Restrictions to visiting Tutankhamuns Tomb

SPOTLIGHT ON INDIA

After a month in India, Sales Consultant Steve Lidgey tells us the benefits of travelling out of season…

Spotlight on India

Rajasthan in July – not exactly the perfect time to travel! I could have just spent some time in the sauna. On the other hand, if you can beat the humidity you can get good value for money and have fewer tourists to compete with. Most Brits travel in the cooler months between October and March when the temperature is cooler and generally drier in the north of the country.

I love photography and thought that my Rio carnival photos or market shots from Central America were the highlight of my past travels. However India is quite simply the most picturesque country I have travelled in. Don’t worry about missing that “Kodak moment” as another will happen straight away. It might be a cow serenely sat in the middle of a busy road as a truck bulging with people passes by or a group of Rajasthani village ladies walking to the fields dressed in their brightly coloured skirts.

Bales offer a variety of places to stay. There are super luxurious properties such as the Oberoi Amarvilas (600m from the Taj Mahal with an unobstructed view), fort properties such the one where Madonna spent her New Year (Rohet Garh & their Wilderness desert camp) and home-stays where you can dine with the family (Shahpura Bagh) whilst talking about the days birding to the Maharaja and his family.

Highlights of my trip include an early morning boat ride on the River Ganges in Varanasi and watching the sun rise, the magnificent and seductive Taj Mahal, the splendour and elegance of the Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur and down in the south of the country a cruise through the backwaters of Kerala.

I would quite gladly return to India to further explore this fascinating destination. The main problem with planning a holiday here is deciding where to miss out. A month long trip is just a good start to India. The country is bursting to the seams with amazing things to do and it is impossible to fit in everything in one go. Perhaps off season travel should be promoted. After all, a short monsoon shower freshens up the countryside and brings a lushness that one would not expect of India.