Winter tourism in India.

Missed vacationing this summer? Never heard of winter-vacationing in India? Read on and prepare to be amazed.

·         The great ‘ChadarTrek’ is the high point of winter-tourism in India. Much-awaited all year long, Indian youngsters take off to Zanskar in December when the temperature plunges to -40 degrees Celsius, in order to trek-up and camp-out on the frozen River Zanskar. Ice and snow is all you see there and sunlight is purely ornamental.

Best Time: December.

·         Get outrageously adventurous this winter and go Helicopter-skiing on the Pir Panjal Mountains at 13,000 feet altitude in Gulmarg. Rated as one of the finest powder-snow ski-descents in the world, Gulmarg offers 66 mountain peaks for professional and amateur skiers. Training and skiing equipment is provided at the GulmargSki Village - now all you need is guts.

Best Time: 25 December - end of February.

·         Seek Snow-Leopards in Hemis National Park at 20,000 feet and in Dachigam National Park at 14,000 feet altitude wrapped in -40 degrees Celsius. This needs patience, determination and a good Snow-Leopard guide. The mere journey of searching for the snow-leopards is out of this world!

Best Time: December & January.

·         Pay respects to this Great prehistoric animal that’s been on this planet for 50 million years – the Great One-horned Rhino whose largest population in India is in Kaziranga National Park which is also two-thirds of world population of Rhinos. Jaldapara WildlifeSanctuary, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Gorumara National Park are the next biggest Rhino-joints. You would also get to see other wildlife in their lush green natural habitat.

Best Time: January & February.

·         Go birding with binoculars and a camera to the country’s Bird-Hotspots between 4000-7000 feet altitude such as Neora Valley National Park, Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, BuxaNational Park among others.

Best Time: January & February.

·         Ask no more. Just head out to Goa this winter if you’ve not already been there. Goa’s beaches in winter are something else like no other in this country. Beach parties, beach shacks, beach flea-markets and the New Year’s Eve Parties are a rage here.

Best Time: December & January.

·         And this one – you’ll get sold on easily. Indulge in luxurious and romantic ‘Desert Camp Suites’ of large canvas tents lit-up with beautiful lanterns in the middle of Rajasthan Deserts of Jaisalmer and the Great Indian Thar Desert. Desert Safaris, Jeep-rides, Camel-treks – will give you fascinating desert experiences that will completely woo you and make you want to go back for more. Staying in a desert-camp is one of the best things that you could do with your money!

      Best Time: November, December, January, February.

So clear your calendar, block your dates and pack up for an amazing Winter Holiday!

Pix courtesy: Hindubusinessline, Serai, Goabeachhuts, mytourideas, valuemytrip, exoticasiatravels, travelandleisure.

Tree Musketeers !!

“The best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago. The next best time is right now!”

~ Confucius (551-479 BC) – Chinese teacher, philosopher and politician.

Confucius uttered this saying more than 2000 years back when the world had better green-coverage than right now. I wonder what he would’ve said– seeing the tree-coverage of the current world!

Certainly, unless we pursue trees like we follow religion, we will not be successful at conserving them. ‘Van Mahotsav’ – celebrating trees in India was launched with the same fervor by Shri Kanhaiyalal M. Munshi, the Union Minister for Agriculture and Food in 1950.

Van Mahotsav is celebrated for a whole week each July during which time, the Forest Departments, among other environmental organizations, corporates and even individuals, plant lakhs of saplings of different plant-species all over the country. Organizations spread awareness through various media about the importance of trees on this planet. The first thing you can do to protect the trees and the environment is to stop using plastic in all forms. Then find a small spot around your home to plant a tree-sapling of your choice and water it daily. Then urge 5 of your friends to do the same. Imagine if all of us were to become ‘Tree Musketeers’ and protect and take ownership to grow more trees? We’d be doing ourselves a big favour.

Van Mahotsav is a quiet tree-revolution in progress. Either you participate directly by getting involved in tree-planting this July or you be right where you are and spread awareness via your computer. Blog about it or send tree E-cards to your friends and colleagues. All this commotion around trees is bound to have a positive impact on all sometime soon.

Another interesting thing that we could do is visit the lovely Forest Reserves, Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks where there is abundance of trees. Obviously, the amount we pay towards the entry fee (though not much) to these places is used for their conservation. This way we also get to see the wildlife that lives hand-in-glove with the forests.

