of “service quality” is very weak. Even in 3* hotels you may encounter dirty sheets and pubic hair in the pillows. Therefore, it is better to search locally, or negotiate on some places that have already been tested by others.

Cobra Whisperer

First aid kit

The stomach and immunity of the Russian person are poorly adapted to tropical climate conditions. In India, the phrase “Don't let yourself get sick” should sound like a mantra.

Therefore, the mandatory items on your trip should be:

1. Activated carbon
2. Ointment for insect bites (I recommend “Rescuer”. It’s very helpful in relieving itching after any nasty thing)
3. Pancreatin. Spicy foods can be hard on the pancreas. And she, according to doctors, is practically not recovering.
4. Furozolidone. A wonderful and cheap remedy for all types of intestinal infections.
5. Sun cream.

It is useless to take any mosquito repellent sprays and ointments from home. They have no effect on Indian fauna at all. There are many grocery stores in India where you can easily buy these things.

It would be a good idea to have insurance for your trip. Only, as elsewhere in Asia, it does not cover possible injuries from riding scooters and motorcycles. Be vigilant and careful.

It happens that people ask about vaccinations before traveling. I have never done them, but if you are very afraid of malaria or tropical fever Dengue, better to be safe. There are a lot of mosquitoes here. I once had an incident with a mosquito bite, after which I felt feverish for a long time.

Money

If you plan to travel with cash, take dollars or euros. Exchange for rupees can be found in almost any tourist place: from to Kanyakumari.

There are a lot of “ascetic businessmen” here

I prefer to travel savage with bank cards. ATMs can be found even in remote villages, where such technical innovations seem completely surreal against the backdrop of hand mills.

The best way to withdraw money is from SBI (State Bank of India) and Canara bank ATMs. They don't charge a fee for cashing out.

Traditions you need to know to be safe

All of India is conservative and traditional. Therefore, in order not to suddenly find yourself in an uncomfortable (and even dangerous) position, you need to be vigilant and know some traditions.

For women

I will highlight this point especially, because sperm toxicosis in men in a society with suppressed sexuality reaches very dangerous forms.

1. Be modest with local men. Politely, but without ingratiating smiles. Otherwise, it may be perceived as a signal of availability.
2. Cover up your charms. Tight clothes and flashy makeup also send a “signal.”
3. It is better to respond to attempts to shake your hand with a “nameste” bow with your hands folded at your chest.
4. It is better to avoid large crowds of people.
5. Taking a selfie with an Indian womanizer often results in your photo being posted on Facebook with the caption “me and my girlfriend.” This happens with enviable consistency, regardless of the state. Even more often, 1 selfie turns into a whole selfie session with everyone.

Of course, you shouldn’t fall into paranoia, but being on alert is useful.

The Buddhist regions of India are calmer in this regard: Sikkim.

For everyone else

In India, aggression is perceived as something very out of the ordinary. This is why our not-so-prosperous compatriots love to flaunt their “Indian victories.” Hindus simply fall into a stupor, which can sometimes lead to very dire situations.

Don't be fooled

India is the country of the winning heart. Here, since ancient times, they have learned to sweeten the outstretched ears of simpleton newcomers with grandeur. (here they are called “fresh chicken”: literally “fresh chicken”). Therefore, there will be constant attempts to deceive here. The good news is that 99% of such attempts are childishly naive and harmless.

It is better to relax immediately and even if a deception is discovered, maintain a cheerful mood. Consider this a game whose price is 50-100 rubles. Agree, it’s not a high price to pay for a new and interesting experience).

Hindus, when you catch them cheating, most often break into a smile, shake their heads and say “ok”. Like, “it didn’t work and that’s okay.” It’s not even possible to be offended by them.

Divorce the Indian way in Varanasi

However, we must not lose our vigilance! It is possible and even necessary to be persistent. Just without aggression. The latter is not held in high esteem here at all. It is offensive and destructive.

The most common divorces are as follows:

1. Taxi in Delhi. “Is this your first time in India?” If you answer in the affirmative, there will be an idea: “oh, your hotel burned down. But I know one thing very, very a good place" In general, they will take you to a place where the taxi driver will rely on a small magarych. The price will be quoted 2-3 times higher than the market price.
2. “The roads are blocked and there are no places.” Another breeder as old as time, found mainly in Delhi. Usually the same taxi drivers to whom you tell that you are going somewhere north answer like this.
3. Ear cleaners. Divorce is older than Mahabharata. Sometimes these comrades can, as if by chance, “completely free”, pull a horse out of your ear and half the chicken you ate in the morning. When I saw the cleaner operating in the ear of a cute white girl, I realized that this scam would live on for a very long time.
4. Pressure for pity. “I have 5 children, and today I know business... please, give me the tips.” In general, the classic story of service personnel: from rickshaw drivers to cafe waiters.
5. Well, and another +100 of all sorts of minor scams.

