Our featured tour of the week is Incredible Gujarat.Many of the handicrafts sold in the western parts of the more famous and touristy northern neighbour, Rajasthan are actually Gujarati or Kutchi in origin and there are many villages where the traditional arts are still practiced. We spend time visiting some of the villages and seeing how these arts still
Our featured tour of the week is Incredible Gujarat.Conferred UNESCO World Heritage status in 2017, the Old City of Ahmedabad is a fascinating labyrinth of communities, streets and quite unique social systems. A special feature of Ahmedabad is the plan of the old city, comprising numerous Pols, self-contained neighborhoods, sheltering large numbers of people. Some of these Pols
We work closely with many small local businesses and families who rely on grass-roots tourism – something we feel increasingly important as the tourism industry continues to grow and consolidate with many travel companies and agencies becoming large corporations focused on the bottom line rather than on encouraging small enterprises on the ground.Here’s just one example of a
The penultimate destination of the tour and our last in the state of Rajasthan is the romantic city of Udaipur, also known as the city of lakes.Situated at 600msl in the midst of the Aravali mountains, Udaipur is surrounded by beautiful hills and lakes and is a favourite of everyone who visits.Udaipur is also our favourite – so much
Our featured tour of the week is our Essence of India tourIndia’s most famous monument, one of the seven wonders of the world is the incredible Taj Mahal.Nothing can prepare you for your first glimpse of this iconic mausoleum as you walk through the main arch of the entry building.The sheer scale of the building and
Our featured tour of the week is our Essence of India tourOne of our favourite places we visit on this tour is Castle Bijaipur. Built in the 16th century, the castle, inhabited and run by the original rulers who descend from the Udaipur royal family, was converted into a hotel in 1991. We stay here for two nights on
Our featured tour of the week is our Women-only Essence of India tourTurbans are an everyday item of clothing for men of many different communities in India. One of the most common turbans to see is the Rajasthani Pagari. Varying in style, colour and size, these turbans indicate the wearers social standing and caste. In the hot, dry
Our featured tour of the week is our Women-only Essence of India tourVaranasi is best known as the holy city on the Ganges. As well as being the holiest of holies for Hindu’s it is a city famous for Indian classical music. On any day around town, somewhere you’ll find a concert happening. Many foreigners come
Our featured tour of the week is our Women-only Essence of India tourIndia is home to hundreds of stepwells – storage water wells built with steps leading down to the water. An interesting feature of stepwells in India is that they were built predominantly to provide water but also, because they are often quite deep, they would provide relief
Our featured tour of the week is The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Tour.One of my absolute favourite movies about India is The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Movie. The Judi Dench and Maggie Smith starring British movie introduced a new India to millions of people – a more ‘real’ India not often portrayed in film and media – an India without the
