Namaste India Trip Blog

Balasore was a bustling port established by British in 1642 and was an important maritime trading port also with Dutch and French, but lost its importance because the port had silted up in the 18th century. Ruins of some Dutch tombs and remnants of some old canals which led to the sea (13 km away) can still be seen. Today […]

Recycling waster, tapping solar and wind power to become energy – efficient, offering linen reuse programmes, and more – hotels are leaving no stone unturned to make sure that they do not take their environment for granted. Eco-tourism came as a wave a few years ago and has today taken the entire travel industry by storm. Right from destinations to […]

Hemis monastery, known as one of the most ancient monastery in Ladakh. Hemis monastery representative reincarnate of Buddha. Hemis Gompa is one of the most important in Ladakh quite apart from its annual festival. You can gain an impression of the extent of the monastery area by climbing the so called eyrie, a hermitage (Gotsang Gompa) reached by one hour, […]

Zanskar, the region between Kargil and Lamayuru in the north and Kishtwar and Manali in the south is, at the moment, an ideal trekking area. The new road from Kargil over the Pensi La to Padum will bring a post office, bank and even a phone connection to the Zanskar capital but at present, you will find none of these […]

People call Ladakh Moonland or the last Shangri-La. These phrases sound dramatic, almost exaggerated, until you actually travel through the region. Then they start to make sense. Ladakh lies beyond the main Himalayan ranges, on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Rain rarely reaches here. High mountains block moisture-heavy clouds, leaving the land dry, open, and harsh. Most of what […]

Location: Solan District, Himachal Pradesh Altitude: 6,100 feet Best Time to Visit: April to October Kasauli is a solitary settlement on a hilltop, in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. It is located about 320 kilometers from New Delhi. The landscape, climate, and terrain of Kasauli are completely different from other hill stations in North India. Located in one of the […]

Spiritual Sojourns The centre of the Buddhist Universe, Bodh Gaya helps one understand the message of the enlightened one. We stood amid the ruins of an ancient Stupa that rested like a crumpled crown on the summit of a little mound that overlooked the dry Falgu River. And as dusk cast its veil like a soothing balm over the sun-scorched […]

Once the hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Mysore, Bandipur National Park is today is a wildlife reserve that is home to a fascinating variety of wildlife. The wildlife reserve was originally part of the Venugopal Wildlife Park. In 1973, it became one of the first reserves under Project Tiger, an Indian Government initiative to project the tiger from extinction. […]

Discovered by a British Army officer in 1919, the Ajanta and Ellora Caves in Aurangabad are stunning examples of India’s cave architecture. The bend on the cemented pathway in no way prepared me for what lay ahead. Just beyond the curve was a staggering sepia-hued horseshoe-shaped cave complex, The Ajanta Caves, chiseled in the rock face by many a deft […]