Determining a scam is quite simple: if someone offers you their services “just like that,” most likely it is not free. This happens very often in tourist places, like Goa. I have never seen anything like this on the road or in the villages. On the contrary - only a sincere desire to help, as I was repeatedly convinced of during our and after, along the way

You have long dreamed of going to India, the land of dreams, fairy tales and legends. You are not afraid of the scary stories of others that it is dirty, there are a lot of poor people and you can get very sick. Then this enchanting country is waiting for you! Of course, it requires special attention and preparation; it has its own laws, culture and traditions that must be observed. This region can be endowed with a variety of epithets ad infinitum, but no matter what dreams and desires lead you there, a few tips will never hurt.

1. Choose the best time to travel to India

India is beautiful at any time of the year. It is generally accepted that the most suitable time for a holiday is the period from October to March. However, if you choose the high mountainous regions of the country, then summer months will also fit perfectly.

2. Buy tickets in advance

If you have not yet managed to purchase the treasured pieces of paper, then this can be done without leaving your own sofa. Today, many sites specialize in finding the best deals from all airlines at once. In addition, you can independently determine convenient departure dates and find tickets with a big discount. Moreover, air carriers regularly offer various promotions and discounts. It is also worth taking care of housing in advance. in advance, and your holiday will not be overshadowed by anything.

3. Vaccinations against diseases

Don’t panic, you can get by just fine without vaccinations by following simple hygiene rules. Don't forget to wash your hands, fruits and vegetables. You should not immediately eat what you bought from street vendors if the product has not been cooked. Also, do not drink water from the tap or other sources; it is better to buy it in bottles. To get a little accustomed to local food, you can dine at first in restaurants serving European cuisine.

4. Travel India on your own

Once you get the hang of it a little, you can safely leave the crowds of tourists and go on a solo voyage. India is a country that does not tolerate templates and cliches. She is ready to reveal to everyone something of her own, personal, unknown to anyone.

5. The aroma of India is unique!

No matter how you prepare yourself for the smells, at first they will follow you everywhere. The smell of garbage dumps is closely intertwined with the aromas of spices and incense, making you constantly wrinkle your nose. No need to worry, very soon you will learn not to notice the stench and will only be able to smell the fragrance of flowers and aromatic resins.

6. An incredible number of people

There are a billion people living in India, and the constant crowding makes your eyes dazzled and your head is dizzy. In such an environment you get tired very quickly, so change your place of stay more often, go to the countryside, to the mountains or forest.

7. Communication and language

No need to worry about not knowing Hindi, here English language everyone knows. If you have difficulties with this language, then sign language will help you. The main thing is to smile and be polite and Indians will always help.

8. Photo for memory

There is a belief among Indians that taking a photo with a European brings good luck. Feel free to take photos with local residents when they ask you to do so.

9. Indian bazaars

Do you want to feel the full flavor of this country and its inhabitants? Then the famous Indian bazaars are what you need. Delhi's Chandni Chowk market is ideal, but small bazaars are also equally colorful and original. Here you have to bargain, as a rule, prices are already inflated almost 10 times! Try not to leave all your money there on the first day, believe me, this is quite possible.

10. Be careful of beggars and beggars

Often, they gather together, as soon as you sacrifice one, a whole pack of beggars will immediately surround you.

11. Don't forget, there are a lot of monkeys in India

There are a lot of them here, they even build temples for them, but you shouldn’t relax if you don’t want to lose your things. There are Indians who specifically train monkeys to steal expensive equipment from tourists. Always be alert!

12. Capture beauty

India is full of mystery, beauty and amazing things. At every step you can safely press the camera button, you won’t take the wrong shot. The main thing is to be patient for subsequent analyzes of your photos.

13. Forget the guidebook

No standard route can replace your own desires and observations.

14. Don't try to see all of India in one day

In an effort to gallop across the whole of India in a few days, to see and taste everything, you will most likely take a bite of everything, but never feel the taste. The country is incredible and you won’t be able to travel around it even in a couple of months. Explore all the most interesting places, make your own route, or better yet, forget all the plans and just trust your feelings and desires.

