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India is Unique. From scintillating cities and fabled forts to palatial palaces and tantalising temples, and beautiful beaches, it is a kaleidoscope of attractions.
The country is set apart from the rest of Asia by the Himalayas, the highest, youngest and still evolving mountain chain on the planet. The subcontinent as it is rightly called, touches three large water bodies and is immediately recognizable on any world map. This thick, roughly triangular peninsula defines the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Arabian sea to the west, and the India Ocean to the south.
India holds virtually every kind of landscape imaginable. An abundance of mountain ranges and national parks provide ample opportunity for eco-tourism and trekking, and its sheer size promises something for everyone.
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Climate
India has a hot tropical climate but with a considerable variations from region to region. The coolest weather lasts from November to mid-March, with cool, fresh mornings with sunny days. The hot weather (bit dry and dusty) is between April and June. The hill stations in the Himalayas and the Western ghats have excellent weather even in the hot months of April to early June. Parts of Western Himalayas can be excellent up to September though it can be cold along with rains in spring. Monsoon rains occur in most regions in summer between June and September. There is pleasant sunshine during the months of October to March in almost all parts of the country.
Average Flying Time from London - 9 Hours.
Entry Requirements
Passports / Visas: All foreign nationals including U.K & Ireland require visa to enter India. British and Irish nationals wishing to visit India must be in possession of a valid passport and the passport should have a validity of six months prior to applying for visa.
Health and Medical information
No vaccination is required for travelling to India from UK and Ireland. Health conscious people may like to consult their GP for inoculation against typhoid, Hepatitis and meningitis. Visitors originating from Africa, South America and Papua New Guinea must possess Yellow Fever Certificate prior to visit India and failing to do so they can quarantined on arrival at the airport. Further, use mosquito repellent in mosquito prone areas.
Currency
India's currency is the Rupee, abbreviated as Rs. One Rupee is equal to 100 Paise. Coins are in denominations of 10, 25 & 50 Paise and also 1, 2 & 5 Rupee coin. Notes are in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 Rupees. Contact the nearest bank for details of current exchange rates. Money can be changed at all international airports round the clock in India. It is advisable to carry out a mix of cash and travellers cheques to guard against any situation. The US Dollar is the easiest currency to change followed by Pounds Sterling.
Credit Cards
A large number of hotels, restaurants, emporiums and shops accept major credit cards, the well known and more accepted ones being American Express, Mastercard and Visa.
Language
English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication, Hindi the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people, Bengali (official), Telugu (official), Marathi (official), Tamil (official), Urdu (official), Gujarati (official), Malayalam (official), Kannada (official), Oriya (official), Punjabi (official), Assamese (official), Kashmiri (official), Sindhi (official), Sanskrit (official), Hindustani (a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India)
note: 24 languages each spoken by a million or more persons; numerous other languages and dialects, for the most part mutually unintelligible
Religion
India is a vast expanse of cultural, traditional and religious diversity. The Major religions are Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Budhism, Sikh, Jainism, Parsis & Jews.
Tipping
In restaurants or hotels a 10% service charge is often added to bills, in which case there is no need to tip. In smaller places, where tipping is optional, you need only tip a few rupees, not a percentage of your bill. It is customary to tip waiters, porters, guides and drivers.
Opening Hours
These may vary from region to region. Banks: 1000 to 1400
(Mon. to Fri.), and 1000 to 1200 (Sat.). All international hotels have a 24 hours money changing facility. Post Offices: 1000 to 1700
(Mon. to Fri.) and Saturday mornings. In big cities, these hours are often longer. Offices: 0930 to 1700
(Mon. to Fri.), 0930-1300 (Sat.). Some government offices open on alternate Saturdays. Shops: 0930 to 1800
(Mon. to Sat.).
Electricity
Voltage in most places is 220 volts AC, 50 cycles, round pin plugs and sockets. Visitors are advised to check the voltage before using electrical appliances. Socket sizes vary, so it is advisable to take a set of plug adaptors.
Public Holidays
There are many festivals and special events in India, but only a few of these are full Public Holidays. National Holidays are : 26 Jan (Republic Day);15 Aug (Independence Day); 2 Oct (Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday). For dates of other holidays and festivals please contact Tourist Offices, London (Tel: 020 7437 3677)
Taj Mahal is closed on every Friday of the week, Ajanta Caves on Monday and Ellora Caves on Tuesday. Red fort in Delhi is closed every Monday.
Photography
Visitors to India find ample themes with varied subjects for photography including people, monuments, wildlife, festivities and landscapes. Note, for still photography and video filming, a prescribed fee has to be remitted at the monument and for professional photography cum filming with big sized camera, permission has to be sought from Archaeological Survey of India, Janpath Road, New Delhi-110001., Tel. 00-91-11-23012058/23019487 (2) Photography in wildlife sanctuaries is allowed only on payment of a prescribed fee to the Wildlife Warden of the sanctuary; (3) Photography is prohibited in tribal areas & military areas.
Postal
Stamps can often be bought at hotels. Airmail service to the United Kingdom generally takes up to a week.
E-mail and internet services are available in most hotels and General Post Offices all over India. E-mail centres are now becoming popular in major cities. While cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai have several cyber cafes, the concept has picked-up adequately in other cities. |
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