Taking you through the lesser-known jewels of Rajasthan, Ajay Prakash introduces three forts that have retained their traditional character while taking on the trappings of modernity, offering travellers a taste of royal hospitality.
Read MoreKerala has been a major hub of the global spice trade for thousands of years now, luring traders and merchants to its shores from as far back as 3000 B.C., and from lands as far away as Egypt and Portugal. And even today, Kerala’s cuisine is a matter of national pride, counted among the best in the world. So we’ve put together a tour that offers some insight into the South Indian state’s rich food heritage, and we’ve thrown in sightseeing tours of ancient monuments, an overnight houseboat cruise on the Kerala backwaters and a trip to the Periyar National Park in Thekkady to spot elephants and other wildlife. Read on for a mouthwatering journey through ‘God’s own country’.
Read More"I want to say that this was a perfect holiday. Nothing went wrong and everything was wonderful. So thank you for making excellent arrangements for us. Now we are already thinking about our next one!”
— Vaijayanti & Dileep Wagle, Washington DC, USA
In a country where millions of kites are churned out every year to live out their brief, ephemeral lives doing battle in the skies before being reduced to a scrap of tissue paper and two thin strips of bamboo, the kite makers themselves are almost always totally anonymous. Babu Khan was the exception. A kite made by Babu was a treasure for Babu Khan was a kitemaster – one of the finest kite makers in India.
I was introduced to Babu Bhai, as he was affectionately called by everyone, by my childhood friend Masrur Ali Sayed. Mas and I grew up together in Jaipur and often spent Makar Sankranti flying from the same rooftop, competing amongst ourselves to see who could cut down more kites. Masrur always won.
Read MoreThe other day, I received an e-mail asking me to like the Facebook page of Nomad Travels (“We know and understand India, and like to show it off”), which I promptly did as the agency is run by old friends from university days. On the page, I came across the itinerary of a seven-day road trip to Ladakh, a remote district in the Himalaya Mountains. At $1,100 a head for a party of two it sounded excellent value. I read on and the eloquent description of the wild beauty of a landscape “that is the closest most of us will get to the moon” took me back 30 years to the summer of 1981, when I travelled there on my own and spent perhaps $100 over two weeks.
Read MoreAlthough it originated from the Islamic culture thousands of years ago, Sufism rises above the boundaries of religion and narrow sectarian concerns. It’s an inclusive concept devoted to the spirit of universal harmony, one that is non-dogmatic, flexible and non-violent. Sufism aspires towards the awakening of spiritual intuition, the purification of the self and the turning away of the heart from all else but God, thus ceaselessly seeking a union with the divine- in the here and now. Though all followers of Islam (and indeed many other religions) believe themselves to be striving towards God in order to be close to him after death, Sufis also hold that it is possible to embrace the Divine Presence in this life. This is done by quelling the self, cleansing the heart and overcoming vices such as pride, arrogance and envy while always seeking to rejoin the spirit to divinity.
Read MorePangong Lake lies high in the Himalayas, at 4350 metres above sea level on the Indo-China border. It’s a 5 hour drive from the town of Leh through some dramatic mountain scenery including the Changla pass- one of the highest motorable roads in the world. The drive is slightly arduous, but is also immensely rewarding… and at the end of it is the stunning Pangong Lake. The water constantly changes its appearance according to the weather conditions and time of day and the range of colours it goes through is pretty overwhelming. Surrounded by bare snow-brushed mountain peaks with barely a trace of vegetation for miles around, it’s a sight that’s going to make an indelible mark on you. Soak it in. If you’re looking for serenity at its most fulfilling, you’d be hard pressed to find a better experience.
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It's been a long time coming, but we've finally redone our website and I hope the new design (and content) makes for a better experience. A primary aim of the new design is to be more in touch- so please feel free to ask us anything, using the form at the bottom of each page. As always, our commitment to personalization and attention to detail remains unchanged. We're here to make your holiday a happy, hassle-free and affordable experience, on your own terms.
Happy browsing. We look forward to hearing from you.