Where to start developing an independent travel route in India
Good news: an unforgettable trip awaits you, full of vivid impressions and, possibly, adventures. If you are fed up with traveling and think that “all European cities are alike” or “all the beaches in South-East Asia the same”, India is what you need. You will see a completely different country, completely different from the countries you have visited before. Different colors, different people, different food.
I noticed amazing feature, characteristic only of India: this country either accepts the traveler or rejects it. In the first case, a person literally dissolves in it, in the second, everything is bad: either there is solid garbage underfoot, sometimes food is carried for a long time, sometimes there are beggars around. The only way out is to try to perceive everything that happens as signs; the universe clearly wants to say something. India is one of the main places of power on Earth.

Advice: To travel around central India, we recommend hiring a decent English-speaking driver-guide. The standard 4-5 days for the Golden Triangle (or 1-2 weeks for difficult routes) are quite inexpensive. Leave a request and, after confirmation, send your route to your driver-guide for audit. According to our statistics, more than half of the routes are being redrawn.

When is the best time to go to India?

The Indian climate is in remarkable opposition to Russia's. As soon as the “gray autumn” begins in central India, it is no longer so hot, but sea ​​resorts— Goa and Kerala — the season starts. And vice versa, in May the monsoons arrive, Delhi experiences incredible heat, and in Russia there is a wonderful spring and May holidays. The only peculiarity: if your trip falls in January, in Agra (where the Taj Mahal) there will be a comfortable temperature during the day, 18-20 degrees, but at night the thermometer drops almost to zero, and most hotels have no heating. There are only two options: take thermal underwear with you (no matter how crazy it may sound), or stay in high-class hotels.

Travel to India: Exotic + sea

99% percent of our readers combine tours around the Golden Triangle, Rajasthan or trips to the Ganges with a seaside holiday. Starting point - Delhi. Usually they do a sightseeing trip first, then a flight to Goa or Kerala, and then back home via Delhi.

Search flights to Delhi

Domestic flights are quite short, they are made by low-cost airlines, so if you buy a ticket as early as possible, the price will be low. The main costs are tickets to Delhi. Here are the price statistics:

Before starting the trip, we spend one or two nights in Delhi, this is quite enough. There is one piece of wisdom when choosing a hotel in Delhi. Even if you are traveling on a modest budget, do not under any circumstances skimp on a hotel in Delhi; you will understand why on the spot. After all, it's just one night.
Really good options mentioned in ours, you can book using the links in it, or select a hotel on the map. Do you see a circle on the left and rays emanating from it? Ideally, you go there, and the farther from there, the more extreme it becomes.

Delhi hotels on the map

So, tickets have been purchased, the night in Delhi has been booked. If you decide to hire a driver for your trip, once your reservation is confirmed, he will help you plan your trip wisely. As soon as excursion route ready, you can buy domestic tickets.

Search flights to Kerala

So, everything is ready. We begin to prepare for the trip. Ideas for traveling around India, ready-made routes, guides, review Goa beaches And best hotels Kerala - it's all in articles written by SmartTrip's professional journalists and vetted experts

Prologue. Fees.

Let me start by saying that our trip to India was planned long before departure. I like to plan everything, and therefore I chose air tickets, hotels, and also built routes with special care. We are not one of those travelers who travel all over the world all year round with backpacks on their backs, for whom it costs nothing to go to the other side of the planet, and who spend less time in their homeland than on the road. We are completely ordinary people (“white collar workers”, “managers”, “office plankton”) who decided to spend two weeks of our cherished vacation to see India with our own eyes.

Naturally, when planning the trip, a lot of information was processed on the Internet, viewed a large number of artistic, documentaries and amateur videos, read books. Now, perhaps, I’ll move on to the main thing. Here is a list of criteria I have compiled under which you should not go to India: - you intend to travel with a small child; - you are afraid (or you are very unpleasant) of insects; - you are poorly oriented on the map and in unfamiliar places; - you do not tolerate hot weather well; - you won’t be able to live a day without comfort (a good car, a beauty salon, delicious food, etc.); - you experience significant discomfort when there is a lot of noise, people, dirt around; - you get very sick in transport. If you (like any normal person) love comfort and cleanliness, but at the same time are ready to endure a couple of weeks or a month without a manicure and fashionable restaurants for the sake of new, incomparable sensations, then you really need to go to India.

Preparation of documents.

To stay in India, citizens Russian Federation must have a visa. There are several types of Indian visas; the most convenient, easy to obtain and suitable for us was the so-called electronic visa. I will not dwell on it in detail, since everything is written in sufficient detail here, but there is even a video assistant for filling out the application form for this visa. Just for the record, I’ll note that when we received the visa, we paid a $60 visa fee and another $2 for something like conversion. So... Bags are packed, documents are drawn up, heads are full of horror stories about unsanitary conditions and wild animals. We are ready for vacation!

