travel to India

India is a travellers’ paradise and has been one for centuries. The vast country with its extremely colourful diversity has everything that a traveller could desires. Thousands of years of history, colourful heritage & culture, savoury food, pampering hospitality, and incredible experiences.

Be it the mighty Himalayas, lush Ghats, serene backwaters, beautiful beaches, the timeless Thar Desert, royal palaces & opulent forts of Rajasthan, verdant jungles of Central India, unexplored nooks and corners, India has a lot for its travellers to discover. If you are seeking one reason to travel to India, you can find hundreds. Here are 11 of the handpicked reasons to visit India.

1. Architecture

The most stunning piece of India’s incredible architecture, the Taj Mahal is one of the most visited monuments in the world. The ‘Wonder of the World’ is a masterpiece of finesse crafted in stone. Besides the Taj, there is a lot to explore. There are around 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and even more unlisted heritage sites. From intricate South Indian temple architecture, mighty forts of Rajasthan, opulent palaces, ancient caves, and masterpieces of stone.

Be it Ajanta or Ellora Caves, Bhimbetka Caves, Kamasutra-inspired temples of Khajuraho or the majestic ruins of Hampi; witness heritage of hundreds of centuries.

2. Wildlife

India is home to unique wildlife. The country has lush jungles, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries which is home to a wide range of species of the animal kingdom.

A wildlife holiday in India is a chance to go on jeep safaris and elephant safaris. Come across the majestic royal Bengal Tigers, Asiatic Lions, one-horned rhinoceros, elephants, deer, gaur, colourful birds and even migratory birds that inhabit the lands only in the winters.

3. Unique Diversity

When it comes to India you come across unique diversity. From beaches to backwaters, hill stations to valleys, jungles to desert, waterfalls to caves, the land is blessed. From the rainiest places on Earth to the places that never get any rain there is an extreme diversity, one that makes you feel blessed to explore India.

4. Spirituality

If 5000 years of civilization has given India something it the rare understanding of spirituality. The ancient ghats of River Ganga in Varanasi is said to be where one experiences the divine. There are ashrams in the Himalayas, and many other rituals that are a treasure of spirituality.

5. Adventure

Adventure is a feeling you just cannot miss on your trip to India. There are mountains with a number of thrilling treks, skiing, camping, river rafting, etc. Beaches have many water sports to boast about. From the secrets of the marine world to excitement to capture the waves or sail over the sea breeze.

6. Indian Food

Indian food is a vital part of the rich culture. Tasting the diverse cuisines is an enriching travel experience in India. With so many cuisines, owing to the diverse geography, culture and unique style of cooking, there is never any shortage of delightful delicacies to try. From the rich spice-filled preparations to meals that adhere to Ayurveda, there are dishes that treat your taste buds. 56 dishes meals, street foods, dessert, feasts and more, get ready to be pampered with soulful preparations.

7. Luxury Hotels

Heritage hotels in India have kept intact the days of glory. While Rajasthan abounds in many properties there are also amazing options all over the country. A stay at heritage hotels in one of must-try experiences in India. Relive the history, marvel at architecture, enjoy being pampered as royalty and have the best time of your life.

8. Yoga, Meditation, Ayurveda at an Ashram

Yoga, Ayurveda and other holistic treatments are ancient traditions of India. To experience bliss, harmony and the secrets of wellness stay at an ashram that practice these traditions. The peace you feel is one of the most cherished experiences in India.

It is certainly true that India as a tourist destination offers a whole lot more to tourists than most other destinations can, from the peaks of the Himalayas to the Tea Gardens of Assam to the backwaters of Kerala, to the white sandy beaches of Goa, and above all, monuments like the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world--- India has all of this and much more , but sadly, India gets fewer tourists than most of its competing nations.

There are quite a few reasons as to why India only gets a minuscule percentage of the world’s tourists. Prominent amongst these are our lack of infrastructure, visa’s being difficult and expensive, the perception regarding lack of safety and security, etc.

When it comes to infrastructure, sadly, we are way behind our neighboring countries or other Asian destinations – the drive from Delhi to Agra has improved and is now world-class, but, when you look at other highways, it’s a sad situation. The drive from Jaipur to Delhi, a distance of about 250 kms, could take up to 7 hours! Likewise, the drive from Bangalore to Mysore, a distance of only about 150 kms, could take up to 5 hours! It is just not the roads or the lack of them, it is basic facilities like clean toilets that are lacking in most of our highways.

Then there is air connectivity – while things have improved quite a bit in the last few years, our national carries Air India, unfortunately, hasn’t done much to improve connectivity to India from major tourism producing countries. Compare ourselves to Dubai or Singapore, where the national carriers because of their strength, network, and connections, bring in thousands of tourists.

A lot of tourists intending to travel to India are deterred by the high cost and the time taken to obtain a Visa for India. With short lead times and last minute vacation planning becoming more and more common, travelers obviously choose destinations that are easy to get to in terms of the visa. Competing destinations like Thailand, Singapore, Hongkong, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc, either require no visas at all or have visas that are available on arrival. Even countries like Turkey, that are serious about their tourism, have introduced e-visa that can be obtained on the internet.

As a country, we have so much to show, in terms of history and culture, but, unfortunately, greed and dishonesty seems to have crept in, and crept in so deep, that it mars the tourist’s good experiences too! Tourists visiting the Jama Masjid (the largest Mosque in India ) are forced to pay a camera fee when there is actually nothing to be paid. Tourists traveling in auto rickshaws often end up paying 3 or 4 times the usual fare!

We really need to get our act together , and the Government needs to understand the importance of tourism, both in terms of its cultural exchange value , and in terms of its economic value, and do things that will attract visitors to our shores--- getting our act together on the infrastructure front , lowering of taxes on tourism product ( taxes in Delhi for example constitute almost 40% of the Hotel costs) , ensuring the safety and security of tourists travelling (particularly female travellers), would be the first steps towards this .

We also need to have more leisure activities for tourists, travellers are very happy to see monuments, forts, and palaces, but a lot of them even want nightlife and evening entertainment, good golfing facilities, etc, facilities which sadly, most of our tourist destinations lack. For example, Goa, India’s most sought after beach holiday destination, does not till date, have a world-class Championship Golf course something that every other beach holiday destination offers.

Having said all of this, India certainly does have lots to attract tourists, monuments like the Taj Mahal, Tiger Reserves like Kanha and Bandhavgarh, the frozen deserts of Ladakh, the pristine backwaters of Kerala, the 400-year-old temples of Southern India, the list is actually endless !!!