India travel guide

The small village of Dudu, located in the province of Rajasthan along the highway, is a town where you only stop if your bus has a flat tire. There are no other tourists, and people stare at you just as much as you stare at them. But if you come this way anyway, visit the local market, which is the natural meeting point of the little town. Here, people are shaved and are having a haircut in the middle of the market, different kinds of food are sold along with pretty water jars, shoes, old tools and harvesting tools. Meanwhile, the men sit in small groups on little wicker chairs and discuss everyday issues and news.

13 kilometers from Jaipur in Rajasthan you find Amber Fort, built in 1592. The palace is situated on a hill with sweeping views over the area and it is a classic example of Rajput architecture. If you do not have the energy to walk up to the fort, from the foot of the hill, you can ride up there on elephant back for a fee. There are lots of tourists who do this, so you should expect to queue for a while. The palace covers a fairly large area, and there are fine columns / arches, painted ceilings, mirror mosaics, courtyards and women in bright blue saris who walk around sweeping.

Due to their remote location in the middle of the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have kept under the radar for most travellers, including Indians. But things are (as always) changing. Most people fly to Port Blair on South Andaman Island, just to leave as quickly as possible to either Havelock Island or Neil Island. Havelock has a low-key holiday vibe, while Neil is a one-village place, but common for both are the splendid sandy beaches, turquoise water and mangrove forest. Only nine of the 325 islands that make up the Andamans, can be visited, while the neighbouring Nicobar Islands (275 islands) are strictly off limits to tourists, as there are still indigenous tribes living there, who don't want any contact with the outside world (a missionary got killed when he tried to contact them).

In Jaipur lies the vast astronomical observatory Jantar Mantar, which was built between 1727-1734 by Maharaja Jai Singh II. The area is one of Unesco's World Heritage Sites, and consists of 14 major geometric instrument made of marble, stone, and bronze. The instruments were used to measure time, predicting eclipses, measuring the distance to the planets and the like. Among others, it has the world's largest sundial, which is 27 meters high. It is impressive that these approx. 280 years old measuring instruments are still extremely precise - and sometimes are used to predict the weather by local astronomers.

Sometimes locals really do know best. The city of Jammu in the north of India doesn't really get a lot of visitors. There are those that believe there isn't much to visit (wrong). If in town, and looking for what to do, just follow the locals to Bagh-e-Bahu park. The terraced park, on the banks of the Tawi River, makes for some excellent people watching. Whether ignoring the 'no picnic' signs or the 'no playing in the fountain' signs, the locals are fun. But far from being a one hit wonder, you can also check out monkeys diving into pools doing a twisted pike in a tuck position. The whole park is capped off with the Bahu Fort dating back 300+ years. People, primates and palisades, how could you go wrong?

The Ganges River is a pretty important feature of the Indian landscape. This is certainly true when talking about the Hindu religion. The Ganges is where people comes to ensure long, healthy lives of babies, it's where adults come to wash away their sins and it's where the dead comes to enter the next life. The ghats at Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar are some of the holiest around. Visited by both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu (there's even a footprint to prove it), these ghats attract pilgrims by the throngs; especially around the 12 year Kumbh Mela. Even if you miss it, there are still nightly Aarti (fire ceremonies) attended by the masses. If you want some Ganges blessings, Har Ki Pauri is the place to do it.

It's no secret that Kashmir has had its troubled times in the past. So one would not really expect this to be the place to come for a bit of calm and relaxation; this is especially the case if you stay on a houseboat in Srinagar. Simple but comfortable floating trailers line the shores of local lakes only a hop, skip and a jump from the busy downtown. Many of the houseboats are wonderfully decorated with local arts & crafts including incredibly intricate woodwork (walnut) and paper mâché. Perhaps best of all, you can choose the lake experience which best suits you. Dal Lake is the busy lake with Shikaras (local boats) ferrying passengers to & fro, or you could opt for the more tranquil Nigeen Lake. Either way, staying on a houseboat is a great opportunity to have your worry float away.

In the town of Khajuraho, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, a number of ancient Hindu temples are located. They are regarded as some of India's "Seven Wonders" and are also on the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. The temples were built around 1000 years ago and from the original approx. 80 temples, 25 are left. They are located in 3 different parts of an area of 20 square kilometers, and they can easily be seen in a single day. Besides being impressively well preserved, the temples are also known for their extremely erotic carved figures. Back then, there were obviously no sexual positions, persons or animals, you could not throw yourself at... No wonder that this is the land of the "Kama Sutra"!

At low tide you can walk out to this spectacular natural rock bridge. The view of both the bridge and the beautiful coastline is best from the backside of the bridge, where there also are some rockpools with lots of small sea creatures. The rocks and dead corals can be super sharp or slippery, so wear sturdy footwear (they will get wet). There is another newly developed natural bridge a short walk pass the first one. Just make sure you have enough time to return before the tide shifts. The Natural Bridge is very popular with Indian tourists, so you might experience Neil Island's only traffic jam at the small parkering area.

Temples are pretty. Elephant rides are fun. Holy baths are wet. India's full of such experiences. But there comes a time where you just can't motivate yourself to see yet another temple or elephant or bath. Sometimes you need something completely different and unique. Look no further than Nek Chand's Rock Garden in Chandigarh. What started off as a basic garden initiative has become a eclectic artist's paradise of waterfalls, sculpture and murals made entirely of industrial and home waste and thrown-away items. The maze of alleyways hide the massiveness of the place spreading over some 40 acres. Easily one of the weirdest places not only in India, but the world.