Part 1. GOA

During our two weeks of vacation, we decided to see EVERYTHING. Initially, we did not plan to go to GOA. We purchased Moscow-Delhi-Moscow air tickets (RUB 19,391 from Aeroflot), but, having been completely disappointed in the summer of 2015, we really wanted the sea and the sun. Through thick and thin. We purchased air tickets Delhi-Dabolim-Delhi for 9607 rubles. (Ai India Airlines).

Aerofolot took us to Delhi without incident, where we went to the local air travel lounge, bought a bottle of water (20 rupees) and sat in the waiting room until we were invited to board. It is worth noting that Delhi has a large, modern, clean and spacious airport. The first feeling that you were in India arose on the plane. A beautiful Air India air hostess in a bright red sari asked, “VEG or NO VEG.” We asked for NO VEG. risik, vegetables, chicken, nothing foreshadowed trouble... But one spoon was enough to set everything inside on fire. Out of habit, my eyes began to water and I had a runny nose. We were ready for this.

September in Goa marks the end of the rainy season. We drove at random and we were lucky. During the 4 days we spent at the resort, it rained once and that was early in the morning. The advantages of being in GOA out of season: calm, clean White sand, the absence of all kinds of traders, drunken holidaymakers. Of the minuses: strong waves, you can only splash around near the shore, going into the sea up to your waist, for those who like to swim far - not an option; the color of the sea is not as azure as in the season; The excursion bureaus are closed, I really wanted to ride the elephants, but, alas, it was not possible. And, most importantly, the beach restaurants are closed, and I really counted on them.

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In GOA we chose the Alagoa Resort hotel, Betalbatim beach, respectively. The cost of a room per night for two in this hotel is about 1,000 rupees/day. The hotel is not the best, but it is quite suitable for an overnight stay. We ordered a taxi to the hotel at the airport; to our hotel the cost was 600 rupees. Although the hotel had a restaurant, I personally didn’t like it. In search of food, we forgot about safety measures and went in search of it. Not far from the hotel, “by smell” we found something like a “shawarma” for the locals, where we took noodles, flatbreads, rice with vegetables. It was unsafe, of course, but sooooo delicious. From that moment on we knew we loved Eggs noools.

And the next day we found a wonderful cafe “Monte Carlo”, which was also located not far from our hotel. The food there is simply wonderful, the prices are fair. It’s good in GOA: sun, sea, white sand, incredibly delicious fruits, especially pineapples! But this is not India yet, far from India. The food here is not so spicy, and the rickshaws are not so rabid.

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Part 2. First meeting with Delhi.

We arrived in Delhi from GOA around 4 pm. As in GOA, we booked a taxi to the hotel at the airport, taxi price: 1300 rupees. We drove from the airport to the hotel for a very long time, collecting all the traffic jams along the way. Accommodated in the popular tourist spot Main Bazaar. There is no need to be afraid of this place! The Internet is full of stories about what it's like creepy place, which I don’t agree with... I prefer the word “colorful”. But this is already now. In the first minutes, being in a taxi and pushing between a huge number of people waddling along the street, merchants who tried to push some kind of product right into the car window, rickshaws and completely amorphous cows, I was in a state of complete shock.

Like any resident of a metropolis, I don’t like crowds, I don’t like being in the center of a crowd, I don’t like when my personal space is violated, I don’t like when fingers are pointed at me, in the end! In India, the concept of personal space is absent in principle, and if you are also “white”, then, on the contrary, everyone passing by tries to touch you simply out of curiosity. But... let's return to Main Bazaar. Every Russian city has a bazaar. So Main Bazaar is the same bazaar as the collective farm market in our native Kazan. And, living in Main Bazaar, you live, by and large, in the middle of a collective farm market. The entire street is a market. But as soon as you enter any hotel, you immediately forget that behind the door is this very market. This place is convenient because it is within walking distance of the metro, railway station, travel agencies, shops, souvenir shops, exchangers.

A night in a hotel in Main Bazaar for a double room costs about 1,000 - 1,500 rubles. We stayed at Hari Prioko. I liked the hotel: clean linen, quite comfortable room, helpful staff. I won’t lie, after we unpacked our things and decided to go outside for shopping, dinner and tickets to Manali, my heart was knocking and was ready to jump out, torn by a feeling of the unknown, a little fear, shock and curiosity. After 5 minutes of being outside, all fears disappeared. We felt quite comfortable on a noisy, dirty, dark, crowded street. We took a walk (yes, we walked through the bazaar. This is India, guys, it’s normal), we did necessary purchases, purchased tickets for Volvo Bus to Manali.