Among all the places that you would find trees in, the Central Government  ‘Protected Areas’ are by far the best places in India which are home to some of the common as well as rare plant species – all clustered together. Some of the popular Tree Haunts (Protected Areas) to visit in India for inspiration or for sheer joy are:

1.    Sundarban National Park – West Bengal.

2.    Kaziranga National Park – Assam.

3.    Jim Corbett National Park – Uttarakhand.

4.    Gangotri National Park – Uttarakhand

5.    Great Himalayan National Park – Himachal Pradesh

6.    Indravati National Park – Chhattisgarh

7.    Simlipal National Park – Orissa

8.    Nagarhole National Park – Karnataka

9.    Buxa National Park – West Bengal

10. Pench National Park - Maharashtra

Pix courtesy: Premabhakti.wordpress; sreyas-mg.blogspot; worldlandtrust; love-theearth.blogspot; twitsnaps.

Choose your Cruise on River Brahmaputra....

You will fall in love….all over again.

You will wake up in a different place every day.

You are constantly moving from one place to the other without lifting a finger.

You can laze laze laze all you want.

You will visit some far-flung and fascinating places.

You will be surprised by the most unexpected natural elements.

And if you care you will also steer a ship on the river.

Welcome to River-Cruising on the Brahmaputra – the floating-hotel-ride of a lifetime!

Not to take away the element of surprise from it but let me whet your appetite and warn you of what you could be missing.

World’s largest river-island – Majuli; pink playful Dolphins; Wildlife Safari in the Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park and tons more – all aboard a river-cruise-liner- ship!

Pick a month between October and March, pack light and pack right with imperatives and prepare to set sail aboard a ship for a few days with these pointers in mind:

Ø  Set your expectations right – know what to expect:

o   There would be 15-30 other passengers on the Ship. You can expect foreigners too.

o   Most ships would be double deck with living quarters below and a canopied open deck above with reclined beach chairs for lazing around and for sightseeing. For photographing some great sights along the way, you must park yourself here. It’s a great place to hang out at sunset with a bottle of chill beer or wine or both!

o   The ship would stop at few prime places where you’re expected to get off and explore the locale on foot or on elephant-back. You would have few opportunities to shop. Keep cash handy.

o   As you would be going into thick forests of the National Parks and even do shore-excursions of walk-throughs of villages, you must carry mosquito and snake repellent, and carry two pairs of footwear – one for the ship and the other for trekking on land in villages or in forests. Umbrellas, caps, sunshades, sun block, first-aid kit are imperatives.

o   River waterways are calmer than ocean cruisers. These river-ships being smaller than ocean-liners won’t have casinos but most ships have in-house cultural programs. You have the liberty and choice to do whatever you please. Bring board-games or a juicy book. Or just park yourself on the deck and soak in the cruise, the ambience, the river and the scenery and mingle with your co-cruisers.

o   Food menu would be limited to a pre-set list of dishes. Obviously as Assam is tourism-centric, you can count on food being good. Some cruise-lines offer barbeque dinners on islands.Most river-cruise-ship stock a good bar onboard.

o   There would be insightful information given by the tour-guide atop the deck when he addresses the whole tour-group.

Ø  Carry a camera with wide angle lens and zoom lens on a tripod stand and remote clicker to plant your camera firm and click pictures without having to look through the eye-piece each time. Also find a way to connect the camera to your laptop so you can see your images on the big screen right away as they’re being clicked. Don’t forget your binoculars.

Ø  Take domestic travel insurance. What if you need it on the trip but you don’t have it?

Ø  Know the terrain you’re about to tread:

o   Its river all the way people – with occasional stopovers on land. So motion-sickness folks please excuse.

o   Explore the world’s largest river-island – Majuli Island.

o   Thick riverine forests of Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park inhabited by wildlife such as the single-horned Rhino, Tiger and Elephants.

o   Historically religious sites of Hajo and Vishnath.

o   Tribal Village tourism of Assam.

o   Tea garden-treks.

Ø  The first rule of ‘CHOOSE A CRUISE’ – be aware of the whole itinerary from start to finish with the details mentioned above so that you choose the cruise you want to be on and you don’t face any rude shocks on the trip. The second rule – let go, relax, live for the day and live it up. You paid for it!

Pix courtesy: Telegraph.co.uk; Lonely Planet; brahmaputrarivercruises; elephantsafari.wordpress, GoHoto Blog.