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| A
passage to India |
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If
lying on a beach is not your thing and you yearn for a
bit of adventure set against an exotic backdrop, have
you thought about the possibilities the vast sub-content
of India has to offer?
The country offers a wealth of ancient temples and monuments
for lovers of culture and heritage and many travel companies
now offer fantastic sight-seeing trips.
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| Jodhpur
is the second largest city in the Indian state of
Rajasthan. |
For
example, a Golden Triangle with Tiger tour traces the
rugged landscape of northern India beginning in Delhi,
where you will find the best food and markets, apart from
the significant monuments, before tasting the spirits
of adventure at Sariska.
As the landscape unfolds the magical city of red sandstone,
the excitement flows to Jaipur, the pink city. Then you
may just spot a tiger at Ranthambore and later experience
the romance and magic of magic of the Taj.
In southern India witness magically carved temples, walk
through markets dazzling with silks and sandalwood items
and open your eyes to a landscape embroidered with banana
leaf, paddy fields and coconut groves.
 This
may not be a land of forts and palaces but it is dominated
by temples and natural beauty. Whether its Chennai, Bangalore
or Mysore, whether the beautiful Cochin or the wild Periyar,
you can fill your visit with memorable events such as
an elephant ride, kath kali dance performance or enchanting
boat cruise at Alleppey.
Desert camel safaris in India are now one of Asia’s
fastest selling adventure holidays. These include camel
treks ranging from short rides around Jaisalmer to extensive
trips that remind you of Lawrence of Arabia on his epic
journey across the Sahara or Marco Polo on the historic
silk route.
They are a great way to see the desert and to enjoy a
novel and adventurous holiday.
The Great Indian Desert may not have great expanses of
sand dunes and incredible spaces of wilderness as large
as those of the Sahara and Namibia, but it offers some
glorious citadels and extremely colourful and unspoilt
villages.
The Camel Safari Circuit in India covers Jaisalmer, Jodhpur
and Bikaner, all in Rajasthan.
They were the princely kingdoms in the desert belt of
India, each comparable in size to many modern nations
of Europe.
All the former capitals prospered from trade with the
camel caravans that travelled from west Asia and Europe
to Mongolia and were impressively fortified to protect
these riches.
The result was a wealth of palaces built for royalty,
havelis or courtyard mansions built for merchants and
nobility and intricately carved temples for the subjects.
A camel safari is a great way to see the desert, visiting
the villages, seeing wildlife and riding across the open
desert sands.
Typical camel safaris organised around Jaisalmer take
in the architectural ruins of Lodurva, which was the former
capital of the Bhatti Rajput desert kingdom before the
founding of Jaisalmer, the Anasagar oasis, the sand dunes
of Samm and the water source of Moolsagar where village
women gather with pitchers at dusk.
Night halts on basic safaris are at villages on the way
or temporary bivouac camps in the desert scrub, where
camels are hobbled and let out to graze.
Packing the right clothing is important on one of these
holidays as the climate is extreme. In the desert afternoons
may seem much hotter than the actual 26–30 degree
temperature may suggest and night temperatures may drop
below zero on the dunes.
It is essential to take both woollen and cotton clothing.
Shorts and skirts are comfortable for camel safaris, but
remember, some of the off beat routes visit villages that
have not have seen many tourists and locals may look askance
at ladies who do not wear ankle length clothing and men
in shorts.
Sun hats with large rims or cotton caps that can be dipped
in water when it gets too hot around midday are essential,
preferably with a balaclava or scarf for covering the
neck and forehead.
If prone to sickness you should carry suitable medication
against the swaying gait of the camel. Finally patience
is an important piece of baggage on a camel safari as
it takes time to get to grips with camel travel.
There’s a huge variety of other special interests
that can be catered for in India, including angling and
fishing, gliding, mountaineering and rock climbing, skiing
and winter sports plus white water rafting and, of course,
elephant safaris.
Trout fishing in the rivers and ice-fed mountain streams
is a great sport. You may pit your wits against the wily
trout – both brown and rainbow – while those
who enjoy solitude can spend hours in quiet contemplation
of the beauty around.
The fast flowing clear water streams and high altitude
lakes of the upper Himalayas are excellent for trout fishing.
The challenge and thrill of an encounter with the powerful
mahseer, the hardest fighting fish on the planet, attracts
anglers from all over the world. It offers a holiday with
a fish, which not only rules the Indian waters like the
tiger does the jungle, but also battles the way, no other
can. |
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