! For 365 days, multi!
For citizens of the Russian Federation and Ukraine, the full cost with all fees = 8200 rub..
For citizens of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia = 6900 rub.

Here I will briefly describe those routes in India which I have personally passed through. You can take these routes as a basis, remove some of them, add something based on your preferences.

• The first is choosing the season for your trip. India is very stretched from north to south and from west to east. And when it’s hot in the south, there may still be snow in the north. You also need to take into account the rainy season.
  (Read about this:)
• The second is personal preference. India is very diverse, each state is different from the other. One region is famous for its abundance of ancient temples, another - good beaches, the third - palaces, the fourth - monasteries, etc. So the route can be tailored to suit every taste.
• Not worth it alone short vacation trying to cram several regions at once, because half of the vacation will be spent on travel, which is not rational. It is better to choose one region, or two located nearby.
• It is better to make moves at night (on and) so as not to waste precious daytime moving.
• The route can be looped, i.e. fly home from the same city to which you arrived. But you can do it another way - fly to one city (for example, Delhi), and fly home from another (for example, from Mumbai), and plan your route between these cities.

Conditionally (very conditionally) we will divide all routes in India into North, Center and South.

Routes in northern India

1. Chardham in the Indian Himalayas
This is a pilgrimage route in the state of Uttarakhand.

The four main sacred points of the route: – – Kedarnath – Badrinath.

From each point you can make radial treks into the mountains. For example, from Gangotri go for 2-3 days to;
from Yamunotri - to Lake Saptarishi Kund (the source of the Yamuna);
from Kedarnath - to Lake Gandhi Sarovar or to the source of Mandakini;
from Badrinath - to the foot of Mount Neelkanth.
If you have time, you can include the Valley of Flowers and;
and Tungnat;
walk to Lake Deorital;
the city (where Bagirati and Alaknanda merge to form the Ganga);
and also, of course, Rishikesh and Haridwar.
Duration: 18-20 days (if you take only the base points of Yamunotri - Gangotri - Kedarnath - Badrinath). If you expand this route with the branches described above, then you need to plan a month or more.
spring – May-June;
in autumn – September-October.

2. Himachal route
This route lies in the foothills of the Himalayas in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
Route branch:
Delhi – Shimla – Kullu Valley – Parvati Valley – Banjar Valley – Menri Monastery – Shimla – Delhi

From Delhi to Shimla we get through Kalka:
Delhi – Kalka (train),
.
Kullu Valley (Valley of the Gods): Manali, Naggar (the estate of the Roerichs and Krishna Temple), Bijli Mahadev Temple;
Parvati Valley: Manikaran, Kasol, Jhari, Mateura, ;
Banjar valley: Jibi, Chaini, Jalori pass, Balu temple, Saleur lake.

Duration: three weeks.
Best time for this route: May-June and August-September. Although I went to Himachal in March-April, and it was also very good (though in the Banjar Valley we had to walk in the rain, in Naggar our teeth chattered at night from the cold, and in Khirganga we were covered in snow, but it was still very cool: -))

3. Ladakh route
Very interesting route in northern India in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
On the map, Ladakh is highlighted in red.

Ladakh is located at an altitude of more than three thousand meters behind the Great Himalayan Range and is not similar to the rest of India in terms of landscapes or culture. It is called “Little Tibet”.

You can get to this region either by plane or by high mountain roads from Manali or Srinagar. – this is a separate, very beautiful adventure. It is better to leave this adventure for the return trip, and initially it is still better to fly to Les by plane (this is my belief, which I substantiate in).

Route duration: 4 weeks.
Best time: from June to October.

Attention! Before planning a trip to this region, you need to find out what the current situation is in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (if there is a war there).

Central India route

This route takes approximately 5 weeks. Starts in Delhi and ends in Mumbai.
Covers the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa.

Duration: three weeks.
Best time for this route: November - February.

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And a couple more routes around India, which I compiled for my friends and relatives, and which they really liked. So I can confidently recommend these routes too. Here I included both places I have visited and new ones.

1) Delhi – Shimla – Manali – Kullu valley – Parvati valley – Banjar valley – Kinnaur valley – Menri monastery (near Shimla) – Rishikesh – Delhi

2) Jaipur – Ahmedabad – Ajanta – Ellora – Hyderabad – Hampi – Mysore – Ooty – Gokarna